Small interior, big taste

Situated along Lancaster Avenue in Wayne, right next to Capri Water Ice, Joe’s Place is a small mom-and-pop restaurant. Joe’s Place is a great spot to go for breakfast, lunch or Sunday brunch.

The narrow storefront leads to an equally small interior. Through the front door, customers walk into the front dining area. With a self-serve refrigerator stocked with a variety of sodas and other refreshments, the main room consists of the kitchen and bar-style seating for five or six.

In addition to the seating in the front room, another small room is tucked around the back with seating for ten to fifteen customers.

Behind the counter, an elderly man cooks multiple orders. Yes, that is actually Joe. The namesake of this little eatery actually prepares the majority of the food.

Newcomers will instantly feel like they stepped into someone’s living room, due to the room’s size and décor. Pictures, hats and many other types of sports memorabilia from local high schools, colleges and professional teams hang on the walls.

Seating is self-serve, and often you may have to wait up to fifteen minutes for a table to open up. The wait on Sunday mornings may force people to stand outside in the parking lot or sit in their cars.

To avoid waiting long for a place to sit, arrive as early as possible.There is also the option of take-out if you do not want to eat in.

Once you have rounded up enough chairs for your party, you are faced with a fairly typical breakfast and lunch menu. Anything can be ordered at any time, providing it is still in stock.

Prices are refreshingly low for an eatery found on the Main Line. For instance, an omelet with a side of hash browns and your choice of sausage or bacon is only $5. Most of the items found on the menu will fit into the $4-$10 range.

The service is quick and the waitresses are a group of older women who know the menu well. They are not as demanding as the servers at a place like Pat’s Cheesesteaks–they just want to know your order and not much else.

For instance, when ordering a cheeseburger, a customer was asked what he wanted on it.
“Uh cheese?” he said, confused by the question.

“Very funny,” was all that the waitress said.

But do not let that scare you off. As long as you tell them what you want, your food will arrive quickly and exactly as you ordered.

The food itself raises only one question: “Why is this food so cheap?”

Sure, it comes on a paper plate served by a no-nonesense waitress, but the taste itself is what really matters.

Pay the check in the front room at the cash register. Don’t forget to include your drink if you grabbed one from the refrigerator.

This little place on the Main Line boasts some of the best down-to-earth eating around, and for those on a budget this place is worth several trips a semester.