Original Joe's, Langford

An friend of mine mentioned this place as being run by a friend of an ex-work colleague.  Another person mentioned it as being good for large portions of good food, pub-style food.  And another person recommended it to a friend, who mentioned it when we were considering places to eat after helping them move.  We didn't actually go there after the move (making a repeat trip to Spoons), but we (my breakfast crew and I) headed there for brunch one hot summer's morning.

Except someone had failed to notice that they don't do breakfast at all (not a special Sunday brunch, or a late breakfast weekend menu, same menu all week), so lunch it was.  Joe's is a big old barn of a place out in the big box-store land Langford.  One box, filled with booths, and bar tables, a long counter top bar and plenty of TVs showing the sports (the Olympics were on then, I'd expect a steady diet of baseball, football and basketball at other times of the year).

Styling itself as a restaurant and bar, it had all the character of an airport lounge, without the tannoy or flickering departure screens.  It was quiet (no flights yet, I guess).  We got a good large 7 person table/booth area, with plenty of room for us to spread out and chat.  The lay out there was good for a mid-sized group, rather than being strung down a long thin table.

I'm guessing the staff didn't really want to be there yet, as the waitress went through motions of seating us and taking the drinks orders while everyone was still trying to work out where they were sitting.That caused confusion with the drink.  Let folks sit down first before asking how many coffees.  Coffee and water was delivered while were still on the menus, and apart from one trip back after serving food, we didn't get any top ups, or check ups if the food was okay, or if we needed anything.

The food did not match the service or the location.  I've heard they do big portions, and they indeed give you a solid amount of food (not US levels of food mountains, but enough to more than kill the hunger).  Everything seems to be served with two sides.  I went for the Sgt. Pepper Burger, with fries and green salad.    Solid pile of fries, well cooked, with a portion of tasty beef gravy.  Fresh green salad, and a nice dressing.  Big slab of a burger.  I regretted spicing it up with the chillies, chipotle and pepper-jack cheese.  It didn't need any of that.  Good meaty burger, cooked with a slight crisp on the outside, but juicy on the inside. The kaiser bun it was served on was glazed, soft, but still substantial enough to keep the works together.

Others had (among other things) the chicken tenders (fine), poutine (close to the second best in Victoria, after La Belle Patate) and meal with the garlic mash (very good indeed).  Everyone was satisfied. Good food, average service.

Which leads to whether I would go back... probably not, unless there was a good sized group of us in Langford, pre-cinema or some sort of social event.   But if I was there, in a group, the food shouldn't disappoint, and maybe early evening the place livens up a bit. If I lived nearby, I might head there for the sports and meal.  The food was more than good enough to deal with disinterested service once.

Final Bill
Sgt. Pepper Burger - $14.00
Coffee - $2.50
Total :  $20.00 with taxes and small tip

Phone : 250-380-4910
Address : #125 - 2955 Phipps Road, Langford, BC, V9B 0J9
Website : http://www.originaljoes.ca/langford