Marin Joe's Restaurant Inc

01/10/08

Tradional and the best at what it does.

by pantangelli at Citysearch

My family has been eating at Marin Joe's for over fifty years. Just because the style of cooking is traditional doesn't mean it's out of date. The portions are substantial, the service is professional and the prices are reasonable. I can't understand some of these reviews. Someone stated that a "chef friend" told him that the food had gone downhill "since Joe" died. You and your chef friend don't know what you're talking about. There NEVER was a "Joe". Adolph Della Santina started the restaurant in 1954. It's now owned and operated by his nephew's family. Joe's is a generic term for a restaurant specializing in a certain style of Italian-American cooking. As far as going to Ruth's Chris to get a steak instead of Joe's, you're not going to get a New York with two sides for $25 at the former. It's all relative. You can't find alot of the dishes anywhere other than Joe's - sauteed sweetbreads, chicken livers, roast veal, broiled 1/2 chicken etc. Granted this isn't expensive foo-foo modern Italian Cusine, but it doesn't pretend to be. If you looking for seared diver scallops on the piastra with a wild mushroom, chicory root, bagna caudo ragu, don't come here. If you want a medium rare cheesburger on sourdough with great fries, get over here.

11/22/07

Consistently Poor

by dineratlarge_y at Citysearch

We used to love Marin Joe's restaurant, but after tonight we will never return or recommend it to anyone.

Tonight we called ahead to make dinner reservations for 6. We were told that they only take reservations for parties of seven or more. We decided to go anyway, arrived at 7pm and were told there would be an hour wait for a table. Even though it was a long wait, we decided to go into the bar and wait over drinks.

The bar was crowded there was no place to sit, so we waited until a table there opened up. We were not allowed to sit and any of the 4 open tables, as we were told those were "dining tables". When one finally did open up we discovered there were not enough chairs. Half of our party was left standing for another ten to fifteen minutes, with none of the staff even noticing. When we asked for chairs we got no response, and so finally took chairs from the next table that opened up. A waitress came and took two of our chairs from us saying that they needed them for a "dinner table". She did not offer us other chairs, even though there was a stack of them around the corner. We waited another 45 minutes before the stressed out curt cocktail waitress got to our table. After waiting for over an hour and a half, watching many other parties who arrived after us and were somehow seated in the dining room before us, we were finally offered a bar table right next to the bar table we had been sitting/standing at for 1 1/2 hours, instead of a dining room table. When we refused the table, the manager/owner acted offended, and in a surprisingly demeaning tone asked why we didn't want the table. At that point, hungry and fed up, we just left.

Our party was expecting a wait, but we never expected that level of indifference to our needs nor the demeaning and offhanded manner in which the hostess and manager dealt with our party. Our experience was insulting and embarrassing, especially since we had recommended the establishment so highly to our out of town visitors.

• Pros: menu
• Cons: consistently poor service, bad management /owner attitude, "in club" seating and preferential treatment

11/03/07

I love Marin Joe's!

by august26 at Citysearch

I have been going to Marin Joes my whole life... 30 years! I love it. For Italian food in Marin, its one of the best. Its not a happening spot, seems like most of the clientele has been around for 3 times my life. My grandpa could fine a nice date there if he didn't have a girlfriend... and if your a little kid or have one, beware of cheek pinchers, there out to get some! Service is up and down, overall ok. People love marin joes, so there is usually a wait, to me... worth it. The burgers are the best!

• Pros: the food, the cheese spread in the bar
• Cons: sometimes a long wait