Joe's American Bar and Grill on the Waterfront (by Kosta)

Joe's American Bar and Grill on the Boston Waterfront, classy family chain restaurant perfect for friends and family. Also a great after work destination for drinks, appetizers, and burgers while overlooking the harbor and North End. 

Sarah Sparks and I went out on a warm, rainy evening to try Joe’s American Bar and Grill on the Boston Waterfront.  Joe’s is a chain that has 12 locations across New England.  The décor was Americana in style, warm and welcoming with a mahogany wood motif.  The dining area gave the feel of a ship’s cabin, but not with the typical tackiness you can find in similar chains.  As we arrived we did notice that the music was rather loud, but not overbearing.  The view of the waterfront was beautiful, with full sized windows looking out over the harbor and North End.

Our waitress quickly came up and took our drink orders.  She was friendly and very attentive throughout the evening.  We started out with a drink called the Bee’s Knees ($9.50), which was excellent.  A simple cocktail featuring gin, honey and lemon, it was the ideal beverage for a warm day.  The lemon and honey combined well with the gin and was invigorating.

Our next drink during the meal was a Dark and Stormy ($8.50). It had just the right mix of spice and sweet from the rum and ginger beer.


Our first dish was the Crispy Calamari ($10.50) appetizer.  I’ve had a lot of calamari over the years and it is one of my favorite starters.  I have to say the calamari was pretty good, not chewy or too soft, with a light, crispy batter.  The marinara had green peppers diced into it and a good kick that you don’t normally expect.  This calamari was a cut above your standard appetizer.

We then tried an array of appetizers and salads, starting with The Crab Cake Salad ($17.99). The crab cake on top of the salad was the big surprise.   Rarely do you get a crab cake that is not mainly comprised of breadcrumbs and filler.  This cake was primarily shredded crab with a crispy baked exterior.  The crab was fresh and didn’t have an overly fishy aroma.  The cake was about four inches across and delicious.  It was topped with a Cajun remoulade which tasted similar to a spicy thousand islands dressing.  Another nice touch in the in the salad was corn bread croutons, which were sweet, crunchy and savory.  The rest of the salad was a mix of iceberg and romaine lettuce with avocado, corn and an herbal vinaigrette dressing.   All together this provided a refreshing and tasty dish.

An order of a half a dozen oysters (MKT Value) that came from Blue Point, Long Island made up the next course.  The oysters were just the right brininess, not overly salty.  They were light and clean with none of the undertones you find in less fresh shellfish.  With a bit of horseradish and cocktail sauce they were quite good.

We got to try the Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Salad ($16.99) which is an item off their special summer menu.  The shrimp was grilled with Cajun spices and had a nice smoky flavor.  The meaty yet tender shrimp mixed well with the fresh and sweet watermelon, which added a good counterpoint.  The dressing was a citrus vinaigrette.  The watermelon juice mingled well with the dressing and romaine lettuce.  The whole thing was topped with avocado, bacon and red onion.  Overall the ingredients in this salad work well for a summer dish.

A theme here seemed to be that they do not skimp with the seafood in their appetizers.  The Lobster Quesadilla ($12.99) was no exception being full of fresh, tender Maine lobster in a lightly grilled tortilla.  It also was stuffed with scallions and a mix of cheddar and jack cheese.  The salt of the cheese played nicely with the lobster, which didn’t taste watery or packaged.

After a great round of appetizers and salads we moved onto the main meals.  The best entrée by far was the Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger ($12.50).  The first bite had an immediate contrast between the very sharp aged cheddar and the juicy, thick patty.  The meat was delicious and cooked just right.  The patties were obviously homemade.  The fries were hand-cut steak fries with the skin on and lightly salted, exactly what one looks for in bar fries.  The homemade butter pickles were also outstanding and I’m not even a fan of those types of pickles. We also tried a side of their bacon maple onion jam.  It was sweet with a bit of salt; it went very well on a burger.

We had the special of the day the Stuffed Flounder.  The stuffing was pretty good, a mix of crab and lobster shredded and stuffed inside the flounder.  The flounder was flaky and had a real good texture but was a little too salty and seemed a bit bland.  The dish came with simple, lightly buttered rice that was cooked to the right consistency.  There was also a large quantity of asparagus spears.  They were lightly sautéed al dente, in olive oil and lemon and were quite good.

The New York Sirloin Steak ($23.99) came as a generous 14 oz. portion.  The steak was good, but overcooked.  We asked for medium rare, and this steak was on the closer side of well done.  In the center it was just about right, but due to the irregular shape of the cut, the ends were far too cooked and dry for my liking.  The potato side was a chunky mash with a good potato flavor.  

The final dish was Buffalo Chicken Grilled Pizza ($11.99).  The buffalo chicken was crumbled and crisp with blue cheese chunks mixed throughout and sprinkled with scallions.  A spicy but not overpowering buffalo sauce covered the whole pizza.  The crust was a bit chewy and not as grilled as I would hope for on a bar pizza.  The toppings were great and the crust was decent.

All the dishes had great presentation and large portions. Perfect for sharing with friends and family, making Joe's American Bar and Grill work as a classy family chain restaurant. It is also a great after work destination for drinks, appetizers, and burgers (which they excel at).

They are currently running a special summer menu alongside their regular menu, and it is based on upscale takes on familiar cookout classics. A set of a weekly sweepstakes will be running as well. For more information on Joe's American Bar and Grill: http://www.joesamerican.com/

(Article by Kosta; Pictures by Sarah Sparks)

Joe's American Bar and Grill, Waterfront, 
100 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02110

Phone: 617-367-8700

Hours of Operation:

Lunch: Monday - Friday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Dinner: Monday- Thursday 4:00 pm - 11:00 pm; Friday 4:00 pm - 12:00 am; Saturday 10:00 am - 12:00 am; Sunday 10:00 am - 11:00 pm

Bar: Open daily until 1:00 am

Brunch: Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm