Original Joe's

Original Joe’s
144 Taylor Street – San Francisco, CA
415-775-4877
Started by the father and grandfather of the family now running this classic Italian restaurant located in the heart of the tenderloin, Original Joe's serves one of the best burgers ever produced in San Francisco. Marie Duggan, her husband, daughter and son can be found working this pioneer of mesquite grilling they've done since 1936. Booths are the seating arrangements unless you opt for the bar or counter fronting the exposed kitchen.

Sitting at that counter is one of the great educational and inspirational experiences a person who loves food can have. A white clad and mature chef within five feet of you will take the order for your burger and grab a huge handful of premium ground chuck and form it into a football field sized patty he then puts on the mesquite grill to start sizzling and crackling. He then grabs a whole loaf of fresh French bread, cuts it in half and then again lengthwise for the bread part of the meal you're soon going to enjoy. The only cheese option is an equally enormous slab of good jack cheese which is too think to actually melt but does start bending by the time the cheese covered meat is placed upon that fresh bread.

Now perched on a huge white platter with garnish of onion, lettuce, tomato, peppers, olives our chef reaches for the fryer basket and drops about a pound of the biggest fresh cut French Fries you've ever seen onto the plate so it is more than awesome, it's a mountain of food. I've been going to Original Joe's since 1946 and have only managed to finish a burger a handful of times, but the half I asked to be wrapped up to go home with has been a great and huge meal the next day. This is a great burger and a great place.