5/5 Brad R. 11 months ago on Google
TLDR:
Amazing
focaccia
pizza
and
an
unforgettable
neighborhood
atmosphere.
Unfortunately
they
are
closing
their
doors
at
the
end
of
May
2023
for
the
time
being.
But
it's
not
a
goodbye
for
forever,
but
see
you
later!
Vibe:
5/5.
Located
in
the
heart
of
Little
Italy
on
S
High
Street,
Joe
Benny's
is
a
small
rowhome
restaurant.
Inside,
the
restaurant
holds
approximately
30
guests
at
any
given
time
by
way
of
the
long
bar
top
and
a
handful
of
2
tops
in
the
back
dining
room.
Joe
Benny's
has
that
neighborhood
watering
hole
vibe
down
solid.
Because
the
place
is
so
narrow,
diners
will
be
in
close
quarters
with
the
staff
and
other
guests
at
all
times,
but
that's
not
exactly
a
bad
thing.
The
kitchen
is
located
right
behind
the
bar
out
in
the
open,
so
you
can
watch
all
items
being
made
from
start
to
finish.
Unfortunately,
by
the
time
I
post
this
review,
Joe
Benny's
will
be
in
their
last
few
weeks
of
operation
as
they
are
planning
to
close
up
shop
at
the
end
of
May.
Due
to
the
imminent
closing,
demand
has
been
through
the
roof,
so
expect
to
wait
1hr+
at
peak
hours.
Fortunately,
it
has
been
said
that
the
closing
is
only
for
the
immediate
future
and
Joe
plans
to
make
a
comeback
in
some
shape
or
form
in
the
future.
Service:
4/5.
We
went
on
a
Wednesday
at
4:45pm
(they
open
at
5pm)
and
there
was
a
line
of
30+
people
stretching
down
the
sidewalk
waiting
for
them
to
open.
When
Joe
opened
the
doors
at
5pm,
he
warmly
greeted
people
and
mentioned
that
the
"service
may
suck"
tonight
because
they
are
short
on
staff
being
it's
their
last
few
weeks
in
operation.
My
party
of
2
missed
the
first
seating,
so
we
decided
to
wait
via
standing
at
the
bar
inside
the
restaurant.
Joe
mentioned
it
would
be
around
an
hour
wait,
and
he
was
pretty
much
spot
on
with
that
estimate.
In
the
meantime,
we
kept
ourselves
busy
with
a
few
sangria's
as
we
stood
in
the
background
listening
to
the
friendly
banter
between
Joe
and
his
patrons.
When
we
were
finally
seated
a
little
before
6pm,
we
already
had
our
order
ready
to
go
so
the
staff
promptly
took
our
food
and
drink
orders
to
get
it
started.
Both
the
food
and
drinks
came
out
faster
than
expected
which
helped
justify
the
long
wait.
Small
miss,
but
one
of
the
pizzas
we
ordered
was
misunderstood
during
the
ordering
process
and
we
received
a
different
pizza
then
what
we
anticipated.
They
asked
if
we
wanted
to
get
a
replacement
made,
but
we
were
totally
fine
with
the
pie
we
received,
and
we
wanted
to
get
the
next
group
of
diners
in
behind
us.
Food:
5/5.
In
a
sea
of
pizza
restaurants
offering
up
more
or
less
the
same
things,
Joe
Benny's
truly
has
something
special.
The
focaccia
style
pizza
just
hits
different
than
any
Sicilian,
Detroit
or
Chicago
style
pizza
I
have
ever
had.
The
focaccia
provides
this
unbelievably
pillowy
yet
crisp
base
for
Joe's
amazing
sauce
and
toppings.
One
thing
I
definitely
appreciated
was
the
frequent
use
of
burrata
cheese
in
the
pizza
combinations.
Of
the
three
pies
we
ordered,
our
favorite
was
by
far
the
crabby
Joe
and
the
sharini.
The
Crabby
Joe
was
their
take
on
a
crab
dip
pizza,
but
a
much
superior
version
using
homemade
garlic
sauce
paired
with
lump
crab.
The
Sharini
used
their
famous
homemade
meatballs
paired
with
a
heaping
dose
of
burrata
and
sauce.
Simple
by
design,
but
an
amazing
combination
of
textures
and
flavors.
There
were
several
other
pizzas
on
the
menu
we
wanted
to
try,
but
for
2
very
hungry
people,
3
pizzas
was
borderline
overkill.
Overall,
I
highly
suggest
paying
your
respects
to
Joe
Benny's
for
a
dinner
service
before
they
shut
their
doors.
You
may
have
to
wait,
but
that
focaccia
and
family
atmosphere
makes
it
well
worth
it!