The exterior of Joe’s Italian Cuisine on Grand Avenue.
When my wife and I moved to Escondido a few years ago, I was smoking a cigar at Lord Puffer and talking restaurants with a few of the regulars. I asked them their favorites in town and a guy named Tony said he installed an air conditioning unit in Joe’s Italian Cuisine. They gave him a meal. He loved it, and goes back all the time. Another guy piped in, “Yeah, I love that place.”
When I mentioned the restaurant to the editor of this paper, he said he, too, liked it.
My wife and I went, and loved it. It’s a small, cozy place. We liked the decor on the walls. I felt bad about its location, because it’s on Grand (403 W Grand Ave., to be exact) but not where all the foot traffic is downtown. It’s at the western end (near Bellamy’s). Although on the positive, whenever we go, we have no problem parking.
We used to frequent Filippi’s for our Italian fix. But, having grown up in Mira Mesa living near a Filippi’s and now in Escondido with another one, I’ve been there hundreds of times and consumed probably hundreds of pounds cheese so . . . we started going to Joe’s. We have gone to Dominic’s Italian Gourmet on Grand. We like them, too. But there’s just something about Joe’s Italian that keeps us coming back.
We’ve only been disappointed once. That’s because we showed up on a Monday night. Turns out, they’re closed Sunday and Monday.
The last time we were there, I thought I’d ask our waitress to give us the scoop (no, not gelato…info on the restaurant).
Angelina Onda told me, “My dad Giuseppe (Joe) was born and raised in Calabria (Southern Italy). He came to the States at the age of 18. After a short layover in New York, he flew to San Francisco where he started his ‘American Dream.’ He enrolled in school to learn English and started working at Italian restaurants throughout the Bay Area.”
She continued, “After a few years he opened his first restaurant with my mom Mary, right in the heart of San Francisco. After having kids they decided city life was too busy and made the move to San Diego, after a friend introduced them to the area. And here we are 45 years later. My dad is the hardest working and most kind and generous person. He just turned 76 and is still working full time spending his days preparing all the meals. You’ll always find him in the kitchen.”
Since many restaurants went out of business during COVID, I asked Angelina how they handled that. She said, “It was difficult for everyone, especially restaurants. Luckily, my father had been established for many years without having the debt of a new business. Also, the grants and available funds to help with operating costs were a lifesaver. With that, we were able to weather the storm.”
Unfortunately, shortly after COVID, her mom passed away.
“I have been helping my dad run the business since that time. I’m his sidekick,” she said.
The restaurant was decorated nicely for the holidays. I noticed the maps of Italy on the table tops, placemats, and some of the walls.
My wife grew up making Italian food with her Italian aunt and grandmother. She really appreciates the quality of the dishes we’ve eaten at Joe’s from the tomato sauce to the pasta fagioli (pasta and bean soup), the tenderness of the noodles in the lasagna, the delicious combination of chicken and cheese in the cannelloni, to the crispness of the eggplant parmigiana.
I love their soup and chicken parmigiana (which I get every time). My wife got lasagna (better than her Italian Grandma’s). Previously, she’s had the cannelloni and the eggplant parmigiana, and always enjoyed whatever she ordered.
They have the best antipasto salad we’ve ever had at a restaurant. And we eat out a lot.
I was worried with Joe being in his mid-70s, he might be thinking of hanging up his apron soon. His daughter responded, “He loves cooking and meeting all the wonderful people who become friends and family. It’s his passion and life. He has no plans to retire.”
The interior of Joe’s Italian, decorated for the holidays.
Dining and Cooking