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- Nearest Transit:
-
UIC-Halsted (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 2 am
Fri 4 pm - 2 am
Sat 5 pm - 3 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
11 reviews for Little Joe's Circle Lounge
11 reviews in English
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Review from Maritza D.
Chicago, IL
11/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Typical college bar. Cheap drinks. I've been here a few times before and I always find myself having a good time. The bartender is a nice guy. Since its a college bar I suspect he is a student. Make sure to tip him because he makes your drinks nice and strong and he is an overall nice guy.
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Review from Liz O.
11/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
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! -
Review from Bill M.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 11/23/2009
After doing a bunch of yard/labor work around my parents' house last Saturday all I wanted to do when I got back to my apartment was relax, watch some TV and call it an early night.
Turns out my sister had gotten off of a job earlier than she anticipated and wanted to grab a beer. I hesitated at first until the words "... but I'll cover the first pitcher" came out of her mouth, so I went back upstairs to my apartment to grab my keys and wallet. Best decision I've made in ages.
Joe's now does karaoke every Wednesday and Saturday night, and at least this past Saturday, lowered the price of PBR pitchers to $5. Once the singing started and all the neighborhood folk began belting out the Sinatra standards, my sister and I both knew we weren't leaving after one pitcher. Soon 11 PM turned into 2:30 and we'd made about six new friends. We gave passing thought to maybe singing, but really, it was much better that the microphone just kept getting passed between the same five people for most of the night. Not even a brief invasion of an annoying 21st birthday party crew dampened the jovial atmosphere.
By Sunday night I had called, texted or IM'ed everyone that could possibly care with the tag line "I'm making this a once a month thing, at least." I plan on sticking to that.Listed in:
The Count">My three favorite bars in the…1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/20/2008
Kind of a perfect bar. $6 pitchers of PBR is the norm, not a special. One night has $0.50 drafts.… Read more »
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Review from Chad L.
Chicago, IL
3/19/2011
This has the potential to be such a fantastic bar in Little Italy right by UIC, but continually fails at the essentials: food, service, selection, atmosphere. After a several year hiatus, we thought we'd pop in to see if things had improved. Sadly, no. The beer was warm and like clockwork, they were out of Bud Light by 8:00 p.m. The bartender was unfriendly and getting her attention in this small space was exceedingly difficult. I wouldn't expect a gourmet meal from a small bar, but the authentic Italian cuisine touted on the menu was predictably mushy, unseasoned, cold and clearly cooked from frozen. When the hipsters and college kids occasionally play the juke box, spirits pick up, but crowds are infrequent and crickets are more likely to serenade you. Great place for a quick shot before you move on to the next.
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Review from Theodore O.
Pacifica, CA
9/28/2010
A friendly - not too crowded neighborhood bar. Nice people to talk to and cheap pabst on tap.
Listed in: Chicago 2010
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Review from Dustin W.
Chicago, IL
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Little Joes, how have I missed your $5 Bell's drafts until just now? Your reasonably priced menu with hearty Italian fare is enticing me to want to return through your dark doors into the dimly lit room called the bar/dining room. When I popped my head in, they were pouring Point, Bells Amber, and Bells Oberon, with specials on pitchers (real size pitchers), not those fake small pitchers that accompany the undersized "pint" glasses. The waitress was real nice, but there was a crazy dude blowing balloon animals (he was good at it), but he was also spouting off at the lip like a mad man, so we didn't stay past beer #1. I did appreciate a local patron yelling at the crazy and telling him to change his tired subject. Gotta love a local standing up for his right to relax after work at his local pup. As for the Lounge part, not so much, more of a dive from yester-year. Id like to check out the karaoke nights that seem to be rockin'
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Review from Sara T.
Chicago, IL
5/24/2009
I *love* Little Joe's.
Cheap beer, cheap shots (the apple pie shots Peter makes are ridiculous), cheap food (although they're almost always out of something). Perfect for poor grad students after an evening class.
The guys, Peter, Michael, and Little Joe, will treat you like family--which means, if they're cranky, they're cranky. And that's part of why I love it.
It's even better if the neighborhood regulars are there. Freddie Mancini grew up across the street and will tell you stories about Taylor St. in the 1950's (and probably propose marriage, but don't worry, he's harmless).
Every now and then, the just-turned-21 crowd comes in, and on those nights, it gets a little crowded and a little annoying, but it's usually just us grad students and the regulars.
Sigh. I wish I was there right now. -
Review from David G.
Chicago, IL
10/30/2009
Nice little place in University Village, a neighborhood that brings back memories of going to school at UIC. Met some friends here for drinks at night. Comfortable, not too loud (except for one song on the jukebox that played way too loud for some reason). The staff is friendly and I don't really like PBR but when you're on a budget you can't say no to $4 pitchers. They kicked us out and closed the doors at midnight, but it was a Tuesday so I can't really complain.
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Review from Dan F.
Chicago, IL
1/10/2011
this place rocks, literally, every wednesday and saturday with a sick karaoke night, jason!, staff/bartenders/joe are all nice good people, drinks are cheap and heavy, very rarely obnoxious patrons other than myself, five stars
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Review from Rachel H.
8/24/2007
After stuffing ourselves with Pompei, my companion and I stopped here for a few drinks and a rousing Cubs game. The $6 PBR pitchers were a good way to get a little bit buzzed and afterwards, the chocolate martini was no less than an artistic masterpiece. If you're looking for a friendly, old school piece of Little Italy, look no further. Joe is a great guy and all of the regulars are his pals, so obviously they're amazing too. I had a great time here, and I will definitely be back.
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Review from Brian C.
Chicago, IL
3/10/2011
To borrow a phrase from the '80's "It was totally lame!" Server was too lazy to describe the food menu and told us to go read it off the wall. The cook didn't "know how to cook fries." Burger was cooked and prepped with toppings we didn't order and they wouldn't make fresh ones as replacement. Cheap beer - Yes. Any level of service - No. Quality of food - Bad! Will I ever go back - HELL NO!
