Original Joe's — Restaurant in San Francisco

Monday night Reservation for 5:15pm Party of 2

On the corner of Union and Stockton Aves, we arrived early for our reservation and were seated right away in a cozy little corner window booth of the entrance room, and greeted quickly by Rafael.

Drinks and apps were ordered right away; no time wasted in this eloquent but down to earth experience. From the get go and upon ordering our apps, Rafael made two fabulous recommendations, which we accepted. To start, the bread served was soft and pre sliced. It threw me off guard because it started off as a plain slice of bread but at some point while chewing, my tastebuds picked up a wonderful, tangy taste which made me want more of it!! The infamous San Francisco sourdough bread was even more intense when toasted and topped with garlic and Parmesan. Ask for a side of marinara; great for dipping! The crab cake was accompanied by a lightly dressed spring mix and topped with (as well as served ON) an aioli cream sauce. The patty was breaded and grilled, served hot and full of well-seasoned crabmeat; a spectacular start to our meals!

Our entrees were served within 20-30 min by a friendly wait staffer. My salmon was a good portioned size and accented with a slightly tangy sauce; cooked to perfection. I opted for the side of spaghetti with marinara sauce and although it had potential, the sauce tasted a bit burnt; still somewhat good. My husband ordered the 8oz filet with a side of mashed potatoes. His steak was seared, maybe a bit to much but was mouthwatering and tender. The mashed potatoes were topped with chives and were quite good. Our portions were huge and I regret that we didn’t leave enough room for some dessert otherwise we would’ve opted for the ‘Bombolino’, 3 fried Italian doughnuts served with espresso and gelato (I think?). We expected to pay as much as we did for this meal since it was dinner in North Beach. Overall, a great dinner in a very welcoming and friendly environment.

A definite if we return to SF and highly...

We had dinner here on Sunday, January 28, 2023. Three of us in the party.

The food here is classic Italian-American, the West Coast version which might have originated here. The food is as good an example of any of these classic dishes that you will find anywhere. I can't fault anything we had. Side dishes are often perfunctory, but not here at Original Joes. Everything is consistent quality across the board. The wine list is limited, with excellent wines selected to complement the menu. The tiramisu dessert is as good or better than I have had anywhere.

The room decor and atmosphere is dark, red leather, wood paneling, etc. Very clubby and comfortable. Somewhat noisy, but we were there on a big "sportsball" day, so the noise from the bar was exceptional. We could have a normal conversation without shouting. It's a beautiful room, well cared-for, and complementary to enjoying your meal.

I rarely give five star reviews and would have awarded four points for the food and the decor if this were a typical restaurant, but I have added the fifth star because of the exceptional service and spirit of the staff, which just amplifies both the food and the room.

Our waiter, Dickie, provided exceptional attention and care. He could recommend complementary wines, and was knowledgeable about every detail of the menu. Normally, this would be the baseline expectation for service, but Dickie made us feel welcome and cared for above and beyond expectation.

Additionally, this caring attitude extended to everyone who served us, and it was evident also in their interactions with one another. The staff takes care of each other as well as the diners. In my perception, this is a testimony to the quality of the ownership and management of the restaurant, since unhappy or ill-treated people don't act like this.

Original Joe's is a historic restaurant and dining here...

My family and I have been coming to Joe’s for twenty years. It’s one of the last great SF restaurants. Unfortunately I feel compelled to write this review as our New Year’s Eve dinner there was so disappointing, I would reconsider ever revisiting. I must precedent this by saying our meal was delicious.

On the other hand, not only was our waiter incredibly rude, we waited 40 minutes to place our order. He even walked away from us in the middle of trying to order cocktails. When the cocktails arrived, we were disappointed to find they were made with Minute Made lemonade rather than fresh lemon juice. And ingredients from the recipe were missing. When we brought this to the attention of our waiter, he snatched one of the cocktails away and brought back the same recipe. This is a classic cocktail with no substitutions, and I have ordered this at Joe’s many times. I perfectly realize how busy NYE may be for such a popular establishment, however, I do not believe there is any excuse for a restaurant of this calibre and price point to be serving vodka lemonades and attempting to pass them as Lemon Drops.

I’m extremely disappointed in our experience. My in-laws were visiting from England and looking forward to trying Joe’s after hearing us sing it’s praises, we are longstanding patrons, and we had this evening booked for months. The food is delicious and the restaurant is beautiful, but the service and bar left us with a bad taste...