Reviews & Ratings for Joe's Stone Crab

02/01/12

Not worth the $$$

by Cutesy Utsey at Citysearch

We arrived early on a Sunday so we would not have a wait, which once opened we were seated immediately. That was the only good part. I waiter was less than enthusiastic and just truly cared about turning our table over. I have had better seafood elsewhere and our drinks (mojitos) which should be such an easy staple to make for South Beach were less than good. VERY disappointed! Would not go back. Your money is better spent for a cheaper and better dinner at the Ritz Carlton, not to mention better view and trip over themselves service!

11/08/11

I stand corrected ;) .. xcellent ;)

by Bombshell Grumpy at Citysearch

FYI.. we came today around 5pm..walked right in sat right down.. our waiter was amazing.. all the staff that served us was outstanding n caring .. the stones crabs ice cold..lovedddddddd them ..my hubbys 1st time eatn them.. smiled ear to ear.. your key lime pie was heavenly.. even better then the keys .. ♥ thnk you ..your resturant n atmosphere was xcellent... Kudos to you !! best regards to management..

04/27/11

Such a banal food experience

by arcarolina at Citysearch

We walked in and we knew we had made a mistake, immediately. The "old club" restaurant look and feel of oh so many steakhouses that serve bad food. We should have left but it was late and we were hungry so we stayed and hoped despite our instinct telling us otherwise.

The cocktails were good and this is the only high point of the evening. The fried calamari were clearly out of a bag, we each tasted one piece and gave up (they kindly removed it from our check). And what to say about the conch fritters? I tasted one and I could not go on (I can only tell you that I had better luck with the fritters from a street vendor outside Grand Cayman Airport). My husband had 3 as he was famished by now, but even he had to give up eventually. I wish I could say they tasted bad, but that would imply some taste.

For main course we got the stone crab (why the claws arrived icy cold when we only ordered them 10 mins prior, is another of those mysteries. Unless there is an assumption that everyone love them very cold. ) and the yellow fin tuna steak.

Where these dishes bad? No , just banal beyond belief. When I saw that they had added dry wasabi peas to the jicama salad, I realized what is so wrong with this place: the chef probably use Campbell's Kitchen web site for his recipes. If you like good food avoid this place.

07/03/09

Excellent food and ambiance

by lcosta02 at Citysearch

My wife and I go to Joes at least a dozens times when it's open. The stone crabs are the best in Miami. The seafood bisque is delicious, as are the grilled tomatoes, and world famous hash browns. And you better save room for the world's best key lime pie!

• Pros: atmosphere, stone crabs, key lime pie
• Cons: long waits at all time

02/16/09

Average

by foodluva13 at Citysearch

Kind of a poor atmosphere. I thought the food was okay though. The ciopinno was good and the stone crab was good. GET THERE EARLY!!!!

• Pros: Stone Crab
• Cons: Extremely expensive, bad atmosphere

01/19/09

Worst dining experience ever

by pmh8001 at Citysearch

We went to Joe's on 1/18 because it is supposed to be amazing but what they don't tell you is there are no reservations or calling ahead and typical waiting times are 2 hours...unless you are willing to pay. I watched over a hundred people get seated before me who had arrived after because they are willing to slip the head waiter who is in charge of seating 20-40 bucks. This would be fine if a few people did it but it seemed it was the accepted method of seating with far more people being seated in the greaser line than who were not willing to pay extra for a table at a place where a meal for two costs 125-150 dollars. And this is all under the table cash something Joe's might want to watch out for if the IRS ever comes to visit. The atmosphere...you feel like you are in a cafeteria in highschool, large rooms, loud with silverware clanking everywhere. I was disgusted and I can't believe this restaurant is touted as Miami's finest, will never go back.

11/19/08

Joe's Stonecrab House - A Unique Experience

by mjgintoli at Citysearch

Joe's history is interesting! And that in itself yields to an atmosphere that sparks my imagination of what it must have been like in the days of old!

I like to get there early before they open and walk through the line of waitstaff. That early presentation is fun! The staff has always been pleasant and accomodating.

The stone crabs are great - but how can you ruin a stonecrab? But - the big BUT.... how do they ruin bread? For a restaurant of this reputation I would think that they can serve WARM (or at least room temp) bread!

Best deal on the menu??? A heaping order of sweet fried oysters for $6.95!! Soups are good too!

05/01/08

Great food and atmosphere...spotty service

by tervin at Citysearch

I can't say anything bad about the food...it's all great. I'm not sure it makes sense to get stone crabs here though. The only thing that makes them different from any other place that serves them is the dipping sauce which is good but I'm not sure it's worth the price difference. The rest of the food is great. Pay particular attention to the random entrees like fried chicken or the burger...very cheap and amazing. Their house salad is also great. My 1 complaint is that I've had mixed service there...the last time I went the waiter was distracted, rude and pushed the whole table to the larger crabs that cost a lot more. This contradicted the recommendation of our previous server who was fun, courteous and recommended the second smallest size for the best value.

03/13/08

My favorite restaurant in Miami

by AH206 at Citysearch

I couldn't believe all the bad reviews on Joe's. I've never had anything except impeccable service at Joe's. Value is great and the food is unbelievable. Everything from the variety of breads they start you off to the salad, potatoes, grilled vegetables, crab right down to the desert. You can't go wrong. You may have to wait if you not a regular, but I still think it would be worth it.

• Pros: Service, Food, Ambience
• Cons: Crabs are pricey, but still a good value

03/07/08

worse service ever!!!

by bestoffood at Citysearch

How can I start? As we walked in, the very "not welcoming" faces greet us. We asked for a table for 4. My husband met us there after work to eat with us to say good bye to my parents, leaving to go back to Brazil. You will not believe what just happened? As my husband arrived, he told the waiter he was there to meet someone. But because our table was for 4 ONLY, my husband was not allowed to seat with us, the waiter wanted to seat him in the opposite side of the restaurant all by himself. We just pulled an empty seat from the table beside us. Our very nice waiter opened the table and there was enough space for him to seat. Then some crazy lady came over rude as she could be, yelling at us, pointing fingers at us, saying that my husband had to leave, saying" I don't have to explained myself to you, I am calling the police if you think 5 people will be seated in a table for 4. ?You told us 4 people, so only 4 people can seat down". I was horrified by the situation. Then the owner, Hitler wife, I am guessing, came to talk to us, but instead of apologizing for the rude lady before, noooo, she went rude on us. I would think the owner priority is customer service and to make sure customers are happy. But the opposite happened. Our waiter, poor guys, was hiding because he was so embarrass, he said. The whole restaurant was looking at us. The table beside us were horrified as well, even invited my husband to seat with them, because they had 4 people in a table for 6, but they could not let 5 people seat in a table for 4. In the end, the owner let as stay, but seriously, nobody was hungry anymore, we didn't have time to go somewhere else because my parents had to catch a fight. There are so many nice seafood places out there, never ever ever going back. Oceanaire is a great substitute! And the people are so nice. Oh please don't order the chowder soup, bad, bad bad... it was the worse experience in a restaurant in my life.

• Pros: nothing
• Cons: horrible service, rude owner.