Overview
History
The dive with a Kojak credit
On January 25, 1977, Joe's Bar and East Sixth Street were featured in an episode of Kojak1. Joe Vajda had opened it in 19732. Our own listing praised its really cheap beer, its country jukebox and a fiercely competitive pool table.
The bar shut in early October 20113, reopened, and closed for good at Thanksgiving, after Joe Vajda died2, 4.
Richard Corton and Kirk Marcoe, the owners of Sophie's and Mona's, took over5 and opened it as Josie's on August 24, 20124. Joe's longtime partner, Dottie, had asked the new owners not to use his name2. The name went, but the old bar's giant Soviet-era Lowenbrau clock was due back, once it was working again4. In September 2020 it reopened alongside its sister bars at 25 percent capacity6.
Sources
Researched October 2026.