Original Joe's Restaurant

The area of town was being "rejunvenated" in July 2008 (when we were there), so it was a little hard to find Joe's through the scaffolding. But, don't give up - it's worth the search! This place has been around for years and has a very interesting history of once being a hangout for the San Francisco mob - there's a room upstairs that was used for "meetings"!! Read the menu - it has stories about the restaurant - and take a look at all the pictures on the walls - very cool! It's famous for a hash dish (it's great!!) - plain and simple, enjoyed by all, even the mobsters! Elegant ambiance, tuxedo-ed staff, excellent service, and great food! A little pricey, but that's the cost of notoriety! Really a fun place to eat!

I have been going to Original Joes far as long as I can remember and I don't know what happened to the food and what happened to the interior, it has lost all of the ambience it used to have. The bar in the back is cold, no fireplace & the walls, well they need help. I think someone was going for the "sport bar" look but in OJ's it doesn't work.
The food had no taste. I ordered Linguine & clams, no flavor to the sauce & hardly any clams. Then there was the cheese on the table, thought I was in a pizza place.
Very disapointed, it will be a long time before I come back.

I found Orignal Joe's menu very boring and outdated. What we were served was only average taste and quality. The service was rude and we had a wait. There was a spending minimum for sitting at their counter.

PROS:
CONS: boring menu, rude service

Not *real* Italian food; it's definitely Italian-American, but hey, most people in America like that. Portions are fairly large and the food is prepared well. My Italian father-in-law visiting in Italy found the portions oversized but he enjoyed his steak.

If you are looking for a restaurant that serves great italian food and gives you a huge portion to feed your hunger then Original Joes in downtown San Jose is the place to go. They have incredible pasta dishes and a wide selection of entrees.