Looking for your neighborhood bar is a challenge if you live in the Fourth Ward. Although there are some restaurants, there are only a handful of bars. And it'’s exactly the lack of watering holes that bothers a professional drinker like me.

But just as I thought all hope was lost, I found a gem: Northern Soul.

A solid neighborhood bar nestled on First between Madison and Monroe Streets, it’s the kind of place where you can grab a pint, hear a local band and admire the work of up-and-coming artists, which is to say that it’s wholly unique.

“We’re just offering something different,” said John McCloskey, co-owner of the bar.

Northern Soul opened in 2008, taking over the former Quiet Woman space. It’s a homey bar with pool, darts and a jukebox, with a big window facing the street. On quiet afternoons, McCloskey’s sweet dog Franco may be hanging around.

“Most Hoboken bars get people from out of town, we get the locals who want to avoid the people on Washington Street boxing each others ears off,” said McCloskey. 

While the beer selection isn’t as large as uber-bars Wicked Wolf or the Village Pourhouse, Northern Soul boasts a well-curated collection of local craft beers and German and Belgium imports. Every night there are usually two beers on special, a buck or two cheaper than the normal $4 to $6 for a draft. In addition, on this particular evening, they were also offering the “Cowboy Supper,” a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a shot of whiskey for $5. 

“Someone suggested we call that ‘The Mel Gibson,’” McCloskey said.

But even though Northern Soul is not a place where you need to get dressed up in your stilettos and snakeskin pants (please, don’t ever wear those), they will still make you a fancy-pants cocktail anyway.

“We’re more of a beer-and-shot bar, but if people want to have a cocktail, we’d rather make it fresh,” he said, adding, “We won’t do Rose’s (syrup).”

On Sunday, they offer fresh Bloody Mary’s and bacon-infused vodka. Yes, you heard that right, bacon.

On Wednesday nights, Northern Soul holds an Open Mic night, run by Dave Antwhistle, who has been holding similar events in the neighborhood for the past eight years. McCloskey said they see musicians, comedians, spoken word poets, or “whatever people want to do.” On Thursdays, the bar hosts bands, usually acoustic or stripped down, but McCloskey said they’ve had hip-hop and jazz bands play, too. 

The weekends are just one big party (duh), with Friday night DJ Mike C spinning a mix that McCloskey said may contain LCD Soundsystem, Joy Division and Blondie in one night.

As I mentioned previously, Northern Soul is also part-art gallery. I know what you're thinking: finally, a gallery you can get drunk at! Every month, bartender Cassieopia curates a selection of works by artists from Hoboken and surrounding towns (they keep it local). With each new installation comes an opening party, too. Their next is for Stefin DeCarlo’s “Senile Rivers,” and will be held on Feb. 21 at 8 p.m.

All in all, Northern Soul is just a friendly neighborhood bar that really encompasses the best parts about Hoboken: music, art and booze. A lot of booze.

“It’s a hospitable place. A lot more chill than the sports bars around here,” said patron Jack France, who’s been a Hoboken resident and devout bar-goer for five years. 

“We support local artists and musicians here,” McCloskey said. “If you want to know what’s going on in the art and music scene, this is the place to be.”

I thought about giving Northern Soul nine frosty mugs, taking the bar's location into account. It may be a bit of a shlep if you're not from nearby. But then I realized that this wasn’t the sort of place for people from Bayonne to come up to fist pump at. It’s our hidden treasure. So, for the second time in history, I will bestow a perfect score. Ten frosty mugs! Now let’s all get drunk.