Bar: Joe’s on Broadway
Address: 3563 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657
Score: 8.4/10
Ever since I turned 21, I have stayed in hotels close to Wrigleyville to go to Cubs games. The past few stays I have been adjacent to Joe’s on Broadway, but I have never been in. I typically opted for Wrigleyville itself to be closer to the atmosphere with fellow Cubs fans. During a recent trip to the Windy City, this changed. I was visiting in November so the Cubs were done playing for the year, so I decided fuck it, let’s finally go to Joe’s.
The second I walked in I realized what a fool I have been. From the outside Joe’s looks like a tiny bar, when you walk in it continues to grow and appears far larger. I guess you could say Joe’s is a grower and not a shower (sorry I had to do this).
Right when I walked into Joe’s I noticed the “Sorry We’re Open” sign which I thought was very funny and original, but man I was truly glad Joe’s was open. I plopped a seat at the bar and leaned on the brass rail, (great sign of an awesome bar by the way) and I began to order a pint of PBR. No clue why I ordered this, I guess I was feeling reckless. The pint ran me $4, which I thought was on the higher side, but we were close to a super touristy area in Wrigleyville, so maybe the price was alright.
Once I settled in, I began gazing at the decor. They had a bunch of random decor such as a hockey stick, a giant marlin, like a big ass marlin, bigger than anything you are picturing, and a massive photo wall. The photo wall really caught my eye as it had a wide array of vintage Chicago cubs centric photos and photos of patrons. It just reminded me of some of the older photos that I have, got a good whiff of nostalgia staring at these.
Aside from your typical dart board and a kick ass jukebox, Joe’s was the definition of a no frills bar. Would I go again? Absolutely. This would be a great opportunity to beat the Wrigleyville crowds. Do better bars exist in Chicago? Yes. Both things can be true. If you are in the area, go, if not you have tons of options. Being a lifelong Cubs fan I appreciated the atmosphere and nostalgic pieces from the teams I support.
Price: $4 for a PBR, highway robbery
Decor: Awesome decor, loved it.
Service: The lady serving me was a vet, no doubt she loved that I kept it simple with a PBR
Atmosphere: Not many people at the time, would love to visit post cubs game.
High Life Bottle?: Yes
Bonus Points: None