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Hey, this place isn't too bad. Was going to go to a Vietnamese restaurant down the street but it was closed that day. The hungry coworker and I decided to just come in here given that there were several people eating here (almost always a good sign)
I expected westernized chinese food and it was exactly what I got. The kung-pao chicken was tasty and the generous portions was more than I get at any other SF restaurant. Although I was particularly gassy later that night (TMI??)
For $6, you get a decent chinese meal that isn't too greasy. A good bang for your buck!
Food - 2/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 3/5
Best Dish: Depends on the day, see review for more details.
I have ordered from Joe's a few times and it really is hit or miss with them. The first time I was super impressed and the food was great. Second time I ordered a few of the same items and a few new and the quality was not the same.
It's sad because I really like their menu options, but when you order the same thing twice and it goes from great to what the &%@$ did I just put in my mouth, I just gotta cut my losses and go somewhere else.
Lunch specials for under 6$ which is great cause the leftovers are tomorrows lunch too.(or midnight snack)
I'm a fan of the food and the service and the fish that greet you when you walk in. Oh, and I live right down the street so location is really my favorite part about Joes. Emmys is also good which is a tough decision since they are right next to each other. Let's put it this way- when I go out with friends down the street, we pick Emmys- when I'm alone, it's always Joes.
You probably have their menu on your door nob
This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. Don't be fooled by the unusual name. Joe's consistently serves high quality food at low prices.
GREAT FOOD, GREAT SERVICE, MODEST LOCATION - What the dining room may lack in ambiance, their food and service easily make up for it.
LARGE PORTIONS, GREAT PRICES - I recommend their dinner combination specials. You get a lot of food for just a little money. $40 will easily feed 6 people, with food left over.
FRIENDLY STAFF, TALENTED COOKS - Even if it is not on the menu, all you have to do is ask and they will make it for you! My favorite dish of theirs ISN'T EVEN ON THE MENU! (see below)
Everyone I have taken there agrees - Joe's has the BEST EGG FOO YOUNG ON THE PLANET... but it's not on the menu! (All you have to do is ask for it!)
Even my vegan brother loved the food and the selection.
NOTE: This is a small family run business. Even though they usually have 2 delivery people on staff every night, sometimes delivery takes a while, partly due to the fact that they will deliver to just about anywhere in San Francisco. It is worth the wait.
Adding to my love of their fried rice, was the walnut prawns. It was pretty good, but the presentation of course changes since it was eaten via delivery...still tasted good though. Only gripe was that it was $10...should be like 7 or 8...or give me more prawns!
I didnt realize this joint had the word excellent in its name. I just thought it was Joe's Chinese… Read more »
Wellllll, lets just say that the service sucked and we never got any! water... and when offered rice... it was never brought... soooo never again!
plus the lemon chicken tasted like weird candy.
The chow fun was delicious but the bbq pork in it was just dry and not tasty... so really never again...
Sadly i have to give it a one star no matter how much i don't want to...
This place is underrated. Not many people dine here. Joe's tends to do a lot of deliveries. Delivery at any restaurant is always worst than dining in. So don't rush to judgement on the basis of someone's experience eating out of a box in front of the TV. Maybe it was an awful TV show leaving a bad taste in the mouth.
I don't come here often. My family tends to prefer eating in a different part of town. I've only been here 3 or 4 times. One time for a banquet style dinner. Each time it was good cuisine, though not fine dining. My invited relatives liked the banquet; they were glad it was better than some pricier American cuisine places that we were considering.
It's not your standard restaurant. It's run by young folks. They're friendly, but not attentive, and that's fine with me. If I say jump, they ask how high, and then jump that high. That's good enough service; I don't want them hovering over me, asking every 10 minutes "how's everything?"
I'm giving it 4 stars only because it's not a place I would bring my boss to. Doesn't have that fine dining appearance. For my family, it's excellent.
Everyone is crazy! This place is pretty good.
I'm vegan and the boyfriend wanted his hands on some meat.
We are also ridiculously lazy today.
Solution=Joe's Excellent Chinese Cuisine.
I got the lunch special Tofu with Broccoli and steamed brown rice. My meal came with a large portion of white rice and a egg roll.
Next time I'll have to just substitute the white rice for brown rice and I'll be set.
Ordered around 12:40pm and the food got here in about 50 minutes. Just a few minutes past our "requested time"
The boy's food looked really good, he said it was ok. He got sweet and sour chicken.
Definitely will do this again on a lazy hungry day.
The delivery was over an hour and a half and I could t get through on the phone. When the delivery guy showed up he expected a tip. The food was greasy and very fried.
I've ordered food to be delivered from here for the last few months after getting a flier. Man, they must be trying to expand, because we live in Eureka Valley.
I must say, the food is pretty good and plentiful (ie left-overs). I especially like the salt and pepper squid. Mmmm salty and peppery good but cholesterolly bad. Eh, you only live once...only to endure a horribly painful death for your sins!!!
The tomato beef chow mein is pretty good-- then again, I like ketchup...mmm, you get the idea. Once in a while, it's okay to eat this sort of take out. I mean, it reminds me of my college days.
Overall, Joe's has been consistantly good. Delivery to our place takes about 1 hour from the time of ordering on the telephone, but we expected that.
I hate this place for the name (this includes the other restaurants with "Excellent" in their names, but it is funny) and the food it serves, but really, it's decent take-out/delivery and I'm finding it edible when sober. Heck, I think they're one of the better places I've been to -- At least their salted fish and chicken fried rice tastes good (for some reason, fried rice almost always turns out okay in San Francisco Americanized Chinese restaurants) and most of the stuff I got was cheap and filling. Delivery comes in fast and they're pleasant folks.
Seriously though, don't expect the real thing for the most part if you're ordering from a place named as such. Oh, and be sure you never eat at the one with the named "Andy's".
"Excellent" Chinese Cuisine, eh? Somebody is getting a little cocky about themselves.
Boyfriend and I wanted to pretend to be white so we ordered Chinese takeout, ate it right out of the boxes in front of the TV. White people are fun. If white people do this, it must be fun.
NOT IF THE FOOD SUCKS!
Please, Joe, change the name. You're just embarrassing yourself.
We chose Joe's 'cause it's close so we could get our food quicker. The only good thing about Joe's is that you can place your order online, and if you spend 20 dollars, you get a free dish (but there are only three to choose from).
Lemon chicken was NOT good. Tasteless and mushy. Garbage!
Kung Pao chicken was NOT kung pao chicken. It was kung pao green onions. The dish consisted of about 5 stalks of chopped green onions and a handful of tiny pieces of chicken and peppers scattered around. Joe is lucky that I love green onions, but I'm never going to eat a green onion dish again.
Chow Fun was NOT GOOD. All I could taste was soy sauce.
Fried rice (free) was not bad. Even Joe can't get fried rice wrong.
Moral of the story is that if you want to engage in this All American activity, make sure you're ordering from the right place.
I hate giving one star reviews...however I ordered a pork and omelette lunch special using delivery. An hour or so after I ate I started to feel a little ill however I didn't think much of it. I woke up the next morning feeling extremely ill and vomiting egg omelette into my toilet. The last time I was ever so sick that I actually vomitted was ten years ago. I don't know what they did to my food, never again though!
After waiting for an hour for our food to be delivered the delivery guy buzzed. We look at our order and it DOESN'T COME WITH RICE! A chinese joint that has entrees w/o rice?! Not only that we ordered $8-$10 entrees.
what a bunch of shit, and it tastes like it too. BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
ORDER SOMEWHERE ELSE
WOW, I am amazed this place has such low ratings. I have been eating their food for quite some time now (maybe 5 yrs) and I have not had 1 issue that was not resolved (once I got brown rice for the 1st time and the idiot chef that day used too much rice, I called and they wanted to bring me another (which they ALWAYS have in the past that they may have messed up, missed or something that was just not up to what I expected) but when I told them no thanks, they added one free rice to my next order) so that plus the fact I enhoy their food.
The crab rangoon is great, the beef & brocoli, pork buns, fish filet with greens *which I ask them to make in oyster sauce - and they do special for me* are my reg items but I also love the kung pao shrimp and egg rolls. Point is, I enjoy their menu. The desserts are good (get the fried bannana and tell them no lettuce at the bottom of the container, which they use to do, they have not lately, not to say they won't do that again) and the watermelon juice is kick ass. My only issue is the thai coffee, it is not that great, the tea is ok. Not great either.
In regard to their pricings, I think the food is pretty good.
Try: Joe's Angel Wings (our fave!!!), Crab Rangoons, Braised Tofu (Family Style), sweet and sour (whole) fish.
Do Not Try: vegetarian chow mien, peking chicken, wor wonton soup
How do you manage to prepare an order of Hot and Sour Soup that is neither hot nor sour and indeed lukewarm and lacking severely in the flavor department? In fact, I would advise Joe's to use the term "soup" with an asterisk in the menu as it was so littered with egg particles, slurping became impossible.
I assure you I have ordered other things (mistake) as well, and they have been just as awful.
FAIL.
Excellent? No, it isn't. But when you just want some decent food delivered quickly, this place will do. Not wanting to go out, we ordered some sweet and sour chicken and 3 ingredient sizzling rice soup the other night. The soup had generous amounts of chicken, shrimp, scallops and vegetables. It tasted alright. The sweet and sour is of the bright red variety. Other than the chicken being in very large pieces, it was like the usual sweet and sour.
On the phone, the person said it'll take 45 minutes. So we were surprised when the food arrived in 15. Prices are decent and you can order the food online through http://Grubhub.com.
I am also surprised with the low ratings of Joe's. Joe's is a delivery staple. While it may not be the best Chinese restaurant in SF, the prices are pretty comparable, portions are decent and the food is good. The egg fried rice can be hit or miss at times but mostly it is tasty! My favorites are the walnut shrimp, mongolian lamb, and the lamb with green onions. It is not overly greasy and the food is delivered quite promptly. Also, the delivery guy is super friendly.
I would give the restaurant a 3 1/2 if I could (but I can't).
So I trusted you Yelpers whom gave terrible reviews for delivered food, but was curious enough to still try this place.
Like you all, we found out about Joe's through a menu being placed on our door. My boyfriend attracts Chinese restaurants, especially if they deliver.
We made the drive, ordered "Angel Wings", Szechaun eggplant, Walnut Prawns, and Egg Fried Rice.
Angel wings rocked my muffuggin FACE! They are sweet and crunchy, or crunchy and sweet and the order was huge! I have found myself a new love.
Eggplant was okay, Walnut shrimp was yummy, and the Egg Fried Rice was very hearty. I actually like my fried rice white and not greasy.
I will be back, and this time I just might order delivery....
update: i ordered DELIVERY for my COLMA location, just as yummy!
I LOVE JOE'S!
Everything is pretty much good here. I LOVE that they serve brown rice upon request bc I am the only person in my family that doesn't like to eat white rich (unless it's with sushi... actually I gotta try brown rice sushi)
I think their best dish is the Joe's angel wings... It has a hint of honey flavor and is glazed to perfection ...Then again almost everything on the menu is really really delicious. There used to be a different [better] chef in my opinion, but with the new chef, the food is still good although not as exquisite as it was before. Overall I really like this restaurant and it's worth checking out for suuuuure!
For over a year I have been ordering delivery whenever I felt like eatting some Chinese fast food. Their walnut prawns are as good as it gets. But, their teriyaki beef is just as "chewy" as any other ethnic fast food joint's beef. The lemon chicken has a lot of lemon flavor in it. It would have been perfect if they had just a little less flavor. I absolutely LOVE their crab rangoons as I always order this no matter what; sometimes I have 3 orders of this for my meal alone.
I've tried a bunch more but those are the choices I usually get. The food that I would say are the top 3 are: Crab rangoons, Walnut prawns, and Beef chow fun.
All in all, if you want reasonably cheaply priced Chinese food with a lot of options, this place is the place to go to.
I was torn between giving this place a 3 or 2 star review. Definitely have been to better places!
I dont think this is any more a hole in the wall than many of SF's famed joints! It could be cleaner, but it didnt completely repulse me. It wasnt too crowded when we got there, but as we were leaving, a flood of Chinese peeps (three different parties) entered the establishment in the prospects of eating the food here.
The fried rice was run of the mill. I enjoyed it as it had alot of green onions and wasnt too suspect. (Better than panda express.) The kung pao chicken was nicely flavored! I liked it alot! But this place doesnt use those delectable, unidentifiable chicken chunks that are so tender, and are so customary at traditional Chinese food places. This joint uses thigh meat. And it's like something you would make at home, because the pieces are not uniformly cut either. *bah*
My friend had issues with the chicken. She didnt like that it was so obviously thigh meat. And one piece was undercooked in the kung pao (yes, 2 stars was the way to go). Because they also use real thigh meat, there are some pieces that seem to be drier than others.
I would not recommend the onion pancakes. They had a decidedly american flavor to them, and something that gave it a little bit of kick. They came off tasting more like hush puppies or something cajun. I cant help but wonder if they used Bay Seasoning in them or something.
The service... there was a j-pop princess that took a while to take our order or bring our check. We had to flag her down each time, seeing as the place was quite sparsely packed when we got there. But when she came by she gave is that plastic smile and flight attendent greetings. On the plus side, I really liked their tea!! :o)
All in all, I went, I ate, and I survived, with no major regrets. Would I go again? I doubt it.
(Good bye Joe, me gotta go, me-oh-my-oh... )
Joe gets me. He understands that I will order from any restaurant that attaches a menu to my door and doesn't charge for delivery.
My roomie and I ordered a heaping bag full of Joe's on New Year's Day and threw on Lost Season 3 Episode 20 while we waited for it. The opening credits had barely finished when our klaxon doorbell rang.
"Couldn't be."
"Nah."
It was.
No more than 12 minutes after placing the order, the delivery man imparted unto us our meal. One point for delivering our dinner in Joe's helicopter -- I don't know how else this could have happened.
Anyway, here's what we got:
1. Potstickers (not remarkable)
2. Scallion pancakes (remarkable for being made of 100% fried matter while somehow avoiding any semblance of crispiness)
3. Egg rolls (these were good)
4. Chicken Chow Mein
5. Joe's Special Sesame Beef.
Part 5 of the order really pissed me off. It had a pepper icon next to it on the menu, but wasn't spicy. Each hair-thin piece of beef was surrounded by the same greasy, not-crispy material as the "pancakes" (see part 2). After half an hour, I managed to overcome my anger and tried to salvage some meat from the box. Joe's Special Sesame Beef had congealed into a brick of corn syrup, stale fry juice and mystery carbohydrate.
The Great Wall of China could have been constructed of this shit. I suspect that one of its primary ingredients was epoxy.
To their credit: delivery was air-strike fast, it's (understandably) cheap, and half of the meal was OK. Actually, the best component of the dinner, the egg rolls, were free with a coupon.
Hey... it's free delivery!!! This place isn't that bad. I'd definitely order food to-go again. The chow mein is good!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!
Second round of JOE'S... Apparently the first time I was WASTED and lost my taste buds. Sorry Joe's! I had to downgrade you and take away a star. The food definitely wasn't as good as the first time. However, it's rare to go to a Chinese restaurant and have the food be identical to the previous visit.
I just placed an order over the phone three minutes ago. A young bored girl answered the phone as if she had been doing this all her life(probably has) and kept telling me to "just hold on a second" and yelled stuff to someone in the background. This was to be expected when ordering Chinese fast food delivery but when I mentioned the coupon for two free sodas with an order of $16 or more she denied me saying it had to be over $18 and that I had an old menu. I just got this menu hanging on my doorstep a few weeks ago. I went on their website which boast "Coupons available on the Website" and it had the same offer. Booooo. Someone needs to update the coupons or honor them. I will keep you updated when the food actually arrives.
The food arrived in about 30 minutes. The egg fried rice was great, the vegetarian chow fun was okay, and the green onion pancakes were good too(deserving of two more stars). The vegetarian pot stickers were very un-vegetarian and I took a surprisingly meaty bite. I haven't bitten into a meat anything in seven years! Thanks Joe's for breaking my veg. I called to tell them they got my order wrong and since I paid cash they will credit me on my next order. I don't know if there will be a next order. I can't even think about that potsticker without getting nauseous. I don't even know what kind of meat was in there it was some kind of rubbery gray matter.
So my bf and I were hungry but lazt last night so we called delivery from this restaurant...
here goes...
1. food came earlier than expected, one good point *
2. cheap!!! *
3. and they give us free fried rice (we bought like 20 bucks) *
4. any delivery restaurant is a * since I am lazy ass
5. they have website with their menu etc too !!! *
6. I don't like the way they make the pork for my oyster pork claypot :(
So yeah...
Driving by a few weeks ago I saw this place and just had to eat there. The Joe's I think of reminds me of a kind burger joint or the like. But excellent Chinese by a Joe. Well it isn't excellent, so Joe should stick to the greasy spoon he knows.
Still a funny name and it got me in there. Eat at Joe's if you are driving by but it isn't anything special. Moo Goo Gai Pan to you all. Nice folks work there and service was efficient.
You are right, the cuisine is excellent. Thanks to who ever left this wonderful menu hanging on our rail. We finally ordered, the food took a little longer to come than expected, but it was worth it.
I want to start with the fact that I didn't have to go to sleep right after I ate it, and that is usually the effect I get from chinese cuisine, which I still love don't get me wrong.
The string beans, are perfect, absolutly perfect, I love them!!!
We ordered kung pao chicken, and it was so spicey I loved it, some places just don't give this dish its spice enough.
I believe we also got chow fun, or chow mein. Was also good!
The food wasn't greasy to my surprise.
Second time we ordered I was a little disappointed the food didn't quite taste as good as the first time. But everyone has a bad day, and a bad cook working on that day. SO we will continue to order, because you guys also deliver.
The best Chinese restaurant in the Ingleside District bar-none.
Joe's seems like your typical Chinese restaurant. A brief look at their menus prove that point. However, they go above and beyond any of that traditional chinese restaurant on Irving and Clement.
See, Joe's is more of an ABC (American Born Chinese) style cooking, but with still that Chinese home-style cooking baked into it.
My favorite item is Joe's Angel Chicken Wings. At first, you'll get turned off by reading that it's just fried chicken wings, but they put in a special sweet honey, sugary sauce that makes it ohh soo good with steam rice. Another good plate is the Mongolian beef, where you can taste the flames of the wok when you bite into the onions and green onions.
Lunch time is the time to go and order their food as they make it relatively fast and you get soup and desert if you dine in.
On the other hand, dinner maybe a bit slower as the chef tries to crank out as much food as possible, but with phone orders and eat ins, its hard for 2 people to cook so much, so fast
I can't comment on the delivery times though. I never had a bad experience with Joe.
If you eat there, Joe is the guy usually wearing a baseball cap! He's extremely friendly and will make some great recommendations if your lost at what to choose.
Bon Apetite!
Now I have never eaten at their restaurant but have ordered their take out many times.
I call this yuppie Chinese food. Any place that serves Brown rice, well that is for us Urban hipsters who want to still think we are being healthy yet our Kung Pao Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Friend Prawns, topped of with a cold crisp Tsingtao would beg to differ.
Next best Chinese food for me.
Joe's gets kudos for delivering to my house, in the Castro! It's much better than the places in the 'hood that deliver. One reviewer complained about deliver times. I don't think I've ever waited longer than 30 minutes!
Also, the food is good. I have tried the steamed dumplings, sesame chicken, sesame beef, steamed half chicken w/ ginger sauce, manila clams, etc. All very good.
Friendly & helpful staff as well! Give Joe's a try.
Well I thought it was quite tasty. But then again, I am far from a "chinese takeout" expert, and I had been drinking...all day. Either way, they delivered fresh and hot to my house ON CHRISTMAS. There is a $15 minimum for delivery, so be warned, that's enough food to feed an army. As I type this, my stomach is so stuffed with Crab Rangoons, Pork Buns, and Mu Shu Pork (Yes, I really ate all that) that I swear I shall never eat again. But await! When amazingly I wake up tomorrow morning, and I am once again hungry I have yummy leftovers waiting for me! Not "excellent" by any means, but shit I'm from the Midwest so everything seems fucking gourmet!
I've ordered their food a couple of times before, and its not as bad as the some reviews say. The food is decent, the portion they give is generous, and they're really nice. The food here is not over pricey either and its good.
My boyfriend loves Joe's crab "rangoons" and so whenever we crave Chinese, we order from Joe's. The guy who answers the phones is a total multitasker; I usually get put on hold but I can hear him taking another caller's order and then helping a customer at the restaurant.
Yet once he comes back on the line, he's always calm and collected. I think that's fantastic since I can barely answer a telemarketer's call and keep my cat from eating another dirty sock at the same time.
Oh and the food? Well, it's Chinese takeout. I usually eat some of the free fried rice and wander off to prevent another cat/sock incident.
The thing I can take away from this place is that their food is really, really extremely oily. Not sure if it is what we ordered but I haven't remembered seeing such oily food in a long while. And that's saying something because many Chinese restaurants use a lot of oil but Joe's takes the cake.
A few other cavaets. The workers seem to be just passing the day, don't really care. When I went to use the restroom, the kitchen floors were again extremely oily. So oily, I wouldn't be surprised if someone has slipped before and cracked their neck.
Would I come back? I still might if it was convenient for me but I might think twice and go to Emmy's instead, which is one door down.......
This place is way to much fun. The food is perfect and the location is really cool. I like the friendly people and customers.
I can't say how many times a menu has been left on our door.We decided to try out Joe's because the menu looked excellent.A number of appetizers,poultry,beef and seafood dishes,selection of soups,vegetables and even a few desserts.
We decided on the Spiced Prawns in Red Garlic Sauce,Lemon Chicken and some veggies.Everything had flavor and I must say that the Lemon Chicken was tasty and good.I think it is the best I have had so far.This hit the spot for me and I would try this place out again.
Another plus is they offer a few beer selections.I wasn't thinking a 6 pack,but a few to please us.
Prices are reasonable.
This is just me & My Xo's last resort for ordering in cause we get their flyers hanging on our doorstep. We really dont like Chinese "Meow" food. We have never been into the restaurant though.
The only thing that is good to order here is there Walnut Shrimp. Its a good thing that their Shrimps are clean. I hate it when the Shrimps have a black line in their spine. (You know what that is right?..lolz) Now, If you order their chow mein or any kind of noodles, it is packed seperately--meaning you have to make mix it in yourself. I think they do this so the noodles wont get soggy. I could just make my own Top Ramen & add the veggies. I've ordered the Fried Rice too & its just alright, plain and simple. Delivery times do vary. Sometimes they deliver on time & at times it's late. Their menu has alot to choose from but we normally order the usual. We dont want any "MEOW" Chicken or "MEOW" Pork. (Just an inside joke between My Xo & I.)
I'm done with Joe's.
The delivery is free, but far from fast, and the food is not consistent. one week shrimp and broccoli comes in a white sauce, the next week it's swimming in brown goo. What can I say, you get what you pay for.
Prix-Fixe Dinner
Neighborhood: Financial District
OPEN on Thanksgiving Day
Neighborhood: Mission
San Francisco, CA
Category: Chinese
San Francisco, CA
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Ingleside
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Mission Terrace
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Ingleside
Category: Chinese
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