Luke L.
Yelp
Eat At Joe's is one of those old school local favorite breakfast spots and was established in 1969. Apparently decades ago John Wayne visited here while filming and Joe made John's breakfast whatever he wanted it - hence the John Wayne Special was born and has become one of the signature dish at this spot. The children of Joe Filkosky (the founder) sold the business to Alex and Michele Jordan in the late 90's. In August 2024, the business was sold to Patrick Mescall and Brian Eldridge who also own other businesses such as the Torrance Tavern, the Hula Hula Room, the Bounty Room, Patty O'Brien's on Aviation Boulevard, and the Sly Fox in Lawndale.
[Parking]: Easy and free street parking on weekdays and they have a small designated parking lot.
[Atmosphere]: The restaurant was quite busy on a typical weekday morning. Just walk in, grab any available tables, and get one of the staff's attention. There's also a section with an outdoor tent.
[Menu]: Top three highlighted dishes by Yelp are John Wayne Special, Breakfast Burrito, and French Toast. The staff will ask how you want your egg prepared - over easy/medium/hard, scrambled, sunny-side up, poached, etc. For toast choice, you can choose white toast, sourdough, wheat, rye, squaw, gluten free bread, etc. For cheese choice, you can choose Jack, Mozzarella, Cheddar, American, Feta, Parmesan, Shredded, and Swiss.
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John Wayne Special (Two eggs over medium, with cheese, on home fries and a tortilla, smothered in spanish sauce, and surrounded with sausage - egg = over-medium, & toast = sourdough, $16): Huge portion and enough to split into breakfast and lunch. It didn't take too long for the kitchen to prepare the order. While the dish looked gooey, sloppy, and messy, it actually tasted pretty solid!
Fresh brewed coffee ($4.50): I ordered a cup of coffee and my waitress was quick on refill. She even asked if I want a complimentary cup of coffee before leaving and it was a nice & surprising gesture.
***
Overall an absolutely classic diner spot with tons of nostalgia & glimpse of South Bay history. A-tier on food, a-tier on service, and s-tier on value.