Pasta-tively in Love with Original Joe’s

They make you feel like family.

BY SHARON SETO

ORIGINAL JOE’S IS MORE THAN A RESTAURANT. IT’S A FAMILY LEGACY that spans three generations for me as well as for them. As a huge fan of Original Joe’s since childhood and dining at the restaurant with my parents and family throughout the years, memories run high each time I go: my dad’s huge birthday celebration, raising a glass to my beloved friend, my husband’s shrimp Louie salad grin, and all the stories we would tell each other around the table. There’s always someone we “bump” into while dining. At Original Joe’s, we celebrated our joys and comforted our sorrows. It’s where we felt at home and connected. It’s that kind of place, and now, I share the same yummy food and old-school Italian vibes with my grandkids, creating more treasured memories. Original Joe’s is not just a restaurant, it’s a legend in my family and for others. Go and you will see.

John and Elena Duggan are co-owners of Original Joe’s, a third generation, family owned and operated, Italian American restaurant located in the heart of San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. It’s been a city institution since their grandfather founded the restaurant in 1937. The Duggans have been at the helm of the family business since 2003, when the beloved restaurant was still operating on Taylor Street in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district.

After suffering the loss of the original location to a devastating fire, the Duggans were forced not only to find a new location worthy of its longstanding history with San Francisco, but also to adapt their family’s business model to change and evolve with the times. Since reopening in its flagship location in 2012, Original Joe’s has grown to employ over 300 people and has thrived in North Beach, becoming a San Francisco Legacy Business and an integral component of the Bay Area restaurant industry. Original Joe’s San Francisco and sister restaurant Original Joe’s Westlake in Daly City, also family owned and operated, are both frequently listed in the Top 100 grossing independently owned restaurants in the United States and receive several nationwide accolades.

In December 2020, the Duggans opened a new takeout concept in San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood, named Little Original Joe’s and featuring pizza, pasta, and parmigiana, alongside a robust marketplace, rotisserie, and takeout counter. Little Original Joe’s shines in a category of its own, having ranked on DoorDash’s list of 100 most loved restaurants in 2022. A second location of Little Original Joe’s is slated to open in the Marina district in fall 2023. The 85-year-old family establishment is also planting roots in the East Bay with its third Italian American restaurant opening in Walnut Creek in 2024. Between the new concepts and locations, in March 2023, the Duggans acquired what has widely been declared as “one of the best cheesecakes in America’’—San Francisco’s Zanze’s Cheesecake. The time-honored family business has plans to revive and expand Zanze’s, which has been around for 43 years.

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD WITH ORIGINAL JOE’S ITALIAN DRESSING

SALAD

Serves 4-6

~ ½ pound romaine hearts, chopped

~ 1 head radicchio, chopped

~ ¾ cup salami, matchstick cut

~ ¾ cup cucumbers, thinly sliced rounds

~ ¾ cup red bell pepper, chopped

~ ¾ cup garbanzo beans

~ ¾ cup pepperoncini, sliced

~ 1 head fennel, shaved

~ ¾ cup Kalamata olives

~ ¾ provolone, matchstick cut

~ ½ cup parmesan, freshly grated

~ Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, except for the parmesan cheese. Stir gently to combine.

2. Add the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently to incorporate the dressing. Top with shaved parmesan cheese.

ORIGINAL JOE’S ITALIAN DRESSING

Makes 24 fluid ounces and has a shelf life of seven days.

~ 1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced

~ 2 tablespoons shallots, finely minced

~ 2/3 cup red wine vinegar

~ 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

~ 4 teaspoons sugar

~ 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced

~ 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced

~ 2 cups olive oil

~ Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

In a mixing bowl, combine everything except the olive oil. Using a whisk, slowly add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

HL: What is your most favorite dish(s) to make at home?

OJ: For us, cooking and family go hand-in-hand. Sunday dinners have been a constant and anchor of our busy lives for as long as we can remember. I (Elena) try to go to the Stonestown Farmers Market every Sunday and base my menu around what moves me and what I can find that day. As summer approaches, the brothy butter beans from Iacopi Farms are a staple. I’d have to say my favorite dishes to make at home for a Sunday night dinner are usually a frittata using any lingering vegetables from the week, a big green salad, and grilled lamb chops with salsa verde and roasted smashed potatoes. Other family favorites I rotate through regularly include lasagna, breaded chicken cutlets—especially for the kids (my children and nieces and nephews)—and what we’ve all come to call “Kevin’s Rigatoni,” which is ground sausage, marinara sauce, cream, parmesan, and basil. We’re a no-frills kind of family: simple dishes with beautiful ingredients generally do the trick.

HL: Original Joe’s has fed generations of people over the years. Do you have any funny memories or stories you want to share?

OJ: This was back during the Taylor Street days: a little boy was a regular with his parents, and they came in about once a week. He was around eight to 10 years old when he decided he wanted to run away from home. But, before he made his trek, he needed to eat first (naturally) and showed up at Joe’s. The team at Joe’s pretended to go along with his little scheme and let him sit at the counter for his final meal before he ran away—then, of course, called his parents who came and picked him up afterwards. Just goes to show how Joe’s has always been more than just food. The little boy is still a customer to this day! Also—not necessarily a funny story, but more of a fun fact—John, Jr. met his wife, Julie, at the Taylor Street location. Julie, from Canada, was visiting San Francisco with a girlfriend and somehow ended up in the seediest part of SF (the Tenderloin neighborhood). John, Jr. intervened during their dinner to ask what brought them in and she said they got lost in the city and were hungry, so decided to stop in. It was love at first sight!

HL: How do you balance “life” working together at home and in the business?

OJ: Fortunately, work-life balance comes pretty effortlessly to us, because Original Joe’s is not only what we do, it’s also who we are. Our own children are being raised in a very similar way to how we were, with our restaurants existing as a living, breathing piece of our heritage. For us and our entire family, Original Joe’s is a point of constant focus, pride, and attention. Original Joe’s on Taylor Street was open before our mother was born; it has defined our lives as a family for three generations and more to come!

HL: What is your dream vacation?

OJ: Anywhere with family, delicious food and wine, and a kitchen that we can cook in!

HL: Are there any future endeavors on the horizon?

OJ: We recently acquired Zanze’s Cheesecake, which is widely declared as one of the best cheesecakes in America, and we have exciting plans to revive and expand distribution of the longtime San Francisco favorite. We also have a second, larger location of Little Original Joe’s in the Marina district opening in fall 2023; Elena’s, an all-new Mexican American concept is set to open fall 2023 in West Portal; and a third location of Original Joe’s in the East Bay’s Walnut Creek neighborhood will be around in 2024.

JOE’S SPECIAL

~ 2 tablespoons olive oil

~ 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

~ 8 ounces ground beef

~ 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry in paper towels

~ 8 eggs, lightly beaten

~ 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan

~ Sourdough baguette, for serving

~ Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add in chopped onions; cook for about five minutes.

3. Add ground beef; cook until browned and all moisture evaporates, about 10 minutes.

4. Add spinach; cook for about two minutes.

5. Add beaten eggs; cook until eggs are cooked and mixture is slightly dry, about four minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with a sprinkling of parmesan. Serve with a toasted sourdough baguette.

ELENA’S ESPRESSO MARTINI RECIPE

~ 1.5 ounces premium vodka

~ 0.75 ounce freshly brewed espresso

~ 0.5 ounce Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur

~ 0.5 ounce Tuaca liqueur

~ 0.5 ounce Kahlúa coffee liqueur

~ 0.25 ounce Frangelico hazelnut liqueur

Instructions

1. Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled generously with ice.

2. Shake vigorously and double-strain into a chilled martini glass. (A layer of foam on top of the drink indicates it was shaken enough!)

3. Garnish in the center with three espresso beans.

Flavor profile: The freshly brewed espresso will bring out a strong coffee flavor, but balances nicely with hints of vanilla, chocolate, and toasted hazelnut. It pairs perfectly as an after-dinner drink or Sunday morning brunch pick-me-up!