Mr Joe’s Cafe

Great full lunch with homemade pasta and tomato sauce. Also they give you complementary red wine that goes perfectly with the Italian meal.

Best meal I’ve had in a long time. Lunch specials come with a glass of wine. The service is attentive and the owner frequents. I really love it here. What a neighborhood gem. The only downside is the limited hours.

I love Mr. Joes! My boyfriend and I will stop in for lunch frequently and we never leave upset… or hungry. Maria is so sweet and the desserts that are offered with the meals are always amazing.

I had the linguine with caponata. Amazing! I am still full, but wasn’t full enough not to eat the delicious cannoli. We’ll be back for sure!

No frills old school italian. Seriously like your grandmother used to make. Only drawback is that they close early, other than that, youll love it.

If you want good old school Italian food this is the place for you. No fancy bells and whistles just good old fashion Italian cooking. I got veal parm with a side of spaghetti. It came with a complimentary glass of red wine, a nice salad, great bread and a choice of desert for $ 20. You can’t beat the food and price anywhere in the city.

One of the best unknown places in south philly, pasta, salad, bread everything just rite small menu pork very good also !

Took wife here for Valentines day… Had house salad, bread, pasta, lentil soup, prosciutto salad, cheese cake & chocolate chip walnut cake & decaf coffee between us. WONDERFUL EXPERiENCE !!! Glass of wine was included too… first rate bread (better than Panera)… All this for $ 34.26. (I tipped 20%)…This was referral from Über ride… Went across street to Termini’s & bought delicious baked goods after dinner… Prices here higher … This was memorable experience… Food is first class clean, quick… the vibe is astonishing…

I have so many fond memories here!!! The food is great the people are great it’s just good old school homemade italian fare!!! LOVE IT!!!

Mr. Joe’s Café reminded me of going to my grandmom’s house for lunch. The food was out of this world and you’ll never leave hungry.

Stopped here for lunch with coworkers. Ordered the Mr. Joe’s panini and it came with a glass of wine, table bread, salad, and a slice of cake. All for about $ 14.
The food here is legit quality Italian food. Fabulous hard and crusty Italian bread. The pasta looks super fresh and smelled amazing. I’ll be trying some of that next time. I texted a bunch of people when I left and said they need to schedule lunch dates with me immediately because I’m going back soon!

Amazing experience. The place is small and cash only but those are the only cons. The food is delicious and you definitely get your money’s worth.
My boyfriend and I came for lunch. I got ravioli and he got a panini. Both of our choices came with a salad and free glad of wine. Everything was delicious. When we were finished, my boyfriend went up to ask where the nearest atm was and the woman told us she’d give us each a free dessert. She didn’t rush us at all and told us to relax and eat and worry about paying after we were done.
This place is amazing. I definitely plan on coming back.

If you like excellent italian, this is the place for you. Prices are ok, portions are well sized as all prices include a small salad, a small glass of wine, great italian bread, your main course and dessert. The menu leaves a bit to be desired, but they always have many many specials that more than make up for it. The specials will generally run you $ 16-​$ 18. Menu items are less. Service is superb. Definatly worth the trip to philly. Just keep in mind they are only open till 5pm during the week, and 6pm on Saturaday. This is a gem that is a must for any foodie, especially an italian foodie.
Enjoy!

First time here. I ordered the linguini with mixed seafood. The presentation of the food was outstanding. If tasted wonderful. What i liked most was the complimentary glass of wine and dessert that i was given. The woman that ran the place was very kind and the decorum is that of the 40s and 50s whicj really added to the atmosphere

A little Italian café from the family that owns the Termini bakery across the street.
Went here with the family for a Saturday brunch. I got the gnocchi which came with salad, house red wine, and a cannoli for dessert. YUM!!!
+ Small, cozy location
+ Friendly waitstaff
+ Lots of added perks like a free glass of wine with your meal
+ Really close to the bakery so you can pick up dessert after!
— Service was a bit slow, but not enough to prevent me from coming back

Not sure if I want to review this place just because I don’t want it to become overcrowded…
With every meal you get complimentary salad, wine, and dessert with order of your entrée…who does that in 21centry… Mr. Joes does.
Okay so besides this place being a great deal, the food can stand on its own two feet… the food is homemade delicious Italian food from an old school Italian family. Everything from the panini to the gnocchi is delicious …
This place is tiny… clean and cozy inside… get their early so you don’t have to wait in front of the door for 20−30mins.
CASH only

Mr. Joe’s Café is a really cool hidden place in Philly. I really am a huge fan of Italian food, so my friend took me and another friend here for lunch on 2÷6÷13. For about $ 20 in total, I got a really good experience overall. I will say that their is a lot of hype about the food itself, which I found to be just that, hype. However, the overall experience of the restaurant service, price and atmosphere makes it will worth it to try it out.
PROS
*Service — This is probably the #1 reason to come to Mr. Joe’s Café. Vincent Termini (the owner, a much older guy like a grandpa) himself personally came over to ask us how our meal was. Then he walked across the street to his bakery and personally walked back over to us with fresh cannolis. That alone was worth the trip. One of our friends ordered a coffee and the waitress asked if he would Sambuca in it free of charge. When I was there, I felt like I was a part of their family and they certainly treated us right.
*Atmosphere — Going back to the family thing, this is a very small place in Philly with their bakery right across the street. We came for lunch, and with only about 9 tables in the whole place, you really feel like you are eating in a good atmosphere. Despite the fact it is in South Philly, its actually a pretty nice place, considering most restaurants in that area are dives.
*Price — It cost me about $ 20 for lunch including tip. The ravioli was around $ 15 and you also get fresh bread, a salad, the meal and a dessert. The portions are pretty big too, so for all that food you just cannot beat that price.
CONS
*Food — It’s not really a con, but I just don’t find the food anything special. The hype is much larger than the actual product. I had the Ravioli, and you can taste it is homemade and fresh. The salad they also gave you tastes fresh and crisp along with the bread. I just didn’t find their food anything to rave about because I felt it lacked flavor and was on the bland side. The cannolis however are fantastic fresh, and a great way to cap off the visit.
Food ©, Pricing (B), Atmosphere (B), Service (A-​)

With its olde time furnishings I had thought this place had been around forever, but its actually just a few years old. Adding to that old school feel, the hostess/​waitress Annamaria, lauded for her front of house service, makes you feel like you are being taken care of by someone’s Italian aunt. Essentially with each order you are getting a 3 course meal.
Bread and butter comes first. And a glass of complimentary jug wine if you desire. Then a plate of salad to start your meal.
A giant roast pork panini is actually one of the least heavy things you could order. The rosemary infused pork is juicy enough to drip on to the plate.
The gnocchi in red sauce ($ 16) are so smooth and light that you might be tricked in to eating way more than your stomach is comfortable with. Not to mention the gorgeously unfussy tomato sauce.
The eggplant of the eggplant parmigiana is not fried, so its a healthy option right? Not so much, as it is covered with more melted cheese than I have ever seen on a plate. It is an excellent version of the dish with that mountain of cheese, more red sauce, and roasted eggplant that still shines through.
Save room for the dessert that comes with your order. As the restaurant is owned by the Termini family, these are not an afterthought. I don’t know how I found room for it, but I loved my banana mouse cake. Find the time in your agenda for a long lunch break, and make this happen.

Best Panini in town, hands down.
I was taken with this place soon as I walked in. They have a very laid back atmosphere with a nice but not ultra modern décor. I usually like to visit an establishment a few times before I review it but this place was just that good. I had the Mr. Joe’s which is a BIG authentic style Panini with Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. This was out of this world. Included in the price was a nice spring mix salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, table bread (which was PERFECT) and a glass of wine. These all made for a delightful lunch that was very filling but did not make me feel like falling over and taking a nap.
I highly recommend Mr Joe’s!

This has got to be one of my favorite hidden gems in South Philly, and I’m saying that after my first and only trip there. Word to the wise, they don’t do dinner here. I spent a leisurely working lunch here with some coworkers last week. If you plan to go, expect a leisurely pace, a ton of food, and a small bill. For about $ 12 or so, you get your pick of pasta dishes on the menu as part of a three course meal. To start out your meal, you get a small dish of the tasty house salad, and crusty bread, along with a large glass of the house red wine. Next up, you get your dish of pasta. If you have room after all that, and plan to save some room, you are treated to any dessert from the front display, made my Termini Bros., and a delectable cup of coffee.
For my meal, I chose the pasta with crab, and that was probably a mistake. Everyone else’s meals looked a bit more appealing and involved less work. My crab came unshelled, meaning there was an entire crab sitting on a bed of pasta under a mound of tomato sauce. And nothing to crack that sucker open with. It was a lot of work, and not much crab, but the sauce was good, and I’m only docking a star because my coworkers’ meals were quite good. It would have been nice to get a warning from the waitress. My other complaint was that we had four people and two were served first, while the other two had to wait for 20 minutes for their dishes. At which point, the first two dishes were cold. Next time, I’ll come with a smaller party. But I would put up with all of this for the incredible deal and tastiness of the food. For dessert, we all had the chocolate mousse cake which was beyond amazing.
If, after all this, you still have room, or plan to have some later, stop by Termini Bros, across the street for a pastry to go.