Jan. 3, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan
A new local hangout has set up shop in Astoria.
Joe’s Garage Bar opened last Thursday at 45-01 23rd Avenue, offering 16 craft beers on tap, a large range of liquor, and late night bites.
“We thought it would be cool to have a place that anyone can hang out in, blue collar, white collar, older, younger, we wanted to make it so anyone would feel comfortable here and make it homey,” said Gloria Salvio, co-manager of the bar and daughter of owner Joe Salvio.
Joe Salvio got the idea to open the bar after working down the block at his auto body shop, Joe Sal Auto Body, for over 30 years. About two years ago, he decided to open up the bar because there weren’t any local hangouts in the immediate area, Gloria said.
Plans really kicked in to gear over the summer, however, when Gloria quit her job at a day spa to take over the renovation and opening, along with her co-manager Bobby Byrnes.
Open from noon to 4 a.m. daily, the bar focuses on craft beers, with 16 different options on tap, including some from local breweries such as Singlecut and Brooklyn Brewery among others, as well as brews from outside the state.
The kitchen offers bar pies, wings, and other bar staples, and serves food until closing at 4 a.m.
Though open for less than a week, the bar has already been very popular with the locals, Gloria said.
“We had a great turnout for first weekend, and heard great feedback from everyone that came in,” she said.
“People who live nearby said it is just what they were looking for because there’s nothing really over here that people can go to without walking pretty far. It’s off the beaten path and it means people who come in can stay a while and relax.”
While designing the bar, the two were careful not to make it exclusionary, not wanting to pigeonhole it as a sports bar or biker bar, but opting instead to have a comfortable environment for everyone, Byrnes explained.
The industrial design of the bar is based around Joe’s longtime experience working with cars, as well as the history of the building, which was once a soap factory and later a materials handling building.
The Salvios and Byrnes added a pool table and several arcade games and decorated the bar with beer signs and other paraphernalia. Nevertheless, they have maintained a very open environment, in the hopes of also hosting events and private parties.
Gloria said she is also hoping to begin an annual block party outside the bar, with an old car show and local vendors in the hopes of bringing the community together.
For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/JoesGarageAstoria.
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71 Comments
Very unfortunate to hear negative comments about the patrons and the establishment. I am a Queens Native and an Astorian for 11 years. The booming business all around the area excites me and I often frequent the local bars and restaurants. I’ve seen people do drugs in high end establishments on the upper east but no one says anything because they wear suits. Drugs are done anywhere, and this is NOT a dive bar. It’s actually pretty innovative for the neighborhood because it has a classic American feel with state of the art HD TV, a beautiful pool table, jukebox, and a selection of tap beers to make your head spin. I had a great time watching some games there as well as a quite drink with a friend on a few occasions. best of luck to the owners and workers. I guarantee anyone who visits will have a great experience like myself. Hope to be back soon.
Joe Sal is a very hard working dedicated guy and he and his family have put a lot into opening this establishment. Joes family has been doing business in Astoria for more years than I can remember and he only wants to bring good things to the neighborhood. Ask anyone of his body shop business and I am sure you will not be able to find anyone who has a bad thing to say. Trust me I know because I was partnered with him in another shop and he is a man of integrity. Give them a chance and all your fears should be calmed. Visit there establishment and see for yourself I think you should find a pleasant atmosphere for all to enjoy. Best of luck to Joe and Gloria and all their staff.
Hey Harry, so the baby-boomers are the idiots? GFYS.
Good luck to the owners.
Based on many of the comments here, there are a lot of idiots that reside in Astoria. Can’t wait until all the baby-boomers die or move out.
Lots of baby booming idiots? Which one are you? You sound like a bigger idiot than the rest of the other idiots. LOL.
Was there with a couple of friends two weeks ago. We had a couple of beers and played some pool. 2 dollars a game for bar table pool? Also, the trivia setup was right next to the pool table! The trivia guy made us feel like it was our fault when he had to move over so we can shoot pool. In such a large space he couldn’t find a better location? Just saying. Trivia night? What’s next? Bingo?
That’s a cool spot I’ll def check out when I get the chance. I don’t mind passing by, watching some games, and having a few cold ones. Relaxation is where it’s at, and if it’s a lil walk right next to GCP, I’ll do it just for a change of scenery. Best of luck and respect to Joe and Gloria for the future. Keep a nice cold one for me for the weekends!
Joe. You got any room for some low key live music in the Garage?
I am a long-time resident (30 years) who heard about this bar online and went to check it out. I do not know the owner or anyone who works there. I have been back twice, and each time observed nothing close to rowdiness or disorder. I even met a lovely couple there who live around the corner from me. We enjoyed a lengthy conversation on why we all love Astoria. This bar seems to be run well and not unduly affecting the surrounding neighborhood. It seems weird to crap all over a place just as it gets going, but I am happy to have a quiet neighborhood option now that Ditmars bars have become kind of rowdy on weekends.
Best of luck Uncle Joe and Gloria. Great place we had a great time on New Years Eve was nice bringing in the New Year with you and the atmosphere was lively and friendly much success you deserve it!!!!?
Who wants you danny
Great place, very trendy looking….. I love it a lot of blood sweat and tears went in to this place and the owners deserve a pat on the back… I will be a regular for sure!!!
Joe and Gloria Good Luck with the bar sounds and look excellent. Great place….coming to see it soon from Myerstown Pensylvania
I can see by all the idiotic comments on here that some people have some sort of axe to grind or are just being internet trolls. As well as when the manager or someone posts something positive there are more “thumbs down” than likes you can tell it’s just morons being stupid for the hell of it. The place is only been open a week and I haven’t been there yet but I will definitely try it out soon. I can lay money most of the negative idiots are not real life long Astoria residents and you can say anything on the net like “I’m a life long Astorian” and pretend it’s true. Grow up and stop with the stupidity and let their business have a chance. Good luck to them.
Awww. Your friend couldn’t open the bar so now said friend’s goons come out in droves trying to slander and berate the new owner/establishment. Oh yeah. Definitely mature and the type of riff raff we want in the neighborhood. Internet Gangstas.
I am 70 years old I love Astoria this bar is a great place to relax and have a cold one. The owner and employees were warm and caring . The manager Gloria is a no nonsense hard worker who makes sure everyone is having a great time. What more can you ask for.
Id like to offer some truth to what the article says and the comments. This is the manager speaking.
My father did start this business with someone, and when that person had money complications (which happens to everyone) we were left with an unfinished bar and all the responsibility. We werent building a dive bar we were building a great space and thats not something that comes cheap. We broke our backs, spent much of our life savings in order to get the bar complete. I quit my own job to dedicate myself full time to opening the place properly because my father already has an established business and the person that was meant to run it, was no longer there to do so. No one on this forum knows the truth about what other peoples business and money dealings entail. On another note about giving credit to the “original owner and who started the project”, theres no reason he should be given credit for a project he wasnt there to finish. We did all the work, we put our blood sweat and tears into completing it. So no i dont believe the credit is due to him. I also know for a fact he would not take the credit for the amazing place it has become. Now that we are open I have met numerous people that absolutely love the place and Im sorry if the “original guy” is not a part of it. We are still cordial with him and deal with him daily with no problems between us. It is what it is. Move on and let other people try to be successful! God bless all of you. We want to invite all locals and people around the neighborhood in for a good fun time. No anamosity over on this end. Have a great weekend to all and please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns.
great place to relax and have a beer . Loved this bar in Astoria
Thank u Jojo for keepin it real bro, Your wellcome in MY place anytime! JOE.
Hey Joe…Whats the deal with low key live music?
Do you have a night for me brutha?
Jojo must be another crackhead from the neighborhood !!! Oh wait must be another friend of the owner commenting !!! Lmfao
Lol… nice fairy tale…
Maybe someone should sit u down an offer you the real truth…
But hey.. whatever makes u guys look good.. right…
Hey , so someone named jo Sal said i should come by and sit and talk to him because I have been misinformed..
I will be more than happy to stop by ad long as both of you are there. I’d like to bring my fact checker with me and since my cousin is the original partners wife im sure she can verify the story.
I love u cuz, but there is absolutely no need to sit with anyone and fact check anything… besides you can’t fact check someone that hadn’t been there since day one…
To all of stevie’s and sheps friends.. let it be.. it is what it is.. steve doesn’t want or need the credit…
Plans change and people change and ideas change..
Good luck jo and Gloria on your new place..happy trails…
i lived in Astoria for years , friends told me of a great place to have a drink and relax . My wife and I were greeted by a great staff and a warm atmosphere. We made a couple of new friends and will be sure to return .
It’s a great article.. except for the parts that are a bit overly exaggerated…
Like who came up with idea , and what the theme of the original bar was supposed to be…
Thats probably the main reason why there are sooo many nay sayers… us real astorians don’t like lies and bullcrap..
If there was a bit more truth as to history if how this bar came about then maybe more “real astorians” would be inclined to visit…
hello Anthony, Your obviously misinformed about a our original concept for the place and why we had to stray away from it. If you or anybody are interested in (THE TRUTH) come bye sit down with a complimentary beverage and Ill nicely explain. thanks for the interest. JOE
Went to Joe’s Garage with my better half New Years Eve, had a great time.
We met Joe, his daughters and immediate family and I must say I was really impressed.
It must have taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to turn a soap factory into this cool looking bar.
Unfortunately with the internet age we have to deal with “fake” news from negative people bashing the place. Get a life.
Great place to unwind after a hard days work and socialize with the locals.
Yes It is a really nice place but why does everyone say It’s great how they turned a Soap Factory into this Bar !! It was a building supply company for a few years , and then it was dormant until it was rented , as a bare building and then changed to a bar , just like any other warehouse… I give them credit the place looks nice but let’s get real with the sob stories of all the sweat and tears and that us neighbors wanted and needed a bar in this area, everyone needs a chance to make it in business especially taking 2 years to get open for plenty of reasons, just like the lounge (Remy) that was in the plaza when the shit starts coming in and problems start happening and gets out of hand We will make sure it gets closed !!! Best of Luck !!!
Astoria Man. I’ve been in astoria long enough to remember the SOAP FACTORY, A quick geographical history lesson.My landlord & his dad (the Trachtenbergs) bought the building in the mid seventies where they ran there business (ATWELL SOAP & CLEANING SUPPLIES) for the next 20 years. They moved to a L.I.C. location that better suited there needs and still supplying restaurants,commercial accounts & institutions with great soap & products. They rented old place to a company that sold & installed smart boards ( blackboards you don’t need chalk ) in schools, colleges & classrooms across the land. It is next that someone came up with the bright idea of opening a building supple / hardware store 1 mile from 2 HOME DEPOTS, That place went the same way as our beloved square hardware(miss those guys) The building was never dormant for a minute, while they were moving out I was moving in and we went from there. Im not into SOB STORIES! Im a DOER! always have been, working 10 to 15 hours a day since I was a young dude, Let me make clear Im not crying about it, Im proud of it! I’ve instilled that same Italian american work ethic in my daughters and Im very proud of them! You sound like a good guy,A concerned neighbor. Stop in sometime say hi. JOE
I own the bldg. I know Joe Salvio for thirty years. He is a hard working man that earned ever dime he has. I took my wife to the bar both she and I were impressed with the décor and the management of the place. the customers were just ordinary folks out for an evening. I am very happy to have tenants like Joe and Gloria. My wife and I will continue to be customers of theirs. The people writing negative comments have another agenda and the should grow up and be happy for Joe and Gloria and not be jealous
This is a good place for good people to have a good time. While we`re on the subject of people, last time I checked, The residents of Westway r people too!
Wreckspert if you are from Astoria then you would know that No one in this neighborhood cares much for the Westway homeless shelter yes they are people too I agree, and there living off our tax dollar, and the crime rate went up since that shit was put into OUR neighborhood !!! And we are tired of bullshit in this part of Astoria just so everyone can make a dollar and bring in the trash trying to make that dollar. And after reading some of these comments Good Luck Joe’s garage and they should Have Some Class when responding to people on this sight because if they can say ignorant things here we can imagine what they can say to people in there establishment !!! Be Professional !!!
Go back to jersey.
Why didn’t you hire me?
Because you’re from Yemen
Wow. Haven’t visited yet but I am going to check it out for myself. Some of these comments seem to be contrived by folks with an axe to grind. Sour grapes because your friend couldn’t get it together and they did? I have to agree with Real is Real…it’s best not to rebut folks on the internet. Looking forward to a nice dry dirty Martini 2 blocks from my abode…
its not a matter of getting yourself together but a matter of letting too many people lure you away from the original plan… happens in any business …
when u go into partnership you need to make sure it’s with people who arent easily persuaded and strayed…
Thank god the original partner realized this early on and got out while he could..
Much success to the new place… good luck awaynnnd god bless..
Wasn’t this the place Shep was building ?
Don’t care
i personnally know the owner of this establishment, joe and gloria are hard working honest people who just want to be their own business owners who have deep astoria roots, joe has created many jobs in getting this business off the ground, how many jobs have you naysayers created, good luck to joe and gloria
Us naysayers are real Astorian’s with deep roots here !!! And we watched that place since day one (2 years ago) when the original guy was opening that place as a bar and put a lot of work into it , and these people took all the credit for this place …certain people should stick to what they know and for your info some of us have created plenty of jobs for others ..Good luck to them but keep the trash away from our neighborhood
Alcohol sucks period. it destroys family. There’s a reason why we had prohibition!
Maybe alcohol destroyed your family but most people can handle it and drink in moderation without a problem. You truly are an internet troll. Please do us all a favor and kill yourself.
Definitely dealing with a person that lacks intelligence here. To say something like this to someone then to go onto another comment and talk about how others are stupid, idiotic, douches, and negative. Get real, no one takes you serious! Bring something intelligent or factual to the conversation.
Open your eyes Crackhead!! The promotion of alcohol in Astoria is astounding! Every new place that opens is a bar/ restaurant. We are surrounded by booze!!
Sounds like you might have had an alcohol/drug problem yourself? So sorry.
And how well did Prohibition work ?!?!?.
All these comments are so negative and its sad that the place has only been open a week and already the negative nancys have something to say. First of all many of your facts are wrong and second of all, you cant control what people do in bathrooms of bars or any establishment. The bar does not condone drug use and thats all we can do about it. Get over it and do yourself a favor dont go out, your better of staying in and writing your feelings on the internet.
Well pictures don’t Lie especially when you see the person that was in the bathroom Doing Drugs hanging out with the Owner Joe !!! Yeah ok we don’t condone drug use, LMAO Get over yourself thinking that this place is gonna be the best place to be, maybe one day I’ll be nice and post some of the pics for you so you can get the real facts !!!!
Post it then
People do drugs in bathrooms everywhere. At restaurants, at work, at home even. So, big deal. Take a chill pill, “Truth.”
Obviously this is the owner or one of the managers speaking. If you are seeing that there are already negative comments after only a week of opening then maybe you should re-evaluate your business plan rather than getting on the internet to spend time buffering comments. Your attitude and telling people to get over themselves and not to go out is extremely unprofessional. People are allowed to have opinions and allowed to state facts of what they’ve witnessed in your establishment. Welcome to the business world.
I guess when you put the truth on this site they won’t post it !!!
The place looks good but the crowd is not so good. Don’t waste your time.
They say a comfortable place to hangout and enjoy , the place just opened and I went to see what all the hype was about and i saw exactly what this place is gonna be , I went to the bathroom and there you had your friendly CokeHead sniffing in the bathroom it’s gonna be your typical “Rat Hole” !!! What a joke this place is …
It’s sad when a friend tried to open up a bar in the same location but got lip from neighbors saying they didn’t want a bar their with crowds and rowdy people and look an older man goes ahead and opens one. if you think the crowd won’t be rowdy because he opened it you have another thing coming and don’t be pissed when they block your driveway at night. Karma is a real B****
I agree 100% it’s gonna be your neighborhood drug addicts bar with a lot of problems, the 114 is gonna be really busy with this place …
I’ve got one down the block from me and no problem at all. Maybe cause it’s a gay bar, but doubt that makes that much of a difference. People are respectful, nobody yelling and throwing up on the curb. I don’t drink at all, but I like the fact that it’s there.
Let’s add to the crime rate in Astoria by adding another dive that will host derelicts and drunks which will without a doubt bring noise and disrupt the residents of the neighborhood.
I live in the neighborhood…very nearby…and found this place to be a welcome addition. It’s a very nice space and not noisy or disruptive at all. It’s quite possible to go to a local pub without being a derelict or a drunk. I’m not sure why you feel the urge to sabotage a business as it’s just starting up. Quite hateful of you, really. And no…I have no affiliation with the place or it’s owners. I just believe in giving people and their businesses a chance.
Blah Blah blah more bars more alcoholics . AA meetings will go through the roof.
WoW you’re a douche
What a mean-spirited thing to say to a new business owner. Shame on you.
There are lots of bars in my neighborhood and I am not an alcoholic. Ignorant statement.
Noticed another new “Joe’s” today:
Joe’s Asian and Sushi, corner 36 Avenue and 34 St across the street from the former notorious Purlieu nightclub. Looks like they did a nice job on a former not-so-pretty space. If weather was better I would have given it a try.
BEST OF LUCK TO BOTH JOES!
Are Westway residents invited too? Good Luck!
Oh, Thank you all so much!
My husband and I live near by and just stopped in for a drink. The space is very nice, service was great and we found it to be a good addition to the neighborhood. Ignore the idiots saying that this will raise the crime rate and bring in alcoholics. Everyone who was there the night we went were perfectly well-behaved! Best of luck!
there’s alcoholics everywhere. Just because a bar opens up doesn’t mean they’ll instantly gravitate to it
This is something hidden and out of the way. hopefully they do well. it looks like they sunk some money into the space
Yeah, we all know the poor aren’t really people. You’re a piece of shit.