There are restaurants called Joe’s Café in Dubai, London, St. Louis, Fort Lauderdale and Santa Barbara — where the local Joe’s opened in 1928. Over the years, “Joe’s Diner” has been used as the generic name in countless Hollywood films for a restaurant of the mythical everyman. “Eat at Joe’s” is a cultural catchphrase with deep roots in American culture. And, of course, there was a great Broadway musical called “Smokey Joe’s Café,” featuring the music of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
But the Joe’s Café I like is the one on Chatsworth in Granada Hills, which serves some of the best — and most outlandish — breakfasts and lunches in town. Joe’s Café may sound plain, but there ain’t nothing plain about this cooking. This is healing chow for a damaged soul. This is food that makes you happy, with a crowd of cheerful morning meal obsessives who compliment each other on their choice of platters. Seriously: It’s the sort of place you expect the next table to ask if they could try a bite of your dish — because it looks so good.
If you want to experience the full Joe’s culinary experience, order a gut-buster of a creation called The Cure. It’s a definite head-turner, looking a bit like a smash burger on steroids. Only in this case, a very tasty pretzel bun is toasted giving it a bit of crispness, then layered with sausage, eggs (over easy, of course), smoked gouda (a notably outré choice!), and a choice of avocado cream, chipotle barbecue ranch or house ranch.
That first bite is … amazing — a range of flavors all living in harmony that remind us there are tastes yet in the world in need of exploring. And no, I couldn’t finish the whole thing. The remainder tasted even better later that day.
It’s just the most notable of a bestiary of amazing breakfast (and lunch) dishes at Joe’s. Which is also one of the only breakfast/lunch eateries with a colorful assortment of craft beers on draft, wines by the glass and the bottle, and cocktails that run to mimosas, micheladas, Bloody Marys and margaritas.
If you want to do a beer tasting with your biscuits and gravy, there’s a beer flight of four drafts. As a bumper sticker I’m fond of reads, “Beer … it’s not just for breakfast anymore!”
Even old favorites like the French toast come with a twist — you can get yours stuffed, a brioche loaf packed with berries and cream. The short pancake stack (single, double or triple) is topped with bananas, berries and whipped cream — along with chocolate chips, bacon or both. Ditto the waffles. But not the pork belly hash. Though I’m sure there are edgy chefs, in iconic destinations where reservations are booked six months in advance, who put chocolate chips on their pork belly hash to much acclaim. But not at Joe’s Café.
The pork is slow-braised until the meat is on the edge of melting down; having teeth is optional for this dish. It’s then mixed with roasted potatoes, grilled onions and scallions. An egg cooked sunny-side up is on top. You can add an avocado if you must. I didn’t feel the need. Avocados aren’t chocolate chips but still…
Of course there’s chicken and waffles, because that’s written into the Constitution. Or least one of the Amendments. In this case, you get fried chicken tenders topped with cheddar smoked in-house, along with bacon and sausage gravy, and waffle “wedges” topped with bacon and maple syrup. And an egg. It’s a lot of food, but that’s the Joe’s way.
Ditto the pork belly Benedict. And a dish with the wonderful name, “The Junk.” It’s a cousin of The Cure — in this case, two eggs over medium, a sausage patty, smoked gouda, tomato and ranch dressing, between two pancakes. Bacon and avocado are options. Go for the options.
The lunch sandwiches continue the house love of pulled pork, along with smoked cheddar; and there’s a chipotle coleslaw that’s pretty great. The grilled chicken & brie sandwich is unexpected, simply because brie seems so much more haute than smoked gouda and smoked cheddar.
If you’re still hungry after your meal, consider the desserts of cookies and cream waffles and pretzel bread pudding. Both of which could probably fit just fine on the regular breakfast menu. At Joe’s, too much is just enough.
As they used to say in Hollywood: Eat at Joe’s. In this case, Hollywood got it right.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Joe’s Café
- Rating: 3 stars
- Address: 17823 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills
- Information: 818-488-9841; https://joescafegh.com
- Cuisine: Big portions of daily breakfast and lunch
- When: Breakfast and lunch, Thursday through Monday
- Details: Beer and wine; reservations helpful
- Prices: About $25 per person
- On the menu: 20 Breakfast Plates ($7-$31), including The Cure ($19.50), Pork Belly Hash ($18), Biscuits and Gravy ($17) and Chicken and Waffles ($21.50); 8 Sandwiches ($21.50), 3 Salads ($21.50), 12 Sides ($1.50-$16), 2 Desserts ($13-$21.50) and 7 Kid’s Dishes ($6.50-$13)
- Credit cards: MC, V
- What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)