What’s a typical Friday night like at Little Joe’s Restaurant? There’s a line of hungry people waiting outside the door, it’s loud but fun and everybody knows everybody. It’s date night, after work meeting night, and it’s game night with sports fans wildly cheering on their favorite teams. The family-owned eatery has been the Friday night hangout for local folks for many years. Opened in 1935 by Joe Dewey during the Great Depression, Little’ Joe’s was originally located in the Grand Hotel at the corner of Grand Blanc and Saginaw Rds. It has occupied the current location since 1936 and was purchased in 1993 by the Abbott family, now co-owned by Edward Abbott, his son Joe and his two daughters. “We’re the local tavern!” exclaims Joe. “Everyone comes here – business people, college kids and families, you name it.”
While the casual atmosphere is welcoming, Joe says customers come for the scratch-made fare. “It takes some time, but it’s worth it in the end,” he smiles. They use as many local ingredients as they can and during the summer months, Trim Pine Farms provides the vegetables. “We like our customers to know that what they’re eating came from just down the road,” says Joe. Menu favorites include pizza and the South of the Border dishes such as fish tacos, burritos, quesadillas and fajitas. “And people really love our burgers and the fish & chips,” Joe boasts. Many diners share meals, as the portions are generous. Widely popular daily specials include salmon, fresh fish and steamed mussels. “A ton of people come in just for the specials,” Joe says. One customer fave is Debi’s house made Ice Cream Peanut Butter Pie – ice cream and crumbled Nutter Butter cookies in a graham cracker crust. The staff serves many Draft Root Beer Floats, as well.
Little Joe’s is proud to serve craft beers and many Michigan beers, and constantly changes the wine list to meet customer demand. Rachel, the nighttime bartender has a lot of regular customers,” Joe says, “and she knows them by name and has their drinks ready before they even order!” Little Joe’s is famous for its Bloody Mary, which is made with an original recipe from The New York Restaurant in Harbor Springs, MI. The popular cocktail is served the old-fashioned way with olives, a pickled asparagus spear and a shot of beer.
For the past three years, the Abbott family has been renovating Little Joe’s and plans include a return to the original wood floors. “We’re going back to what it used to be like to create a more tavern feel; it will be a completely different place,” smiles Joe. They recently revamped the outdoor patio where diners can enjoy a little bit of city living. The eatery also has a banquet room which is a popular venue for local gatherings, dinners and parties. “We’re lucky to have so many loyal customers,” says Joe. “Grand Blanc has been very good to us!”
PHOTOS BY MIKE NADDEO
