Enjoy Classic American Food With A Side Of Local History At Joe’s Place In Washington, Established In 1898

Bucoda is a tiny town located about 20 miles south of Olympia. Best known for its month-long Halloween celebration known as Boo-Coda, it's safe to say there's not much going on here for most of the year. But Bucoda is where you'll find Joe's Place, a lively bar that has been around since Washington was a brand new state.

Joe's Place is located on Main Street in Bucoda, where it has been since it was established in 1898.

The original building burned down in the 1920 fire, but a new tavern was built with brick in the exact same location.

When Joe Farrington opened the bar in 1898, he called it the Bucoda Tavern.

Joe operated this place until he died behind the bar of a heart attack in 1937. After that, his family renamed it Joe's Place in his honor. Although Joe's wife passed away the following year, ownership of this bar remains in the same family over a century later, which is very impressive.

Stepping inside Joe's Place feels like going back in time in the best way.

The space is cozy, comfortable, and remains unapologetically unchanged. In fact, that's what the locals love about it.

The bar mainly focused on beer until 2018, when they became licensed to sell spirits.

These days, they serve all kinds of cocktails, many of them reminiscent of speakeasy classics. Considering this is one of the few bars in the area that survived Prohibition, it's great to see it come full circle.

These days, Joe's Place is more of a restaurant than a bar, serving delicious American classics.

The menu is simple and straightforward, and the place is best known for its burgers and irresistible curly fries. They'll also make you an old-fashioned milkshake if you don't wish to imbibe.

Joe's also has a rotating menu, including taco night and steak night.

Let's just say there's really never a bad night to come here.

Of course, with a bar with this kind of history, there are bound to be rumors of hauntings.

Many employees and regular patrons will sweat the bar is haunted by Joe himself, and possibly his wife as well. Things tend to fly off of shelves when they shouldn't. But when you visit, all you're likely to find is good old-fashioned hospitality and the coldest beer in town.

Joe's Place has been serving takeout only in accordance with Washington's laws, with their weekly specials being posted on their Facebook page. However, they will open for onsite dining, drinking, billiards, and karaoke as soon as possible.