Downtown St. Joseph is small enough that once you've parked, you can leave the car alone for the rest of the night. That's the best thing about drinking here — nearly everything worth going to sits within a few blocks of Main Street, up on the bluff above Lake Michigan.
What follows is an honest read on the options. We run one of the rooms on this list and we've put ourselves last, because if you're visiting for a weekend you should know where to go on the nights you're not with us.
If you want craft beer
Silver Harbor Brewing Company
Downtown on Pleasant Street, and the default answer for beer in St. Joseph. Full kitchen, big room, works for groups and works with kids in tow. Loud when it's busy in July, comfortable the rest of the year.
North Pier Brewing Company
Across the river in Benton Harbor, a short drive rather than a walk, but worth it if you take beer seriously. Smaller and more focused than Silver Harbor.
St. Joe Community Taproom
Rotating taps and a neighborhood feel. Good middle ground when your group can't agree on anything.
If you want cocktails
221 Main Restaurant & Cocktail House
The established name for a proper cocktail with a proper dinner. If you want one room for the whole evening — food and drinks together, somewhere you can book a table — this is the one to call.
Kingfisher Cocktails & Tacos
Livelier, later, and a good deal more casual. Cocktails with food that suits them. Strong choice earlier in the night when the group still has momentum.
Bread + Bar
A different energy again — worth a stop if you like a place that does a few things carefully rather than everything at once.
If you want wine
White Pine Winery Tasting Room
On State Street, walking distance from everything. Southwest Michigan is real wine country — the Lake Michigan Shore AVA is the state's largest — and this is the easiest way to taste it without driving out to the vineyards.
Lazy Ballerina Winery
Small, local, and unpretentious. A good stop in an afternoon rather than a destination for the night.
If you want the water
Plank's Tavern on the Water
Down at the marina, attached to the Boulevard Inn. Come for the view and the sunset, not for a quiet conversation. In July, get there early.
Sandbar & Grille
Beach bar, straightforwardly. Closest thing to walking off Silver Beach and into a drink.
If you want a dive
Mickey's Pub and The Buck Burgers & Brew both do exactly what you want them to do. No notes.
If you want somewhere hidden
The Archive Lounge
Ours. It's in the lower level of the 1904 Carnegie library at 500 Main Street — the building that's now The Library Historic Hotel. The room used to hold the library's archives. Original brick, hand-painted floors, low ceilings, and a bar built from the building's restored cast-iron radiators.
It's the only speakeasy-style room in town, and the neighborhood has more Prohibition history than almost anyone realizes. Because we don't serve food, the honest advice is to eat first. Silver Beach Pizza and Ryebell's are both close and both good. Then come find the door.
A rough plan for one night
- 5:00 PM — Sunset drink at Plank's or Sandbar while the light is still on the water.
- 6:30 PM — Dinner downtown. Silver Beach Pizza if you want easy, Ryebell's if you want to sit down.
- 8:00 PM — Down to The Archive Lounge for a cocktail in the quiet.
- 9:00 PM — We close around 9-ish. Kingfisher or Silver Harbor if the night isn't finished.
Everything above is within walking distance of each other and of the bluff. That's the whole appeal of drinking in this town — and it holds up just as well in the off-season.
