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| - I'm new to Yelp, but this is one place I will review.
East Carson Street is over-flowing with bars and restaurants. However, there is one place many seem to miss, and it's quite the hidden gem. If you like great beer, great bar food, friendly/cute/knowledgable cocktail waitress, and bartenders who know their drinks, Smoking Joe's is the place for you.
Commonly mistaken for a dive-bar, "The Joe" is a staple of the South Side for beer-lovers. I've been going there since I was underage, but this is one of the few places I will go back to. Has a very neighborhood/town-bar feel to it. The beer selection is incredible; they always have 65 beers on tap from all-around the world, including seasonal selections abound for those with adventurous taste-buds, in addition to over 300 or more on bottle.
The food is above-average and inexpensive. Their wings are the best in the Southside, and maybe the city. Tuesday and Wednesday nights are designated "Wing Nights", 30 cents each from 7 to 12, and Thursday night is "Yuengs and Wings Night", 40 wings and a pitcher of Yuengling for 12.95. Aside from the wings, the Burgers are good, and one of the better Steak Salads I've had. Everything is under 12 bucks.
The service is exceptional. Tommy and Llama run the bar, and they know their stuff. Just don't ask Tommy how he feels about Big Ben or the Steelers. The cocktail waitresses are cute, funny, attentive, and know their beers.
In terms of entertainment, there are plenty of HD-TV's around always playing whatever sporting events are taking place, and they will always allow you to change the channel to watch a different game if need be. They don't run a tight ship here, fairly laid-back. There is a Golden Tee machine, as well as a dart board, and a touch-screen Jukebox.
The crowd: Literally an eclectic mix of young professionals, thirty-somethings, folks from the neighborhood, and can become "College-y" on weekends. A self-proclaimed "Penguins" bar, this place always seems to fill up on game-nights. Like others said, weekends are hectic, but here's a secret; they have an upstairs called "The Distillery".
The Distillery is just a name for the upstairs bar. A smaller room littered with beer-paraphenilla, the upstairs has a smaller tap selection and a smaller bottled selection, but if not busy, the bartenders will go downstairs and get the beer of your choice. The bonus of the upstairs is the drop-down projection screen, great for hockey games or football games. This upstairs is only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
There are specials every night of the week, but you don't need an excuse to come by the Joe, get some wings, and have a beer you've never tried before. Just tell the boys what kinda beer you like, and they will point you in the right direction. Tell them John sent you in.
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