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Based strictly on quality of food, I'd give this place close to 5 stars. The chuck is ground fresh (according to the menu) and tastes like it is, the toppings are always fresh, there are about a thousand different types of burger choices, and the owner (like what you saw on 3-D) actually goes around the restaurant making sure customers are happy.
Now for the reason why I only gave this establishment 3 stars...The prices. OK, granted the burger patties DO have steak-like qualities and honestly, the 3 best hamburgers I've EVER had have come from Joe's, but burgers, fries, and drinks for 2 can easily cost $50 after tax and tip.
At first, the fact that this place has that old school, small town, burger joint feel was cool. But a major reason why people like those kinda dives are because they offer good food for cheap. Joe's offers the same kinda ambiance, minus the affordability. So in the end all you have is a cramped cable car, serving high-end meat, and charging high-end prices.
If I'm gonna spend 20 minutes looking for parking, wait 20 minutes to sit down, and spend $20 on a burger and fries, there better be a waiter wearing professional attire, refilling my lemon water and bread basket.
I love restaurants that do one thing and do it well. Joe's Cable car is one of those places. No tricks or gimmicks, just fresh ground chuck beef that makes for a damn tasty burger.
With that said - it is overpriced. A burger is easily $12-$14 which is way too much for lunch. That would be a prohibitive factor for me since I don't think it is THAT good. I did it once and don't know that I'd go back at that price.
Service was friendly, it wasn't crowded since it's out in the Excelsior and it had its own parking lot (definitely a plus).
The place has a certain charm. It's very 1960's and has mementos and reminders of how often this place is mentioned on shows for having a great burger. I definitely agree that it's an awesome burger but I have mixed feelings about whether it would make my top 5. Definitely top 10.
One thing that bothered me was that at $12 for a burger it didn't come with fries. That's an extra $2 and change.
Ok, I give them this - their burgers are quite delicious. However, they are way too overpriced. Also, their burgers are not any more special than what you'd get at In-N-Out.
I do like the service and the themey-ness of the restaurant is kind of fun for tourists. But if you want to spend 10+ dollars on a single 1/3 lb. burger, then go to this place. However, there are a lot of great, more affordable burger restaurants in the city that isn't in the middle of no where.
This place needs to reevaluate their prices OR get a slightly less expensive cut of beef to make their burgers because even people in the neighborhood they are in can't afford to buy their burgers on a regular basis.
Anyway, with that said, I did enjoy my experience (everything besides the prices) and I'm glad that Guy Fieri introduced me to this place because at least now I know not to come back.
Alright, I'll admit it. I got sucked into the whole Food Network craze and was tricked to come to this establishment. Because why would Guy Fieri steer me wrong?
I guess it's because Guy doesn't have to pay for his meals. I hope Joe realizes, even though he grinds his own damned chuck everyday, that ground beef is ground beef and it's a dollar-something a pound at the market. Any idiot can mesh ground beef into a patty and throw it on the grill. Put it between a bun and you've got yourself a hamburger!
That is basically what you get here for $9. A beef patty between two pieces of bread. You want cheese? Add a dollar. You want tomatoes? Onions? Pickles? Dollar, dollar, dollar. It is ridiculous!
I'm sure Joe jacked up his prices after appearing on Food Network. But boy did I feel cheated. They took my money and I did not wanna give it to them. I will never go here again and I would never recommend it to a friend.
I came here a few years ago and forgot what it was like so I gave it another chance. Now I know why I forgot, because the burger is unremarkable at best.
Terribly overpriced!
I work close by so I dine here on occasion. Here's the scope: Burger is good. Service is Good. No Complaints. Well maybe just one. A bit pricey for what I'm looking for at lunch time. "This coming from a guy that has no problem dishing out $60 for the Rossini at Burger Bar" haha
Bottom Line: "Can't go wrong. Definitely a good burger!!!"
2 burgers and a rootbeer freeze= nearly $30. WHAT?????? My rootbeer freeze didn't even taste like it had rootbeer in it.
Burgers were pretty good, but definitely not amazing.
Oh yeah, and if you want to split something they'll charge you $6. You're an effing mediocre burger joint, Joe's, get over yourself.
the food is WAYYYYY OVER PRICED. And they serve everything on plastic plates.
I got a hamburger, onion rings and a shake and my bill was almost $20.
If you are gonna charge that much for a fuckin burger, at least serve it to me on a nice plate and some decent silverware for christ sakes.
Dont eat here...it's a ripp off.
Go to Bills Place on Clement if you want a good burger in SF.
We drove from so. cal to goto a football game and this was the first place we went to before we checked into the hotel.
I ordered the avacado burger and my wife got the mushroom burger.
There is noway there burgers are worth what they charge. they where both very plain tasting. it might be the most overpriced burger ever. The service didnt make the experiance any better also. there wasnt that many people in there and we thought she forgot about us. There is no way i would go out of my way to go here and probably wouldnt anyways due to the prices. atleast it has its own parking lot.
After I saw that placed on Food Network I want to try that "special burger". Well, Sunday night we were in that neighborhood and decided to try it. From outside this place looks like a regular Mission street restaurant. Same look inside - cheap burger place. And by cheap, I mean this is not an upscale or even middle scale restaurant. Which is totally fine for that part of the city. And because of that I like to go there to have a good food for less. We set at the table - it was three of us and a 3 year old kid. For some reason waitress gave us only 2 sets of PLASTIC forks and knifes. We checked out menus. Burgers was pricey $10-$12 without fries. Waitress asked us if we want 4oz, 6oz or 8 oz burgers. Me and my buddy was hungry so we ordered 2 - 8oz burgers and my wife ordered 6 oz burger. Waitress asks if we want cheese on it - we said yes. Also we ordered large fries and 2 beers. 10 minutes later we got our burgers in PAPER plates. Burgers was just OK, nothing special.
For 3 burgers, fries and 2 beers we end up with $70!!!!!!! We were shocked. This place is ridiculously overpriced. They charge us $12 for burger, $4.50 for an upgrade to 8oz. and a buck for a cheese. Almost $20 for a burger!!!!!
AVOID this place!!!!
Ok, the burgers are delicious, but the prices are ridiculous! Two 4oz burgers, one small order of onion rings and two milkshakes cost over $40. The burgers alone were about $12 each. And those are just the 4oz burgers - Joe's also makes a 6 and 8oz. But service was good and due to their new table check system, it's apparently very easy for them to do multiple checks per table. As there was a group of us, this was handy. But you get what you pay for... a delicious, quality, fresh ground burger with one topping. The price was just a bit excessive. I'll try it again... maybe if I get a bonus at work.
A friend mentioned this place to me awhile back. After seeing a recent review pop-up here, I was curious and went out to their web site because I had herd that they have a $15.00 minimum per person. So, that would be $30.00 plus tax and tip for you and your date??? For a family of 4, $60.00 + +. I suppose that wouldn't be so bad if this were a fine dining establishment. But, for a burger joint??? I really can't see why I would ever come here regardless of how good the food may be. From a remote point of view, the vibe is just not here.
FYI Joe - It's not nice to force a sale. What if I just wanted a shake and roll?
First off the value (aka bang for buck) is not Joe's quality. Fresh ground chuck is great, but then again Whole Foods has good ground beef too. You're essentially paying $10.00 for 4 oz of ground beef. If you want an 8 oz burger charge $5.00 to that and you get a $15.00 burger. Why wouldn't they charge $7.00 as a base price for a burger then?
I've had the $25.00 Truffle Pecorino burger at Bix and I have to say that was worth every dollar. I've had the $12.00 mesquite grilled cheeseburger at Faz and the was pretty good and heavy on the mesquite flavor. The burger at Joe's was good for a burger, but that is all it was. It certainly didn't melt in my mouth like the Bix burger. Joe's does put out some good burgers with original fixings.
Now the environment at Joe's is cool, the service was service, the place wasn't too crowded (maybe because of the $$$), and the parking was parking. They need to bring the prices down, but I won't got back anytime soon until that happens. There is a $6.00 fee just to split a plate? Seriously. A $15 per person minimum too? Come on now. Joe would make more money from me as a repeat customer than he would charging that one time price. I've come here one two many times to afford to go back.
Enjoy.
used to live right by here & avoided the place like the plague. Just co$t too much. I'd rather go to In & Out Burger (which I seriously miss now that I'm not in Calif. anymore).
Wow, so many negative reviews. I'm completely amazed that this many people are adamantly appalled at spending a little money on a quality burger.
Personally, I loved my whole experience at Joe's. I do not think that it will be a place I would frequent more than once a year. It's too far out for me to travel. But I will be back and here is why.
1) The meat! Wow, excellent. I had the 8oz.. Farmer Burger (they throw an egg on it). I used to be a butcher and would personally grind my own chuck and would occasionally throw in either rib-eye or a Spencer (New York Strip) cut for extra flavour. That's pretty much what they do here. I've noticed that when I would just use the chuck alone, it did not have depth of flavour. Joe's hamburgers do. You can tell as soon you walk into the joint. It smells like a good BBQ. Plus, they have guy's butchering the shit right in front of you. Where else do you see something like that?
2) The fried zucchini and onion rings. These items completely hit the spot. Although a little pricey, well worth it. They are huge. A must with any burger. Plus the dressing that they use is pretty damn good. A cross between ranch and blue cheese? Not sure, but I liked it.
3) The decor. It's like a cross between a diner and a fun-house. It's a little too much. But if you are only going to come here once in a while, Hell, then why not? Plus, it's a burger joint...it's supposed to be fun.
4) The shakes, floats and malt's. Fucking Fantastic! I had the malted milkshake. Thank God this place is far from my flat. I would be so fat if it were near by. I could drink one of these, twice a day. Remember when you were a kid and your parents would not buy you the Frosted Flakes or Fruity Pebbles? You would get Cheerios's or Kixx instead, because they did not contain a sugar coating. So you would drown your cereal in an avalanche of C&H pure cane sugar, from Hawaii (growing in the sun). And after you finished, there was a slick of melted sugar residue at the bottom of your plastic bowl. You would then snort it up with you tongue. That's what their malted milkshakes taste like! What a rush. Feel that burn.
5) It's basically an institution. It's a special place. No where else like it. This is the kind place that you take people from out of town, who have never been to San Francisco before. It's not the kind of place where you go once a week. It will kill you. You will have a heart attack.
So, for all of you all, who are saying it's too expensive. You may be right. But it's well worth it if done in moderation, just like most things in life.
Relax people, it's only money. And we all know we have more of it than time.
So, Joe greeted us at the door and walked us over to our seats.. Joked around with the kids and quickly got them some coloring placemats and crayons, he walked away after that and left us hanging, wondering where the hell the menus were, for awhile until a server finally brought some by.
This guy Joe is quite full of himself.. his picture is all over the menu and his episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives plays repeatedly, nonstop.
The service was alright, though our server had the most GOD AWFUL voice I have ever heard! She sounded like Minnie Mouse on helium, it literally gave me headache.
There wasnt a kids menu, which I think totally sucked bc the portions were too big for my kids which are 3 and 8, and theyre big eaters, (logically, they should have just shared a burger, but you gotta pay $6 just to do that, so might as well get each kid their own meal)..not to mention, having to pay the regular price vs a childs price which I would prefer. The burgers start out at around $9-12 for a four oz. "beef steak" which you can upgrade to a six ounce patty for $3.50 more.
The menu only lists the 4oz price, though the beef steaks are offered at 6 and 8 ounces as well.
They dont come with cheese or fries, so you'll have to pay extra for that and a buck for one slice of cheese..wtf??!
The burgers were ok, not anything to crave over, I've had better for a fraction of the price. I guess its the hype of the beef ground daily (or the complimentary magnet) ..but honestly, the filipino restaurant next to my hotel advertised the same shit.
I did enjoy the chocolate milkshake, as did my husband bc he kept trying to hoard mine..
For four burgers, two with cheese, a plain hotdog, a pastrami sandwich one order of fries and a few drinks, our bill came out to $86 and some change..seriously.
Almost ninety dollars for some freakin' burgers! that shit was crazy..never again Joe.. With those prices and your arrogant attitude, its obvious you arent trying to find return costumers.
I would have to agree with the other negitive reviews. I think the deal with this place is to get your money once and figure if your stupid you might go back.
I heard rumors that the place is $$$$$$$$$$ but holy shit. I told the girl who served me that I felt cheated but she didn't care. I wonder if everyone who works there is in on the scam.
AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID this place at all costs unless you want to get a OK hamburger and have all the cash in your wallet go up in smoke.
I was super excited to try out this burger place because of course - I saw it on Food Network! I thought that for SURE this was going to be a hit - but maybe Guy just likes everything he eats and makes it seem like it's OH SO DELISH (when it's just a-ok) :P And please beware that on the very bottom of the menu - it says that there's a min. fee of $15 per person and if you share, that's an extra $6. . .freakin ridiculous. . .why can't a person order whatever and just enjoy their meal without having to think..crap I gotta spend a certain amount of dollars?!! wtf is up with that? I hate places like that! (that's MINUS one star fa sho) AND their burgers are at least $10. . .I wouldn't mind if the burgers were like $7 and then I could get a soda pop and fries. .but if I got all that - it would have been like $20 a person. Too expensive
Anyway, we had the 8oz burger and the 4oz bacon burger. They come out with the burger and cheese melted - and the condiments come out on a separate tray (I also noticed they use plastic plates and utensils). There wasn't too much to say about the taste of the burger - tastes like any other burger - nothing special. I can say that the bacon burger was good because they made the bacon crispy - JUST the way I like my bacon.
Onto the decor of the place - it's a cute looking place, but parking sucks like a biatch. From the outside you don't really expect too much, but as you walk in you see all this flare - polaroid pictures posted everywhere, lights, and this fake flower arrangement in the middle/end of a table (thought that kinda threw everything off). Also, it's kind of funny that the waitresses just stand around and stare at people eating when they don't have anything else to do. . .I have something against people staring at me while I eat because I feel like they're invading my precious time and space with my food (hehe)
I wouldn't recommend coming here - especially if you're going to drive 40minutes just to try it out. . .save your gas and money and go eat In-n-Out or something.
Pricing deserves 2 stars but their burgers deserves 4. Yes, its expensive....very expensive! But their burgers are really good! I think what I love most about it is that it doesn't taste or feel oily at all. Its one of the few places where I don't feel guilty when ordering a burger or feel like I'm about to have a heart attack after my meal. Plus, when you say medium well, you get medium well. How often does that happen?
Yes...yes...they're expensive. But you're getting a tasty, quality meal. I don't think they deserve all the negative reviews.
Stay away, not worth the money.
It is shameful that Guy Fieri recommended this place on his show because for a family of four, we spent $70 for lunch. And for nothing spectacular.
So what if they advertise that Joe grinds his meat fresh daily? Still not worth it.
I did add one star back for Joe though. He was super friendly and good with the kids.
Been going here since I was a kid. Its in the neighborhood. The burgers - I love. Service great. Food great. For me at least, from my experience visiting the joint.
Joe loves himself. It is apparent in every personalized piece of kitsch that is strewn about the busy interior. The mixing of non-seasonal holiday decor did not help to slow anything down either. Did I mention Joe loves himself? What else could exlpain his chuck grinding moniker in every conceivable spot, i.e. the parking spot placard, the biodegrable plates, the looping video above the counter or the toilet paper (well the tp I made up-but never did venture into a stall). And the burger itself? Save your $ and go to In-n-Out.
I should start off by saying, yes the meat is really good, but it is expensive as hell. for 2 people, $40 and we split a burger! They have all these weird rules on their menu; one of them, they charge $6 if you split a burger. Not making it up, it is on their menu look it up on their website. One 6oz Burger (+$6 penalty/charge and $3.50 extra charge to go from 4 to 6oz), 2 soft drinks, one small salad, one onion rings/fries basket= $40
Everything is served in plastic! yep, apparently the place is too small that they don't have dish washing facilities so there you have plastic all the way.
Granted the place is cute, the staff is friendly, but another piece that bugged me (not as much as the price) was all this literature they had on the table, wall etc. 'teaching you' about burger, fries and quotes from the bible! The bill came with a coaster and a balloon for my son, cute yes but they are charging for all of this instead of giving us a reasonable price.
Apparently people don't care about paying an arm and a leg for a burger since this place has been around forever. It was even featured on diner, dives and drive ins on FoodTV. I wanna have a talk with the person who nominated this place.
Joe's Cable Car has great Meat. Very juicy and well cooked.
I have a feeling the guys below get their meat well done and eating a piece of char instead of beef.
It is more expensive than I would like but that is the price to pay for a quality burger that I only get when I go to San Francisco.
This place was featured on the food network and I have no idea why.
Bacon Burger on a store bought bun - $11.75
Blue Cheese - $.99
Extra 2oz on the patty to make it a full 6oz - $3.50
FOUR, count them FOUR onion rings - $3.75
Water - $-0
SF Tax @ 10%
Total Bill $22 and change!
This place is not worth the money...if there was ever an overpriced, overrated, overhyped burger place in San Francisco...Joe's is it.
Now I know how they can afford TV spots on Food Network. Go to Taylors Refresher instead, safer neighnorhood, better burgers at half the price!
Best rib eye burger. Hands down. Kinda pricey, but worth it given the Fastfood Nation options and bible-backed In-N-Out heart attack animal style versions.
Apparently Joe's a real d*** to work for, and the cheese decor hasn't changed in at least 25 years. But the milk shakes are old fashioned and awesome...and Joe grounds his own chuck!!!!
Wow...me and my buddy decided to have a quick lunch while I was helping him move. He said he'd treat cause of my help.... 2 burgers 2 fries and 2 drinks. and 2 choc shakes $59.00!!!!! (not counting tip) wow I almost had a heart attack! In this ecomomy I'd steer clear of Joe's if money is a concern. That is unless you found a fifty dollar bill on the street. The food was good but come on! It's a burger!! Sorry for draining your wallet T. Next time we'll hit The Whiz..
ok so im like 6 months pregnant and was craving for a good burger, so another couple went out with me and my husband and we decided to go to joe's cable car since I've never been there before i thought we give it a try. All i have to say is that this place is very overrated and the price is ridiculous. The burger was good but, i could of easily have been satisfy with nations or in and out for lesser the value. I'm not that impress at all with this place. Don't know if this is true but i just heard from another person that the owner is a pretty shitty guy. So like we order 4 orders of the 4oz cheese burgers, 3 sodas, one large fries, one large onion rings two sides of avocados, and one beer and the total came up to $90 plus. We were highly turned off and vowed to never go here ever again. Plus the place is very, very tacky don't you think? Not worth the money. I'm disappointed in Guy from the food channel for hyping up this place but, who can blame him he gets paid big and eats for free so oh well.
I always wanted to try this place out and finally did one thursday, but unfortunately, I did a take out. So when I ate the food it was cold. But I have to say the burger I had was still pretty good.
However, the price of this place is on the high side. The side of onion rings were good but pricey too.
Just one try is enough for me.
So I'm a sucker for food shows so what!!! Yes, I ended up here like a lot of people who watch Dinners, Drive-Ins and Dives with that guy....umm Guy! I do have to say you can tell the difference with a burger when it's fresh ground and not a frozen patty so thumbs up to them for that. Their variety is also pretty good and the shakes they have are great. My only problem is pricing, what you have to pay for extra toppings or a larger patty is more than I'd expect and the sides aren't cheap either. Good burgers but a little pricey after it's all said and done.
Delicious, delicious, DELICIOUS burgers. As far as pure beef patties, these are the best around. And they should be, since "Joe grinds his own fresh chuck daily."
Is this the best burger I've ever had? No, it's not as good of an overall burger as, say, The Counter. But that's simply because The Counter has such delicious toppings. But the patty itself? Joe's is the best around. The patty is juicy, thick, and flavorful (especially when you get it medium rare, which is the way beef should be cooked). My favorites are the Patty Melt, Tom Fresh, and Bacon Fresh.
My biggest complaint with Joe's, and the reason I docked it a star, is because of the price and menu. Basically, you get a basic burger with one "twist" to it (twist being, say, bacon or avocado on top, or a pita bread or english muffin instead of a bun) for ~$11. Want cheese? $1 more. Want more than one topping (like bacon AND bbq sauce)? $2 more. Want a bigger patty (2 more oz)? $3 more. They sort of nickel-and-dime you, despite the fact that the plain burger is expensive to begin with, and next thing you know you've just paid $17 plus tip for a burger that doesn't even come with french fries.
The other stuff on the menu is only okay, for the most part. The fries, onion rings, and corn dog are all very "meh." Although I will say their milkshakes and root beer floats / freezes are pretty good (but, again, expensive). So, unless you're a baller, just stick with the burger.
If you're in the mood for a fantastic burger and not much else (as I OFTEN am), and don't mind paying $12-$15 for it, Joe's is the place to go.
As good a steel burger as steel can make it. But it ain't free buster!
"Steel burger"? What the hell is a steel burger?!?" you may ask. A steel burger is cooked on a flat sheet of steel without any flame. In my book most steel burgers are to be left behind in favor of a good char-broiling. Ya just can't beat flame for making the burger great.
That said, All of the good reviews of Joe's Cable Car along with the feature Guy Fieri did on the "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" show led me to give Joe's a chance to impress me. Especially considering Joe's is is a 45+ year old San Francisco institution. I made a visit to attack my burger on 2009-06-10 around 7PM.
Arrival A Joe's was pretty easy. On a motorcycle almost everything is easy. If your preferred transport method is public there is an SF Muni stop directly in front of Joe's Cable Car from on the Bus 49 route (it passed by while I was eating). The building dripping with visual flavor on the outside so you won't miss it.
Walk in and you find the same style on the inside as the outside. A waitress will greet you and ask if your order is to stay or go. Unless you have a hangover and lack sunglasses I suggest meal in. (with some caveats) I found the all the neon and lights to be right in tune with the feel of the burger joint and appealing to boot.
My order: 4 oz Bacon-Cheese burger, Small order of Onion Rings, Chocolate Malt.
The Burger: Real ground chuck just like you heard and the menu states. Don't compare Joe's 4oz burger to any quarter-pounder. Joe's burger doe not shrink on the grill. Order the 8oz size or 16oz monster and you should be prepared to take some of it home. The meat is cooked to your liking. Since Joe's grinds their own you can safely order a rare burger here. Mine of cooked Medium well and it was perfect. The bacon was perfect (not too crisp). The veggies (I take and eat them all) were fresh and of excellent quality. The buns were a step above most burger joints anywhere in the bay area. The condiments are at the table except for the Mayo which comes on the bun if you want it. Is this burger worth the $15 to $20 you will pay? I'll just say it's about the best steel burger I have had. Most people might find the cost to be a bit over the top.
The Rings: Perfectly crispy outside with a piping hot juicy onion on the inside. A small order is all you really need unless you have a hunger on, or are sharing with a friend. I found the onion to be a little too thick but in the end my only plate was empty. Good onion rings you just can't pass up!
The Chocolate Malt: This was a thing of beauty! Excellent quality real ice cream blended into a malted mug of pure joy. Just the right amount of chocolate and malt flavor. Perfect thickness! Comes with the extra in the steel mixing cup just like you would expect. Their malts are not cheap but I will be back for another. YUM!
Ambiance: What should have been a energetic place turned out to be a shadow of what I expected. The music (see below) and the overall lack of in-your-face friendliness worked to detract from the feel. So much so that I think "Joe's Cable Car" could turn into "Jose's Hamburguesa" without any effort. But Still,,, Joe's interior is much more entertaining than many places you might visit. Pictures all over the place let you know Joe's considers the customers to be family as well.
The bathroom was clean an neat. I'd plant my butt here anytime without fear.
About those caveats I mentioned above here they are:
* Joe's uses plastic ware on the tables. For a $25 meal I hoped for fork and knife made of metal. Same for a real plate instead of plastic.
* The music was straight up "Classico". I thought the music sucked the life right out of one fact of my visit to Joe's. Granted over half the staff probably needed an English lesson. But if you are going to play Mexican music it could at least be some good Mexican rock music. Something from the group Mana' would have been tons better than the "Muzaka Taqueria" blaring from the speakers. Cater to your customers and the style of the place, not to your own music preferences. Especially when I am paying $25.00 for an American burger meal! (Yes I know Joe emigrated)
Overall I give Joe's a solid three stars.
The Burger gets three stars ( I really don't prefer steel meat)
The Chocolate Malt gets Five stars.
The Rings get a solid four stars.
The Ambiance gets Two stars. The music really killed it.
Joe's Cable Car.is still one of those Bay Area places you have to visit once. But maybe not more than once, or twice.
I had to give this one a few days before I could give it a star rating. Why? Because it was one of those experiences where the ratings on the normal items which you judge are so polar from each other. The actual burger was great! The accoutrements were very blah (tomato, lettuce, bun). The fries were okay, nothing special. The Diet Coke was bubbly and correctly balanced. Atmosphere was fun and unique, but a bitch to get there from the middle of the City. Everything is served on plastic with plastic utensils.
At the end of the meal, I was all prepared to make another visit, because the burger was better than an average burger you would get from a diner, then I got the bill. Two basic burgers, one order of fries and two diet cokes: $53.00. Ummmm. I'll stick to my neighborhood burger place.
It's good for what it is... a burger with your choice of size/wt., bread, toppings, garnish... but wasn't worth the 52 bucks we paid. We didn't know an upgrade to a 6 or 8oz would be 4-5 bucks more to the already over 10 dollar burger =/ ... ohh let's not forget the cheese which is 99 cents extra. Burger was moist -- but lacked some of the fatty burger taste that they trim away before "Joe grinds his own fresh chuck daily"...
I'm cool -- there's Fuddruckers, Burgermeister, and Slider's that work their burgers just as well for half of the price ...
Way overpriced burger. I had the burger medium, it turned out to be medium-well. The patty felt tough, and kinda cardboard texture. It did taste fresh. But 10 bucks for a burger? They even have the gall to charge $3.50 for an extra 2 oz of meat. Not worth it at all. High-end burger, prices, but mediocre taste. Probably the same level as Fatburger and worse than Islands (man, I miss LA). Onion rings tasted as if they came out of a frozen package from SYSCO.
Guy from Food network? -1000 points for recommending this place.
And how does it look like a cable car? more like a mobile home fixed permanently into the ground.
Boo.
Very good tasting burgers. The fresh grind really makes a big difference. I'll come here maybe once every three (3) years. I reccomend trying it at least once. So why the one star??? I think MR JOE CABLE CAR himself is out of touch with reality. WTF!!! is up with your prices??!!??!??!!??!!!!??? This is not freaking Manhattan or Beverly Hills and you are not serving KOBE burgers. ITS THE FREAKIN MISSION YOU A$$HOL$ You don't have SUPERMODELS serving you, you have UGLY ASS FAT HO BAGS at the counter. Your place is ALWAYS FREAKIN EMPTY.. SERIOUsLY#@!~@!! The most I've seen at your joint is 3 or 4 more people, but most of the time just me and a friend. MR JOE... another place in the OUT richmond told me that they taught you how to make burgers:)))) Is it true you charge a splitting fee for your burger$?? I just want to come in with three other friends with my own knife.....split a burger three ways in front of your FACE$$!!! Lets see that will be 17 for the burger. split 3 ways. thats an extra 12 bucks... that will be 30 bones for your $hit. I think we will $plit $ome water too... Do us all a favor and sell the place to some CHINESE couple so they can bring the price WAY DOWN!!!! The quality might not be the same, but at least the place will have some customers. 20 dollar burger in the DEEP MISSION??!@!@!!!! You should relocate to downtown or the MARINA. YPO$!!!!!!!!!!
Look at the Diners Dive and Drive-IN clip...
http://www.youtube.com...
The people here are obviously staged. I know the MISSION, those customers are total B$ing!!! And he never gets that many a few people in there. You don't believe me.. drive by 50 times, you'll never see more than a few people in there, most of the time its totally empty. MR. JOE THE RIPOFF BURGER JOINT. 2000 burgers a week!!! GUY.. you are totally kool, but you get paid big bucks to say whatever they tell you. 2000 burgers a week??? You LIAR!!!!! If you serve 2000 burgers a week, a typical taqueria in the MISSION should get 30,000 customers a week... and you know that ain't true.
Why, oh why, won't gorgeous wonderful YELP allow me to give a 3.5 rating. 3 is too low, yet 4 is too high.
Ok, let me just say that I have been coming to this place for years & years. The prices were outrageous then & they are even more outrageous now. I remember when Joe the owner used to actually be behind the glass "grinding his own chuck daily." But since The Food Network featured this cute cable car of a restaurant on "Diners, Drive Ins & Dives," he just hob nobs with the customers who are all too happy to wait to pay $50 for burgers.
The bf & I recently visited on a random weekday at about 2 pm & the place was packed to the rafters, thanks to their mention on "DDD" (they had the episode on repeat on their tv!) We were seated immediately at one of the last open tables.
I wondered out loud why we hardly ever come here & one look at the prices was all I needed to answer my own question.
The bf has a rib eye burger, which he agreed was cooked to perfection & delicious. The same went for my well done extra crispy bacon avocado burger with all the garnishes. Their meat is lean & fresh & their 4 oz. burger seems bigger than any other 4 oz. burger I've ever had.
Their onion rings & fried are nothing special. And some of their shakes lack flavor. On this particular trip, we had an Orange Freeze & it was more vanilla than orange.
Our bill came out to about $45 (not including tip) for a 4 oz bacon avocado burger, rib eye burger, small onion rings & a shake. Too rich for my blood. I can't believe this place has survived all these years charging the prices they charge!
Joe's Cable Car is a cute, little place, complete with neon signs inside & out. The red leather booths are comfortable.
Service is always a little rushed, prices are way high for a regular burger joint, but the burgers are really delicious. Me, I will continue to come here about once a year on average. No more, no less.
Took my daughters here over the weekend because we were hanging out in the mission. Very disappointing. Our bill was over $60, and we only had three burgers, one large fry that we shared and drinks. I know it's expensive to run a business in SF, but give me a break. Or if you are going to charge prices like that, at least have good attentive service and don't make your customers ask for every little thing like drink refills and napkins. I was also very put off by the plastic disposable plates and silverware they serve with. If I'm paying for table service, at least serve on something decent that is friendlier to the environment.
One thing I noticed is that everywhere Joe advertises that he's been on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Now I know for sure that Guy Fieri is full of it because I'm sure he had all sorts of nice things to say about this place, but unless he didn't really eat the food, I know he was lying big time.
5 Stars for their burgers...they are great, juicy, and full of flavor.
4 Stars for their Milkshake.
2 stars for their Fries, and Onion Rings...not a fan.
Total Rating 3.666 stars....
I'll go back for sure.
Went after I saw Joe's featured on Diner's, Drive-In's and Dive's.
Burgers are good. Shake was good. Fries were pretty lame.
The restaurant is freezing inside (butchering the meat inside so makes sense, but still...) so bring a jacket if you go!
All-in-all, pretty good but would prob just go to In-N-Out for my burger fix.
We are open 24 hours a day!
South San Francisco, CA
All Day BEER Specials !
Neighborhood: Mission
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Category: Burgers
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Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Ingleside
Category: American (Traditional)
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Category: Burgers
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