NOW EXPERIENCING:Joe’s Shoe Store
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Joe’s Shoe Store

233 High Street, Northcote, VIC, 3070
Phone
(03) 9482 7666
Website
joesshoestore.com.au
Instagram
@joesshoestorenorthcote

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 07 Jul 2023

By
Larissa Dubecki

Joe’s is a favourite Northcote hangout, where the drinks list nicely covers all the bases, the pizzas are the real deal and fun-loving bartenders kick things up a notch with excellent retro sounds.

Busy tables on the street outside Joe's Shoe Store, Melbourne
Why you goWho’s Joe, and why is he selling shoes? Fair question. What was once a “Continental” shoe store high on Northcote’s Ruckers Hill has been transformed into a mid-century vibing bar, the new custodian wisely deciding the sign hanging from the awning was too good to lose. Although you’ll no longer get a great deal on Italian loafers, there are plenty of alternative reasons to swing by. The wine list is tailor-made for anyone who likes to broaden their horizons with skinsy, low-fi drops from near and far, while a tight list of cocktails and beer covers all the bases. Joe’s also plays a strong suit in music. When live DJs aren’t doing their thing (as they do multiple nights a week) you can trust the hipster bartenders to commandeer the turntable with excellent retro sounds. Local to the power of 10, it’s a favourite Northcote hangout short on attitude and long on heart.
Why you stayStepping into Joe’s is like taking a time machine to the 1950s, an era when less was more. The simplicity of a gracefully curving timber-veneer bar, leather-lined booths and dim mid-century pendant lighting makes a persuasive case for keeping things real, while the intoxicating sonic hit of the impeccable vinyl collection hiding behind the bar is similarly difficult to resist. Whether you’re a solo voyager perched on a stool at the bar being charmed by the friendliness of the staff, or part of a group commandeering a booth or spilling into the nicely ramshackle courtyard out back, it rocks the kind of easygoing ethos that turns a good local into a great one.
Tjhe busy bar at Joe's Shoe Store, Melbourne
A cocktail served up at Joe's Shoe Store, Melbourne
What drink to orderThe drinks list isn’t one of those overstuffed documents that aim to bamboozle. Instead, you’ll find a nicely edited selection of Australian and international drops that hover at the crossroads of interesting and dangerously drinkable. From a Tassie orange blend of pinot gris and gewürztraminer, all floral and spicy, to the minimum-intervention style of Sicilian nero d’Avola that puts the grip into grapes, it’s a list that’s happy to take the road less travelled. Two beer taps are backed by a solid list of globetrotting brews, from China’s Tsingtao to German Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen and (slightly more locally), Reservoir’s Hawkers. Cocktails swing with the seasons – a Quince Gimlet with star anise will warm your winter cockles – while an extra effort for our sober-curious friends includes nine compelling choices, from a no-proof Margarita and Negroni to sparkling wine and Heaps Normal Quiet XPA.
What to pair it withWho needs a kitchen when one of Melbourne’s best pizza shops is right next door? Fun fact: Joe’s owner Gustavo Prince also owns Pizza Meine Liebe, one of the city’s pioneers of real Naples-style pie. The fires of symbiosis are stoked with a steady stream of crisp-based, puffy-crusted beauties with the kind of toppings you can feel good about. Case in point: the Greenpeace, a tangy wonder of Italy’s mozzarella and taleggio cheeses, silverbeet, broccoli and parmesan, finished with a squeeze of lemon. You can get them plant-based or gluten-free, too.
You can order pizzas from next door to Joe's Shoe Store, Melbourne
A DJ in action at Joe's Shoe Store, Melbourne
Regular’s tipJoe’s is a great bar, but the music takes it to the next level. In fact, if you’re not Shazaming every second track, you’re probably not even at Joe’s. Music lovers will also note the fact it’s directly across the road from the recently opened Northcote Theatre, the inner north’s new live-music epicentre attracting acts such as Kurt Vile, Peaches and Jen Cloher. Check the gig guide and make a night of it.
Don’t leave withoutPizza and pét nat is a combination made in heaven, and considering the pizza excellence and the top-notch pours here, you really ought to give it a go. Match up something like Yarra Valley producer Tokar Estate’s brilliantly watermelon-coloured pét-nat with the Super Hot pizza (yes, they mean it) and see for yourself.
Make it fancyA shortish but punchy selection of whisky adds another drinking dimension. Swing from Scotland’s Isle of Skye to Japan and France in wee-dram form.
Food and drinks at Joe's Shoe Store
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In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
image credits: Michael Pham
Authour image
Larissa DubeckiLarissa Dubecki has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in reviewing restaurants and bars.
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Drinks DirectoryTop notch wine listMelbourne – NorthKiller cocktailsOutdoor areaBarCasual catch-upNon-alc OptionsMelbourneGood for groupsGreat tunesAfter work drinksBrilliant beer listVego Food Options
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