Joe’s Cable Car Restaurant

Hahaha! This place is a joke! The owner will actually instill his personality to his customers… Sharing not allowed, talk about selfishness! And how is sharing your burger to someone your business? Haha! This business is a joke! I mean, a big joke! Haha!

All i wanted to was to get my money taken from me for horrible food and bad service. Now i’m told they are closed. How will i ever fulfill my dreams?

Good riddins Joe… You theiving scumbag! You didn’t deserve all the business brought to you by Food Network and I hope you live the rest of your life grinding your own meat.

We paid our final visit to Joe’s Cable Car.
Our servers were as delightful to look upon as they were by whom to be served.
Two excellent hamburgers and an order of exceptional French fried potatoes, tax and toke: $ 40!
Because of the crowds, we had a long wait to be seated, a reasonable wait for our orders to be taken, and another long wait for our food to arrive. But it was an exceptional occasion., the place packed with people telling tales of wonder and devotion.
I hope the delightful neon portrayals of a hamburger, a cable, car, and the Golden Gate Bridge continue to be somewhere in view of the public. I pass there often and those signs always bring a smile to my face.

Sad to say but today was the last business day for Joe’s cable car… =[
I had to go back one last time not only for the food but the wonderful diverse crowd. Also, my favorite: Orange Freeze milkshake! Yum! It’s like a creamsicle!
I had my first date here back in the day! So it was very nostalgic for me… Congrats to Joe for his retirement, big thanks to all the staff for their wonderful service over the years! Good luck to you all.
It will definitely be weird rolling by and knowing Joe’s won’t be there… Change is inevitable, thanks for the memories!

JOE’S CABLE CAR (Guy Fieri) VS SAM’S (Anthony Bourdain)
I came here yesterday after work. As everyone else is doing I came here before this place closes down. First I want to say Joe is a nice man. He greeted me and shook my hands. For that I would give him 5 stars. However the review isn’t about the man himself but his burgers.
Coming here reminded of another San Francisco burger intuition Sam’s. At Joe’s Cable Car I ordered the Cable Fresh Ground Beef Steak with cheese. I wanted to compare this burger at Joe’s Cable Car what I normally get at Sam’s — the double cheeseburger. Both burgers are straightforward, non trendy hamburgers, but that’s where the similarities end.
For the Cable Fresh Ground Beef Steak I requested to be cooked medium rare. I love my burgers bloody red, but I was shocked how dry the burger was. In addition it wasn’t juicy. Also there was no flavor at all in the patty. The patty had a pasty texture. I wasn’t sure if I was eating a steak tartar or a burger. I also ordered a large serving of fries, which I wasn’t impressed because they had a semi-​crunchy, semi-​soggy texture. The only thing that was decent was the root beer. The amount I paid for the burger and fries on plastic plates and a soft drink was about $ 30, which was about 4 times as much as I paid at Sam’s for similar items. For that amount I could’ve had a burger at the Michelin Star restaurant The Village Pub. That’s why I gave the 2-​star rating for this meal because I basically paid for a restaurant burger. I know this place is closing, but my eating experience at Joe’s Cable Car was similar to watching the final episode of «Seinfeld».
After finishing the burger I felt bloated and full, unlike my experience at Sam’s. At Sam’s the burger was juicy, tender, and light. After eating one burger at Sam’s you don’t feel bloated. Because of this your can order another burger at Sam’s.
The two burger joints is also a comparison between the food expertise of Guy Fieri and Anthony Bourdain. Joe’s Cable Car has fresh ground chuck, but Anthony Bourdain said it right in his San Francisco of «No Reservations» –who cares if the food is organic does it taste good? That’s where lies the problem with Joe’s Cable Car. You can get better burgers at In-​N-​Out Burger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries at a much cheaper price than at Joe’s Cable Car. I want to end this review with a scorecard between Guy Fieri and Anthony Bourdain: Anthony Bourdain 1 Guy Fieri 0.

I came in here needing to use the restroom and I felt bad so I ended up buying a burger, fries, and onion rings to go to eat on the way to the warrior game. Grand total was $ 27!!! My thought process was that the place was packed and the food is expensive so it must be really good. WRONG!
When we got our food we got like 3 ketchup packets. When we asked for more the French fry lady said she already gave us some. Stingy or lazy. We were really hungry so we ate the food almost immediately when we got to the car. I know it was freshly made because I watched them make it and pack it unto a bag.
The burger is average at best. Ours had bacon and all it did was add crunch without any bacon flavor. The fries were soft and soggy. No crispness to them whatsoever. The onion rings were ok, but you could get the same thing at burger king and better at Carl’s jr. Overall I do not recommend this place and I am wholeheartedly surprised it is still open.

I’m not usually a fan of burgers but my friend convinced me to try this place since it’s been in business for over 40 years and now closing on March 17, 2014. So of course, before Joe retires, we had to come give this place a try.
We both had the Mushroom Fresh Ground Beef Steak Burger, which was quite tasty with the added slice of cheese and grilled onions! Fries were a nice thick cut and crispy! They even serve you a small slice of melon with your meal. I asked for medium rare and the burger was a little more on the rare side than medium rare, but it’s the next day over and I don’t have food poisoning, so I think I’m good. The vanilla milkshake was also very, very good and tasted as if I was drinking melted vanilla ice cream. Mmmm… overall the meal was pretty good… good ol’ burger. The service was great and the restaurant was very cutely decorated with all the lighted signs! Come by 5:30 PM latest if you want to be seated immediately.
However, as with many other people’s complaints, the burger did not equate to the price that was paid. The burger was already on the pricier end for what it really is… for every little addition you do to your burger, it will cost you.
+$ 5 if you want to have 8oz burger instead of the regular 4oz
+$ 1 if you want to add a slice of cheese
+$ 1 if you want to add grilled onions
and the most ridiculous one I think… +$ 7 for you to split plate orders !!!
WUT DER?!? I give this guy props for charging premium prices for mediocre burgers, dude. The bill came out to be freaken $ 50+ excluding tip for 2 burgers, a plate of fries, and a vanilla milkshake. Holy jamoly…
At least we gave it a try… but I don’t think I’ll be coming back, sorry. Have a good retirement though Joe!

It’s hard to say goodbye sometimes. And I felt a little nostalgic eating here for the last time before they close in March.
Came here with a good friend of mine who introduced me to this place years ago, to say goodbye’s to Joe’s and have a farewell burger.
It’s true I’m not a fan of his no sharing policy. Or his inflated prices. But, I do like their burgers, and I’ve always had good service here.
So we sat down at the booth one last time for a good old fashioned cheeseburger and chocolate malt.
There are white Christmas lights inside all year round, and the atmosphere was filled with joy and merriment, even during the month of February.
I’m not going to shred a tear, or wail and flail my arms, but I will miss this place.

My girlfriend has been going to Joe’s since she was a child. In fact, in the midst of all the Polaroid pictures of customers who have dined at Joe’s is a picture of my girlfriend as a child, along with her parents. With that said, upon hearing that Joe’s would be closing their doors in March 2014, we made it a point to visit Joe’s one last time.
I ordered the Country Fresh Ground Steak Burger cooked to medium, while my girlfriend ordered Joe’s Fresh Ground Steak Burger cooked to medium-​well. with grilled onions. We also shared a large order of fries and onion rings, as well as a strawberry milkshake. Joe’s grinds his chuck in house, making their burger patties very fresh. The Country Fresh Burger comes with a fried egg, cooked to your liking. Personally, I think a fried egg should be a standard on a burger, but I digress. Our burgers were cooked perfectly, and was very juicy. I prefer beer-​battered onion rings, but their onion rings were decent. Their fries were your run-​of-​the-​mill French Fries, but then again, Joe’s is mostly known for their freshly-​ground burgers, which definitely delivers. The milkshake was amazing. Its consistency was neither too think, nor too runny. It was perfectly smooth.
The service was great, even on a ridiculously busy Valentine’s Day dinner, with our server pulling a double-​shift. My only gripe is that I probably won’t be able to have another Joe’s burger before they finally close their doors. Id like to thank Joe for running an outstanding burger joint, and I think after 50+ years of serving fresh burgers to the Bay Area, it’s about time the man retires. My final thought: If you haven’t had a burger from Joe’s Cable Car, visit them before it’s too late!

A horrible rip off.
Nickel and dime you to death for an ok burger and charge extra for everything.
Terrible experience.
No wonder Joe’s is hated on Unilocal.
Now he’s laughing all the way to the bank ashe shuts down this awful tourist trap.
Good riddance!

Going out of business: GOOD RIDDANCE.
Joe’s is a place that nickle n’ dimes you every step of the way.
Want a bigger burger? it’ll cost ya
want some cheese? it’ll cost ya
want to take a bite of your foodmates burger? It’ll cost ya.
And we’re not talking a little extra, we’re talkin $ 30 meal extra.
You’re almost afraid to sit down because there might be a $ 5 sitting charge.
The only plus side to Joe’s is the burgers are decent. Just not $ 15 good.
This is a poor representation of what the Bay has to offer.
Oh and Joe, you owe me an extra $ 5 for this review thanks…

Overall I was somewhat satisfied with my experience.
First, the good– the burger I got was cooked very well and was tasty. Although the slice of cantaloupe served with the burger was a little odd, I actually kind of liked it.
The bad– Joe really knows how to nickel and dime you whenever he gets the chance. For instance the cheese on your burger is an extra cost and so is every other fixing. The episode that the restaurant was featured in Diners, Drive ins, and Dives is on replay inside which is strange. It is somewhat expensive for a greasy burger and when the bill comes it is a little shocking.

Joe sure got some balls. Big balls, I tell you…
He charges more for a burger and fries than fine dining, Michelin starred restaurants.
He uses chuck, a cheap cut but charges American style wagyu prices.
He then serves it on a cheap plastic plate and you don’t even get a napkin. You have to request one and you only get one.
Forget about trying a bite of each other’s burger. You’re not allowed to, otherwise you’ll be charged a $ 7 sharing fee ($ 15 minimum charge per a person).
Ain’t that some shit.
All that aside, a good burger is a good burger whether it’s $ 5 or $ 25. I have no problem paying for good food.
So what did we get for over $ 30 pp?
A tepid burger with a bun that was crunchier than the fries (read: stale) and cold onion rings AFTER a 45 minute wait:
. All served with a side of IDGAF and an eye roll by the tall, brunette waitress.
Douche Fieri’s, your taste buds are as whacked as your hair. Once again, you’ve shown that you suck more than a tranny in the Tenderloin.

FYI Joe’s is closing shop on St. Patty’s Day, March17, 2014, so go get your good old fashioned burger fix soon (or forever regret that you missed the experience).
Honestly, I’m not a huge burger fan, but doc ordered me to eat more red meat, so I’m not about to go against the doctor’s orders. Anyway, on to the burger, even though I had to get my burger medium, instead of the recommended medium rare, I enjoyed it. I got the 4 oz burger (choices are 4, 6, or 8 oz), and it was plenty, esp. along with my huge side of delicious, deep-​fried, and battered zuccini.
I got the Pizza Fresh Ground Beef Steak with «Sicilian» sauce and mozzarella. The sauce was tangy and a good complement to the burger, but I still smothered it in mustard, can’t help myself. I heart mustard more than I heart ketchup. Peter got the Chili Ground Beef Steak (medium rare), and he enjoyed it mucho.
I got the Root Beer Freeze to help wash down my meal. Freeze made me think it was more like an Icee, but it was really a root beer milkshake.
Anyway, since the word is out that Joe’s is closing, you can tell the staff is a bit overwhelmed with the extra traffic of customers, so it took quite a bit longer to get our orders taken, our food on the table, and our change for the bill.

Just read online that Joe’s retiring and closing the restaurant. I can’t imagine anyone is going to miss the way over priced food. Also forgot to mention that he’ll charge you $ 7 extra if you intend to share your burger… NO JOKE. And if he see’s you sharing one he’ll ask for his $ 7. WHO DOES THAT!!!
See ya Joe.

Estas hamburguesas estan muy caras… Me senti que el dueno me violo el culo. el dueno porque salio en television hace unos anos… Todavia tiene la vergah parrada… El due no se LA tiene que jalar pa que sent le quite el pendejo!!! Pero mientras hay jente que quiere pagar… pues nimodo…

It’s taken us a long time to visit this neighborhood joint! It is within walking distance, but we took advantage of the parking lot.
The burgers are great, using freshly ground steak, instead of leftover bits and pieces normally found in a patty. That explains the price a bit. The disposable cutlery and plates were a surprise, but it means no dishwasher required.
The décor is festive and indicative of its status as an institution of the Excelsior.
Does anyone know if the reward points still apply? We read something on the table about it, but weren’t quite sure about the details of the program.

Worth the price? No. Not at all. Dear god. 4 burgers, a side of fries, and a shared milkshake cost us nearly $ 100. That’s just unacceptable. Every last thing at Joe’s costs extra… and the cover charge for sharing is $ 7…might as well pay an extra $ 5 to get your own overpriced burger at that point. Age doesn’t matter by the way, the waitress warned me of the $ 7 sharing fee when I said I would just share a bit with my 4 year old cousin. He ended up eating ¹⁄₈ of his own burger, but I still consider it a better deal than paying an extra $ 7 to split! I’ll stick with other chains like burgermeister if I’m looking for a greasy fix.
Eek! Mewallet thinks never again.

Guy Fieri let me down on this one. I expected more from a place that he raved about on Diners Drive-​ins and Dives.
Even though it is off the beaten path in the Outer Mission district; this place seems like it is more of a tourist destination than a neighborhood restaurant, I know SF is pricey; but if my local neighborhood joint charged 13 bucks for a not so spectacular burger; I don’t think I would be a regular.
Now the burger wasn’t bad. They say that they grind the meat fresh daily; but the SF sourdough French roll was really nothing special; the toppings were basic. Just lettuce, tomato, sliced onion and pickle; served on the side and what appeared to Heinz Ketchup and French’s Mustard poured into souvenir Joe’s Cable Car bottles. The burger wasn’t bad; it simply wasn’t noteworthy,
What was noteworthy; and not in a good way were the onion rings. Think of the frozen Burger King style; these were pretty much the same; but 3 or 4 times more expensive.
It was also a bit of a downer to watch Joe, the owner scold one of the waitresses in view of our party and 2 or 3 other groups of customers. I don’t know what the waitress did wrong, she seemed like she was doing a good job serving us. But if he felt something needed to be said, he should have taken it to someplace other than the dining room.

The Gourmet Secret of the Outer Mission
Early Saturday afternoon we were on a mission, and we found ourselves on Mission Street at Silver Avenue, which is, I believe, the outer Mission, way beyond Cesar Chavez. Out here one of the few features that stands out is Joe’s Cable Car, and after months of driving by, My Lady decided to show it to me.
There is a small parking lot right at the building. This is well worth knowing, and we had no trouble parking our rented truck in one of the conveniently angled spaces. As we walked in we were greeted at the door by Joe himself.
Burgers are the predominant entrée on the menu. «Joe grinds his own chuck fresh daily,» signs everywhere insist, and I was soon to realize these are just the front end of a massive campaign to make me believe in the gourmet burger. The patties come in 4-​oz., 6-​oz., and 8-​oz. sizes, and the menu with all its variations is pretty much a build-​your-​own style. They are cooked to order, so yes, you have to wait for it. Long enough to take in more of the mountain of literature on the tables.
As our burgers cooked, we continued our indoctrination. As well as histories of the hamburger, the potato, and Joe’s itself, there were essays describing the healthiness of the lean ground beef, comparing it to chicken and turkey in turn. Since Joe has built the restaurant one section at a time, I asked where the original cable car was, and both the waitress and Joe himself pointed out the boundaries of the kitchen.
Class ended when the burgers were delivered and the eating began. My Lady had ordered a mushroom fresh burger, which was smothered in sauteed mushrooms and bermuda onion slices. I had ordered a 6-​oz. bacon cheeseburger, with an order of french fries. My Lady’s drink was iced tea, and mine was diet Coke. The grand total for all of this was $ 46.66 + tip.
How do two orders of popular diner fare rack up to nearly fifty bucks? Well, my burger had a base price of $ 13, with another $ 3 for the 2-​oz. upgrade and another $ 1 for the cheddar cheese. Do you see how this works? This ground beef turns out to be nearly $ 45/​lb.
Let’s be fair about this, though. My Lady ordered her burger medium rare, and it was delivered perfectly medium rare. I ordered mine medium, and it was delivered perfectly medium, and the bacon was both thick and crispy! The potatoes were golden and crispy, and held up firmly under the ketchup and mustard dipping without surrendering a drop to my shirt. We had smiles on our faces as we walked out, stuffed to the gills with yum yummy meaty meat.
My burger was good, but was it $ 17 worth of good? Is this little diner truly the gourmet secret of the Outer Mission? I guess I’ll have to come back 3 or 4 more times to decide that one.