Joe's Inn The Fan - Richmond

I don't know what happened to this place as far as service goes. Never had a chance to eat their usually GREAT food. Nobody acknowledged us at the door for several minutes, we were finally seated and given napkins only??! Took another 15 minutes for us to actually get waited on , and it wasn't that busy. There were plenty of waitstaff walking or standing around doing nothing. We ordered right away because we always get the same thing, and finally got water a few minutes later. The people behind us came in after us and got their food before us. No communication from our server for over 30 minutes. We finally got a basket of bread to hold us over I guess, and then after waiting for 45 minutes we walked out. We also witnessed others who came in and were not acknowledged or waited on in a timely fashion either so it wasn't just us. What a shame. We may come back but it's gonna be awhile if we ever do.

Joe Mencarini opened the venerable Joe's Inn in 1952 on Shields Avenue, and it became the archetypical Fan restaurant — fiercely loyal customers, long-term wait staff, lots of booths down a narrow aisle and a menu featuring everything from pancakes to a pastrami-and-Swiss. Groups have met to play weekly board games for a decade or more in its booths, and generations of Richmonders conducted their romantic lives over a split order of Spaghetti á la Joe.We ordered beer and a single summertime-only house salad with the famous and delicious Hanover tomatoes, fresh, crisp local cucumbers and onion topped with a balsamic dressing and copious amounts of feta cheese. After splitting the single order between the two of us and stuffing ourselves, we filled a large take-home box with what was left...enough for another large meal. Joe's in known for HUGE portions at very reasonable prices.

I rarely leave a bad review. This is a must.1st date for lunch. Waited 30 mins for a booth. I’m cool with that.Sat down. Didn’t get food for 1.5 hours.That’s 1 hour and 30 minutes. The people in the booth behind us arrived and got their food 10 minutes later. We asked several times what was up. No definitive answer.We were offered bread after an hour. We asked why it’s going to be so much longer that we need bread?Paid full bill. No offer of anything. Just an apology. We didn’t order Beef Wellington.Just 2 sandwiches.There is no excuse for this.I was a regular customer until today. Inexcusable.

We looked for a lunch place as we rolled into Town and read the reviews and I am so glad we went here!! Cute place not too big but just enough space and noticed tables for big parties also.. Waitor was very welcoming and explained the specials… The Bruschetta was the best ever my with the sliced toast squarebread truly amazing) never had it like that before and baked with cheese OMG and thgre sauce to die for … One of the best and Ive had many … He recommended the Reuben for my husband with onion rings as a side and it was delish.. came witha pickle Too.. I wanted a steak and Inhad thw Entrecot steak and a side of brocolli and it was so nicely cooked both things .. the steak was cooked to perfection and the broccolli was really tasty … My son had the lasagna and he loved it .. tasted homemade .. my daughter asked for plain pasta with butter and it was a nice big serving and she loved it too..the deserts looked so good but we didnt get to try them.. Def when I come to Richmond again will be back.. and would have loved to try breakfast .. seemed good too!!! easy to find parking and in a beautiful neighborhood … Cant wait to go back here!!

Joe's has the rare ability to elicit nostalgia, even if you don't have any memories tying you to the place. You can tell immediately that there are families that have been going here every Friday night for something like 30 years. The service is quick and friendly as well.The food is just not very good. I'm assuming the heavy dose of nostalgia and tradition keeps Joe's going and honestly, that's great. But if you're just looking purely for good food this probably isn't it.