Average Joe's — Restaurant in North Bay

First of all we drove passed the restaurant the first time because there was no visible sign in the dark so I turned around and just happened to look to the left while driving pulled in to a the parking that had very limited parking space. walking in, I stepped in deep puddles and almost slipped on an icy patch because of the lack of salt.. We hadn't even walked inside yet and already we were unpleased.. I walked in with a tumnhortons coffee she took the coffee (fairly standard but still annoying) Once we were seated we both ordered a glass of wine to start off with and the waitress asked for id(which is fine) I did not haven mine I could not get served but I'm almost 30 so usually don't have that issue. I asked for a glass of water since I could not have a glass of wine and that never came, my friend ordered muscles and I ordered pasta fettuccini and they were both cold and bland I ordered the bruschetta that was supposed to come with tomatoes melted mozzarella and cheddar and I added bacon and they brought me plain bread with bacon crumbles no waitresses in sight I had to get up to get her they were all huddled up chit chatting away... When the waitress came overt the table I mentioned that the food was all mediocre and that the bread I ordered came with no cheese or any other adding and only bacon crumbles? She was rude and fluffed me off and rolled her eyes and didn't offer any compensation and didn't offer to take it off my bill or ask the manager if there was anything that she could do to be more accommodating. Finally we payed our bills (including the bread with bacon and cheese....minus the cheese). We left the restaurant and walked back through the puddles and ice patches to the car. When I get into the car I can't back out of the parking lot because the parking is slanted downwards towards the water and there was no salt for the tires to grip onto. Finally after trying for 20 minutes I got my car out. I don't usually write reviews about restaurants but I had to this was one of my worst dinning experiences not to mention I eat out a couple times a week... not only was the service horrible, the food mediocre but there are also allot of safety hazards I could have broken my hip walking in and out (don't bring your grandmother here!) and I almost had to call a tow truck to get my car out of the parking.... Beware of average joes... The name says it...

The good: the staff are on point. Clear, well pronounced and knowledgeable about the menu. Overall the experience was good. The food would have been better rated had the price been on average $5 less per plate.

After what I had heard of the place the the reviews I was going in with really high hopes of good seafood. The setting was quite nice on the main floor but the washrooms are not what you would expect. Strange that I would bring that up but it goes along with the rest of of the experience. The food could have been amazing but the salmon was frozen or had been cooked for a long time and was warmed up. The bacon sauce on the muscles was amazing though but the muscles seemed overcooked maybe or reheated too often? The shrimp was average and the buttered vegetables seemed to be the highlight of the meal. If I didn't know any better based on the audience present in the restaurant I would imagine that this place used to be really good but the only people who may have tasted the foods Glory days are the elderly folk who keep coming back.

Another thing I got to try was the Alfredo and I could be wrong but I don't think I had Alfredo... Seemed overly thick and lacked that cheese flavor but maybe it too was frozen, thawed and then thicked with cornstarch or flour?

Suggestions for this place would be the following

With Orchards right down the road I don't understand why not use better ingredients? Maybe find out where they are sourcing there food and buy from there as well? Most fish is good for 5 days chilled if sourced fresh.

Salmon does not take long at all to cook and nor do muscles. At least they don't if they are not frozen.

Note: I hope the pickerel in the summer is fresh from lake Nipissing.

Final thoughts: Frozen savoury foods can almost always be spotted as fats from the dish will leak out when cooked again making the ingredient or dish dry and or gritty. Staff are great and presentation...

Our honeymoon journey came to a delightful close with a memorable dining experience at Average Joe's. This restaurant exceeded our expectations in every way, giving us an incredible meal that we'll cherish forever. From the moment we walked in, the staff provided exceptional service, making us feel like cherished guests. The service was exceptional, and they went above and beyond to make our last meal on our honeymoon truly special. They surprised us with a treat for our honeymoon and even celebrated with us, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. We truly value their kindness and the personal touch they added to our dining experience. The flavors and presentation of each dish were impeccable, (we loved the spices they used) leaving us craving more with every bite. The attention to detail and the warm hospitality truly made this dining experience special. We can't thank everyone at Average Joe's enough for adding the perfect finishing touch to our honeymoon. It's a place we'll remember fondly and can't wait to...