Big Joe's Grille — Restaurant in Newnan

I will start by saying that I have found my new favorite restaurant!

I was in the area doing some shopping and decided to grab some lunch while out. Executing a search on Yelp I discovered Big Joe’s Bar and Grill. Upon pulling up, I like how the restaurant is right off the main highway, however, still tucked away in its own little section. There is ample parking which is an added plus.

Walking in we were greeted by the hostess with a huge smile and warm engagement. The ambiance of the restaurant is casual and great for any occasion. As it was a beautiful day out we opted to sit on the patio, yes, there is patio seating. The patio overlooks the parking lot, however, as the restaurant is in its own nook, you have a nice landscape view which is visually pleasing.

Upon being seated we were greeted by our waitress Desi (Destiny) who walked up with the biggest smile on her face. A smile so big she made us excited to be at the restaurant. LoL! As this was my first time, I asked her for some recommendations. She was very knowledgeable about the menus and helped guide my decision. I have to take a moment to spotlight the great service Desi provided. We didn’t feel rushed. She kept us engaged throughout our visit and most of all, she delivered service with a smile. This is what the true essence of customer service is all about.

I decided on the Bruschetta for my appetizer and oh my gosh! When I say Fresh… I mean FRESH. All of the produce was fresh. The bread was fresh and toasted to perfection along with the fresh perfectly drizzled balsamic. Whew! This was a refreshing way to start the meal.

For my main course I got a Burger with Bacon and a side of Onion Rings. The burger was spot of perfection. It was clear that this wasn’t a frozen patty. This was a well crafted, thoroughly seasoned, cooked to char-grilled burger. Oh my goodness. Coupled with the golden crispy, perfectly battered onion rings and I was in a good happy place. Oh my! I’m talking AMAZING Burger!

Overall, this was truly a 10/10 experience. We even got the chance to meet the manager as she was walking around greeting EACH table and saying hello. Yes, I said each table. I haven’t seen customer focused service like this in forever. Absolutely top tier quality… Big Joe’s is truly a gem, from the food, to the environment, to the A+ service, this is an experience you...

Having been a loyal patron of Big Joes since they opened their doors years ago, I was shocked at what we experienced this Friday around 5:30PM. My wife and I along with our son sat down at an our table only to notice that we sat for about 15 minutes before anyone came over to greet us. (Keep in mind at this time they were not busy) When we finally got someone it was due to my having to wave down the greeter to get someone to acknowledge us even being seated at our table. The waiter did apologize when he finally got to our table, but I found this was unlike what we have ever experienced before. We ordered our appetizer and main course only to find out the bread that came out with our smoked salmon dip was “molded”. I reminded them that instead of bread we wanted cucumber slices due to my having to stay away from gluten. Wow… getting that taken care of took another 15 minutes and the manager came over with bread that was to replace the molded slices. We were told they would discount the bill 25% ( not something we ever expect) then we sat another 10 minutes with empty glasses after asking another server for help. Yes the food was OK BUT what has changed ? Spending over $120.00 on a meal is OK and BiG Joe’s has always hit the mark, however things have changed. By the way the bill was not discounted 15% and at that point I just wanted to leave. While we walked out I did tell the lady handing the seating just how shocked we were at our experience. I was very polite and she immediately said I will get the manager to speak with me. I declined to speak to the manager, and simply said that seeing such a decline, coupled with our having such a bad experience in a place that was our “Go To” was a deal breaker. In order to avoid it again we will go elsewhere going forward. Big Joes, my suggestion is that after being in Newnan for 36 years and seeing what businesses survive long term, remain focused on the principles that got you on the map. The competition in the restaurant business is fierce and if quality and consistency are not a part of what you do, you simply will not be around much longer. All the best and Good...

We thought we would try this "hidden gem" for lunch. One would think I'd learn to stop believing reviews in this area, but here we are at another four+star reviewed less than stellar eatery.

For a start, the place and decor are tired! The dark mushroom and black color scheme does nothing for the appetite. Combine that with a desperate need for a paint job and a really deep clean, and I felt disappointment before I even sat down. Cloth table coverings don't do much to boost the atmosphere when they're covered in paper. I'm not sure how some people are getting "romantic" from the ambiance; it's anything but!

The menu features a variety of Mediterranean choices--one of my favorite cuisines. The hummus was surprisingly good (thankfully). The Naan was soft and tender on our appetizer, and while likely not traditional, I did enjoy the celery and carrots (except for the one obvious bad one that shouldn't have been served) as an addition.

Given that it wasn't busy when we were there, I would have expected it to be much faster, but service was slow.

I had a gyro. Again a disappointment. There was not an appropriate amount of meat on the sandwich, and it was drowning in tzakis. The hot meat melted the sauce making the overcooked naan soggy and cold inside while dry, tough, and crumbly outside. The meat itself appeared to be frozen and finished on a grill rather than on a traditional gyro rotisserie leaving the meat greasy.

My husband had fish and chips. The chips didn't make an appearance as they brought onion rings by mistake. While the promise of a fix was made, we eventually gave up on the hope of fries. That may have been a blessing though as the onion rings were actually one of the better things we tried. The fish, on the other hand, was pretty uninspired. He ordered it "extra crispy," but what he received was heavily breaded, and while cooked and not doughy, was horribly soggy and unappealing. It too seemed like a frozen product, just finished up in a fryer.

Nothing was truly horrible, but honestly nothing was anywhere near the 4.3 stars this place has...