Back in January of this year, downtown Hoboken bar Mills Tavern quietly closed its doors. Shortly thereafter, the team behind Pig + Parrot — another popular spot in town — took over the space, with plans to open a new bar, restaurant, and live music joint called ‘Psycho Mike’s Therapy Bar.’ As of Friday, March 1st, ‘Psycho Mike’s’ has officially opened its doors at 125 Washington Street. Read on for the complete Hoboken timeline of Mills’ closure and the new spot that took its place.
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What We Know About Psycho Mike’s Therapy Bar
Psycho Mike’s Therapy Bar is open in the Mile Square as of Friday, March 1st at 11AM. The bar took to Instagram to announce the news, and a separate post said that happy hour would be from 3PM-6PM Monday-Friday.
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In an exclusive conversation with owner Mike Citarella, The Hoboken Girl got all the details back in January. Mike also owns the Pig + Parrot in Hoboken, located at 77 Hudson Street. “Everyone keeps saying I’m crazy for being in this business,” he said of the name. “I’ve been in this business over 25 years and have owned many of the bars in Hoboken and some down the shore. Times are crazy, so for me to buy another bar is where I got the name.”
As far as what customers can expect, Mike said, “It’s going to be a great bar. We will have live music, DJs, happy hour specials, and really good food.” He continued, “We will have private parties. There’s space on the second floor for private party rooms.”
Read More: Hoboken Coffee Shop City of Saints Announces Closure
Mills Tavern’s Closure
On Friday, January 5th, 2024, longtime Mills Tavern bouncer Marek broke the news on his personal Instagram, sharing that “Unfortunately as of 1/1/24, Mills is closed for good.” In the photo, Marek posed in front of the Mills Tavern entrance, which featured closing signage on the door: “CLOSED, please visit Black Bear Bar + Grill at 205 Washington Street.” See Marek’s post below.
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The post garnered over 30 comments from locals expressing both sadness and confusion about the neighborhood bar‘s closure. One resident commented “Didn’t even know they were closing,” to which Marek responded: “I found out Thursday.”
Former Mills employees and the owners have confirmed with The Hoboken Girl that the downtown bar has closed, but despite confirmation, Mills Tavern has remained quiet on its professional Instagram — the last post being a New Year’s Eve party promotion from December 27th. Black Bear, on the other hand, has remained active on social, further indicating the closure.
Dave and Wanda Jacey, the owners of Mills, Black Bear, and Arthur’s (which is currently closed for renovations), shared with The Hoboken Girl:
“As of January 1st, Mills Tavern is closed for business. We, as a family and staff, would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the people of Hoboken for 26 years of support. Your patronage is greatly appreciated and has not gone unnoticed!Thank you for the time we spent together, it was our pleasure.”
Both a Mills employee and another prominent Hoboken bar owner shared that the 125 Washington Street space was sold by the owner, but that’s yet to be confirmed by Dave and Wanda.
Even so, it’ll be business as usual over at Black Bear Bar + Grill, and the owners encourage locals to continue stopping by for sports games, happy hour food, and weekly trivia.
More on The Owners of Mills + Black Bear
The man behind Mills, Dave Jacey, is a well-known Hoboken business owner — steering the ship of Black Bear Bar + Grill since 1996. Black Bear is best known for its selection of wings and weekly events (trivia, taco night, brunch, etc.), but at one point in time was a cozy lodge with whiskey and cigars. Over the years, Dave has reimagined the space to fit the needs of Hoboken residents, and as it stands today, Black Bear is a staple for hungry sports fans throughout the Mile Square.
In 1998, Dave also opened Whiskey Bar, a downtown Hoboken establishment that was exactly what it sounds like and featured a steady lineup of live music performances. 15 years later in 2013, Dave and Wanda rebranded Whiskey Bar into Mills Tavern, an offshoot of Black Bear Bar + Grill that embraced more of a sports bar vibe than its predecessor. Mills Tavern remained at 125 Washington Street until 2024.
See More: Cloverleaf Tavern: A Neighborhood Restaurant + Pub in Caldwell Since 1933
Just two years before the opening of Mills, Dave and his wife Wanda purchased Arthur’s Steakhouse, another downtown staple that had been around since the ’80s and won over the hearts of residents with its “famous” garlic bread, griddled potatoes, French onion soup, and cheeseburger. Arthur’s closed for renovations in February 2022 and has yet to reopen. You can read more about that here.
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