Joe’s Inn is one of those places I’ve been to a bunch, and they happen to serve breakfast all day long, but then I realized ATOB has never reviewed it. That is not to say I haven’t ordered breakfast there. Breakfast for dinner is basically my lifeblood, and once – okay, twice – Sara and I ordered a mimosa pitcher at 8 PM on a Saturday night. Are you judging? Stop it.

And, in fact, this blog post from January happened at Joe’s Inn.

My friend asked where we should go for brunch the Friday night before we inevitably went to Joe’s (did I give away the ending of this story too soon?), and I listed places I haven’t been to (since when you review the brunch scene, you really can’t revisit places). We then stalked the candidates’ menus and got stoked on the $8.25 Big Breakfast at Joe’s.

Nine hours later we rolled out of bed. Actually, my friend dressed and did her makeup. I rolled out of bed and put on flipfops. We then strolled to Joe’s like a college freshman going to D-Hall. (We weren’t hungover, I swear.)

That’s one of the best things about Joe’s: If you live in the Fan, you can just walk there. And why shouldn’t you? Think of your carbon footprint! And parallel parking is a b*tch when you can avoid it.

There wasn’t even a wait when we arrived, which waiting is my arch nemesis. We got a booth, and the waitress asked what we wanted to drink and then brought us water and asked if we knew our orders and yadda yadda yadda. We ate happily ever after.

I really can’t say much more: Joe’s Inn is just what you expect in the best of ways.

As my friend put it: “This is the kind of place you go when you just want breakfast. I’m not trying to be fancy. I just want the basics, and I want them done well.”

And Joe does them well, whoever Joe is.

It’s a neighborhood joint. It’s comfortable. It has warm lighting, the sort of light my mom tries to imitate when she turns our dining room lights down and I scream that I would like to see what I’m eating (except you can see what you’re eating at Joe’s; it’s just not optimal for Instagram filters). It’s good food: Delicious, savory, hearty, someone-get-a-thesaurus, etc. I mean, they serve breakfast anytime.

My friend and I both ordered the Big Breakfast. I know; there’s no plot twist in this story. Except I got French toast and she got hotcakes, because we had to have a little variety for me to write this review. I also got ham, and she got bacon. Trying to be healthy, you know.

I do wish the ham had been cuts like from a Thanksgiving ham, not deli slices from my local Kroger.

Here are photos:

Here is my thumb:

The waitress interrupted me while I was taking these photos to ask how everything was. I felt ashamed at being a basic millennial, so I said, “The filter’s great.”

So which was better, the hotcakes or the French toast? The hotcakes, both my friend and I concurred. It had a faint gritty texture when I chewed, but it went nicely with the syrup (such a food critic over here). The French toast was sweetened Texas toast, but I could have done with some more vanilla or cinnamon. Also, do they call it Texas toast because it’s sliced bigger than average bread or? Thoughts I’m having while writing this.

Next time you’re looking for a brunch place that’s not three dollars signs on Yelp or trying to be ~trendy~, go for the tried and true: Joe’s Inn. And walk if you live in the Fan. Fall’s preening for us these days. It will be the perfect visual appetizer for your brunch.