A Joe’s primer
Once upon a time in Northern California, there were a bunch of restaurants that went under the moniker of Joe’s . . .
Not Mel’s, but Joe’s.
The food: Italian, the atmosphere dark, the portions large. The waiters in suits and ties.
eat at joe’s
I used to eat at them with my father. They weren’t all owned by the same people, just adapted the Joe’s name and served variations of Italian food. Old school California Italian food. Joe’s history is legendary and Joe’s Special is still a staple on menus throughout the region:
Joe’s Special, from Charlotte Walker’s A Little San Francisco Cookbook
Martini at Joe’s fonts by mehallo
fonts and vanishing food
My Martini at Joe’s fonts were named after the restaurants – of which, many of these high class counter joints are gone. Only a handful of the earliest Joe’s are still open. Here’s a list . . .
Antioch Joe’s, Antioch [closed]
Chico Joe’s, Chico [closed]
Joe’s Fish Grotto, Daly City [closed]
Joe’s of Westlake, Daly City [open]
Little Joe’s, San Francisco [open]
Marin Joe’s, Corte Madera [open]
New Joe’s, San Francisco [closed]
Original Joe’s, San Francisco [open]
Original Joe’s, San Jose [open]
Palo Alto Joe’s, Palo Alto [closed]
Sacramento Joe’s, Sacramento [closed]
San Carlos Joe’s, San Carlos [closed]
San Rafael Joe’s, San Rafael [open]
Stockton Joe’s, Stockton [open]
Strawberry Joe’s, Mill Valley [kinda reopened]
Vaca Joe’s, Vacaville [closed]
West Portal Joe’s, San Francisco [closed]
Woodlake Joe’s, Burlingame [closed]
San Rafael Joe’s, San Rafael [open]
Original Joe’s, San Francisco [reopened]
Unfortunately, in 2007, a kitchen fire at Original Joe’s in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco (above) – shut the doors indefinitely. I spent some time chatting with the owner a few years back, talked her into selling simple black tees with their logo and iconic clip art chef on it.
joe’s variants
Today, there are a few knockoffs using the Joe’s name – and, of course other variations (cool logo!) in other parts of the state – as well as this nifty update in Half Moon Bay, a North Beach-located Joe Dimaggio’s Italian Chophouse, and North Sacramento’s Lil Joe’s (seen below) – all working to keep some form of the tradition alive.
Lil Joe’s, image found via Tom Spaulding’s photostream on Flickr
comfort food a la joe’s
But when restaurant hunting today, it’s hard to find anything that compares to a real Joe’s charcoal-broiled beefsteak cooked medium with side of ravioli, boiled veggies, cup of pastina and fresh San Francisco sourdough. Gotta be real SF sourdough, any other bread . . . just doesn’t cut it.
Vintage menu for Original Joe’s [still open]
Vintage menu for Joe’s of Westlake [still open]
And . . .
Posted recently, here’s my Martini playlist, with Original Joe’s ashtray.
my cab driver was going on and on about their burgers the other night!!
i’ve only eaten at marin joes’ – a side of spaghetti with everything!!!
When I was 20, towards the end of the academic year when I had inherited Steve’s baby, The Monday Morning Blues, I was hanging around with a girl who waitressed part-time at Joe’s of Westlake. Her dad was the head Maitre d’ there, as had been her grandfather, Bruno. She took me there a couple times. Great spot. I remember sitting at the bar watching the cooks make my Joe’s Special. She had ordered it for me, and it would be the first time I ate it. I remember watching the old dago with his chef’s hat crack eggs against a frying pan and drop them into a masterpiece of spinach and greasy ground beef. 500 miles away now, living in non-ethnic, non-Italian Bend, Oregon, my wife and I have made it a mainstay in our household.
Very interesting… I remember all the “EAT AT JOE’S” signs from all the old Donald Duck cartoons I used to watch when I was a kid.
When I was doing the Monday Morning Blues thing Chris mentions (I’ll write about it sometime, though I’ve NEVER actually seen his versions. HINT.) – I was taking graphic design classes with my good friend Jeff.
These days Jeff works the counter at Joe’s of Westlake – best damn waiter on the planet – tip him well, he’ll take good care of you.
Right after I released my Martini at Joe’s fonts, I wandered in and Jeff (of course) asked me if I wanted my ‘Martini at Joe’s’
Say ‘hi’ for me and he may give you some extra sourdough. Sitting at the counter is where all the action really is. BIG flames.
Great post! Thanks for the mention.
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