
The Barrington Coffee House Open Mic Night
On Thursdays in Barrington, NJ, you can visit the Barrington Coffee House for their “Wide Open Mic”. The night begins at 8pm, but signups start at 7:30. The place is packed, so make sure to get there and sign up EARLY. The Barrington Coffee House is on 131 Clements Bridge Rd, Barrington, NJ 08007.
You might be asking yourself, “So why should I go out to Barrington for this event?”. Let me answer by saying that it was voted the best open mic in New Jersey by New Jersey Monthly. But don’t let me explain it, take it from NJ Monthly itself:
“If you want to perform at the Barrington Coffee House open mic, make sure you sign in right at 7:30 on Thursday night. The event, which runs from 8 to 10 pm, is always full. The cafe is small, so you’ll want to grab a seat early. But don’t let the size fool you; the Barrington Coffee House attracts quality local performers—and national acts on Friday and Saturday nights.”
Best of NJ – NJMonthly.com
So were they right? Yes. The Barrington Coffee House was fun, packed, and filled with some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever run into. The staff is friendly and the owner, Trif, runs the open mic smoothly. You can check out the Barrington Coffee House — Open Mic website
It really is packed. Get there early to get a good spot — seatwise and setwise. It’s a coffeehouse, but it also has a great sound system. Along with a great sound system (and arguably what makes a good system great) were people that knew how to use it. You don’t have to worry about your instrument being louder than your voice unless you specifically ask it to be so.

The stage at Barrington Coffee House Wide Open Mic
There were performers of all ages from all different genres. Everyone was incredible. It was impressive to be at an open mic that was as fun for the performer as it was for the audience member.
The coffee house also raises money through other events for multiple sclerosis. And it might be a personal bias, but I loved the art on the walls:

The artwork at the Barrington Coffee House
Overall, The Barrington Coffee House “Wide Open Mic” was exceptional. Expect to leave much later than the 10pm guestimate from the website, though; I finished around 11pm and left at 11:30pm. There is a written 6-minute policy, but each performer seemed to be allowed to sing 2 songs each.
If you have the chance, go to the Barrington Coffee House Wide Open Mic, and see for yourself what the best open mic in NJ is like.
Related posts:
- The Ground House Open Comedy Mic in Pitman, NJ on Wednesday Nights
- Review of the Bus Stop Music Cafe Open Mic in Pitman
- Review of the Bus Stop Music Cafe on Thursdays in Pitman, NJ
- The Soilsacks™ Open Mic Night at Coffee.Comedy in Sea Isle City
- Gregorio’s Market in Mays Landing, NJ – Open Mic on Wednesdays
#1 by Danny Dreher on June 11, 2009 - 6:35 pm
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nice write-up! I definitely agree, that Beatles artwork is amazing.
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#2 by trif on March 30, 2010 - 12:24 pm
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Wow! Thanks, I just found this posting (we getta lil busy). Thanks again for the very kind words. Yea man, come on over and share in the good times, not only is the open mic great but the featured acts on the weekends are always tops which makes for a reliable choice anytime your looking for excellent cafe dining and a inspiring show. It’s a perfect listening room!
Stop in & say ya saw us here!
Hope t’see ya’s
tRiF
#3 by trif on March 30, 2010 - 12:28 pm
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…an inspiring show (t’be correct) and that Beatles picture sold already but there’s a couple others.