Little Joe’s Circle Lounge

Awesome dive bar — it was cool that they served pizza pies to go. We came and got a pie very late at night and they were super helpful. The thin pie was really good. Being from NY it’s odd to see a round pie cut into squares but my friends and I devoured it nonetheless. Really good pizza for a place off the beaten path. Didn’t expect this from a dive bar. Definitely would come back again for a late night fix!

Little Joe’s is the perfect place to chill after class! I’ll be back again.
Service: Good
Food: Tasty! Fries are legit, give ‘em a try! Quesadilla was pretty tasty.
Value: Solid! PBR Pitchers for days!

I finally made a trip down to little joe’s for the wednesday kareoke night. I have to say the place was packed very nicely with fun, nice people who were thier for all the right reason to unwind grab the mic and pretend your a superstar. Having lots of fun with men and ladies out to mingle let loose and and have some great drinks, food, &service. Very nicely managed both front of and back of house. $ 6PBR PITCHERS on Tap. Great pizza, wings, burgers, chicken&Ribeye steak sandwiches always fresh, flavorfull hot on point food. Great place to have Great drinks, Great Food, great mixed crowds, clean establishment affordable drinks, beer, food you must check it out for yourself. unfortunately, the chef has left and thier kitchen is not gonna be the same he had the best food on taylor street to bad!!! New update as of 10-​11-​2015

This, in theory, is my kind of place, which is probably why I am so annoyed it is not anywhere near living up to it’s potential. A place like this, a sort of homey dive bar, should come equipped with nice staff. A nice bartender, especially when it is one of the owners, is expected but is certainly NOT delivered here. I have been there about 5 times and the last time I just walked out because I walked in and got the «why are you here?» vibe and though I know it is not personal I believe it is indicative of their service philosophy. It is strangely quiet and awkward and some of the bartenders look at their phone more than they look up to see if anyone needs anything. It is brutal. They do have beer and fried bar food but their service ruins even those two wonderful things.

Great place for karaōke on Saturday night. This place rocks for people who like to get their hands on a mic.

I have been here several times over the past few years.
I’ve had some less than pleasant experiences but never enough to give Little Joe’s less than 3 stars.
A few months when I was there, I knocked on the women’t bathroom door. Someone was in there so I waited. An older man thought it would be funny knock again so when the girl finally came out, she said «calm the f*** down b****». Later I bought her a beer and pointed out the man who actually knocked on the door. Turns out she knew him and but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
A months ago, few friends and I went in for a few drinks before dinner. Cheap beer, no college kids, only ones there=perfect. The manager, Gino, was a bit creepy; he bought me a drink and kept talking to me even though my back was turned to him, but sometimes that comes with dive bar territory.
Tonight was UNFORGIVABLE. There was a fight that broke out between the manager (Gino) and a few other bar flies. My boyfriend and I were sitting by the door and the manager shoved someone into our table, knocking over both our beers. I told my boyfriend «let’s go» and the couple next to us, with wide eyes, nodded in agreement. The other girl’s beer was knocked over onto her purse.
I grabbed my coat and ducked around the 5 – 7 gentlemen who were grabbing each other’s collars and yelling obscenities and got out through the door, but not before I was ELBOWED IN THE FACE. My lip is still swollen. I got outside and dialed 9 – 11. As soon as I hung up with them, I turned, looking for my boyfriend. He was violently shoved out of door and was being held by the throat by a short man with a goatee, who hopefully we can identify in a line up. The man with the Jafar goatee was yelling at my boyfriend «what’s your F-​ing problem?» My boyfriend yelled back that he wasn’t part of «this» and he was «just leaving».
He called the police as well. There was one other person who stood outside, terrified, who called the cops.
This was a terrifying, unprofessional, and painful experience. This place is dirty, dangerous, disgusting. I cannot stress enough, please DO NOT go to this place. It is not a college bar, despite being on a college campus. It is not a place for women who don’t want to be leered at, and it is an egregious shame to any public bar. DO NOT GO HERE.
The manager should not have been drinking, let alone part of a violent fight.
As we left, a girl bar fly (same one who swore at me) yelled after us that she was sorry and she hoped we come back. My boyfriend said «not the way this establishment is run» and her attitude totally changed. She snapped that «it’s a bar, what the f*** do you expect»?
I do not know who the owner is, but I hope he pays serious attention to the drunk trash he hires.

Pretty straightforward dive bar, with a pretty big mix of people. $ 6 PBR pitchers are nice, and the food isn’t bad. I’m not usually the dive bar type so it’s usually not my first choice, but if you’re looking to have a drink and talk this place is alright. There’s one bar, darts, and karaōke twice a week.
The kitchen is also not open on Saturdays, so keep that in mind.

Little Joe’s is a small dive bar in little Italy. Went there on a Wednesday night and it had a major student vibe to it, which is great if that’s your thing and just background noise if it’s not.
Staff were very nice, but it’s not exactly table service. Menus around, shout your order kinda place, with the occasional bus boy visit to pick up empty bottles and glasses, especially the latter.
I don’t know how this place could possibly have 4 stars. Come on Chicago. Even for a dive bar it’s kind of lame. Really tiny. Uncomfortable seating. Music was varied though and the finger foods looked good, but not a great selection and no drinks menu, just hazard a guess or go for a fave.
I RECOMMEND– a 312, once a local brew but now made in New York, smooth beer
EXTRA TIP– wifi password on request and Wednesday is karaōke night

Low key dive bar. And this is a very good thing.

A SOLID 4 — an only because I go there just as they open for economically priced PBR and Oberon. Really neat old bar and I need to try the bar food so I can elevate one more star.

A small college bar with some of the most eye candy of the U of I C coed population. The girls in this place were of various nationalities and all top end barbies. Aside from this fact nothing else distinguishes this bar from any other small dive bar except it is a bit more interesting to be in a dive bar on Taylor Street. I saw that they serve Italin food here and this place has a big poster in back of all the famous gangsters. A good bar though not near the best for the city and neighborhood.

Gets the job done!

Little Joe’s is conveniently located in the neighborhood and once in a while I like to step out with my friends and enjoy the night out. This was the first time as I had relocated to this area a short while back and happened to be in a locality where a lot of old friends lived.
Last weekend we found our way there and were happy to join the already mellow crowd to partake of the fun. There is karaōke night on Wednesdays and Saturdays and it brings back memories of going to school at UIC. It is lively with friendly waiters and great service. The price of PBR pitchers is lowered to as little as $ 5 on karaōke night allowing for some serious guzzling! If you love a friendly crowd that sings along and good drinks, then there is no better p[lace to be on Taylor Street. It’s now our regular evening joint

They recently changed kitchens, it is no longer Chi-​Town Johnny’s, it’s now Jackie’s.
The full menu isn’t out yet since they did it very recently but the turkey burger sliders are good. The fries need salt. I’m hoping they bring back the mac and cheese bites.

The only way to describe this place is the Cheers of Taylor Street! If you want a place with friendly staff, great customers and hilarious times go here. on Tuesdays they do $ 3 Jameson shots, so be sure to go then.

If you are looking for a cozy intimate environment to relax after a hard day of work or school, this is the place for you!

I can’t think of a better college dive bar. This is exactly what I wanted.

Despite being PBR, you won’t find a cheaper pitcher in the city, $ 6. Cheap beer is great and all, but the service was so-​so.
Little Joe’s is a fun dive with karaōke on Saturdays. Not the place I’d go all the time or often though.

Definitely a college town bar. Went here for Trivia Night on Tuesday. That was fun!
The rounds get more difficult as you keep going.
Did not try their food.
They’ve got good deals on pitchers of beer.

What a quaint little bar… very cozy and friendly atmosphere. The beer is reasonably priced and they have hot dog specials. A group of us went after work and we sat by the Juke Box. It was the perfect little spot as we chatted and laughed for a few hours. It wasn’t too crowded and perfect for an evening of unwinding. Be careful with parking, the meter maids are vigilant in that area!
Overall, cute little hang out spot!