Little Joe's bar in Little Italy responds to break-in with mock 0-star review for burglars

A popular Little Italy neighborhood bar was the target of an early morning break-in this week. The smash-and-grab crew got away with a few hundred bucks, but they caused thousands of dollars of damage to the nearly 80-year-old bar.

The owners of Little Joe's had a unique response to the crime.

Little Joe's was boarded up after an antique door was heavily damaged as the burglary crew got in and out in about a minute. While the owners said they are upset, they are responding with some levity.

Malört toasts, cold beers, and familiar faces filled the Little Italy neighborhood bar on Friday night, but surveillance video on Wednesday morning showed something much different.

"Two cars made a U-turn, pulled up in front, got out with sledgehammers, crow bars, smashed the front door in," said owner Ryan Phelan.

The strikes were so violent they caused security cameras to shake. Once inside, the three-person crew went straight for the cash register behind the bar.

"You can see them ripping the cords, because they can't unplug them," Phelan said.

Phelan and his childhood friend Alex Haried took over the bar in 2020.

"It's just like a home away from home, and then they smashed not only the front door, which is a safety door, but an antique door that's been here in the community for decades," Phelan said.

"Nice millwork, nice glass work, beveled edges. It was a really pretty door," Haried said.

Instead of dwelling on the crime, the owners decided to respond with humor, posting the video on Instagram with a mock 0-star review for the burglary crew.

Among the critiques, accidentally turning on the beer taps while behind the bar.

"We're very upset about it, but we wanted to make light of the situation, review them on their nice little visit of us," Phelan said.

"They've done $5,000 worth of damage for all of $326, so maybe less than that, so like $108 per person," Haried said. "It's just, it's not a sustainable business for them."

While the business will be boarded up for a bit, this will not be last call for Little Joe's.

"It's unfortunate, but it's not going to change our feeling of the neighborhood or for our establishment. We still love it. We're still going to be here another 80 years," Haried said.

The owners filed a police report about the burglary, but so far no arrests have been made.