Joe & Freddy’s Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Town of Pines

Decor is cool ole’roadside Diner vibe reminded me of stops i made riding down Route66. Seemed to have an older local crowd when We stopped ( was a Thursday afternoon) server/barmaid was nice. She was super busy waiting tables and the entire bar so …… well she was doing her best. Lets talk Food it all looked Great! Then we started to eat : the mussels were very very bland and blah for the 1st time in 11 years i watched my girlfriend add salt and pepper to her bowl of mussels and this lady LOVES! Mussels she has eaten mussels from iceland to azul mexico and everywhere in-between she said never again here at joes. Me: Italian Beef now i eat aprox-5-6 Italian beefs amonth it is by far my favorite sandwich to order next to a Ruben when I travel and if its on a menu at one of my stops i get it. Based on the fact that i eat over 60 italian beefs a year and most of them are from new stops to try and see who has the best in this land id rate this a tie for the worst ive ever eaten. The green peppers and onions were good after i added alittle black pepper and salt. The beef was absolutely horrible but i did eat it because i eat everything on my plate BUT for the 2nd time in my life ( im50) i didnt use the au jus it was so blah even after adding salt. The chips where good but again no salt just a homemade potato chip ,so i added salt. The coleslaw was good. The pickle was good. If We ate here again my girlfriend and I both decided we’d only get 2 bowls of coleslaw and 2 pickles…Drinks: her blueberry lemonade cocktail was verygood ( heavy on the blueberry which she liked) they only had 3 draft beers to choose from so i drank water. Its rare you’ll see me talk bad about food in my reviews but there has to be a winner on the worst of list once in awhile. Joe and Freddys gets to be on that list for food but please remember the Decor vibe was very Cool we really liked that alot. If you stop id recommend you take some garlic salt maybe alittle cajun seasoning, onion and chili powder just to be safe…… Cost: Our meal was priced as if we were at a dinner downtown chicago( on the menu a plan grill cheese is $9.00 $2 more for 2 pieces of bacon thats $11.00 for a nickel sandwich folks ) All said: We can not recommend Joes but again dont forget the decor vibe is ole’school cool. Follow my travels on instagram at...

My visit to Joe and Freddy's Bar and Grill on Highway 12 for brunch was a mixed bag. The solo waitress on duty deserves a shout-out for her efforts; she was attentive despite the overall sluggish pace of service. It was a good thing we got an appetizer, because our mains seemed to be on a leisurely journey from the kitchen to our table.

The appetizer, sloppy fries, promised more than it delivered. The sweet potato fries themselves were cooked well, but the topping was a letdown – just some basic sloppy joe meat with shredded cheese. No rich cheese sauce, no garnish, nothing to justify the price tag or elevate the dish beyond the ordinary.

My main dish, the Mexican-style brisket skillet with chorizo gravy, featured a well-made brisket, but overall, it lacked the kick of Mexican spices I was looking forward to. It felt like the kitchen had held back on the flavors that should have been front and center.

One of my friends had wings that also fell flat – they didn't have enough sauce, resulting in a flavor that was forgettable.

We left Joe and Freddy's feeling like the experience and the food were just okay. Nothing was terrible, but nothing stood out, especially considering the price point of the dishes. It's not a spot I'd rush back to, but for a no-fuss, fill-your-belly kind of meal, it...

We were just passing through town, and heading to a restaurant that had been recommended to us. Driving past, the sign called to me, and we flipped a U-turn, and man I'm so glad we did. What a joint. Character galore. The place was packed and the skeleton staff was KILLING IT. I felt like I was watching a performance. The bartender knocked it out of the park with our cocktails, and Krissy our server took on half the restaurant like it was a walk in the park while still managing to be a delight every time she was tableside. The food. Man. The food was... wow. It was the kind of food that I'm just not going to forget. The specials menu was INSPIRED. Whoever's in that back-of-house knows what's up and obviously loves food, because they sure do understand how to make it stand out. I live about three hours away, and I can already hear myself saying, "god remember that brisket quesadilla we had at that perfectly random roadside spot?" I'd be sad knowing I'll never eat it again... except I bookmarked this place and I'll make it my business to be back. 10/10 atmosphere 10/10 staff 10/10 food Please keep doing everything you're doing, and if you're questioning it, EAT...