Yes, literally. In the heart of Tacoma, Washington, lives a between 25 and 26-foot tall, 30-foot wide massive coffee pot that is not only a favorite and much-loved hangout for locals, but also a historical magnet for visitors either passing through or who have specifically included the landmark on their itineraries. Bob’s Java Jive, as it has been called since 1955, was created in the 1920s by a surprising and quite unexpected founder — a veterinarian named Dr. Otis G. Button. If you’re a local Tacoman, you may recognize the name from the Button Veterinary Hospital, which was established in 1920.
But Button wasn’t your typical vet — he had other dreams, dreams that didn’t involve furry patients, but rather a huge coffee pot building he built in 1927 and called The Coffee Pot Restaurant. First serving breakfast to travelers on Route 99 (now called South Tacoma Way), the restaurant moved with the times, morphing into a diner drive-in, a speakeasy, a juke joint, and even a go-go bar before being bought in ’55 by husband and wife Bob and Lylabell Radonich.
This inspired couple brewed it into the wild and quirky destination it is today — a Polynesian-themed dance club, rebranded as Bob’s Java Jive, and known for its live music, karaoke, and two resident macaque monkeys, Java and Jive, who once lived there. The coffee pot had become a bit run down over the years, so the Radonichs fixed it up and started selling food there again, originally burgers, corn dogs, and fries, then later expanding to a more enticing menu of pasta-based Italian dishes made from scratch.
The Tacoma hangout for legends
There are so many delightful stories about public figures and musical legends who frequented Bob’s Java Jive — some that are legit, and some that hang in the air as could-be-myth-could-be-real. But it’s these stories that keep the big coffee pot firmly in iconic status in the eyes of the public. It’s a place that has seen musical legends walk through its doors and play on its stage — The Wailers, The Ventures, and American singer-songwriter Neko Case, who famously collaborated with The New Pornographers and bartended at The Jive.
It is even believed that Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain loved to hang out there in the ’90s and Nirvana even wanted to hold the launch party of the band’s now iconic album “Nevermind” at The Jive, but ended up having it at Re-Bar in Seattle in September 1991 instead. Another much-loved legend of The Jive is that of award-winning actor Keanu Reeves being a regular, and filming parts of a 1990 movie in which he starred — “Love You To Death” — in the big coffee pot. In this time it is rumored that Reeves offered Bob Radonich $1 million to buy it, with the intention of moving it to Hawaii, but the offer was firmly turned down with the note that Bob’s Java Jive belonged to Tacoma and its locals, and that’s where it would stay.
In 2014, Bob’s Java Jive was awarded cultural landmark status, and has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, having thrived, fallen during tough times but been uplifted by its local community, changed hands and changed names, and experienced some incredible events over its lifetime. While it lost out to the Horseshoe Diner on our list of the best diners in every state, it’s still worth a trip. And if you’re curious about other classic eateries, check out our list of the 15 best diners in America.
