Joe's Grill has been around for a very long time. My old man has told me stories about how his boss back in the 1970s used to take very long lunches at Joe's and came back to the office very jolly. I needed to check this place out during a typical early afternoon.
Recently, I stopped in here for lunch. The dining room to the left (tables and a pool table-no betting please!) was empty, so I moseyed into the bar area (dim lighting), which had several older gents (regulars) enjoying bottled Gennys and Miller Lites. The place still looked like a 1970s bar, very nostalgic. The bartender was chatting with them and serving drinks and food at the same time. I took a seat at the bar and the bartender took my drink order and gave me a menu. The 2 TVs had the YES network on with the Yankees Encore game (from the night before). Quick Draw machine in the bar too.
The menu is in old fashioned courier typewriter print and offers pub fare such as appetizers, wings, pizza, sandwiches, subs, fish & chips, and pasta dinners, most items $5.99-$7.99. A kids menu section is available too. They had some specials including sliders ($1 each), steamers, southwest egg rolls, wraps, and crab cakes. On 3 beers were on tap including Budweiser, Coors Light, and Yuengling Lager and several bottled beers available, as well as a full bar with liquor. Jello shots are $1.
I went with the Penne with Sausage ($7.99) served with a side salad and garlic bread. The side salad was served on glass plate and pretty big, which had lots of crunchy iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onions, croutons, and side of dressing. The entree took a while to come out, since the food had to be made to order. Gosh, the portion of food was very generous, served in a large bowl with al dente penne, two large grilled sausages and a spicy tomato sauce. The large pieces garlic toast were buttery and chewy. I barely finished the food (I had skipped breakfast). I took my time eating while watching the Yankees game rerun and looking out the front window at the APD car in the parking lot doing traffic enforcement along Central Avenue. The bartender kept calling me "laddy" since I was way younger than everyone else in the bar. I would not normally stop at this type of establishment, but I was told by my old man that Joe's had good food and it deserved a good Yelp.
Overall, Joe's Grill is an ideal hangout for an older crowd (40 and up) in a very relaxed laid back "old school" bar atmosphere. The food prices are very reasonable and I really enjoyed my huge pasta lunch, sooo stuffed that I skipped dinner later on. Eddie the cook did a great job! read more