everyone should have a neighborhood bar. st. joe’s is mine. it’s not the most popular or swankiest bar, but it’s got three essentials: a signature drink, friendly & divey atmosphere and a nice back patio area. other pros are that it’s just a few blocks away from my home and has a pool table & juke box. i also heard through the grapevine that ryan gosling stayed here til 3am this one time, sooooo i’m pretty sure he’ll be back one day. reason enough to pop in a few times a week, right? just in case.
i love taking visitors here just so they can taste their infamous blueberry mojitos. when i first heard that they have “good blueberry mojitos,” i have to admit that i was skeptical. i guess i was picturing a super sugary pre-made mix of some sort. but it’s far from what i had imagined. they make it with fresh ingredients right in front of you. my favorite part is when they use the mortar and pestle to smash the blueberries and mint. i usually hate getting the mint and fruit stuck in my teeth from these kinds of drinks, but this is one of the few drinks where i don’t mind because it’s so darn refreshing! to top it off, they’re served in these cute brandy snifters.
my second favorite part about st. joe’s is their surprisingly nola-meets-china back porch. now that the temps are dropping, it’s going to be a great place to chill. so the decor outside, which is strikingly different from the hole-in-the-wall decor inside, is asian/chinese inspired with red lanterns and what looks like it used to be a bar with an altar. you have to see it for yourself. i kinda want to rent out the back patio and host a party there.
st. joe’s is a local spot, so there’s always a friendly, cool crowd. but it’s never that crowded. if you’re visiting uptown nola and are looking for an authentic local dive bar, this is where you should go.
