Smokey Joe's Cafe in Charlotte - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

This bar has always been so welcoming. :) I never feel like a stranger when I come here to relax! I appreciate the hospitality, and all that the staff does for us

Best duve bar. Music nightly, cheap beer, fast service food truck. What's not to like.

Wonderful little neighborhood pub. The absolute best ambiance, the place has personality.

I've been here a few times over the years and the place always remains consistently cool. Check it out!!

Still some of the cheapest drinks in town. Love the people the vibes the music. For a dive they're great! They have food vendors and/or food trucks. They have open mic night. Even when they get busy they still manage to keep the bathroom clean. Pool is $1. Don't come here often but when I do I always have a blast! Fun place to pregame if ur headed to Bojangles or ovens etc

Great place to drink and listen to live music!

Bar tenders where pretty bad tonight

My band plays here several times a year, Great atmosphere and clientele and the beer is cold! There is no food unless there is a food truck in the parking lot.

Great vibes older crowd or younger everyone fits in the same ,Live music ,open mic nights ,pingpong ,darts ,foozeball ,pool tables

This is a dive bar. Go into it knowing that and have a good time. The drinks are good, the music is stellar and the atmosphere is what you would expect. It was busy, and the dude making tacos outside was the cherry on top of the experience!

It’s an institution in Charlotte. Visit soon, someone will find out and condo the whole area.

Great band that night. Was a lot of fun and people of all kinds.

Has that old time local vibe to it. Great place to see a local band. My band has played there a couple of times. Always a great time.

This is a rustic place. A hidden gem. In our economy a drink would cost us ten dollars. My husband and I had 3 for less than fifty dollars (excluding tip). They do not serve food although I wish they would however you can doorsahs it there and there is a bojangles across the street. It's one of a kind bar for sure. Any crowd is welcome and they have a pool table. Some bands available for some nights as well. Parking is free and in the back.

Great unique hang out spot with awesome outdoor setting.

One of best bars in Charlotte. Shhhhhh. Don't tell anyone!

All good, great food and service

Didn't try the food. Everything else was great. Kacey was fantastic.

Great place to enjoy some live music

I have never been disrespected as much i have been at this judgmental bar. The bartender was so rude and the sound man literally on purpose messed with the stage sound to make things not work properly. it was malicious and i have never been more humiliated in my life. not even by the sound mans own mother. majority of the patrons here are friends and are very judgy. Sad to know they consider them as friendly and kind. stay away from this judgmental and rude establishment. they really don't care about new patrons. don't waste your time nor energy. nothing good comes from this place!

There was a $5 cover charge, place was small and packed in the inside. There are places to sit and play pool. The service was okay and the parking lot is small. It looks like you can park around the bar and walk.

Incredible band, and they had Angel's Envy Bourbon!

Always an awesome time. Great service amazing crowd. Unique experience. The atmosphere is one of a kind with great safe vibes each and every time. Some of my best memories were made on the nights they have live music. There are 2 pool tables and also badminton and ping pong as well! No food but eat before you go and some nights they have food being cooked outside when leaving. Definitely a gem of Charlotte

Great live music options! Awesome food offerings from food trucks also!

Excellent staff, music, and atmosphere.

Cool live music bar. Great vibe and bar selection.

This is my kind of place. Laid back and friendly. Lots of regulars.

In a long time any good smoked food I had smoked chicken wings they were delicious service was fantastic and this is coming from a previous bartender and manager

This place is really not my vibe so take this review with a grain of salt. It definitely lives up to its name of Smokey joes. There is a LOT of smoking outside to the extent that even the interior is a little Smokey. If you are sensitive to smoke, I would not come here. The bar itself is super eclectic and interesting. The walls are plastered with bumper stickers and posters. The bathrooms have pin ups of both men and women. The beers are pretty much dirt cheap. Even craft brews on tap are about $5. The live music is good but if you are inside you will not be able to hear anything else. A nice medium is to sit outside while the band plays. You can still hear them but aren’t yelling at each other to be heard. The clientele are all local and very chill, this is definitely a townie place. I personally would not go back because it’s just not the type of place I like but if you love the dive bar vibe, this place is for you. Parking is in a gravel lot with a bit of a hill.

Will and Jeanine were awesome. Great spot to hang out 👍

Good music Nice crowd Love the pool games

Love the crowd and the bands that play!! There food is extra great to !!

One of my favorite bars in Charlotte. The live music is always great and the drinks are fairly priced. Always a really cool crowd.

Smokey Joe's is one of the last bars/restaurants left in Charlotte. Many locals have continued to come for 30+ years. It's a cool, welcoming atmosphere filled with memorable that reignites memories of days of old. My favorite spot is the huge "Game Room" filled with board games, cards, Jenga, pool, ping pong and so much more, it's cozy with a home like feeling. There are live bands every weekend and other events on week days. There is outdoor seating, both covered and non covered, with heaters and fire pits in the cooler months. It's a jump back in time. I will say it's full of locals and rare to find tourists here.

Great old local bar. Music is fantastic. There are tons of old bar paraphernalia. It's a fun, energetic place. It feels like you walk into a party.

1st time there since covid, had a great band, relaxed crowd just having fun, and as before great bartenders!

Great concept and good vibes but hot as hell. Why have fans if you don’t turn them on?

One of the coolest spots in the Queen City. A love child between Music and Individuality, this place is a gem in the Crown. Talented staff are quick to serve!

This place is the coolest place to go to on a Tuesday

Hooters one of the best sound engineers in NC and the folks are always willing to step up when a benefit is needed and isn't that really what it's all about...

It's a dive bar with good live music. Does not serve food (con), but it means you can bring your dog (pro)!

One of the last standing Charlotte land marks for music.

Best dive bar in Charlotte!!! Great local live music and the drinks are strong. Pool tables and outdoor ping pong table on sand! Very laid back atmosphere and great service. They don’t serve food, but will have a food vendor outside the front door on occasions.

Smokey Joe's is my favorite bar in Charlotte. In a city where most things feel so hermetic, Smokey Joe's is the salve. A true to form dive bar featuring everything you could want in a night out. Pool, ping pong, the ring game, great beer prices and live music to boot. Scott even gave me a disc when I left town as a memento. They still got a few in there last time I checked...

One of the best spots for live music in all of Charlotte!

Live music, pool, darts, ping pong, food trucks, cheap beer....what more could you want?

What a cool bar?! Sand filled beach feel in uptown charlotte north caorlina. Great place to hang out and have good time.

Best bar in Charlotte. Live music. Fun crowd. Eclectic mix. Ping Pong. Pool tables. Foosball.

Andrew is very nice. The bartenders are great.

Great dive bar, and has bands on certain nights.

Live music was great. Place was packed. Not great for wheelchairs. No accessible entrance. But there was a ramp to get to the door. No wheelchair parking. Gravel lot. But the drinks were good. Everyone was nice and moved out of my way when I needed. Had alot of fun.

First time here, but I want come back 😊 great live music 🎶 So it’s always nice to listen cool songs and to drink some cocktails or wine. It is a place where you can meet a new people for small talk.

I LOVE THE ENVIRONMENT...I WISH I COULD SETUP WITH SOME FOOD THERE ...THAT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER

Cool spot!! Awesome live music! Divey atmosphere!

Very close to the Bo Jangles Collesium. Has an awesome deck to chill out on. If they had one in Rock Hill I'd probably be a frequent visitor.

Great dive bar, cheap beers, good atmosphere, cool live music. Great place to hang if you're trying to keep it cheap. Also has a pretty big outdoor area.

Best dive bar in town for live music!

Great dive bar for hanging out and meeting up to listen to some live music. The vibe is laid back, leave your pretentiousness behind and put your jeans and boots on and come have a good time!

This business' standards are ridiculous. I came in just before closing and made sure to ask a bartender what time they close. She confirmed 1am before I ordered several drinks, was charged for about $32 and tipped $10. Went on to the porch to have the drinks. After 10 minutes, a man started to yell and harass everyone out the door. He approached me on the porch, albiet screaming at me for at least 3 minutes telling me I couldn't be there and needed to get out. Literally escalated an altercation. As if looking for a fight. I didn't illicit this behavior, I just wanted to drink my nearly $45 worth of drinks. But no. He wouldn't allow us to finish our drinks without "taking them outside the gate." Seriously? I asked for a manager and she came out and, I kid you not, yanked a drink out of my friend's hand. Literally as he was taking a sip. Now, let's not get confused, I am well aware of bar business times and individual company preferences, so I understand closing times. Where this business made a mistake is, for one, selling the drinks in the first place if they don't intend to honor the time allotted to drink them. A business can specify what time they want drinks done and establish a cut off. She was so cordial taking my card before all of this. Now, most pointedly? They did specify we could "put them in a cup and take them outside." A highly illegal practice offered freely to us, mind you. Told us we could have our drinks "anywhere but there." Not only that, but when approached about all this, the "owner" "called the cops" and the "owner" wished we'd "stick around for 15min so we would get arrested." Are you serious? Is that really the business you want to run? Know the people you are talking to. Realize not everyone is drunk and belligerent like you apparently assume. This "owner" said he didn't want my business. Seems the business is built on manhandling patrons out the door only minutes after they arrive, even when those patrons make it a point to confirm they are still welcome to be served. I cannot describe the malcontent these people had with me 10 minutes after my arrival. If you, as a business, do not intend on allowing patrons to finish the drinks they paid for, don't serve ANYONE after the 30 minute mark. Make a last call. It is with so much disappointment that I relay that these people actually had the audacity to ask me "who do you think you are?" A patron! I'm a self-aware, money-spending patron! I spent money at your business AFTER I confirmed I was allowed to do so! I'm literally floored. I've bartended, I've been a front of house/back of house manager, a GM, etc. I've even kicked people out! Your employees appear to have been trained to be crass, misleading, and, in short, pushing the line of acceptable. I will be saying something to the BBB. And they said they refunded my tip when I went back in to revoke it. Rest assured, I will be monitoring my bank account. I'll promise you this: the employees at Smokey Joe's offered me to "take our beverages outside the gate in a cup." I think they'll realize that mistake soon enough.

One of the Coolest bar in town! Tuesday nights open mic with lots of great musicians!

Great place, cozy atmosphere, attentive bartenders, convenient parking

One of the coolest bars in Charlotte. Very down to earth and chill. Jeanine is awesome and a real one! ❤️ Grant and Rob

Greats drinks and even greater people. Amazing music too

Super cool vibe! Can't wait to be there in the summer.

This is a neat dive bar. They offer a ping pong table and a pool table. They have propane fire pits on the front that gives the place a cozy, back yard kind of feel. You should definitely check them out.

Just all around place to sit have a cold beer and relax . great place love it

Cool dive with good chatting with clearly regulars. Also, sometimes live music.

Honestly one of the best bars I have been to in a long time. Bartender was extremely friendly, beer selection was great and the atmosphere is exactly what you want when visiting a cozy late night bar. Live music can be quite loud but if visiting before it doesn't get much better.

As a Charlotte native, Smokey Joe's has been a staple. Not sure what changed, the management or clientele but this dive bar gives off Proud Boy vibes as many of the patrons carry their flags/iconography subjects of discussions overheard by the doormen. What a shame a dive bar has become such a place for hate. Don't and won't support this place anymore. Neither should you.

Basically, its a proud boy bar. Dudes with confederate flags are always there. Door is pretty aggressive. I avoid the place.

Great spot to see live music, have a beer or even just play pool or foosball.

Bouncer is over zealous and can't keep his hands top himself. Not a good venue for artists.

Such a cool dive bar! Love this place!

The tops for friendly people and live music

Just a cool, relaxed place with friendly folks, good drinks ... a place to have a fun time.

Best bar in Charlotte. Cheap, strong drinks. Good vibes.

An old Classic, Smokey Joe's! Listen to great music or play pool inside. The drafts & cocktails continue outside with the ping-pong table. Always a good time! 💖

Hands down, the best open mic night in Charlotte. There's no better place to be on a Tuesday night.

Great night Great service and music thanks guys you rock 😎

Love the sand and stained wood atmosphere.

Great atmosphere cheap drinks good times

Love this place, just moved to Charlotte and I found a gem. The owners and bartenders are great, not to mention the live music. Yessss!! The patrons are all super nice as well. I've made friends

What an experience.love this place one of the last old school joint's. 💯🐰

This is an eclectic little dive bar that has been around forever. Great music, attentive bartenders, billard table, Foosball, outside seating, small parking lot so I recommend ride sharing to have more fun anyway.

$5 Cover and $1 PBR's on Tuesdays, plus live music 👌🏻👌🏻

Always a nice vibe at this location.. Great live music. No watered down drinks. And friendly bartenders.

I've been a patron since they opened. One of the friendliest places in Charlotte. A real people experience. Pool tables, foosball, incredible drinks, and the best live music in town.

Cold beer,stiff drinks,live music and friendly neighborhood atmosphere.

Fun place. I just stopped in for a beer but it has a really cool vibe

This place is amazing! Always great live music 🥰🥰🥰

It's a very welcoming workingman's bar. They have a few pool tables and ping pong outside. The drink prices are inexpensive and the staff is friendly. They offer live music several nights of the week with a modest cover charge.

Best live music setting in town, 2 nice pool tables, ping pong, awesome outdoor covered patio and the staff dont make you wait long to get a drink. People of all walks show up and have a blast. Chad the guy that runs it is awesome too.

Great people, reasonably priced drinks and live music. A favorite eclectic place!

My all time favorite dive bar. If you love authentic dive bars with live music and down to earth bartenders, definitely visit.

Tuesday are a blast. Great music. Great crowd. Bartenders are friendly and quick.

Great atmosphere, a lot of musicians come here late night

Smokey Joe's is one of those iconic dives that are popular for everyone. This was mt first visit and it lived up to its hype even if the visit was uneventful.

Dive bar with great live music and well-priced beer. Pool. Outdoor areas. Fun decor. Very casual.

Reasonable prices, live music, table tennis, outside swings, etc! They also have food vendors come by with typical bar food (bbq one day, hot dogs another, etc). As a musician I have a great time playing here whenever I do. Tuesday nights are an open mic night with a house band that’s also an open jam. The house band is typically a group of Charlotte veteran musicians. The inside is pretty cool, and it’s also sick that part of Talladega Nights was filmed here.

Tuesday nights are a different breed than your regular open mic night.