Shame, shame , shame...the customer is always right. 3 out of 5 meals undercooked.
A burger medium well should not soak the roll and be red inside. Not one but two burgers. Roasted chicken still pink. Not bad enough our bill came with two alcoholic drinks not ordered $18.00 and was told that is what the bartender made.
We offered our server a taste but they refused. Never again.
You know the old saying, dont fix what isnt broken. That shouldve been the motto for this place before they sold it. They have been under new management for about a year I believe and every time has been worst than the time before. I work about 1/4 mile away so I like to add this in to my weekly lunch routine. Well after going here 1-2 times a week over the past 3 years I have become accustomed to certain things and have even taken some of the changes in stride since I liked it so much, but not anymore...
The new menu has been launched which is similar to before however it seems as if EVERY dish went UP and price and went DOWN in size, not a good combination.
Our server only came over to smile one time and that was coincidentally as she gave us the bill.
Without getting into compainting about each individual dish and what was wrong with it I can tell you that in our party of  4 all 4 of us had left unhappy and unsure about our next return. This is tough to say and have not wanted to write this for a while since as I mentioned this place is my favorite and has my favorite meal but between the service, the price increase, and the quantity of food going down I do not think we will be rushing back.
One thing that restaurants like this do way to often is they get to cocky and believe that what they have is better than what it is and I feel that is exactly what happened here. If you want to be considered more upscale and charge higher prices, than you should atleast leave your customers feeling satisfied with the meal and experience and that we were not.
Went here for lunch today. Â There was good and bad but more bad than good. Â
First ,they just redesigned their menu. Â It just seems like their old menu was better. Â
Since the menu was new, we got the Buffalo chicken wrap the short rip french dip and split them. Â They french dip was good but I dont see how it is different from before, except that it is more expensive at $14. Â The buffalo chicken wrap on the other hand was horrible. Â It had a sour taste and it had way too much blue cheese dressing. Â
We also had one of the new appetizers, it was torttia chips with three different dips: salsa, hot cheese dip and guacamole. Â The chips were too salty. Â The salsa had little flavor and was comparable to a cheap jared salsa. Â I dont really like cheese so I cant comment on the cheese dip but the Guacamoli was not great either. Â It reminded me of the guacamole at chilis. Â It had corn and some other things in it but it didnt look or taste like fresh guacamole. Â long story short, it wasn't good. Â
The service was also not good. Â We went for lunch and there were not many people in the restaurant and still it took a while to get served. Â And then we had to hunt her down to get the check and they didst check on us. Â The girl who brought the food was different than our waitress... anyway, I asked her for ketchup and it never came. Â I had to wait to find the waitress and then ask her. Â Â Maybe she was the only waitress working but what ever the case, the service was not good.
It just seems like this place is not as good as it was. Not a big fan anymore.
*This is an edit. Initially, I wrote about Peabody, when I meant for Woburn's location.*
Here is my experience:
I just returned from a lunch hour. I meeting with my brother for a birthday meal, since it is conveniently located between us.
Our server gave us a few minutes to review the menu. She was nice and knowledgeable about the daily specials, which included buffalo wings. My brother was sold, and even wanted two orders for his entree. I just picked the Original Burger.
After a long conversation, our waitress asked if we might want some bread as we wait. Â Not keeping track of exactly what time it was, we noticed that we haven't even gotten our food, yet. I looked at my clock, at it showed 1:29 pm. I know that we sat down at 12:40. So, with 50 minutes of waiting, there was no sign of food. I wanted to give them an extra second worth of waiting, and the food finally appeared behind my brother.
At that time, there would be no time to enjoy our food, so we thought to wrap it to go. Time was really ticking to head back to work, and yet... it was taking a very long time to even have that wrapped.
I had to jet out of there. Sorry, Joe's American. You didn't deliver your A game at all. To wait nearly an hour during a lunch hour (which should be typical in this area) is just ridiculous. Bring your food out in 12 minutes, tops! No hate on the servers or the back of the house, but you need to fix your problem areas.
That includes:
-Service
-Updating your menu (I've gone back to Joe's American maybe once every 1-5 years since I was 15). The menu has not changed.
-You have pretty fancy prices for mediocre meals
...which leads me to, have ordering my medium done burger looked a lot like well-done.
I wish I could say one good thing. But, it was just a disappointment altogether.
Came here on Mother's Day. There was a 3 hour wait! So my brother and I sat in the section near the bar where you can seat yourself.
It took about 10 minutes for anyone to bring us menus. Granted it was Mother's Day, but it was quite a while. Service was a little short with us, you could tell she was very busy.
My primavera pasta came out with shrimp on it, I didn't order it that way, she took it back right away and the correct pasta came out pretty quickly, and the cook brought it over himself and apologized. That was nice!
They are no longer carrying the Strawberry Shortcake, I was pretty sad to hear about this.
One comment in relation to another patron. One of my biggest pet peeves, people who invite themselves to sit at dirty tables. An older couple sat at a table that had recently been vacated. It still had plates, glasses, silverware, and napkins on it. There were 2 other clean tables available they could have sat at. They then beckoned the server over to come and clean the table off, and were frustrated when she didn't hear them because she was taking another table's order. DON'T sit at dirty tables people! It's gross and demeaning when someone has to bus, clean, and set a dirty table you decided to sit at.
Years ago, I used to love coming here, but in recent years--unfortunately it seems to have gone from, a classy american look to more of a cold corner pub feel, where the floors were most likely cleaned with a dirty mop. It's really sad. It looks run down now. The food was a HUGE disappointment. The meat and fish weren't as fresh. I started with an ahi tuna appetizer that was straight up strange. Even a side of french fries tasted like they were dipped in some sort of detergent. The french onion soup wasn't bad, but it's not hard to make. The ribs appetizer was okay, not much meat to it. But all in all, for the quality and quantity of the food--it's WAY over priced. I would have understood if the food was fresher, and like it was years ago. It's a pity, I feel as though management or the corps have just not given a care, or just think they are up to par. Well I disagree. So, all in all, I'd go to Uno's for a better experience, for half the price. I am sad that it's gone down hill. But paying 65 dollars for: mediocre-bad lunch fish and chips, a cup of soup and a few short ribs, three sodas...doesn't make sense to me. Plus we had a strange waiter. But...I wouldn't be passionate if I worked there either.
Review Source:I was a bit skeptical after reading the reviews but knowing that negatives will get posted much more quickly and frequently than positives, I decided to check it out (especially since I can take the elevator home - staying at the attached Hampton Inn). Â Boy, am I glad I did! Â The food was good (not great) but the staff was fantastic!!
I sat in the bar area and everyone that I encountered was really polite, attentive and nice. Â I ate a good meal (Minestrone and a very good Ahi Tuna Salad) and had a couple of beers and didn't even sit at the bar. Â One of the bartenders asked my name as I paid and thanked me for being there.
Today I thought about heading into North End for Italian and pubs but didn't feel like dealing with the traffic and drive since I leave tomorrow and will be back in the area at least 3 times this year. Â So, I returned to Joe's. Â Sitting at a table in the bar area, I ordered a drink and dinner. Â When the bartender from the night before, Holly, brought my calamari out (not the greatest but good), she greeted me by name! Â Less than 30 seconds of interaction the night before among a number of bar patrons (VERY crowded, especially for its location) and she remembered my name. Â Fantastic!!
We chatted a bit and I was so impressed by Holly! Â All of the other wait/bartending staff that I talked to (mostly Lisa and Diane) were also very nice and paid a lot of attention to me as a customer. Â I can say that this is a place I will return to and that I can highly recommend BECAUSE of the staff, especially Holly (since I'm in the Boston area it may be "Harley", okay, it's not but it could be - c'mon, sound it out)!
For the rating, the food gets a 4 (calamari could be more tender but it does have good flavor; fresh chilis instead of pickled would be even better) but the staff get a 6 (Holly a 7!!)!
I don't write many reviews here but I felt obligated to do so because of our experience at this restaurant last night. Â If the service alone had been terrible (which it was), I might not have bothered, but my fiance got terrible food poisoning from his meal, so I figured it was only fair to warn others.
Our waitress, whose name I don't remember but who was middle aged and had dark hair, was hopelessly incompetent- to say that waitressing did not come naturally to her would be an understatement. Â Taking our order was an awkward, aggressive production and I found myself hoping she wouldn't stop by our table to check on us just because I knew that whatever exchange that transpired would be uncomfortable.
We aren't people to look for flaws at restaurants. Â We generally give places the benefit of the doubt. Â But my water had a hair in it, my silverware had a large chunk of food stuck to it, my beer was brought to me room-temperature rather than cold, my salad was brought with dressing (even though I'd asked for it with dressing on the side) and had to be re-made, my fiance's soup was brought out at the same time as his meal even though he'd asked for it in advance of his meal, and the sides he was given were incorrect- they actually gave him salmon with a side of mashed potatoes and a baked potato. Â Two potatoes- seriously? Â So that had to be sent back too. Â
We left the restaurant  having not enjoyed the meal even a little bit.  But the food poisoning that struck my fiance several hours after we got home ensured we weren't going to be able to forget this meal for a long time. (My guess is perhaps the salmon?)  He has been miserable ever since dinner last night.  If you value your health, avoid this restaurant like the plague.
The phrase "it's a slippery slope" comes to mind.
I just had lunch at Joe's American for the first time in 5 years. My last experience here was great, so I have to wonder what is going on at this location after going here again today. I went with a group of people from my office for a post Christmas lunch. With a group of 8 people we were seated in the bar area when there were clearly tables available in the dining room. I didn't want to come off as obnoxious with my co-workers so remained silent.
We had a pretty unattentive server, and our initial contact for a drink order was 15 minutes from start to finish. That is simply too slow for a business lunch. She had zero personality and was simply "going through the motions." One of my colleagues ordered some type of salad and made a simple request for the dressing to be separate. This got missed, so he was forced to wait for a "replacement" salad while the rest of the group started to eat. The server was unapologetic.
I had the saddest excuse for a Cobb salad possible. I don't want to get into Food Channel levels of detail, but suffice to say it was just poor in every way. This place is considered by many as a "step up" from Applebees or the 99, but I have to disagree. Ironically, there is a 99 Restaurant almost next door. I will go there next time if given the choice.
VERY impressed with the friendly and attentive bartender, Ian. Â Finding myself making Joe's my new favorite stop because of the welcoming that I receive. Â I'd had a list in my head of five things a server/bartender would have to do to really impress me - and he nailed all five. Â Love that!
Each time I've been in the food's been great and the drinks better! Â Looking forward to my next visit!
I've dined here several times and have not been disappointed...nor have I been overwhelmed. A B grade steak house with lots of other things on the menu. I had the New York steak with a baked potato and a side salad...adventuresome,eh? It was ok and a lot cheaper than some of the A team joints.
Reasonable wine list, come on the weekend for the prime rib.
Food is hit or miss, was there once, was very good, went again on Friday the 30th of Nov, 2012, and was meh. Â Drink order for 4 guys, one beer flat, diet soda with lime, no lime. Â Never got water for one after ordering, and reminder.
Food was ok, very skimpy on fries with the Chicken Club. Â Servers seem to congregate at a central location, chatting and checking phones. Â
Servers when not at the central terminals, walk quickly by, and avoid your looks, hand up, and saying "excuse me".
Doubtful will go back.
I can't give this place more than 3 stars. The food was average, service was competent but not blown away in any way. For a place called "American Joe's" I have to agree with prior reviews that it's def not the place to watch any games. Sporadic TV's spread around a small area with little to no sound on a packed evening. Drink selection was okay, entree's were... average. I wish I could be more in depth, but this place was just a solid 3. Not bad, but nothing to write a great review about.
Review Source:This gets one star because of the absolutely AWESOME service that we got from Mike this evening. He was very attentive, funny and really the perfect server. That being said, here is what I had issues with.
I have been to Joe's before at the Northshore Mall in Peabody. I got the same meal there, the ahi tuna salad, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thsi time, I ordered it and got what looked like an appetizer. there was literally 5 pieces of lettuce and a sliver of onion in the center of the plate. A salad it was not. My friend ordered the spinach dip. and what used to come with chips and an array of vegetables, now only comes with chips. When the bill came I was completely astonished at how much teh "market price" was for a my tuna "salad" $17!!! Who do they think they are? Capitol Grille? needless to say, I left there starving and out $25!!! I will never go there again for a meal. ridiculously overpriced and they seem to be skimping on a lot lately. I would much rather go next door to the 99 where I know that I will get a good meal, not break the bank and not still be hungry!
It's tough to categorize Joe's. Â It's like halfway between an upscale steakhouse and Applebee's. Â The Applebee's part may be insulting, that's why I chose to also offer up the visual of it being more like a Capital Grille as well. Â
The kitsch is a tad off putting. Â The outstretched, oversized, eagle greets you as you walk in the door along with a classic telephone booth, sans the telephone. Â Americana oozes out of the windows and into the building. Â However, the style inside is classy and not too over the top. Â Dark floors and furniture are what give the restaurant the feel of a steakhouse and the flare is what lends it more towards Applebee's....but again, that is not a rip on their actual food at all. Â
I go on my lunch breaks from work and feel like I walked into a banker's meeting, without a tie I often feel under dressed. Â The clientele here is usually decked out to the nines, usually over the age of 40 and usually of the red meat connoisseur ilk. Â
Oh Em Gee, what do they do to that butter to make it so F'ing good with the fresh bread that arrives at every table!? Â I just want to slather this all over.....wait, maybe I should stop. Â FIVE STARS FOR BREAD AND BUTTER, YAY! Â I have yet to try any of the appetizers but the tuna shashimi always seems to call out my name and I have the most difficult time NOT ordering it, mainly because of price. Â
The salad entrees, with iceburg lettuce are overpriced and my partner will be avoiding them from now on. Â If I'm going to drop $12+ on a salad, it BETTER not be friggin iceburg lettuce! Â Insulting, to say the least....
Aaaahhh, so the burger and steak tips show up to save the day, you say? Â Yes they do, and raise the grade high enough to excel with flying colors!! Â The medium rare burger I ordered was cooked to perfection, smothered in sauteed mushrooms and swiss. Â I probably shouldn't eat red meat for a week to avoid an impending heart attack, but I had cravings for the same exact thing the very next day. Â Everything about it, including the french fries and honey mustard dipping sauce....were simply perfect. Oh, and I did have tofu that night to compensate.
You're going to have a tough time getting out of here for less than $15 a person so be prepared to open your wallet, but also know that it IS worth it. Â Go for the Americana and stay for the great food! Â Even our server was lovely, asking us numerous times if everything was alright, she got a nice tip that day.
Came here for dinner and we had a pleasant dining experience. I had their turkey burger with sweet potato fries. It was yummy.
My sister had asked for the angel hair pasta with no cheese. The waitress said it came with cheese (even though the menu said otherwise). She wrote down, "No cheese."
Well, we got the pasta and there was some cheese in it. I tried some even though it looked like tiny chopped up garlic. It was definitely cheese. We sent it back stating there was cheese in it and the waitress kinda tried arguing saying there wasn't any. She took it back and gave us another, this time without cheese. She apologized and I told her that it was because she was allergic.
The waitress then tells us, after the fact, that if it was a food allergy that they have a totally different procedure for that. It was kind of a waste telling us that then. You should have the same procedure, allergy or not, when someone tells you they don't want a certain something in their entree.
I'd go to other places to eat if I visited Boston again. The food was decent but the whole "food allergy" procedure that the restaurant had was totally absurd and a complete turn off.
As my roommate said tonight, "it's one of those places that could be on Kitchen Nightmares!"
This restaurant was not at all what I expected. Â I fully expected a TGI Friday's-type restaurant as far as atmosphere, but was sadly disappointed to find a dark, boring atmosphere. Â Definitely not a place for the 20-something crowd, or for those of us pushing 30+. Â More like a place my grandparents might enjoy.
Our waitress was attentive, and overall service was good. Â Food on the other hand was not so great. Â Our fried mozzarella came out of the kitchen completely burnt, and entrees were not much better. Â Perhaps this is a place to go if you already know one or two really good things on the menu, but if you're looking to stop in as a newcomer, you're better off going down the street to one of the other restaurants.
I had lunch here with a few friends on a Wednesday in the middle of the week between Xmas and New Year's and I was extremely disappointed.
I was really looking forward to the Cobb Salad, one of my recent favorites everywhere else. Â Unfortunately, the waste of a crispy shell holding the salad was stale and, rather than use full pieces of lettuce, it contained only shredded lettuce. Â That doesn't work in a salad.
Also, what's a cobb salad without larger pieces of bacon -- and there was no egg, either. Â Just tons of shredded lettuce and black olives, along with three measly strips of avocado.
No thank you and I'm still hungry. Â I'd only go back because it's convenient for friends who have a baby.
I go to this place religiously. Since I moved here (summer 2010) I've had nothing but good experiences so now I'm a regular. The food is very good and the drink prices are average. The bar staff is friendly and quick.
The restaurant is tied to a hotel but it's definitely not a "hotel restaurant". I do see a lot of locals there so it's not all hotel guests. Some days it's packed, others not so much. If you're with a date, it's comfortable. If you're alone, sit at the bar and visit Ian, Trish, or Mike. They'll take good care of you.
I went on a Sat a few hours after lunch so I can't say much to how crowded it gets during peak hours. There was hardly anyone there when I went.
It's a bit weird as the parking lot for it is behind a hotel.
Food was decent. I ordered Fish & Chips. The fried fish part was excellent. 'Chips' (american chips, ie French Fries) not so much. They were a bit on the greasy and overcooked side.
The servers were nice but a bit slow at orders, refills, and such.
Gave it one more chance. Â Got a Burger. Â It tasted like it had been marinated, basted, and then slathered with kerosene. Â I could not eat it. Â My dinner companion got a chicken club but they forgot to put bacon on it. Â The waitress was not concerned that neither of us really even touched our food. Â The fries were good. Â The margaritas were good as well. Â I am still dropping it down to one star though.
Review Source:Came here with a 9 friends to grab some lunch. This place was pretty quiet and our server was really friendly and attentive.
I never knew my friends loved bread so much until this lunch. They were like fiends when the bread came out. The bread was okay, so I wasn't too crazy about it. For appetizer, some gotten the Joe's New England Clam Chowder served in a bread bowl. The Chowder was really thick and creamy, which was pretty good. I think this should be shared because after eating one of those along with the bread bowl, I can't imagine how stuff one can be.
With 9 friends, we had also ordered the Asian Chicken Salad, a Bacon Cheeseburger, Chicken Club Sandwich, three eggs with sausage that comes with a mimosa, farmer's omelette and 4 Joe's Original Burger. I had the Joe's Burger that came with onion rings and fries. The burger was pretty decent.
The lunches here reminds me of a fancy diner of some sort, except at this place there's white table cloths and there is a wine menu. Very typical American food.
Remember when this was JC Hillary's?
Loved it then. Â Not much has changed - decor is the exact same. Â Food is too.
Waitstaff is a crapshoot - but - well, it's an "American" Bar & Grill, so that goes with the terrirory.
I am never blown away by the food here - I just like drinking here. Â The pasta dish with all the vegetables is pretty good. Â Chicken Pot Pie is decent too. Â
Go if you're sick of all the crummy mexican places nearby....
I've been here once and that was about it for me. Why? Well, I ordered a burger and fries, and the burger was so-so, but it was the fries--they tasted really funny. I ate a few and stopped, thinking that there was something wrong with them. Well, I got sick that night and was unable to eat much of anything for nearly a week.
I could have written this off as a one-time thing, but I just have no desire to go back there again.
Had an all-day meeting, so 8 of us wanted to go out for dinner. Â Too tired to drive into Boston, we decided to meet here at Joe's American. Â There's about 14 of these restauarants in MA, CT, NJ, and RI.
Basically, they serve, well, American food. Â You know, burgers, steaks, fish, pizza, ribs.....
First order of business was a beer, so I ordered a seasonal Sam Adam's Oktoberfest. Â The pint came promptly, and I continued to scan the menu. Â Started out with a cup of New England clam chowder. Â Good start, nice chunks of clams. Â These clams were very fresh, tender, not chewy. Â Soup was thick, but not goopy, and a nice little buttery taste.
For entree, I had the sirloin steak tips. Â These were 8-9 chunks of steak tips, grilled to order, and came with a little carafe of mushroom gravy, onion rings, and mash potatoes. Â Steak tips were grilled medium rare as requested, very tender, and very tasty.
Don't know what was with my table-mates, but they didn't want dessert. Â That didn't stop me, so I ordered a Charles River Pie. Â Didn't know what to expect, but when it arrived, my eyes opened up, as well as my table-mates. Â This was about a 5-inch high coffee ice cream pie, topped with fudge, whipped cream, and almonds, on a chocolate cookie crust. Â Sooooo gooood! Â With a hot cup of coffee, I had no problem finishing it.
No complaints about the service. Â They were attentive, and all of the waitstaff worked together to serve all of their customers.
I've only ever been here for lunch. Â It is very crowded and busy (with all the offices and what-not in close proximity). Â The food is okay, standard American fare -- burgers, sandwiches, seafood, but nothing worth writing home about. Â Service is the best part -- the wait staff is very good.
I used to work right up the street, and we nicknamed the place "Average Joe's", because there is nothing unique about this place.
I like it. Slightly expensive, but I have only had good experiences here. I like the food, and often the bar isn't that crowded and the bartenders were nice all times I went. I will go back, one of these days.
I took some time to think back, and this was the first in a VERY long line of bars I went to for the pub crawl on my 21st birthday, so no wonder my memory of it was a little foggy... Perhaps I should go back, not necessarily to repeat that ludicrous night, just to check it out again...
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