SF’s Iconic 88-Year Old Restaurant “Original Joe’s” Opens in East Bay
After nearly three years of planning, construction, and delays, Original Joe’s opens its first East Bay location on Thursday, August 14, 2025 at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek.
The nearly 90-year-old San Francisco institution is moving into the prominent corner at 1300 S. Main St., in the former Stanford’s space. It’s one of the most-watched restaurant openings of the year for local diners, and the first Original Joe’s location in the East Bay.
Founded in 1937 by Croatian immigrant Tony Rodin, Original Joe’s began as a 14-stool counter in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. Now run by third-generation siblings John and Elena Duggan, the restaurant is known for its classic Italian-American comfort food, open-kitchen service, and signature leather booths. In addition to the flagship North Beach location, the siblings also operate Original Joe’s Westlake in Daly City and two popular spin-offs—Little Original Joe’s in San Francisco’s Marina District and Elena’s in the West Portal neighborhood.
The new 9,000-square-foot space features green leather booths, marble floors, and memorabilia, plus three outdoor patios with nearly 90 seats, a 50-seat cocktail lounge, and seating for about 300 inside. There’s also a private dining room and an exhibition kitchen where guests can watch the cooking in action.
A ribbon cutting with Walnut Creek Mayor Cindy Darling and members of the Duggan family is planned for Thursday morning, with doors opening to the public at 11am. Reservations will be on OpenTable once they go live, but it may be walk-in only at first.
h/t: Bay Area Telegraph and SF Gate
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