Not Your Average Joe’s

Having a pallet accustomed to Louisiana fare, I found the food a bit bland but well prepared.

The food is ok but expensive.
If i am going to pay the price I will go to a restaurant in Boston or Cambridge.
Not worth the money… for me.

Gross! Chicken was pink and the salad it came on was the saddest looking salad I’ve ever seen. The lettuce was brown and not only was the chicken pink, but also felt like rubber. I bet if threw it on the floor it would bounce like a ball. My boyfriend and I left without eating our food and were not charged.

Terrible. Went for a graduation dinner and waitress was rude and inattentive. Food was mediocre and cold. Would go to a different location but not here.

I’ve tried this restaurant three times now, twice for family dinner and once for lunch with a business colleague. I’m not sure how it gets so many positive reviews. Every time the service has been average (lukewarm and somewhat attentive is the best way to describe it). The food is not good, but not the most awful either — I’ve tried sandwiches, pasta dishes, soups, and appetizers, and everything has literally been average or below average. Super bland, inconsistent texture, plates that have dust/​smudges on them, and one time the pasta was cold when it arrived at our table. The bread and olive oil they provide at the beginning is average; not as good as Bertucci’s in my opinion. I haven’t tried any of their alcoholic drinks.

We came here for lunch for a celebration. Both of us have food allergies concerns. Our server, David, greeted us immediately with a gluten free menu and a hot, gluten free roll. He brought a separate dish of olive oil with crushed garlic and hot pepper flakes (YUMYUM) since I can’t have cheese. He made sure both our meals (Backyard burger and super Crunch Salad) were prepared perfectly and he even had Jose, our chef, bring our meals to the table! David was one of the most attentive and caring servers we have ever encountered and even packed up an extra gluten free roll for home. Jose was so attentive and friendly, considering it was the lunch rush on a Saturday. Thank-​you for a lovely lunch and catering so personally to us, David and Jose.

Recent visit to not your average Joe’s provided for present dining experience for my girlfriend and her daughter and myself we only got appetizers but I’ve eaten there before and it was very good the pizza surprisingly was incredibly good and they made us and grief with fresh fruit that was incredible Nice place to go with some friends or family I haven’t had I have a bad meal out of there ever and that fresh bread you can dip in the Royal sauce garlic your oil sauce with cheese is awesome three helpings my advice to Joe’s keep up the good work

Food was very tasty. Service was great, esp considering I met up with a group of 10, each of us with an infant in a car seat.
Bread basket and dipping oil are amazing.
Parking was a breeze with a public lot right behind the restaurant.

Monday night until July 14^th is $ 1.00 oyster night! Went on last night with my daughter and had 5.99 Martinis and 12 oysters each. YUP, I said 12 each ;-) we each ate a dozen of those succulent babies and enjoyed every single slurp off their iridescent pearly shells. We arrived at 4 on the dot to take advantage of this offer.
We got the calamari ap which was plentiful, crisp light coating surrounded in a bowl of hot peppers. Just enough OVOO not swimming in it.
For an entrée I chose the half mustard crusted chicken sandwich and the cup of clam chowder. The chowder was excellent! Very very tasty. It was not overloaded with potatoes as I’ve had at many local places, there was a generous amount of bacon in it, and the broth was thick and creamy. As for the sandwich, it was ok. A bit bland in comparison to the rest of the meal, pretty standard. My daughter got sirloin tips and mashed red potatoes. The steak tips were undercooked. She did indeed ask for med rare but these tips were completely blood raw inside. It was not a problem with her though. Since we had eaten so much already she opted to bring them home to toss them in the broiler when she was ready to eat them. I did try them and the meat was tasty and good quality.
The waitress we had may have been fairly new as she was a little confused about some of the menu and questions we had. She made every effort to answer and found out what she was unsure of. That’s all anyone can ask. She was polite and genuinely seemed concerned that we were happy and satisfied.
There was a small mix up on the check. Actually it was regarding questions we had asked before we ordered anything. As soon as my daughter mentioned these 2 mistakes the waitress realized what had happened and fixed it immediately and was apologetic.
Oh I almost forgot! There was a live snail attached to one of my oysters!!! It was so cute. We joked how we were going to ask the chef to escargot it for us. ha ha. (ok we know escargot is made from tree snails and not ocean snails :)
Also they attached an offer to purchase discounted movie tickets to our check. We asked about it and this particular site buys them in bulk to offer them at a discount. With that they will give you an extra 15% off your next bill if you take advantage of the movie ticket offer. Pretty good deal!
Bottom line is I would DEFINATLY go back here. Typically I don’t care for «chain» type restaurants but Not Your Average Joes has a standard I admire in a restaurant, their food was very well presented prepared and priced well. It sets them apart from the norm.

I have to come to this specific location at least one to two times per month… Maybe even more!
The service here is superb and the atmosphere of this exact location knocks the ball out of the park when it comes to service, food and atmosphere! Tens across the board! Do I need to say more!??
Last night my grandfather wanted to go out for dinner and our usual place to go is Not Your Average Joes! We love it here! We come here for all of our birthdays and other celebrations! So anyway, last night it’s my Papa, my girlfriend and myself at the table, Dave come up and greets us and brings us their DELICIOUS bread and always paired with a delectable olive oil dip! I can taste it now as I’m writing this! Yum! He take our drink orders and head off on his way… While we are looking at the menu my girlfriend and I say to each other why bother looking when we know what we already want! We always get the Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad! For me, I like to add a twist… I add the following:
–Avocado
–Tomatoes
–Pickles
–Cucumber
–Shrimp (Protein)
I highly recommend trying it with the balsamic vinaigrette on the side opposed to the raspberry dressing!
Back to ordering, my papa wasn’t sure what to get! He was torn between the Steak Tips and Meatloaf which I have heard was a Joes favorite by most people! I don’t eat meat but I hear it’s a big seller! He did ask Dave if they still sell the Mediterranean Chicken meal but Dave said they don’t and wish they brought it back because EVERYONE LOVES IT! So, my papa orders the Tips. We also asked Dave for more bread but in all honesty it took him until after our meals came to bring more. (We did ask a few times)
By the time we were done with our meal, the manager, Patricia came over to ask how our food was and we say phenomenal like always! My Papa did bring up the Mediterranean meal again and Patricia said if we personally ask for it, they could possibly make it! She was a doll and so personable!
After she lets we chatted some more and all of a sudden Patricia came back with a bag and said that she had the cook make my Papa a Mediterranean Chicken dish and it was on the house. We were BLOWN AWAY… Literally BLOWN AWAY! We were so thankful and thought it was so nice of her to do that!
This is why I wish there were more places like this! A must go to and try! Options are endless, wait staff are amazing and the managers are down to earth friendly REAL people! You do not get that everywhere! Way to go NYAJ! Way to go!

I’ve been a regular and very satisfied customer of Not Your Average Joes for a few years, and tonight was reminded why.
We had neglected to call ahead for reservations, and in spite of the Sat. night crush, our hostess was most gracious — in fact offering us each a slice of hot, bubbling pizza while we waited (a first for me!).
Our server was excellent as they consistently are at this — probably most — Joes, but tonight I inquired about a personal favorite of mine that I discovered is no longer featured on the menu. The GM, Jamie Zeff, came to the table and was extremely accommodating and insisted they would be happy to recreate the dish — Chicken Oscar.
It was awesome — just like I remember it. And as I watched Jamie in action, frequently moving throughout the dining room, chatting with guests, handling special requests (like mine), I realized that GMs of Jamie’s caliber are increasingly rare in the restaurant industry (though a caliber apparently sought and attained by this successful chain).
Clearly an example of the right leader for the job — who will set the tone and support the organizational mission. Outstanding praise to Jamie and his team at the Medford, MA NYA Joes!
Thanks.

I went there for a post-​birthday dinner and had an amazing dining experience. Everyone was nice/​friendly, the food was delicious, they honored my birthday voucher for a FREE entreé and FREE dessert even though it had expired, and Jenn was an awesome server. When we go back, we will be asking for her.

Never been to this restaurant. The place was crowded and vibrant. I had high expectations when I walked in, however things kind of changed when I sat down.
Waiter stopped by to introduce himself and to take our drink order. We had bread with olive oil and parmesan cheese on the table but no utensils or napkins. That annoyed me because I had olive oil all over my hands and had not to clean my hands with. It took a while until he showed up again to ask for a napkin and utensils.
Kids meal was awful! French fries were soggy and the chicken tenders had no taste. It was just plain battered fried chicken. No seasoning at all! My son rejected the meal. The adult meal was not bad for an average restaurant.
Will I return to this place? Probably not. There are better places.

Its a nice place. We went there when there was just 30 mins for its closure. The breads and cheeses with olive oil was just amazing. The chicken pizza was also great. The mustard fried chicken was good (not the best). But overall a great experience.

We looooove this restaurant
The food is amazing and it is not expensive!
We live near by and try to go here as often as we can
Can’t wait to try again the butter squash Mac and cheese! A seasonal favorite
And the bread that they serve while you are waiting for your food is out of this world!
It might be too good… Because then you are half full for your main course and, of course, too full for dessert :)
Try for yourself, you won’t regret it

I was very optimistic as I entered, because the place smells delicious. The waitress was friendly, and she told us enthusiastically that everything in the restaurant was made from scratch so dietary restrictions wouldn’t be a problem. For bonus points, she kept the foccacia and olive oil dip coming while we made our selections, and that much was delicious.
I ordered the «Nacho Average Nachos», hold the chicken, and the enchiladas (again sans chicken.) The waitress confirmed I was ordering vegetarian, and complimented the «southwestern theme» of my selection. This surprised me but when you’re abundantly charismatic like me you get a lot of weird compliments. An impressive amount of time later the nachos arrived. nobody else’s food was in sight, but after two or three minutes I decided to dig in only to find the dish laced with shredded chicken.
The waitress was apologetic and took it back. When she returned some time later, the new nachos were burnt and had no salsa at all. I decided not to make a big deal of this, and five minutes later the rest of the party’s dishes arrived along with my enchilada.
Mine certainly smelled good, but the enchilada was once again stuffed full of chicken, just jam packed with it. A midwestern town’s entire chicken population was sacrificed to be placed before me, which is sort of tragic.
I attracted the waitress’s attention and said: «Miss, I am not an expert in these matters but there appears to be chicken in my enchilada.» She stared at me and blinked twice.
«Yes, there is chicken in the enchiladas.»
As politely as possible, I reminedd her that I asked for the enchiladas without chicken. She pauses dramatically for effect, and reveals:
«The enchiladas come pre-​rolled so we can’t really make them without chicken.»
It is my turn to be speechless. Briefly, I consider walking out, but that would reflect poorly on me during this work outing. I consider reminding her that she had assured us everything was made from scratch, and that this specific circumstance is the one she explicitly guaranteed against as we were perusing the menus. But in this case, I wondered, would not I be the aggressor?
«I can get you the menu and you can order something else,» she finished weakly. I assured her, not unkindly, that there would be no need, and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. When it arrived ten minutes later, it tasted like fish.

Came for dinner and drinks tonight with my go-​to drinking buddy. I grew up with a NYAJ in my town so I had previously fancied myself quite the expert, but was pleasantly mistaken tonight.
Having always considered NYAJ another in the vast array of chain restaurants offering similar food with different sauces or names, I was surprised to find more ‘craft’ or higher-​end elements on both the drink and food menus. Spicy tuna roll and the Moscow mule (which is a fruity version) were hits. Impressive that a non-​Asian, non-​sushi restaurant gets good marks for me on a sushi dish. I would have included more ginger and maybe a small dish of soy just to complete the presentation, but the actual dish was excellent. My drinks — of which I typically order few because I despise a chain-​restaurant-​shot-​pour — were well made, and to have the mule served in the copper mug a la restaurants such as Finz in Salem was a perfect touch.
Dinner was the pear spinach salad — perfectly dressed, good size, and fresh. Could have used a tad more cheese, but I’m a cheese fiend and I’m confident that had I asked, I would have gotten a whole dish full of cheese. The service was excellent: Sarah made some great recommendations, and when we said «surprise us» with drinks, she didn’t bat an eyelash. Lo and behold, her drink choices really reflected what we had expressed as our tastes and while I have absolutely no freakin idea in hell what kind of martini she brought me, my liver assures me it was quite satisfactory.
My date had the steak tips and mashed potatoes… Holy moly. If I wasn’t so full from the bread and sushi, I would have gotten them myself. Throughout the meal, I saw the manager Jamie working his way through the restaurant, checking in on patrons (including us) and ensuring service was above par. Honestly, the whole experience was more along the lines of something you’d find on Newbury than the NYAJ of the past. I was really impressed, not just for a chain, but in general.
If I wasn’t in a food coma, I would have definitely taken advantage of the $ 8 movie tickets because I’m dying to see Gone Girl (not Ben Affleck’s most recent movie, Gigli, though thank you for your timely and accurate suggestion, Jamie). But alas, the dishes were large, and I had to be rolled home like the giant blueberry girl on Willy Wonka (not complaining, although the person rolling me home might beg to differ).
Will definitely be back to explore more of what the updated and interesting menu has to offer! Highly recommend.

You really do get a free entrée & dessert for your birthday when you sign up for their email. This place is a pretty big size although the layout is a bit bizarre since there are 2 different entrances/​exits.
They have a whole cocktail menu w/​ll kinds of tasty beverages so it might take a while to decide. You cant really go wrong no matter what you get.
Although they do have vegetarian options I wish they had more. Then again their menu choices are pretty damn big so you can’t go wrong since things can be made veggie style. Their portions are pretty good size as well but depending on if you want room for dessert you may need to pass on sharing appetizer.
I would say to check it out since it’s also good for groups, they have a bar, tv’s, decent atmosphere.

First time at NYAJ… For our appetizers we had the Asian pot stickers, which were pretty good… For our entrées I had the balsamic salmon dish (with quinoa) which was different but pretty good
Hubz decided to make his own pizza, grilled chicken pizza with smoked mozzarella… He said he didn’t like the chicken too much… I tried his dish… I wasn’t a fan

Inconsistent. We got take out Friday night. A Joe Schmoe pizza (their plain cheese) and a BBQ chicken pizza. The cheese was nothing great but not horrible. Really enjoyed the bbq chicken, big plump pieces of chicken and a generous amount of bbq sauce and mozzarella. My bf enjoyed the bbq chicken so much that he ordered one again the next night. It looked like a completely different pizza. Small scraps of chicken and barely any bbq sauce or cheese. Clearly, there were different cooks each night. A chain restaurant should be consistent with their ingredients and presentation. Disappointing and will think twice before ordering take out from here again.
Half price apps at the bar weekdays from 3 – 6 and 9-​close (?) are decent and a good draw. Their bread and oil/​cheese combo are pretty addicting.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to go here, but Iive upstairs so it’s an easy choice.