Original Joe's Restaurant & Bar in Calgary

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comments 5

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  Victoria Price

  :: 26 April 2018 11:29:21

  Have you ever had a long-term friend that you used to spend every moment of spare time with, tell jokes to, admit your deepest fears, embarrassments and insecurities to? Sure. We all have. Remember the disappointment and confusion you felt when that friend started getting really weird, their interests diverged from yours, and some of the new company they kept was a bit on the dodgy side? That's how my relationship with the 4th Street OJ's feels. My friends and I have frequented this location for over 4 years: It's been our after work watering hole, the place we limp to the morning after a party for brunch and mimosas, the place where we re-unite with friends we haven't seen in months. It was like home away from home, but everything went downhill. Post-renovation, following the loss of the pool table, something changed at this location and not for the better: The service became slow, disjointed, and inattentive. The menu changes left a lot to be desired, and the overall quality of the food coming out of the kitchen also declined: We once split an order of nachos where the spicy beef tasted oddly fishy. Fishy beef? Why?! Just like that friend who is drifting away though, you're inclined to keep trying to make it work, and try we did. I finally had to call it over my experience this past Sunday when I went in for brunch alone: I arrived just after opening, and at the time there was one table of two or three outside, and just myself inside. For reasons beyond my understanding, the bartender brought my menu and took my drink order. Upon dropping my drink off and realizing that the server still hadn't been to my table, he asked what I'd like for food: I placed my order through him, and two minutes later the server finally came by to confirm. The restaurant steadily filled up over the course of the hour that I was there, but I saw no reason to justify the lack of service I was given. I used to work in the service industry myself, and handled both bar and serving duties alone on weekend mornings and afternoons with less tables waiting around aimlessly than this server had. Ultimately, the bartender ended up bussing my table, and taking my payment when I was done. It was great of him to support the server in the name of good service, but the circumstances of him having to pick up the slack leave me wondering. As someone who has frequented OJ's locations since 2010, I'm both saddened and disappointed at the decline of what once was my favourite franchise and dependable watering hole. Unfortunately this weekend was the last straw for me, and I can't see myself or my friends coming back again.

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  Gibson Tilley

  :: 25 April 2018 23:21:23

  Great location on 4th street serving local beer and original food. Can't go wrong with a Double Dog and pint before hitting downtown, the Stampede or a Flames game. Good friendly service, parking can be difficult, but that's almost anywhere downtown. Old school location, nice small patio to enjoy a cold drink on a hot summer day.

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  Ruzaan duPlooy

  :: 18 April 2018 13:46:27

  Sometimes it’s great! Sometimes not so great! But I still enjoy the food and the convenience.

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  Chris

  :: 15 December 2017 23:05:10

  I ordered a mojito and it was a vodka soda with 2 lime wedges and they charged me extra for it also the vodka was awful. While I was drinking it I felt like I wanted to kill my self. I would describe the taste of the drink like sewer water Never go here

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  Aubrey Smith

  :: 21 November 2017 20:58:11

  Came here for a late dinner on Sunday evening around 8pm with my boyfriend. Not a busy time. 2 staff on by the looks of it. Server was nice, she was blonde with glasses. Ordered the Pacific rim and didn't eat it all. But did enjoy it. By 4 am i woke up with major abdominal cramps and nausea. Began throwing up. I went for he doctor and was told I had food poisoning. I didn't eat anything all day. Couldn't move because of the cramping and constantly was vomiting by the hour. I will not be returning.