Joe K’s

Terrific breakfast. My family and I were in Alton for the day and read about this restaurant on Unilocal.All of us had something different and all of us loved our food. We had one of the omelets (the hash browns are perfect), the Dixie breakfast, the biscuits with sausage, and we shared one of the apple strudel pancakes. The restaurant has a very neighborhood feel to it — we felt like it was very obvious that we had never been there before! But the people and staff were quite friendly and helpful. If we are ever in Alton again we will absolutely stop here.

Had an amazing breakfast here. Perfectly poached eggs are very hard to find. Will never have IHOP again.

Dine here for breakfast… High Standards on everything and the service is excellent, too.
Super clean, friendly, & excellent tasting. 15 – 20 times here and never a complaint.

I went for breakfast on a Sunday. I was dining alone so I sat at the counter. My order was taken quickly.. I ordered eggs Benedict, it doesn’t come with any sides so I had to order hash browns on the side. I also ordered 2 pancakes since the pancake menu was so large, I assumed it was a point of pride for the restaurant.
The eggs Benedict was good for a dinner, the english muffins were not toasted at all, but the eggs and the hollandaise sauce were good so I still count it as good. The hasbrowns had zero flavor at all. The portion was plentiful but they had no taste, even salt didn’t help. The pancakes were good but this is where I have to really mark them down. FAKE Syrup, not real maple syrup. FAKE butter, they had some cheap off brand margarine. FAKE cream, some palm oil based off brand creamer. They also only had sweet and low and equal as sweeteners.
In spite of sitting right in front of the coffee machine at the counter, I had to ask for a refill on my coffee. There is also no way the coffee they are brewing is Ronnoco. Ronnoco has a rich delicious flavor and a robust smell. This coffee had almost no flavor or scent, if they are brewing Ronnoco, then they are not making it with the proper amount.
I expect a mom and pop restaurant to serve real food. Real cream, real butter (hopefully whipped) and real maple syrup. The pancake prices aren’t low enough to justify the «cost cutting» on the butter and syrup. Also it is still probably cheaper to buy the real stuff in bulk and package it in the store.
I gave it 3 stars instead of 2 because I think the basic food is decent. If I go back I will get an omelette and just drink water.

We eat here a couple times a week! Love their food. Its the best breakfast in this town. Always clean and waitresses are always friendly. Never a long wait for your food. Sometimes a small wait for a table but its worth the wait. They are only open until 2 but they also serve lunch which is just as good as breakfast. Awesome hamburgers too!

Went here based on the previous Unilocal reviews and I’m so glad I did! This place was amazing! The coffee was flavorful and I never wanted for a refill, they were very attentive to the coffee level!
The place is full of locals and everyone seems to know each other which I find quite charming. It had a great church crowd but the tables turned over quickly!
As for the food, OMG so delicious! I ordered the Dixie dish, a biscuit, 2 sausage patties, 2 eggs cooked any way, hash browns and sausage gravy. My friend ordered 3 full pancakes. The gravy was good and I ordered my hash browns extra crispy and they were actually crispy!
Highly recommend this place and I will be going back!

Everything on the menu is great. The prices are reasonable, and the food is worth the wait. If you like salads, try the Cobb. It’s excellent. I often call my order in for carry out & they always have it ready when I get there, and I’m in and out pretty quick. It’s a great place to eat.

I was invited to breakfast here for a business meeting. It is an old fashion mom and pop place. Booths lined the walls, hostess walking around with pots of coffee to keep your never ending coffee refilled. This is the place where you get called Hon and Sweetie and you don’t mind because it is like your aunt talking with you. The stuffed French toast was recommended, since strawberries are in season they were fresh. You can order a half or full size ordered. I opted for the half, I can say this was probably the BEST stuffed strawberry and cream French toast. The half size was perfect.
They are a true diner. They are only open from 5 am to 2 pm. No nights and no liquor.

Stopped in here for a quick breakfast on the way back to STL from a weekend trip. The waitress wasn’t the friendliest, but she was really busy. It took a decently long time for them to get the food to the table, and when it came, they messed up my order — gave me an omelet instead of biscuits and gravy. The waitress didn’t notice, and I couldn’t get her attention so wanting to avoid the inevitable 15 minute longer wait for my original order, I settled for the omelet. I tried the blueberry pancakes and those were pretty good. The omelet and hash browns were good. I wouldn’t avoid going again, but wouldn’t rush back.
Pros: inexpensive, lots of options on the menu
Cons: bad service

In my book, I know a café is good when you see senior citizens frequenting the place regularly and the servers know them by name. Joe K’s is such a place, and you can’t go wrong with their yummy, down-​home breakfast or lunch. The prices are very reasonable and the portions are hearty. The food and service is always good! It is the kind of place where the owner can be seen joking around and talking to regulars or even running the cash register.

Try the grilled biscuits! I can see craving these constantly. Otherwise this place has great breakfast food. I really enjoyed the Big Country. Nice peppery gravy, perfectly done over easy eggs.