Joe's Cafe — Restaurant in Los Angeles

One of the first things I noticed upon entering is the warm and inviting atmosphere that makes up this establishment. Parking is conveniently located in the rear and a simple yet effective theme sets in your mind as you go down the ramp to enter and when you do-you find yourself in the complete opposite, which is most pleasant to see how they maintain their style with the exterior paint of the buildings and follow through with the interior in their own expressive ways with the decor and set up. Service is friendly and you are promptly seated and shown a menu.

The food is wonderful, I had ordered the chicken and waffles out of curiosity and was very satisfied with my decision. Chicken was neither dry or undercooked. Beautifully prepared and the presentation of the dish was very eye catching. Chicken is very nicely prepared with light waffles and the contrast of flavors and textures is truly something to be considered divine.

Also ordered their blue cheese Mac n cheese and it was just equally as wonderful. Dish is served piping hot but it looks so appetizing you could hardly wait. Proportions of food is very satisfying. I did not finish the Mac and cheese.

Only reason I give 4/5 stars is due to the ventilation system that they have or should I say, lack. Maybe it was where I was seated but sitting at the bar was warm to the point that it was slightly uncomfortable, and it wasn’t even a hot day. And (again probably because of my seating) we weren’t really asked for what we’d like to order for a while. Nor checked up on after, but nothing serious enough for me to make any genuine complaints. Some people might like that. Price is fair for the type of establishment. Had no issue paying for the quality and quantity of food that was given to us. If you’re looking to just eat at any run of the mill restaurant for lunch, then this isn’t what you’re looking for. But if you’re looking to spend your day with something memorable in your stomach you’ll definitely be coming to the right place. There are those that eat to consume and those that eat to quench their palette for something new and...

Highly disappointed. The price on the menu that's on the internet is different than the one at the restaurant. I stayed anyway cuz the reviews seemed outstanding.

When I wanted to order my favorite caramel latte, the waitress said that they don't offer special coffees, just regular coffee. I don't understand that... this is a "Cafe" isn't it? "Cafe" comes from the word coffee. A Cafe is supposed to have a variety of delicious coffees. Anyway, I tried their regular coffee. The coffee was nasty!!! I am a true coffee lover, I visit different Cafe's and go around trying different coffees. Good coffee is not supposed to be bitter and this one is. The biscuits and gravy was too salty and very greasy. Nasty!!! The stuffed french toast was so so. The toast didn't taste like french toast. When I say I want french toast, I mean I want french toast not something that looks like french toast. This is the first french toast that I've tasted that wasn't soaked in eggs. The only thing that was ok was the eggs, but nothing special. This is a restaurant and not cheap, so I expect the eggs to come w a special sauce, but no. It was just two plain eggs on a plastic plate. In my opinion... restaurants shouldn't carry plastic but real plates, like ceramic.

Side point: when I entered the restaurant, no one greeted me. They were still cleaning. I saw a very dirty rag on the floor. My table was dirty and when I pointed out to my waitress why the price was different on the on-line menu verses the menu at the restaurant she replied, by saying: "hay I just work here, that's the owners responsibility to update the on-line menu." The customer service skills were very poor and why is it that this restaurant was dirty when I arrived at 7:30am? They close at 3pm so they should be cleaning it after everyone is gone and in the morning it should already look clean.

If I'm going to pay a pretty penny for my breakfast, I expect the restaurant to be clean, excellent customer service, a variety of coffees, and delicious food. I don't feel that this restaurant offered that. Therefore, I won't...

So my firs run in with joes cafe was with at their hole in the wall operation. Support local small business!! The food blew me away!, the freshness, the flavor, the size of the toast! Needless to say I returned many times. I finally found time to try their new establishment for dinner. unfortunately I cannot say I left with the same magic tha captivated me years before.

I arrived around five as they opened for dinner; the place was empty with no wait. The ambiance is amazing, I love the wood accent and lighting that gave off this warm family style feel.

I had the short rib on mash, at the recommendation of my waiter. It came out in good time and looked good as well. Portioning id say about 5 ounces of beef to about two cups of sweet potato if I were to guess. But when I took a bite the meat was lukewarm. The taste wasn't off putting, but it didn't knock my socks or stand out to me. The mashed sweet potato had a similar effect. They were also lukewarm, and tasted to me, similar to mash I could buy myself. other than the occasional burst of flavor from a stray green onion, I felt sadly underwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong, by no means do I think I have a connoisseurs tongue, but I have had exceptional short rib before. Am I saying the whole menu is bad? Of course not, go and try it for yourself. But for me, to come from such a high experience to one so ho hum, there is a certain jarring feeling.

Will I go again? Maybe. I unfortunately don't make the kind of money to thoroughly test the spectrum; I can only leave you with my one experience...