This is my first time here and I am impressed with how attentive the bartender was. The drinks were poured really well and the bartender was very intuitive and informative about about the different spirits. The jukebox was pretty cool and the pool tables were pristine, although they cost $1.25 versus the standard $1.00 elsewhere in the city. It is a little small but make up for it with the amazing atmosphere. It is nestled right on the corners of Detroit and 4th streets and can easily be missed if you are not paying attention. Then you would be sorry because it really is a lovely little gem.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a classic dive bar. Friendly service, good drinks, and a pool table make me feel right at home. Be sure to check out the changing local art displayed in the walls and maybe even play a game of pinball.

Very small dive bar with quick bartenders, pool tables and usually a charity event of some sort going on. It's really nice to see small businesses like this giving back to the community. The acoustics aren't the best if you actually want to hear the person next to you but a fun place to go for weekday happy hours.

St. James is a great little divey pub off 4th St. in Italian Village. It's really easy to miss, since the only sign is the lettering on the awning. Just know that it's a block South of Seventh Son, and you can't miss it. You'll need to park on the street or walk. This place is offering up fairly cheap drinks, and they often have some sort of tap takeover running. When I was there, they had all kinds of Revolution Brewing and Bell's on tap. The bartender's really nice, and you'll really feel welcome no matter who you are. It's pretty dark in there, since there's not much in the way of windows, and you definitely get that dive bar feel while at the same time drinking great craft brews. With the direction Italian Village appears to be heading, I hope it helps St. James and doesn't hurt it. This establishment has been here for a long time, and I hope they'll continue to thrive with more residences in the area.

No crap on tap. For reals. Local craft brews. Fat Heads. Flying Dog. CBC. Dogfish. Bells. Jackie O's. $3-4.5 a pint. My go-to neighborhood bar where I always run into great peeps. Great jukebox. Well curated music & drinks. It's a Cbus Cheers.

I've been here more than a few times. It's your local dive bar! I don't live close enough to make it *my* local watering hole, but it's closeness to Seventh Son means it could end up being one I pop into when I want to play pool. It's a cool little joint when you want to grab a beer. The crowd can be hit and miss. One time? Crowded. Another? Empty. It's a gamble. I also don't pay attention to the time or day I go here. So there's that. :D Great beer selection, the staff is sometimes a bit... stiff? But then again, maybe it's me!

St. James is my spot. I have lived less than a block away from the James for three years now and can't say enough good things about this place. If Michelle (owner / bartender with the blonde hair) would ever install a kitchen in this joint it would be a no brainer 5 star rating, and I would probably never leave. With around a dozen Microbrews for $3.50 each, I rarely find myself asking Michelle for anything else (aside from the occasional Jamison shot and more quarters for the pool table). The James has a dark wood panel feel and low lighting. One side of the place has the bar, a few tables and the JukeBox (one of those newer digital ones replaced what was formerly one of the best old school JukeBoxes I had seen) while the other room has two pool tables, a Simpsons Pinball game and a row of tables down the far wall. There is an upstairs room with it's own bar, but I have not seen this room used since Weds. ceased to be Open Mike Comedy night around a year ago.

The St James is one of the all-time great after work bars. It has a relaxed atmosphere, with it's slightly dimmed lighting and warm wood tones in its decoration. But the real appeal is in its wide variety of beers on tap and the friendliness of its staff. The beers are a great alternative to the usual assortment of Bud, Miller, and maybe Heineken or Red Strip. The St. James has a wide menu of local and regional beers, changing with the season. My favorite summer beer there is the Bell's Oberon, my favorite winter beer the gingerbread flavored winter warmer. And, as I said before, the staff is excellent. The owner is a really friendly woman in her late twenties / early thirties who works the bar about three nights a week. Unlike a lot of bartenders who are only interested in you when you're ordering, she seems genuinely interested in having a little conversation with everyone who sits at the bar. And that's pretty typical for everyone who works there. My only complaint with the place is that it isn't on my way home from work anymore.