Joe’s Joint

Get here late. Get ready for heavy hitting sloppy perfection. When I first came to this place it became almost a legend in my mind. It’s tiny, cramped and wood everywhere, tons of random stuff on the wall. I watched my food get made fresh and always get the same thing chili cheeseburger, it’s horrible for me, and so so good. Flavor was fantastic and it’s cheap. Secret late night spot

This place is hard to find (past Bandido’s) but is well worth it. If you’re looking for a simple burger, this is well worth the price (around $ 6 for a combo). The burgers ARE kind of small (i ate the entire thing but was satisfied). My boyfriend had two hot dogs (Taco and All-​american) and enjoyed them a lot, especially the all-​american. He also liked the fries. They have the crinkly fries, which I’m not a fan of, but that’s not necessarily a minus, and I think the seasoning is pretty tasty.
As far as Joe’s vs Buns, I think it depends on what I want. If I’m craving fries and/​or a fancy ingredient, I’d go to Buns. They have sweet potato fries, whereas Joe’s doesn’t, and I’m not really a french fries person. However, if you just want a decent, regular burger (or hot dog) with fresh ingredients without breaking the wallet, I’d come here. They also often have UConnection deals.
The only minus was the TV volume was pretty loud (probably because the place was empty before we arrived), and the wait time was a bit longer that I expected considering we were the only people there. However, the wait wasn’t unreasonable and the food was prepared fresh and better than expected, so I don’t think it was too bad. The TV was really distracting though.
TL;DR pretty good burger/​hot dog place though a bit hard to find. The food is the real star here, as aesthetics are definitely not a priority.

Watch out for the crazy blonde lady who will yell at you and threaten to tow your car when you’re waiting for your grandpa to finish paying for grandma’s birthday dinner. The food wasn’t worth the abuse.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. This place is awesome. Probably the most underrated late night food joint in Chapel Hill. Cheap and fantastic greasy food.

I went here with a friend and we ordered hot dogs which were absolutely disgusting. They were super watery and undercooked to the point where they were barely edible. After eating only a small portion, we left and my friend complained that she got sick. I got a little sick as well. I would never recommend this place. It’s in a back alley and it belongs there.

i dont really like the potato Munch and the Burger. both are oily and salty.

Some say hole-​in-​the-​wall, I say beaten-​up shack. I just think it suits it more. You’ll need a map, however, to get to this shack. Something a little more detailed than Google.
The journey starts under the steps of the beloved Players– beloved by many a creepy Latino man. Go down the steps, past Banditos (yeah, just keep going. No need to even think about stopping there), and out into the parking lot. You’ll see «The Joint» to your right. A jolly overweight man will be greeting you above the door (this is his tomb stone. He ate there too much.) You’ll want to turn around now, but I promise you shouldn’t.
Joe’s Joint is the quintessential hidden gem. Their deadly, but delicious burger, fries and drink are around $ 6. You cannot beat that anywhere in Chapel Hill. I mean, Bun’s charges over $ 10 and they don’t even provide grease! You have to bring your own! BYOG.
Also, get their homemade potato munchers. They are awesome. End of story.
A lot of my friends refuse to go, never even trying it. So, if you see me sitting alone, please bring me company. ^_​^ Thanks.

Joe’s Joint defined: A unassuming hole in the wall that specializes in serving up delicious, greasy, post-​bar /​pre-​hangover fare. If you don’t want the grease, stay out of Joe’s Joint. If you do want the grease, there is no better place on Franklin late night!
First off: location. Crawl into the alleyway that is underneath the infamous Players night club (a college staple of mine) and keep going until you see the light. That light is a parking lot, and to your right you will see a sign featuring a sketchy-​looking fat man sporting a wife-​beater and a metal spatula. That is the logo of Joe’s Joint, and it suits the eatery perfectly.
Come inside, and find yourself cramped amongst Chapel Hill youth and barcrawlers, eager for their turn in line to order up some wonderfully unhealthy food. My recommendations are their burgers (obviously). Do NOT leave without ordering their delicious homemade potato munchers! These lovely bites feature hot cheese, jalapeño & onion bits, all fried to perfection.
Joe’s Joint hit the spot this past weekend, as it always had done, as it always will continue to do. A cheeseburger, fries, and drink for $ 6 = Franklin st victory!

First of all, it is a small shack at the end of an alley. The walls and tables look like they’ve been built from leftover plywood and the linoleum floors are checkered like the multicolored chiclet gum in the candy machine.
But if you let your assumptions prejudice your decision to eat here, know that you’re missing out on something great. For about $ 5.50, you get a cheeseburger with fries and a drink. The food is hot, tasty, and served quickly. The place is quiet and relaxed. Just kick back and enjoy the food.
For the price, you really cannot go wrong with this place. You can get a comparable meal elsewhere, but expect to pay roughly twice the price.
If you’re looking for a filling lunch that won’t burn a hole in your wallet, resist the urge to run back to that stylish place down the street and you’ll be duly rewarded.

A cheeseburger, fries and a drink is 5.50 + tax.
Down the street at Bun’s, it’s over 10 $ plus tax. You’re not going to end your meal here thinking «Wow, I would be willing to pay double what I’m paying here for Buns.»
Is it the best burger ever? No. Is it good? Yes. Is Buns twice as good? No. Is Buns 1.5x as good? No. Is Buns 1.25x as good? No. Is Buns slightly better? Yeah.
But between Buns and Joes, it’s Joes everytime.

Classic hole in the wall with consistent food.
Ventured here yesterday for a quick burger while I was in town — nothing special, pre-​made patties, single slice american cheese, but the bacon looked like it was thick cut and hit the spot. My friend got some onion rings which were really good and they had a picture of a chalupa on their menu that looked pretty good too (despite being a burger place, I would have probably tried it if I handnt seen it after I ordered). Prices are def cheap which is a plus.
Probably wont return next time I come through, not because the food is bad but because there are so many other restaurants around. Oh, and my friend said they keep weird hours but are open late, so keep that in mind.

This place is through an alleyway in a building that is a bit questionable, but I found the food deeply enjoyable. My friend took me during the school year and the walk was a bit sketch, I was a bit taken back by how I had to walk through an alleyway to get to this place but the food made up for the walk. Whenever I go to Joe’s Joint I get the veggie burger and onion rings and I find it amazing. People may say bad things about service, but I don’t find it that horrible considering your getting a burger from a building through an alleyway. Pricing isn’t that bad, this place is good for a quick lunch especially with friends. There isn’t much to say about the actual inside, its just a pretty small room, and I could imagine it getting really crowded during the school year, but I feel not enough people know about it so that shouldn’t be a serious problem. I consider Joe’s Joint a bit of a hidden gem of Franklin St, dining, because not a lot of people know about it, which is why you should seriously check it out.

This place is great for a quick lunch if you don’t mind a really sketchy scene. Its in a back alley behind the parking deck on Rosemary and looks like a place you would take someone to get murdered. The door to the bathroom is like a warped piece of plywood and I had to yank a few times to get it open. I don’t know what a female would have done because if I had to sit on that thing I would have needed a tetanus shot. The tables are old soggy wooden tables that look like they have seen better times and I constantly felt like I was the most sanitary person there.
Other than the aesthetic qualities of the place the food is rather delicious. Not healthy in any way but their hotdogs and burgers are probably the best in town. The portions are great for the price and the service isn’t horrible. They definitely aren’t going to go out of the way to serve you but they aren’t mean or deliberately rude. I only go to this place when I’m craving comfort food and am on lunch break from school.

Good food, bad service. The food is really great. Especially the hot dogs. On par with Char Grill. Mostly I order though Tarheal Takeout, and the fact is that’s usually better than walking ½ block and trying to deal with the service. My problems with the service mainly come from times I have walked in and there was no staff there 0.o. And having problems with communication. But if you are in the area and want a really good dog, this is the place.
Delivery is only though Tarheal Takeout.

I would much rather go to Buns for a quality late night burger and fries than Joe’s. It is a pretty small space and the food is pretty standard. It can still pull a decent crowd though.

Stopped in for lunch with some co-​workers. Its affordable, and by no means healthy, but tasty in its own way.
My IT guy swears by the place and often times during the «what are we going to eat» conversation suggests it. Its more often than not turned down because its not a place you initially remember fondly. Though the more I think about its greasy spoon goodness, I have to admit it wasn’t bad.
The burgers are good, I had a patty melt that was tasty but rather greasy. It came with munchers. No one seemed to know what they were but I know them to be a rare form of cheesy hash-​brown that’s breaded then fried. Similar to those Arby’s cheesy potato bites. The whole thing cost me $ 6.50 plus tax.
In the end, its a good place to grab a bite in the off hours. I wouldn’t want to stand in line for what I got, nor would I ever seek it out. Although. if you ever find yourself down a dark ally off of Franklin street maybe you should stop on in to Joe’s Joint and grab yourself an order of something unhealthy with a side of tums.

There are SO many better places to go for late night in Chapel Hill than Joe’s Joint. I waited over 40 minutes at the counter for a Philly Cheesesteak. It came out so burnt that it tasted like pure grease from the flat grill.

I was a bit skeptical of this place based on outside appearance but luckily my wife and I were filling adventurous (and quite hungry!). From the outside, this place looks like a hole in the wall. Inside, however, is quaint and comical (in a good way). There’s interesting photos and artwork on the walls complete with fake cacti in the windows. It’s easy to not notice the entrance because it’s behind a back alley in between Franklin St. and Rosemary St. We stopped in late one night as were heading to the parking deck trying to decide where to go for late night food. Luckily the handy iPhone app said this place wasn’t so bad so we stepped inside.
This place could probably be best described as a «burger joint» but they do have other things on the menu (pulled pork and hotdogs for example). My wife got the cheeseburger combo and I got the bacon cheeseburger combo (for 50 cents more I believe). This burger was awesome. Lately, it seems I have been eating more burgers than normal and this one was by far the best of the ones I had lately (comparing to Buns and R&R Grill). They seem to use high quality beef and the burger is prepared fresh. I had fries with my order and they were also quite good. They add a little seasoning but otherwise they’re fairly normal.
What I really enjoyed about this place was the friendly and helpful staff. It was late and there was no one else in the restaurant so I expected staff to be tired and unenthusiastic but it was actually quite the opposite. There isn’t really a wait staff because you order at the counter but service while ordering and for drink refills was great.
Soon after we ordered, a large group of people came into the restaurant and then I realized that maybe we weren’t so special in finding this place after all. If you find yourself craving a burger then I highly recommend this Joe’s Joint.

So I: just: got home from a night in Chapel Hill that ended with me, a burger, and a heap o’ fries at Joe’s Joint. Ah – reminiscent of those ‘good ol’ days (only, in those cases, it would probably be much closer to 4am right now!).
Joe’s Joint had caught my eye a couple of times when parked in the Rosemary’s deck and making my way to Franklin. But tonight it practically jumped out, the sign in front: «Lunch. Dinner. Late Night» beckoning to the weary traveler (or the late show movie attendee who hadn’t eaten since lunch) like a warm and fuzzy beacon.
I’ll admit, with the scuzzy-​looking exterior — and the weight-​challenged caricature mascot who reminds me of the main dude in Aqua Teen Hunger Force — I was initially a little concerned about health code violations and/​or edibility of food.
Completely dissipated when I entered. It’s a totally cozy little hole in the wall that I would have welcomed in my Franklin bar crawl days. Lots of UNC paraphernalia on the walls, funny quips, and even some dedicated space for The King. They had the tv tuned into the game. Got a cheeseburger and fries for around $ 6. Now I’ll reiterate I was about ready to eat my own arm… but that burger tasted seriously amazing! And they serve the ridged fries you hardly see anywhere anymore. I was really pleased. Sweet guys at the counter and food served up quick and hot. It was a little chilly in there (bad insulation in a shack, you know!) and the space isn’t big enough to accommodate more than say 20 folks comfortably. But it’s definitely charming in it’s own way.
Their sign under the tv sums it up best: Good food, good friends, good times!

If you’re on Franklin Street, you have to go through a tunnel to get to Joe’s Joint. More specifically, the tunnel that houses Banditos.
Joe’s is simplicity at its finest: they have burgers, cheesesteaks, and other food related fun at relatively cheap prices. In fact, with the exception of possibly the chains, they probably do have one of the better values for your buck on Franklin, particularly their $ 5 or $ 5.50 deals (sammich, fries, drink).
The food is decent enough: definitely more late night greasy spoon, but not bad either. I had a cheeseburger with fries. The fries had some form of mild pepper on them, which didn’t add anything to the flavor. The burger itself was decent enough, but not necessarily big.
Cheap-​food wise, Joe’s is a good choice, hidden in the back of Franklin Street. It definitely has its charm in those cheap prices and late-​night food fun.