Time Out calls it plainly the oldest bar on Taylor Street, and the description tracks with what regulars expect: cheap beer, a well-worn dart board in the back, and a crowd that mixes UIC students with longtime neighborhood residents who remember the street before the university expanded around it. A new owner has recently taken over and renovated the space — cleaner, a bit more elevated — while deliberately preserving the old-school character that's made Little Joe's a neighborhood fixture rather than erasing it for a generic refresh.
It's the kind of bar where showing up around midnight on a Saturday gets you the real Taylor Street experience: regulars trading stories about how the neighborhood used to be, cheap drinks, and a dive-bar energy that's survived nearly eight decades of Chicago nightlife turnover. For anyone exploring Little Italy's famous Italian restaurants, Little Joe's is the place to end the night rather than start it.
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