Joel's

Very casual cafe with amazing Mexican food for half the price of other places! I had the carne asada taco -- huge and delicious. My husband had the adobada burrito -- same -- huge and delicious blend of ingredients. We'll be back next time we're in Sandpoint!

Excellent staff, clean restaurant, grateful cooks that yell thanks from the cook line. The burritos are huge and very filling. This is a must stop for our Sagle / Sandpoint vacations. We fed a family of 8 for under $80 with tip and have tons of left overs.

Great burritos! Tons of options. Gets busy early so suggest ordering ahead if you are in a hurry. The place has plenty of places to sit and stand. Parking is available everywhere. We ordered from the outside window. Got lunch and breakfast burritos. Large burritos. Medium salsa is delicious. Will definitely go back when we visit next time.

Food is great. Phone service could be more professional. Training needed. Online menu needs to be updated. Items shown were not available nor did the employee taking the order have knowledge of what was posted online.

Great food! Local atmosphere. Would go back anytime! Burrito was huge!

Literally the best service,food and atmosphere in North Idaho I've eaten here for years and if I could give this place more stars I would (try the potato burrito)

Fresh made to order Mexican to go food, we'll worth the wait. Huge portions on the burrito. I had two meals with it.

I eat here near constantly! Best Burritos in the northwest! That's for sure! I always get and extra spicy California burrito. The burritos are so flavorful, and everything is fresh! I even lived in the Southwest and this might beat out a lot of places down there. I would highly recommend.

This is a destination spot for amazing grub. The burritos are off the charts delicious and the staff is pretty cool. Not sure why it isn't dine in anymore but the place is still worth going to for the food. It's a great spot with a recorecognized location. Great decor that let's you know your about to eat well.

Amazing food every time. I live right by it and it never fails to deliver me my food on time and right

Food was as good as I remember, but would have liked some salsa. Both of our burritos were excellent. Tasted fresh. Meat was well cooked. Tortilla was just the right chewy and didn't come apart. Service was pleasant. My only task complaint was that our burritos didn't come with a side of salsa to add a bit more spice. Maybe we could have gone back and asked for some? Note: this is really a place to pick up some food and then take with you or eat outside. There is some indoor seating, but a total lack of comfort or decor. Maybe it makes the food taste better.

The food has usually been great over there. We usually get the potato burrito and the tofu fish burrito. You can also choose to have a corn or flour tortilla. The cashiers are usually great and very helpful with any questions we usually have. We haven't been able to eat indoors during the summer, but they do have outdoor seating outside. They also have indoor seating for the colder months. I would recommend this place to my family and friends.

Amazing burritos chicken adovada every time. Usually adovada is done with pork but Joel's does it with chicken and it's incredible! Fast and friendly counter service, eat there or take it to the mountain!

Highly Over-rated. But when you're only 1 of 3 Mexican Restaurants in town (not including Taco Bell) you're limited.

A must stop when in Sandpoint for some of the most authentic Mexican food. Reasonably priced. Service is excellent and super friendly!

I love their food so much! It's worth every penny! Joel is so kind, incredibly welcoming!

Tacos are awesome! Great place for a quick and reasonable lunch in Sandpoint. Made the mistake of only getting one order of chips to share with my 14 year old... They are delicious and we wanted more! Tacos are surprisingly big, much more filling than your average taco. I thought my son might need more than 2 but we were both satisfied.

Alas for the original Joel's. I have been a huge fan of Joels since it was a trailer across from the park. I moved away ten years ago and just now moved back home. I was so looking forward to lunch today but sadly Joel's is no longer Joel's. The food has changed and not to the good. Now instead of a Carne asada burrito with shredded meat beans and rice you get meat stew in a flour tortilla. Tasty and it was ready quite fast, but not a burrito. Swai fish burrito used to be grilled fish fillet now you get a deep fried fish stick. Time has not been kind to my favorite restaurant.

I was really excited for a fajita burrito, got our food bit in and there was a bunch of cabbage, not a big fan but took a couple bites and once I decided It didn't taste good I took it back to the window and the lady told me if you didn't order it without cabbage I can't do anything and I mean okay I guess that's fair, but I didn't expect a fajita burrito to be filed with cabbage!!! And there aren't ingredients listed on the menu, just the item and price. I was honestly expecting them to remake it after a $30 order, but instead the lady just gave me attitude and I walked away hungry and frustrated.

Simple good Mexican food. Huge burritos, so plan on sauce dripping into your hands. We had a carne asada burrito and the beef with rice burrito. Both were outstanding. We asked for their hottest sauce. It was a habanero HOT sauce that comes in a small container. It made both of our eyes and noses run. It is so good though. You can't stop coming back to it. We live about an hour away from Sandpoint but it is always worth the drive. We head up, do some shopping and stop in to Joel's for a quick inexpensive bite.

Everything quite unique, especially for those that are from out of town and for all of us that live in town or in Ponderay, we all know where to go. So enjoy enjoy and enjoy.

Spent a weekend here and was amazed to see such a legit Mexican place in North Idaho! They offer some of the best breakfast burritos I've ever had (and at a decent price, too).

Excellent tacos! Portions are generous. My #1 go-to restaurant when I'm in Sandpoint.

Great place with tasty Mexican food...Their refried beans are the best I have ever eaten, a real test for authentic Mexican cuisine..being from Tucson and Nogales I am an expert. Nice people and generous portions. A Sandpoint must visit for lunch.

Been eating at Joel's since.... the seventh grade and it is always a delight! Awesome breakfast burritos, and awesome lunch items. A steeple of this town and you won't be disappointed

My husband and I are new to Sandpoint and Joels is a staple for us! We love the customer service AND the food is fabulous!!

Awesome local restaurant, FIRE fish tacos. Highly recommend! Service is surprising fast considering the amount of customers. If you're going by, definitely come by and get a couple fish tacos!

The asada burrito is to die for. I left Sandpoint last week and have been craving it ever since I left. End of story

A Sandpoint classic! I remember when it was a food cart years ago, now a full fledged resturant. If there is one O.G. Sandpoint spot, it just might be Joel's. The food is well seasoned and prepared. They have a wide variety of options, including dishes and alterations for people with specific dietary needs. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, keto etc.. There is something for everyone! I have never had a bad customer experience at Joel's, the proprietor, Joel, is pretty much always there. The cooks have not xhanged much that I can recall. All of the staff is friendly, the tend to even know locals by name and/or order. Although it now has table seating they still have the casual vibe. In the summer they open up a garage style door for a lovely flow of out door seating and the do great takeout service.

Soggy food. It's ok flavored, not great. Stewed tomatoes on a taco.... Or at least they look like and taste like.... Tortillas were cold.... Just wet... not a great experience.... It's a experience all to itself. I love Mexican food... I won't stop in here again....

The atmosphere is nice because it has lots of seating indoor and outdoor! The service tho is really slow, took a long time to get our food, and the food was rather disappointing. The street tacos were poorly made and soggy. They are also way overpriced. They try to add volume with tomatoes and lettuce to hide the tiny portion of meat underneath. Also, didn't enjoy the huge portion of salsa that they put on the chicken tacos, that just makes it really soggy and hard to eat.

Joel's doesn't need a revue. All the locals know this is a great place to eat. Great owner and staff.

Consistently delicious. My order is locked in here at Joel's, Carne Asada taco and a Shrimp taco to satisfy the surf and turf craving! Service as always was very good, polite during check out which is impressive based on some the summer crowds they face during lunch rush.

Busy and yummy little Mexican restaurant. There was a little line when we arrived but it moved quickly. There isn't very much actual seating. They have some tables that you get to stand up to. Food was ready fairly quick. We ordered the chicken and pork taco's which were both very good. The pork came with a soft shell and the chicken came out with a crispy shell. We also had the chips and salsa. Salsa is a little spicy but good as well.

I heard this place was incredible and it's great they have so many options on the menu and their service was very fast. But as a first timer to Joel's I'm really disappointed. I added beans as an additional option to my egg & potato breakfast burrito and I'm really disappointed because my entire burrito is just refried beans. My original order was an egg and potato burrito and the amount of eggs and potatoes is minuscule. The entire burrito is basically just a pound of refried beans. Honestly it's completely inedible. I'm very disappointed.

Food was soaked and full of water. Soaked through bag and onto my wife's pants and my truck seat. Should call them "wet tacos" .... Every place I've been I say asada taco and I get beef automatically. Today I was told "Asada means grilled what kinda meat?" Kinda rude and for to go orders not safe for travel. Oh and wasn't offered any hot sauce or pico. Tasted fine though.

No salsa bar which dooms such a place. Plus no beer! I would think it's positive reputation is from our neighbors to the north. Portions are adequate but not generous. They are polite but act like the want you out as quickly as possible. Next!

Best burrito in town! And fantastic business practices with awesome staff! Our order was accidentally lost, Joel insisted on refunding the entire order of 4 burritos! Joel, you just made a customer for life!

Needed a change of pace with the family the other day and decided it was time to get out of the house. Found Joel's on Yelp, loaded everyone in the car and headed to Sandpoint. The staff was super friendly and helpful. The restaurant was clean. It was a cold day so everyone was eating inside. I saw employees frequently cleaning tables between parties. Our food was ready in under 10 minutes. Really enjoyed the carnitas tacos, they had a melt in your mouth quality to them. My wife got the tri tip taco special with beans and rice and loved it. I ordered the fried Pollock tacos. The flavor was great but the texture was a little lacking. The fried fish wasn't crunchy like I hoped it would be. That being said, the flavors were right and they were good but could have been great. We will definitely hit up Joel's again the next time we feel like a change of scenery.

I won't be back sadly in my opinion they are snobby and over priced! Sadly they didn't use to be this way!!

Food was bland (no flavor), really oily, took forever, they were so busy, so many people, not friendly at all. Was not an experience I would ever want to relive twice. Taco Bell has better food, service, and is more reliable. And I really don't like Taco Bell. But you know what you're going to get, they are nice, it has flavor.

We stayed in the Sandpoint area for about a month and we were craving some good Mexican food. We were told Joel's has the best Mexican food in town so we gave it a try. Their portions are reasonable for the price. The fish taco was fresh and crispy and overflowing with toppings. The burritos are huge and everything has great flavor. The employees were very friendly. We are from Arizona and we wish there was a fast service Mexican food place this good back home!

Went here on a Tuesday afternoon for a quick bite. Line wasn't too bad and we got our food within 10 minutes. I ordered a chorizo breakfast burrito. I wish the chorizo had been more spiced than it was; I've had a lot of chorizo throughout my life and never experienced such an under spiced sausage. The burrito also comes with potatoes in hashed form; mine was burnt but also soaked in grease that later would drip into a pool at the bottom of my foil -very unappetizing when I eventually got to the last few bites. The eggs and cheese were okay. Overall the burrito was sort of bland so I kindly asked for a side of salsa (so I could add some sort of flavor that wasn't grease or burnt hash) but they said they didn't have any.... I was taken back by their response. I have never been to a Mexican food restaurant that didn't allow its patrons the common hospitality to provide them with some sort of salsa... The outdoor seating could've also been tended to a bit more. In the 40~ish minutes we were there, we didn't see a single person come to clean any of the food off the floor or counter space. I don't think I'll be recommending or revisiting Joel's.

This place was disappointing after reading such great reviews. The tacos have no flavor and are just a juicy mess not worth your money or calories! The staff was friendly.

Long lines but fast service. Chicken asada burrito was delicious. Huge and packed with chicken. Their salsa is good if you don't know salsa otherwise it's ok. I would pass on their guacamole. Guac was not tasty. Carnitas tacos were so good. Carne Asada tacos were the best. Fish taco was good but not great. Nice inside and fun outside seating that was packed. Obviously a local favor and a must stop if you have a Mexican carving.

Best Mexican specialties and ingredients in town. Always a wait on weekends but worth it.

Just freakin good tacos. It's busy at lunchtime but it moves quick. The pork adobado tacos were awesome!

Great Mexican food in North Idaho. If your in Sandpoint or close by you have got to try this place. I had the Pork Chili Verde burrito, it was fantastic!! My husband had the potato tacos, they were also amazing.

I can see why this place is always busy! I had heard alot of good things so I finally tried. They had long lines but next time I'll just order ahead of time and call in. Anyways, really tasty food and good service. We will definitely be back.

This is one of the best places for easy, quick and delicious Mexican food. The portions are huge and you get what you pay for at Joel's. They have Vegetarian/Vegan and Gluten-free options on their menu. The vegetarian fajita burrito is delicious and the veggies are sautéed to perfection. The veggies are crisp and flavorful unlike most Mexican restaurants where the veggies are over cooked and soggy. Currently the dining room area is closed due to staffing but do offer limited outdoor seating and takeout. If you dislike Taco Bell, this is the place for you!!

Best chorizo burrito I've ever had. Make it spicy. It won't disappoint. Rebecca is also very good, but if your not a fan of ketchup like myself, ask them to leave it out.

Definitely recommend!!!! Best authentic Mexican food in the area!! The family who own it are super sweet too!! I love their fish taco's!!

On the advice of a local, as well as Yelp, I stopped for lunch at Joel's. In case you didn't know this already, the more people that are in line for food and the more reviews a restaurant has the better. For noon on a Tuesday, line was 10 deep with plenty waiting for what they ordered. I was advised to get rice and beans, so I ordered two chicken tacos plus rice and beans. I also ordered two steak tacos, which will be dinner tonight. I expected street tacos. What I got was so much better. Crispy taco shells with tons of chicken, cheese, lettuce and plenty of salsa. The rice and beans were perfect to help scoop up all the topping that fell out of the tacos. Chicken was perfect. Not too dry and not too wet. Amazing meal. Well done!

Great Mexican style food with quick service. This boardwalk style restaurant is an awesome quick bite for those long beach days only a few minutes from City Beach.

Great food! Had the fish tacos, ceviche, carne asada burrito, and Chile verde burrito! All was super delicious! Great portion sizes as well.

When you've got a hankering for the biggest burrito the size of your head, Joels is the place. Very creative ingredients. Something for everyone! In fact, I find it overwhelming to look at all the options, and then end up getting the same thing... however it is amazing! I've never had a quesadilla that I praised. But for realz, this is the best dang quesadilla. I don't know what they put in it that would be different than home. Eat at Joel's.

Based on the reviews and local suggestions we were excited to try this place. My suggestion: don't. 1) no seating 2) the food was cold 3) the meat was riddled with gristle and unrendered fat (Photo below of just what I couldn't bear to chew all the way) 4) the burritos were poorly wrapped and watery so they fell apart 5) no bathrooms 6) the soda machine was poorly maintained 7) no hot sauces to use or condiments Generally speaking the food quality at Taco Bell is better and cheaper.