Happy Joe’s

I have been going to Happy Joe’s for years at a different location. This was my first time at the Dubuque location and I was less than pleased. The service was horrible. We waited forever for our food and when the pizza was ready, the tray was so hot we were barely able to make it back to the table without burning our hands. They did not provide anything to serve the pizza with either. The crust of the pizza was burnt, which was disappointing. After pizza, we ordered ice cream. There was two workers behind the counter and while one was scooping the other just stared at us while fiddling with things on the counter before walking away. Then the other worker behind the counter finished with the customer she was helping, looked at us and announced she was going to clean some tables and walked away. Needless to say I will not be visiting this location again.

Sooooooo amazing… came all the way from Lufkin Texas. Today’s ice cream special is pumpkin pie… the best ICE cream in the world

Every time I visit family in Dubuque I go to Happy Joe’s. My ultimate favorite thing to get is the Taco Joe pizza. I love the environment, watching them make the pizza in the viewing window is always fun as well. Definitely a good spot for family or friends.

I grew up in Dubuque and have always seen happy joes as a treat. I have recently moved out of town, but it is a must stop every time. I typically enjoy something simple, however the nacho joe and race pizza are delicious! My nieces love this place because they can watch the pizzas be made and play games before dinner. Would defiantly recommend this place. I have found Dubuque happy joes seem to be better than other places. And on your birthday you get a free sundae and sung to.

Amazing pizza! Great place for families! (Kids would love it!) Good ice cream as well, fun place for children’s birthday party.

We like trying different places while out on our travels and saw this pop up on our search.
We were not disappointed in the least!
The interior of the restaurant is very eclectic to say the least. There are pictures of teams (I assume local) and all sorts of stuff on the walls. There is ample seating for a variety of different sized parties. Luckily, there is a sign right up front that tells you to find a seat, check a menu, then order from the window… we might have been a little lost if not for the sign. It looked like there was a raised platform for children to watch as the pizzas were made since I saw a bunch of small ones go up there and look in (cool idea!).
The staff was very friendly and helpful. They made us feel comfortable and welcome and well as made sure we had enough to drink and took our used plates away.
The pizza was very good! I don’t eat pizza often, but this is a pizza place to which I’d return. We were both full, so we didn’t get a chance to sample the ice cream part of the restaurant… but I think that might be our next visit!

I had it delivered it looks so good. The pizza I had was a quarter pizza, it was a taco pizza, pepperoni, pepper and sausage, macaroni and cheese

Very nice old school pizza parlor, we live in California and my son goes to school in Dubuque and this was a great low key place. The pizza was great and the people were very nice I will go back!

This location has the carnival, Chuck E. Cheese, kids gone wild vibe. You will see lots of kids running about, some laughing, some crying. There is also a cute party room and an ice cream parlor. If you have kids, this is the place to go and let em have at it! And if you want a quiet meal, do not come here!
We had lunch here with family, some laughing, some crying — j/​k! Lots of interesting specialty pizzas. The Taco pizza is a favorite with the family. I had it once before, not bad. Since I am a fan of chips, I liked the taco flavored chips sprinkled on top. This visit, however, my husband and I did not eat too adventurously. We stuck with the Hawaiian. And as my husband pointed out, the crust at this location IS cracker like. Fine with me, but not his favorite.

Throwback. This place takes me back to my childhood days. Amazing taco pizza and the old fashioned ice cream parlor. Love it!

It seems that everybody loves this pizza. I’m not from here but I have to say that I’ve had much better. The pizza toppings are not fresh and not too creative. It feels like it all came from a jar or can. On top of that the pizza is extremely expensive for what your get. It’s a lot of food but that is about it. Not too much taste.

Always a favorite when we’re back in town!

I can see why this place has a following. It is fun and kitschy, and seemingly amusing for kids. But, I’m not sure about that Taco Joe Pizza. Was it suppose to be somewhat like a pizza, because it wasn’t. It was basically a fried base layer acting like a pizza crust, with all the toppings of a taco. I like mexican, and certainly didn’t mind it, but not sure it is on the level of «wow» pizza. It was ok. People were having fun, and some other pies looked good. Wait staff told me to sit wherever upon my arrival, but didn’t explain how to order or pick-​up food. Left me to figure it out myself, which I did after sitting there unattended for a good 5 minutes. They were more interested in talking about facebook faux pas. If I have to go back to the area for work, I might give Happy Joe’s another shot, but will try a more standard style pizza.

Happy Joe’s is a must visit once or twice each year we’re in DBQ from Ausitn, TX. The taco supreme pizza is my wife’s (who is from TX) and my favorite. It amazing that the best taco pizza is in IA and TX taco pizza is so very bad.
Growing up with HJ in DBQ I always wondered if it’s just what a person knows that makes something a fav. To test it, we had six pizzas shipped to Austin and I made them for friends. All are enthusiastic converts!
The BLT and the Canadian bacon & sauerkraut are also very tasty.
It’s a family place so be prepared for kids running around and a lot of noise. Service is order and pickup at the counter with staff doing drink refills at the table.

I couldn’t disagree enough with the reviewer Bryan Z, Happy Joe’s is Midwestern tradition that simply cannot be ignored. I traveled everywhere in this country, and believe me good pizza is hard to find. I live in Little Italy in San Diego now and have eaten at some of the finest Italian restaurants in this city and the kid in me still craves the pasta and pizza from Happy Joes. It simply cant be explained. To quote Chris Rock when talking about Krispy Kreme donuts, «Its so addictive, if I told you there was crack in it, you would be like. I knew something was up!» Thats how good their taco pizza is.
(On a side note, yes there large pizza is expensive, but you can get a little joe personal and a drink for about $ 5 during lunch.)

People’s infatuation with this place baffles me to no end You might say that they have the best Taco Pizza on earth, and I’d say, «Who wants lettuce, tomatos, and generic tortilla chips on a pizza?»
But to be fair, I feel I had to give it a chance. A large Taco Pizza? $ 25. Thank you. Now if it was filled with great toppings? Maybe it’d be worth it. How much freaking lettuce can you buy for a dollar? Not nearly enough cheese, not nearly enough ground beef. Not realy enough of anything I actually want on a pizza. I’d rather drop $ 12 at Papa Murphy’s for a stuffed-​crust Five Meat. It tastes better and has half the cost.
I know this may have some kind of allure from some’s childhood. But I don’t care. I want good pizza, and this did not fit the bill at all. I’ll never go back willingly.

I love this place. They have games, and A LOT of pizza! If you win an 8 ball you get a free pizza. I love their TACO PIZZA! It’s amazing!!!
It is so good. Anyone would like it!

The best taco pizza anywhere, hands down!
I don’t think I’ve come here and gotten anything else, ever!
I miss this place like crazy and make it a point to come here anytime I am back in town.

The taco pizza. Oh, the taco pizza. I don’t know what they lace it with that makes the locals love it and crave it for the rest of their lives, but after growing up here and eating it regularly, no other taco pizza at any other restaurant will ever be as good as Happy Joe’s. When I run into other former Dubuquers and one of us mentions heading back, a Happy Joe’s taco pizza discussion inevitably follows. My sister, who has also moved away, is a vegetarian who is lactose intolerant; even she orders taco pizza sans cheese and meat.
Oh yeah, I guess they make other pizzas, too. The BLT is a favorite, but you can also get a barbecue pizza, a nacho pizza, a fajita pizza, and depending on current promotions, you may find things like a spaghetti pizza or a reuben pizza.
The Century Drive location is the original in town, and while it can get rowdy with children (it’s one of the most popular places for birthdays due to their ice cream parlor and birthday siren, along with the «watch them make it!» window), it’s an experience that comes with the territory. The bonus is that their delivery is excellent, so it’s much more satisfying to go that route if you don’t feel like tripping over excited kids everywhere.
If you’re ever talking to a current or former Dubuquer and they claim to not like Happy Joe’s pizza, hide. Take shelter. This is not a real human being — this is clearly a robot that has come to destroy you.

Rarely do I get a bum steer from Unilocal.I travel alone on business. I arrived on a Monday night to find out it was family night. A large pizza and pitcher of pop for $ 18. Seems like a good deal faced with a $ 17 medium pizza. One reviewer claimed there was little crust. I’m thinking thin crust so a medium made sense, so why not bump it up a size. I got the $ 18 deal. These pies are a dough-​fest, with enough crust to choke out most of the toppings. I could have fed half the unruly urchins crawling around the place. I’ll give a pass on lack of mention that this kind of wild environment would be expected due to it being family night. The strains of Happy Birthday every 10 minutes did get a little annoying after a while.
But the pizza is another matter. I went for the Taco pizza. I love Taco pizza. So I got half of the pie as a Taco pizza, the other half, BLT. This was not very good Taco pizza. The crust was way too thick, there was too much lettuce, and not enough meat. I wouldn’t get it again, but would say that it’s worth a try if you like thick crust Taco pizza. The BLT on the other hand was authentic, with mayo, bacon, lettuce and tomato. But, it again had so much crust, that it was hard to taste the toppings. I’d suggest coming back when fresh tomatoes are in season. In both cases, forgo the folly of picking up and eating pieces. Just get a plate and fork.
Service was excellent when I walked in, and especially good at the counter. I didn’t get much attention at the table.
I gave this place an extra star because the other reviewers so passionately and unanimously love it. I reckon that if I lived in these parts and had a brood of the aforementioned unruly spawn of my own, I’d be all over this place.