The Jive

Basic Information:

Location: 113 Van Brunt St, Moscow, PA, 18444
Phone Number: (570) 851-5483
Normal Wing Price: $11 for 12 bone-in wings
Wing Night: Thursday
Wing Night Price: $11 for 12 bone-in wings
Wing Flavors:

Kickin Bourbon, Plain, Sriracha, Honey Garlic, Jalapeno and Dill Pickle, Jive Style Buffalo and Brown Sugar

Links: Website  |  Facebook
  • Feeling Alive at The Jive - 04/11/19

    Overall Rating: 60

    Lynch Serniak

    Lynch's Rating: 28 out of 50

    Environment: 6

    In my mind, places like The Jive, which is located in Moscow, are a real trek away. In all reality, after a quick hop on the highway, it takes no time at all to reach from Scranton. The Jive has a unique feel to it, almost like a mom-and-pop bar, if such a thing exists. The atmosphere is very laid back and easy going. The place is set up with a long bar that is split by a doorway that separates the place into two rooms. The first room is more of your traditional dining area with a couple tables and spots at the bar. The back area is a little narrower with only space to sit at the bar. Oh, and there’s usually a dog roaming around, which is always a plus in my book. I was excited to have a beer with my wings because from past experience, the Jive tends to have some good craft beer available. Unfortunately, on this visit, they seemed to be a little low on stock and variety. The waitress did indicate a new shipment would come in the next day, so I must have just missed out. Outside of the one instance where someone came to get takeout, we had pretty much the whole place to ourselves. The people serving our food commented that it was surprisingly slow for Thursday, but I was fine with it because it meant we got our orders and food taken very fast. The people taking care of us (I’m assuming a husband and wife duo) were very friendly, nice, and talkative. They indicated on nicer days they have an outdoor bar where people can hand out to enjoy the nice weather. I’d like to take another trip to The Jive when it was nicer as I’d expect it to be livelier and more chill at the outside bar.


    Wing Size: 6

    The term wing night for The Jive is not what you’re used to. A traditional wing night in the wing world is usually a night of the week when wings are sold at a special, cheaper price than any other night. For The Jive, wing night means that it is the only night they serve wings, although I do see on their Facebook that sometimes this bleeds into Friday and Saturday. I imagine they take this approach because they use fresh, grilled wings and will serve them the day they buy them until they are sold out. The wings are definitely a healthy size, but you are paying a slightly hefty price of $11 for a dozen wings.


    Wing Flavors: 4

    What the Jive lacks in quantity, they make up for in uniqueness when it comes to flavors. They don’t have much for traditional flavors, but they do offer some interesting options that might reel you in. For reference, the Plain is essentially a Montreal Steak seasoning wing and the Sriracha was described as the Sriracha sauce from Sweet Baby’s Ray. I’m not sure if there’s more to it because we ended up not ordering it. The other flavors I’ll cover in the Taste section.


    Wing Taste (x2): 6

    You’ll find different wings at the Jive than you’re used to from most other bars. They only serve fresh wings and they are grilled (not fried). I think Serniak was under the impression they were smoked, but I didn’t get that at all, and I didn’t see them market or say that they were anywhere. All the wings came with a good amount of char on the skin. With the amount of char that was apparent on the wing, I expected a crispier skin, but was slightly let down. They were served extremely quickly and came out piping hot. The Jive Style Buffalo and Brown Sugar was a dark red sauce that provided sweetness up front with a nice spice on the back end. This is probably the closest you will get to a traditional Buffalo sauce at the Jive. The Honey Garlic was a bit lacking, in my opinion. It was a sticky sauce with a bunch of minced garlic piled on top. The name was definitely fitting as you got the honey flavor before getting that strong garlic taste, but that’s all it was. There wasn’t much going on for it outside of the honey and garlic on it. I also think it was a bit overpowered by the char flavor from the grilled wings. Finally, the Kickin Bourbon was a thick, syrupy, brown sauce that had a slight barbeque taste with a good spice at the end that I enjoyed. I guess that’s the Kick. Either way, I enjoy this wing quite a bit. It’s more like a Jack Daniels sauce than a BBQ sauce, which I am totally cool with.

    Serniak's Rating: 32 out of 50

    Environment: 8

    The Jive, which is located in the far away land of Moscow, is big time beef jerky place. They make their own there and tons of different flavors. But fortunately, they also have wings as well. The place is a favorite with the locals and has the feel that everyone that goes there is in real good with the owners and bartenders. Another plus is that they have a big ole dog that walks around like they own the place. Perhaps, the dog really does own the place. If that’s the case, that’s very cool of the dog. There are a few TVs there, but I wouldn’t classify the place as your typical sports bar. Instead, I’d classify the place as a down-home, relaxing type bar with a casual pace. The two folks that served us, I take it were the owners pending that the dog wasn’t. They were true salt of the Earth, very nice and conversed with us the whole time.


    Wing Size: 6

    Pretty large wings is what you’ll find at The Jive. Also, they are grilled, which is something you don’t see all that often. The price are $11 for a dozen. That’s nearly a dollar per wing. That’s not awesome, but I understand that wing prices have gone up and that The Jive isn’t necessarily a wing joint.


    Wing Flavors: 4

    Not a whole lot of flavors to choose from. They had honey garlic, kickin Bourbon and Jive style, which is a mixture of Buffalo and brown sugar. I wish they’d focus more on expanding their wing flavors, but again, I understand they’re aren’t looking to rule the area in wings.


    Wing Taste (x2): 7

    Since they’re were only 3 flavors to choose from, we got all of them. The honey garlic were good. They were caked with garlic and had the the honey portion of flavor represented well. Kickin Bourbon were just alright. They didn’t have a strong flavor to them. Could of used more flavor overall. Lastly, and what I thought was their best way the Jive style. The combination of their Buffalo sauce and their brown sugar worked well. Could of used more Buffalo sauce but it still was solid.