Joe's Brewery

Now, listen up, joes is the bar of Illinois. Kams shmams is just a bar, lion schmion is the most boring place ever. If you are a boring person who just makes small talk and gets a little buzz, go to any of the lesser bars in the area. But if you want to have a great time and perhaps indulge in a bit of consumption of spirits and liquor, BRING YO BOOTY TO JOES THURSDAYS NIGHTS.

Honestly I’ve never had a worse bar experience. The music was so bad! They played nothing relevant or new and catered to a more basic audience. Genuinely maybe 2 good dance songs the whole night. I will never come back. If i could give zero stars i would.

Stopped at Joe while coming back from a Buiness trip . I order the pork sandwich no bread and it came out in a tasty bowl with all the dressing . The bartender was very chill and good as great! We will be back when in the area !

Told by a bartender we couldn’t be served. manger came up and said she didn’t know why he wouldn’t serve us (all ID’s 24+) and then we were directed to a different bartender, while original bar staff served 10+ drinks. if i could give 0 stars i would

A strange little man named "Joe Drewno" would constantly approach me asking for tips. I am unsure if he even works at this establishment.

the noise level in the evenings has become excessive and disruptive to residents nearby. Despite the vibrancy, the loud music continue late into the night, affecting our ability to rest. I kindly request that management considers implementing stricter noise control measures, especially during the later hours, to respect those who live in close proximity.

charged extra for cover since our group had less people

Only been here for half-priced burgers on Tuesday/Thursday, but it's been great so far. I can't say anything about other aspects of this place, though. Buy a drink and one of the many tasty burgers and it comes to about $6.50. It's also more than I can comfortably eat, so that's nice. The fries are quite tasty, as well.

the lines are terrible!!!!! No structure and takes hours sometimes. Employees do nothing :/ also, many people paid upwards of $100 for a NYE ticket and then got no deals on drinks!!!!! We paid $120 for a tab!! This was a terrible experience.

loveeee coming here with my friends and meeting people!!!! very comfy and cozy environment and the food is so nice.

I came here all the time considering I grew up in champaign, but recently it's just a pile of crap. Mainly because of the staff, the staff are horrible horrible mean people. Even though I go there all the time, I'm going to stop going because of this issue. I got screamed and yelled at and cursed at by the manager to go to the back of the line because I was taking too long to get my ID out. Maybe I should've been ready instantly, but that reaction was out of line. I've been cursed out more than once by this place, told to "shut the f*** up" when a minor inconvenience happens they go all out screaming and yelling and won't give you answers or reasoning or even look at you. They don't care, you are a number and a wallet, you're money, not a human at this place. They treat everyone like animals, boy or girl, i'm a girl so don't think you're special or have girl privileges. Never in my days have I been kicked out, and recently they've hired a man who looks like Trever Lawrence, who abuses his power, he's the worst of them all. You may hear his name in line when you're about to go in because he's always watching everyone like a hawk, and he's a freshman. He's not even a manager, and he will kick you out for anything he doesn't like. He won't listen to you, he will cuss at you, he finds enjoyment in kicking people out. My friend dropped his ID in line, and he stepped out for a quick second to grab it, when he tried coming back into line, Trevor yelled at him to go to the back, and smiled, he enjoys this. The whole staff is nothing but grouchy people, this place needs to hire people that like their job and treat people with respect. This bar was a fun place, but now I see why people go to Kams or Lion more. Joes will be nothing but that last option bar unless they change something.

Went on a Tuesday for 1/2 priced burgers. Got the Angry goat, which was tasty but not as good as I remember it a year ago. Fries were amazing though. FYI: Their payment system that the server holds out to you to pay via is rigged. The default options to tip are 20% and up. Service we got didn't deserve anywhere near that. Downside: Joe's has clearly started focusing more on their night life than their food. Floor was so sticky my shoes were hard to move with each step. We had to sit in a dark corner and couldn't get any service except when we found a server and brought them to our table. Bathroom was out of soap and the dispenser was broken. Overall, the burgers are too expensive at full price, and at 1/2 price it's not worth tolerating the dirtiness for a mediocre burger.

Tried to order a burger at 8:30, sorry no more burgers after 8:15 Tried to order a margarita, sorry, we don't really know how to do that Ordered a coke, drink was flat Can you remove the coke from the bill please? Had to wait for a manager for 10 minutes to remove it I guess the law of averages was me on the receiving end of really bad service

Griffin gresge best bartender ever!!! So nice and awesome we love him so much slayyyy griffin

People are generally pretty excited about "half-price burger days" which seems to happen multiple days a week... In my opinion, the burgers are overpriced to begin with and I'm not sure why anyone would visit here if it wasn't A. "half-price burger" day or B. you're just trying to get sloshed with some homies. I've been here a few times and tried their burgers. They're alright. The mac n' cheese side is an upcharge, but it's pretty good, very heavy. Recently, I ordered a veggie burger with no bun (not about to waste my carbs budget on some basic ass bun, ja feel?) and the whole bottom of the burger was burnt and seemed to have something stuck to underside of it. I'm guessing the grill just hadn't been cleaned in a while... If you want a good burger, go to Seven Saints or Destihl. If you're more of looking for a place with a college atmosphere, come on in. This place feels just like your local frat house.

Joes. What can I say? It really is not all that bad. Some of these reviews seem to be a little too much. Yes, there is a occasionally some house music playing too loudly. However, there is one thing I can guarantee, this place is very family oriented. It isn't like the other bars. The other bars can be very crowded, and very weird. This is the perfect place to go to during the day and have a nice burger. Night time can be crowded sometimes, but never anything absurd. One thing that separates this bar from the others is that every single employee is family. It is extremely noticeable, and makes the business flow a bit more. This is definitely one of my favorite bars on campus, I tend to go to Joes more than any other bar on campus. Hoping this place stays great and I will look forward to coming back here after I graduate. Like I said at the beginning. Joes. It is not that bad. Long live Joes!!!! Signing off. Parker.

The Tuesdays half price burger offer with 20 percent off loaded fries is one of the best offers for burgers in town. The fries were very crispy and were served with shredded bacon. The ambience is also pretty good and they have a large selection of awesome burgers.

Love Joe's new outdoor balcony. Good drink deals, nice bartenders. Definitely had a lot of friends here that worked here during school. definitely catch this place on half price burger day. Fries are to die for. Great place.

Joe's is so hit or miss. Food: In my experience they have really bad dining service. Normally you have to wait forever if a waitress even comes to you at all. They have cool burgers but the actual meat is just ok. It used to be half priced on Tues Thurs and sun, but then they changed it to only half price with purchase of a drink. I remember once I went in and ordered a burger and water not knowing they changed the deal and the waitress didn't say anything and charged me for a drink anyway. When I explained that the bill was wrong she said that was the new deal but never explained that when I was ordering. There are a few times where I was seated and the waitresses took so long to give us menus and walked past several times without saying anything so we went to legends instead. I give the dining here 1 star drinking: Joe's is really fun! The beer garden is nice and the dance floor is lit! They start flashing the strobe light from 1--2 and the energy is great. Senior night with the 2nd floor bar has $1 wells and is super fun. I also like how they added a second floor to the beer garden. Expect to pay $5 cover when it's busy but this is a fun happy hour and dance bar. Overall: go for lunchbox pitches but not for lunch!

The burgers are DELICIOUS, as well as the fries. Yes, the service can be slow at times but there are limited servers (many of which are new since they hire often) being screamed at by drunk students and alum at all times, so you can't blame them. Typically the staff is very positive and polite despite the high demand crowds. Also, Joe's is extremely casual and is also a college bar. As long as you come in with the mindset that your food may take longer than you would prefer it to, you will have a great experience with delicious food!

The menu is hella small now and I've been here for over an hour now and I still have yet to meet the waitstaff, I've even asked to have her come over. Pitiful bar and the grill isn't real I guess. Ridiculous!

Decent spot. Good burgers and amazing fries that have a crispy warm chewy texture. The burgers are consistently average, but that's one of the things that makes joes a nice spot on campus. Water was awesome too.

The quality of the burgers can really vary, but it's mostly very good. Great weekday food deals, especially the Tuesday half price burger deal. It's a nice place to visit for a bite on a Saturday afternoon, but you need to be pretty hammered to have fun on a Saturday night with tons of drunk college kids whooping it up. The dance floor is pretty dirty, but also a great time if you're into that kind of thing.

Went on a Tuesday evening (4:30pm), not crowded. Ordered a Bama Burger (Double)+coleslaw and California Burger+fries. Burgers were great. Preferred Bama burger over California. The onions on the Bama burger were raw... wish they were grilled. Fries are scrumptious. Could eat a whole plate of them. Coleslaw was good, more of a vinegar based coleslaw which I preferred over a coleslaw smothered in mayo. They have ketchup, mustard, tabasco regular, tabasco green jalepeno, and A1 steak sauce. Wish they had a creamier hot sauce like Cholula or Valentina. Soda is included in the price so don't worry about having to pay extra or getting just water.

One of the worst bars on campus. The place gets super crowded and the music is deafening. If you like not being able to move, having drinks spilled on you, and watching underage girls pole dance, this is the place for you.

Finally got to stop in for lunch! When you walk up, you can still smell the stale beer that has surely soaked into the wood work at this point. Who knew this place had such great lunch! Lots of awesome ingredients from guacamole, to goat cheese, to fried eggs for your burger!

Long review comin at ya: I'd been here a few times during the school year on a weekend night and it was a pretty decent time. Came in here on a weekday night last week, Wednesday I think, and it was empty except a few people sitting at the bar where the absolute shittiest rap music was blasting the entire time we were there. But whatever, I'd heard the burgers were good so I brought in my friend from out of town to have a casual meal. The waitress seemed rushed. Joe's usually has some kind of burger deal on Hooked, and this one was for a burger and draft beer for $6.95. I told the waitress we had the hooked deal and she asked what burgers and drinks we wanted. I ordered my burger and draft and my friend wasn't really feeling the drafts so I asked if he could substitute anything else instead? And she said we couldn't. Ok, no big deal. He ordered a goose island draft with his. Music was still incredibly loud and shitty but our food came quickly. We had ordered a pretzel and cheese appetizer but it was brought out the same time as the burgers. Waitress still seemed like she was in a hurry. Our burgers were extremely mediocre and dry. I had the jalapeño and goat cheese one and had really expected it to be better. My friend was also unimpressed with his but we both agreed the fries were good. I had to ask for ketchup since our waitress didn't bring any. She also didn't bring us any napkins or silverware or anything so I went up to grab some myself since she was sitting at the bar. We had barely taken a bite of our burgers when she came back, dropped off the check, and said, "Hey can you guys pay, bc I have to clock out." Um ok? You really couldn't have waited another 10 minutes and not been rude? But hey, maybe she had to rush home for some important reason right? Nope. Parked herself at the bar counter with a giant, literally fishbowl-sized alcoholic drink with like a can of redbull or something in it and sipped it while we ate our burgers. That was what you rushed us for? So you could drink your booze? Also, she overcharged us. She gave only me the hooked deal price but not my friend who was on the same bill. His was $9.95 for the burger plus I think $4 for his draft. Are you kidding me? Why didn't you tell me the hooked deal wasn't going to apply to his portion? I had even asked if he needed to get a draft with his deal and she said yes, he couldn't substitute. Completely awful experience. My friend and I have both worked in the food service industry for years and in all the times we've gone out, have NEVER not tipped for service, even when it was shitty. This was beyond shitty and the first time we didn't tip. 1 star.

The servers were disrespectful. They messed up our order 3 times. By the third time they messed up the order, we just took the order even though it was cold and still not the right order. It also took a long time to receive our simple one order. Not a good time.

Ew. Sticky floors, poor service and always a grimy guy outside waiting to verbally assault you. No thank you. My friends came here to get burgers so I waited outside with them. The waitress, I know not her name, was incredibly RUDE and inattentive. She spent nearly 1 hour and 45 minutes flirting with a table of guys right in front of us, without checking up on our table. Hello, rude waitress. Nobody tipped, and the food was lukewarm by the time she served us. We had to hound her to even pay for the meals. What a horrible waitress. She really should be fired. Both our table and another table of girls never got served until the kitchen almost closed. Yikes...they really need to improve their service.

Joes is a solid college town bar. The outside area is really nice and when it's nice out I'm a big fan of hanging out either upstairs or downstairs outdoors. Drinks are good and the bartenders are cool. What is unique about Joes is that they actually have really good burgers and really really good fries. They have all kind of specialty burgers like ones with egg put on it and others. I wouldn't pay full price but on Tuesday Thursday and Saturday they have half price burgers and that's when it's a really good time to go. Joes is a very affordable place whether you are drinking or eating and it has a really fun atmosphere especially when it is nice out and everyone is hanging outside. Overall, Joe's is a U of I staple and a really good place to drink and/or eat. Big fan of Joes and I will continue to go back there!

My favorite bar on campus! They've got a huge deck, deals every day, and a surprisingly great food menu. There's a lot of different kind of bars on campus but I believe this one is the most versatile and enjoyable.

Ha, Joe's, or as I like to call it, "The House of Regrets" was oddly one of my favorite places. It probably had to do with one summer when I had a Temporary Tattoos-day party during 8th grade dance night. The dance floor is where craziness happens and I honestly haven't spent any time anywhere else in that place. But from what I remember, which isn't very much, that alone makes it worth going (but not worth cover, which btw, why did they charge cover this summer? -1 star). Last comment, lol to the review that recommended KAM'S for a "better time" than Joes. Joes might have the sticky floors, creepers, and it's fair share of d-bags, but at least it doesn't perpetually smell like vomit.

Joe's. Meh. There's always a cover here (sometimes going up to as much as they charge for nightclubs up in Chicago! Wtf?), the line's always hella long, the floor's always really sticky/crunchy, the crowd's always really trashy/slutty (what can you expect with stripper poles on a stage by the dance floor?), the drinks are overpriced, and the place is always super packed. So really, if this is what you're into, then you'd probably love it here, but it's just not for me. The crowd you find that frequents Joe's consists of a lot of scantily clad sorority girls and collar popping frat guys. If you can manage to maneuver your way through the sea of bodies in the hella hot and humid place and manage to secure a pool table, it can be alright with some friends and a beer. They do have heating lamps and an outdoor area for if you need some fresh air from the stifling bar, but all in all, I would say Joe's is my least favorite bar on campus.

Service was horrible from the start. We waited for an eternity just to get menus. There was even a wait after I personally had to ask them to bring us menus. The waitress said they are very busy but the place was at 40% capacity. I understand if things are going slow but the amount of time before we even got our menus was a little ridiculous. Second biggest problem is that nothing comes out at the same time. We had a party of 6 and 4 menus came out, before the next 2. Only 4 waters came out, before the best 2. All of our burgers came out at different times. Also, between each visit from our waitress, there is a long wait. Now the food. I got the California burger with onions rings. The burger was extremely bland, you hardly notice there is guacamole, bacon or basically anything. I'd be shocked if they even seasoned their burger patty. Only thing worth anything was their perfect onion rings. Today they had half off burgers, which is the only reason why anyone should try their burgers. At full price, I'd rather go to Burger King or TGIF. It's also unfortunate that their 2.00 bud light draft special was broken. I thought they'd replace the deal with something else other than can bud-a-ritas... If you really want to try this place come for half off burgers. On a Thursday. I'm thoroughly disappointed.

Joe's has the best fries! And there are some specials everyday! Half price burger and 25% off for loaded fries on Thursday. Don't wanna miss that!

I guess if you enjoy paying $5 cover to breath in pukey air it's OK. There's a dance floor in the back that smells like trucker farts and peanuts. Overall it was an ok experience

Wish I could rate this place zero stars. The man behind the bar (I think his name was Parker?) was one of the most rude people I've ever met. I came here during Dads weekend expecting a welcoming environment but all I got was awful service from the management and watered down drinks. DO NOT COME HERE.

I feel like either they are under new management or they just completely don't care anymore. I used to crave Joe's burgers and would tolerate the bad service because their food was so good. Now they are really a complete joke, the people who work there treat the place like it's their personal penthouse, juuling behind the bar and being completely inattentive even when the place is dead. Nothing is the way it used to be - the burgers are dry, flat and overcooked, their "boneless wings" are just chicken nuggets with no flavor and no sauce, they've completely cut their menu down. You're trying to have dinner at 6 PM and house music is pulsing through the place so loudly you can't hear yourself think. And not to mention, their bathroom is busted up and there is never toilet paper. Even at 6 PM when there is no one there!! Come on, women have this thing that happens once every month so they need freaking toilet paper. Also, no soap. Really just gross. Does anyone even work here? Does anyone care?

They've got some really great specials! We came on a Friday and got a pitcher of shandy for $6. Their burgers are good, especially The Mountain (with avocado), and the Bob Marley. Also, I really liked the fries!! Customer service is pretty lax, but not necessarily poor. Restrooms are clean...enough. Overall, a great experience!

Classic college bar. Best thing is the 1/2 priced burgers (which they have a ton of good options of) they have 2-3 nights a week. Drinks are reasonably priced. Service Is decent. If you're not there to party with college friends or get a half off burger it's probably a good idea to find another spot in CU!

Always packed and the dance floor is small and dirty. I guess i used to like clys better but they went downhill too.

This place is cavernous! You can walk around in there and keep finding little niches to stand. Ample tvs for game watching and great college spirit. My niece enjoyed her "Gatorade" which looked pretty good. Despite the frigid temps, the entire place was rockin'! Solid drinking establishment!

Ah good old Joes, if the bars in Champaign were batman characters this place would be two face. There is a lot about this bar I really like which can be summed up as follows, great outdoor seating, great food, just a fun place to hang out and chill. If you can get a pitcher of Lunch Boxes i highly recommend that stuff was the best. Beware though when it gets dark, it then becomes a little sleezy on the dance floor, don't get me wrong we had a lot of fun as freshman and sophmores but after that everyone kind of looks back and cringes at the whole thing. Be on the look out for suspicious men weaving in and out of the dance floor who are there alone and clearly not students but still want to "hang".

I only know enough about Joe's to know that the burgers are delicious, and that they're half off on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I almost always get the Loaded Potato burger, which is great, and their fries are amazing. Occasionally the service is really, really slow, which is a real pain in the neck, but it's not a regular problem. Their drink specials are also pretty good, on par with the rest of Campustown. As long as you treat Joe's like a den of vampires (avoid after dark), it's a nice restaurant.

This place is great. Awesome spot to have some junk food and a beer for lunch and a slightly rowdy but not gross place to hang out at night

Such a trash place.... not packed on a Friday night and charing $15 for drinks on special. AVOID THIS PLACE. Stick to Kam's or Red Lion. Terrible service also, said my 21 band was fake until I got a manager to tell the bartenders otherwise. Not worth $5 cover maybe they should start doing free cover to attract people because no one wants to go there

Reviewing Joe's solely based on their food, which is surprisingly delicious. The half-priced burger days are a really good deal and they have such a great variety to choose from. Also, you can get a side of mac and cheese and let me tell you it is in the top three mac and cheeses offered in the Chambana area. If you can get over the fact that you are eating at Joe's, which for me is a bit of a struggle, it is a must try.

My first experience with Joe's was late on a weekend. Definitely not my scene when it comes to drinking, but it's a great spot for good food. Farren's was my favorite burger until I tried the Ragin' Cajun. Even the fries were on point and I typically hate fries. I wasn't even drunk and this meal was like a religious experience. The Bob Marley burger has some awesome stuff going on as well, just not as caliente as I like. The girls behind the bar never really seem to be on top of things, but I've never had an issue with service. This is a great spot for lunch or early dinner.

They started charging cover for block, which shouldn't happen since the block wristbands should pay for cover. No one goes here anymore since they started charging cover. Go somewhere else

If you go on half price burger day you can get the best burger ever. I told them of my food allergies first and I am still living to this day. Also, MONDAY NIGHT JOES.

Usually love this place til today, my girlfriend and I saw a roach crawling on a counter for drinks while eating SO DISGUSTING

Checking out your bill. I order the 1/2 priced burger, but they charged me $40 for two burger and soda.

First off, the people that run this place, such as the bouncers are complete assholes. Aside from that, the drinks are really weak and the area is just too crowded to even move. There are a ton of creepers on the dance floor and quite a few nefarious characters. It's not worth it.

While this place is full of the scum of the Earth, I still have fond memories of this place. You always leave there with a great story, even if you had a miserable time. There is a good chance you are going to stumble out of there around 2AM covered in sweat and vomit, and it might not even be yours! Some of my best and worst college experiences come out of this place and even though I graduated this past May and have all of Chicago at my disposal, I still sometimes wish I could wait in line for a half hour for the opportunity to get mediocre well drinks and my dance on.

The floor is sticky, packed tight that you can't access either the bar or the bathroom if you wanted. Decent number of options on tap however, and it's leagues above Kam's. However it's a lot trashier in quality than Brother's. At least it has an outdoor section for the nicer times of the year which is a huge relief when you want to get out of the sweaty inane madness that is Joe's.

Joe's almost always has cover, no matter what time of night, but it's definitely worth it. The front area has pool tables, booths, tables, a large bar, and bathrooms. Ladies, be ready to wait in line (or sneak in the boy's room when no one is in there like I did)! The back room has the dance floor, a stage with stripper poles (this can get slightly scandalous) and a bar. A very eclectic mix of people, I remember my friends nick naming it the UN convention, because all different types of people come together. Decent specials, but one of the more expensive bars on campus.

I miss this place; but only for early afternoon time on thursdays when you get fabulous service from the barkeep: frosted pint glasses and .10 most-delicious-cram-as-many-as-you-can-into-your-fat-mouth cent wings?! it's hit or miss when you go at night though; they do have a decent beer selection and $2 u-call its but I'm over the disgusting floors of Green St bars, random ass grabbing, and getting spilled on. Come here for happy hour and you're set. Come here for happy hour on a thursday and you're treated like royalty. If it weren't for that alone I wouldn't come back.