Day drinkers, rejoice: It isn’t often that an all-day bar opens, let alone one with a stellar patio, a range of refreshing cocktails, an espresso bar, no-ABV drinks, a patio and a full food menu. But on Monday, Bar Joe opens at 10am within Hollywood’s new Spoonfed, the charming but modern café that opened last month in the media district.
Think of Bar Joe as the boozy, breezy bar at the heart of Spoonfed, as you’ll be able to order cocktails from the café’s counter once the new concept launches on Monday. But if you choose to sit inside Bar Joe, you’ll find full table service, in addition to a few bar-exclusive snacks.
Beverage Director John Neumueller—formerly of the Tasting Kitchen and Verlaine—arranged the program into three categories: “Something Familiar,” where you’ll find approachable classics such as mimosas, Bloody Marys and a Pimms Cup on draft; “Taking It Easy,” the bar’s collection of nonalcoholic beverages replete with house-made tonics and savory sodas; and “Something Different,” where you’ll spot something like the Coco Tranquilo, which packs the flavor of a blended piña colada but comes served in the form of an old-fashioned.
“The ‘Something Different’ is where we get to tinker a little bit more, play a little bit more with format, give people something a little less familiar,” says Neumueller. “But still, I’m all about keeping things legible: exciting, but still comfortable.”
There’s also a rotating old-fashioned, which, like much of the bar’s opening menu, features summery ingredients and profiles—like the paloma made with a house grapefruit tonic to impart a bit of the vibe of “street palomas,” which you might find built with Squirt soda as opposed to fresh grapefruit juice. And while the menu will most likely rotate with the seasons, you won’t catch it inspired by the local farmers market.
“I hate to use the word ‘seasonal,’ because to me, L.A. is sort of more about cultivating the energy you get from a season, or a longing,” says Neumueller. “So in autumn I think about rain and the leaves turning, so maybe we’ll transition to something that echoes that sentiment. In winter, we might move into baking spices, vanilla tones—ore just feeling out nostalgia sensory.”
There’s also a bit of a Midwestern influence in play. Inspired by the upbringing of Spoonfed and Bar Joe’s owner, Sean Loeffel, you can find a few hidden nods: His family’s clam dip is on the menu (think: French onion dip, plus clams, and some perfect-width house potato chips) as well as a Chicago Dog. It extends to the bar, where cans of off-menu Hamm’s sit in the fridge.
“Midwest cocktail culture is very different from L.A. cocktail culture.” Loeffel laughs, citing that his family and other imbibers in the area like to drink their Bloody Marys with a beer chaser, so at his new bar, you can find a lager float atop the Bloody.
“It’s that very Cali approach to food," adds Neumueller, “where it still feels fresh and local, but it’s got that sort of Midwest charm to it.”
Get a glimpse of what you can expect, then drop by as early as 10am on the 16th and settle in:
Photograph: Courtesy Bar Joe/Paul Vu
Photograph: Courtesy Bar Joe/Paul Vu
Photograph: Courtesy Bar Joe/Paul Vu
Bar Joe opens July 16 within Spoonfed, located at 959 Seward St. The bar is open daily, with hours of 10am to 11pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 11pm Saturday and Sunday.