WALNUT CREEK, CA — Original Joe’s — the family-friendly Italian restaurant with deep Bay Area roots — will reopen its Walnut Creek location Wednesday after closing in August because of a kitchen fire.
The Walnut Creek location was the famed San Francisco restaurant’s first East Bay location.
The original Original Joe’s was opened in 1937 as a 14-stool counter in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district by Croatian immigrant Tony Rodin.
It quickly became known for its abundant portions, reasonable prices, and well-prepared Italian-American comfort food like hamburgers, steaks, pastas, and seafood, and began attracting up to six million visitors a year.
The Duggan family, which owns the restaurant, joined Walnut Creek officials in August for a ribbon cutting and the proclamation of Aug. 14 as “Original Joe’s Day” in Walnut Creek.
Original Joe’s Walnut Creek will be open for lunch and dinner daily.
The restaurant’s address is 1300 S. Main St.
Dining and Cooking