A weekly review of the Strand's happy hour scene
THE LOCALE | Joy's Bar
THE LOWDOWN | The Happy Hour spotlight this week shines on a quaint little tavern known as Joy's Bar. Joy's Bar is housed in the heart of Myrtle Beach on 7th Avenue North, in between Ocean Boulevard and Kings Highway.
At most of the bars we visit, it's usually easy to figure out the main idea or theme of the enterprise after walking in and taking a two-second glimpse at what surrounds us. Joy's Bar is one of those rare exceptions; it's not a sports bar or a biker bar, and the wall display doesn't point to any one specific concept (as is the case with places such as the now-defunct Caddy Shack or Hard Rock Café). It's just one of those cool random hang-outs that are founded on the philosophy of: bars are for drinking and having a good time. That being said, Joy's Bar is a small one-room establishment with a bar that sits a few feet to the left of the entrance door, and a small stage (used primarily for karaoke) in the corner directly to the right of the entrance door. There are a large number of tables and chairs lined up in a single-file manner going all the way down the back wall. Females will find solace in the fact that they can leave their little purse-mirrors at home, as the back wall contains a large quantity of much larger ones. The lighting in the room has sort of a cool-colored tint to it, and any visible view of the outside world is obscured by thick curtains. Like most every bar we go to, there are at least ten televisions (which were tuned from everything to news, sports, and weather). The karaoke catalog is impressive, from mainstream pop-divas such as Christina Aguilera to Indie Rock bands such as the Talking Heads.
Happy Hour Specials at Joy's Bar are as follows: $2.50 Budweiser, Bud Light, and Bud Select; $2.75 Michelob Light, Michelob Ultra and Cactus Lime; and $2.50 well drinks. Aside from Happy Hour Specials, there's also a Filipino-influenced food menu which is certainly not something we often see in Myrtle Beach. One of its highlights winning high-acclaim is Lumpia (Filipino-style spring rolls). In addition, the bar features your typical American bar-food, such as those fried chicken wings we all love so much.
TIPS | Open from 4 p.m. until whenever (in the summer the bar will be open from 11 a.m. until whenever). Currently closed on Sunday, although plans call for being open on Sunday in the spring. Happy Hour is from 4-7 p.m. Karaoke and DJ (DJ Chris James) every night; come hungry and try the Lumpia.
FIND IT | 300 7th Ave N., Myrtle Beach. Call 448-8363, or visit online at www.djchrisjames.com.
- Christian S. Gore, for Weekly Surge