I have not been to this restaurant in over 20 years. The atmosphere was just as I remembered. Same bar, decor, same menus on wall. I literally felt like I stepped back in time in the best possible way. They are only open Tuesdays & Saturdays. I went with a coworker for lunch and the place was packed. Not a spot at the bar and only a couple tables open lucky for us. Everyone was the NICEST! Service could t have been better. We ordered the spaghetti & meatball which comes with a whole loaf of breads with 2 cokes for $24. Sauce was outstanding and we ate most of the bread. Can't wait to go back to try the vodka riggies & eggplant parm!! read more

It's only serves food on Tuesday and Saturday. We were traveling and stopped by on a Sunday. Everyone should know!

Joe's is an east Utica staple that has to be tried. Saturday morning breakfast of champions long hots, mushroom stew, greens, and tripe washed down with a Utica Club. read more

Oh, yeah. Where do i even start? The food is some of the best i've ever had, no doubt. It's so good. The service is above and beyond. They're fun. They talk to you, ask how you've been, they're awesome. The ambiance is great too! Feels like i'm in brooklyn, a bit. Coming from me, that's a huge compliment. read more

I keep hearing about this place, so I finally had to try it. Blown away. Can you spell old school? We now live in a world of hipster trendy, digital screens shoved in your face to add a tip before you even receive anything.....fancy names for high priced and very mediocre food. Joe's is the opposite of all that. Complete opposite. First of all, friendly and easy going. Dress as you come, lol. No pretensions...just good humanity all around. Great food and great prices! how do they hold the line on prices, when big corporations say they cannot. I can give you a couple guesses. Run to Joes, but check the dates/times ahead since they are only open twice/week. Treat them well as they treat their customers very well. Red sauce and peppers and Italian bread - who doesn't love it? A nice cold beer...all of it. You travel around the US, you won't find places like this one anywhere....especially now. read more

I love this place and have since the late 70's. We ordered meatballs, sausage , sautéed mild and hot peppers, tomato salad and mushroom stew with ziti. The house table wine is served in Orange juice sized glasses at room temperature ...perfect! It was my first time back in 20 years and the same owner was in the kitchen putting out great mom & pop Italian food. It's a scaled back version, both menu & seating capacity but you still have to enjoy what is there. Good food and good friends! read more

This marks the third trip to Joe's in the last month. The first two trips were for eat-in dining and today for take-out. I'd thought being a Tuesday that the place wouldn't be so crowded - WRONG! The place was packed! Ordered a Chicken Sinatra and Veal Roulettes over pasta. Both dishes were excellent and will be two meals. Thank you to all the people that work to continue the tradition at Joe's. read more

See all

Great old school Italian food. The eggplant parmesan was amazing. The fried meatballs were outstanding along with the long hots and Hungarian peppers. The service was amazing. Great if not the best old school Italian restaurant in the area. read more

See all

For some reason I thought this joint closed! Been away 21 years but get back, I definitely will get some mushroom stew (looking for the recipe brought me here). This would be my review from time that was: Plain hole in the wall of a place, kinda gruff/rude service. DO NOT go here if you don't have thick skin or expect butter with your bread (literally). It's old time Italian grandma type of food, served fast and inexpensive. I will update it after my next visit! read more

when I was a kid my mom would take us there to eat. there will never be another restaurant like joes, Mother used to take us there on Fridays for a fish fry. That is my first memory of Joes restaurant. Then as an adult id go there with friends for a meal. I have had many meals at Joes and loved every one of them. All there dishes where great. I'm Italian and as much as I try and make the dishes I had there they never come out as good I live in NC now so I will not be coming back to Utica anymore but if I do you can be sure I will go and have a meal at Joes for sure. read more

One of the most nostalgic restaurants in Utica - and also my favorite. They only serve food on Tuesdays and Saturdays and I recommend getting there early if you decide to go to eat. The sausage & peppers are the best - and be sure to try the meatballs, too! Everything is so cheap, you can't leave hungry. Oh, and don't ask for butter! read more

Joe's Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Utica, New York

What can you say? If you have had the privilege of eating at Joe's over say the past 60 years, then you are in a elite brotherhood of real Italian food connoisseurs. The ambiance wont garner a Michelin Star rating, nor will the cantankerous service but the food will tingle your taste buds and warm your heart. Its simple food. The kind you used to eat when your grandmother would cook at time when family meals were cherished. The simplicity of the food at Joe's doesnt mean that it lacks intricate details, however. The staff consisting of John, Marie, Tony, who have been serving this one-of-a-kind delight since 'back in the day'....have not changed one bit. They have downsized and also reduced the hours open (only Tues and Sat) but the flare and feel of Joe's Restaurant AKA 'Pelitieri Joes' AKA 'Spaghetti Joe's' remains an enigma of wonderful chaos. Its a navigation through a throwback in time to when good food, a Utica Club draft, and some Ziti with Meatball were revered by those willing to 'rough it'. There are so many memories of this Utica Icon. Too much to write here at this moment. However, I will attempt to summarize. You will not be overwhelmed by the aesthetics. You will want to renovate immediately. You will be frowned upon if you comment about it loudly. You will have a loaf of tantalizing, fresh Italian bread thrown at you with some silverware. This bread is still in its original packaging with a twist-tie. DO NOT ask for butter as you will be instructed to head over to Grimaldi's. Sprinkle some fresh grated romano right on a slice of this bread and throw it down. This bread is also used for "two-hand eating" with the Antipasta. When the antipasta is served, (and you WILL order this).. use copious amounts of table vinegar with scant oil. there is never enough grated romano cheese on this salad. Stab fork-fulls of fresh lettuce, provelone cheese, Genoa salami, mixed with the vinegar/romano elixir and its hooked-for-life stuff. Dont bother going to the grocery store in an attempt to duplicate this. You will fail. Order the Ziti with Meatball and/or Sausage. The gravy is simply but clings to your tastebuds like white on rice. Its warms you, it grows on you. Once again, there is never enough fresh ground Romano that you can put on your oblong shaped plateful of ziti with Joe's sauce. When you think it's enough, add more. Try the Sweet peppers. You will be well to do by ordering them 'well-done' Mix them in with everything, including the steak sandwich. You shall order said steak sandwich, add said peppers, and dip into vinegar/romano tincture from the antipasta. Notice the bread used for this sandwich is the same as the loaf tossed on the table. This is the good life. Enjoy the Braciola. Tender and succulent. Not 5* looking but 5* succulence. There are a few other items that can be had like ziti with mushroom stew or 'the works' and longhots. I recommend sticking with the basics. There is some shock value when you walk into Joe's. You either know about it or will have it thrust upon you. Either way, as soon as you walk up to the first outside step, you will smell the hearty, unique emanation of a cherished Utica Italian Icon that will have you finding a way back soon. The withdrawals are hash. You've been placed on notice. Long Live Joe's. read more

Joe's Restaurant - Raymond A. Ruszkowski AKA Dad at our most precious eating establishment in Utica, NY. Might be in the for this. - Bars Near Me - Utica, New York

See all

After 43 years of my pure bliss enjoyment, you changed. The one place that beyond my darkest thoughts that changed their food and customs ... why? I absolutely positively loved Joes but I won't be returning. Disposable cups? Different bread? Less portions? and the cheese (smh)??? my family has come there over 50 years and we won't be returning, we don't want the new, we want tradition. Bring Marie back! read more

Nothing fancy but all the locals come for a great Italian meal. Joe's has been a staple for over 50 years and is family owns and operated. They do not take credit cards and have limited hours but for cheap eats this is the place to go read more

Great and fantastic tasting food friendly neighborhood tavern Tony and his staff does a fantastic job and serving all the great food to all the neighborhood friends and regulars show up for a fantastic meal it's a busy place but it's worth the wait read more

Hard to explain this long time Utica destination. If you want old school family style eating on a Saturday morning (for lunch) you can not go wrong. Be there early, expect to wait. enjoy a pint of local for $2 or drink wine from a water glass. Leave it to the other reviews for food. This is a walk back in time and should be seen and experienced for what it is and hopefully it continues. read more

Joe's Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Utica, New York

See all

It was crowded but we placed our order with Tony's help. Good wine good food and a lot of leftovers. So glad we stopped.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that I had to add this place to yelp's database. A friend and I were by far the youngest patrons at Joe's. A kid washing dishes in the back probably beat us out for overall crown. The bar was lively with families and other groups. As much as I like old men muttering into their fedoras and eating cigars. it's even nicer to find a bar where people are acting as social animals. I have never seen so much Carlo Rossi be disposed of so quickly. In the time it took my pal and I to finish two Utica Clubs, it seemed like each table had ordered and mostly consumed a fresh jug of the bad stuff. We'd like to have stayed longer, or to have gotten there early enough for dinner ($4 for cut macaroni?!), but what a snapshot it was. read more

My grandmother and aunt used to take me here all the time when we visited them when I was a kid. Joe's was wonderful. It was nice to have family running the place. I am glad to see Johnny is still running the place. When I go to Calvary Cemetary to visit my grandmother and aunt during my honeymoon in July, I will take my wife there and introduce her to Big John, Johnny and Victoria. read more

Very cool, retro, inexpensive, divey neighborhood, great food, unique, family run, pleasant staff, 1940's decor, real deal, and I'd def go back! read more

Joe's Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Utica, New York

See all

This Restaurant is one of the most authentic Italian restaurants that still exist. The sauce is what my grandmother made for me my entire life and being 62 I miss her and her sauce. But I found a restaurant with great sauce that brings me back to my youth. Peppers, meatballs, sausage, pasta..... it's all there. Be sure to call and check out the times they serve food, it's only 2 nights a weak and only for a short time. Not fancy, but neither was my grandmother's kitchen!! read more

A staple in that area. Went Saturday and the place was busy but seating for three was quickly accommodated. Food is consistently very good. Service is fast and friendly. Plenty of parking. read more

This is as good as it gets, but don't ask for butter for your bread. I have been eating here for years, ziti and sausage, roasted peppers, mushroom stew, cold beer, and great friends. read more

Ziti with mushroom stew, roasted peppers and antipasto , my order there for the last 30 years. Never , ever disappointed , same consistent taste year after year . Limited hours but worth a little schedule juggling ! If you leave hungry or unsatisfied I think you must not have made it to the right place, not possible at Joe's . Don't ask for butter with your bread, and if you want dessert make a trip to Caruso's or the Florentine . Dessert is not on the menu, they just make great meals and serve them no frills and we like it that way! read more

If you live in North America and enjoy old school Italian, you need to go. It's an experience I look forward to and cherish when I'm in the midst of a plate of amazing macaroni and sauce. The best fried meatballs you can buy, exist here. Fried peppers on pizza bread with a dusting of Parmesan defies the law of physics. The mushroom stew will make any fungi hater realize their heart has always been in the wrong place. I can go on and on about the food in the most romantically sense. The only problem I have going here is a part of me is sad. I know when Joes is gone there will never be anything like it again. It's a window into the world of once was, that can only be captured from the inside looking out. The neighborhood has diminished from something you would've seen on a scene from the sopranos where they did the flashbacks from. Its old school Italian, that is becoming extinct. When you're there you feel like a 1920's gangster is gonna walk in with a tommy gun under his double breasted jacket. There are no stools at the bar and if you're not eating, hit the road. It's not a place to linger, because its small and someone is always waiting for your table. I'm thankful every time I get to enjoy a meal here. I can only pray to god there's another generation that is going to carry on the legacy, that started decades upon decades ago. read more

They have a new phone number it's 797-1452. Best mushroom stew with ziti and peppers. There will be a wait so call it in, best food ever!!!!

best mushroom stew over ziti the best, the sweet peppers are the best around