I'm new to this. My main motivation was the abysmal experience me and my family had at this restaurant a last Friday. We were coming back from my mom's house that lives in western MA and decided to find something to eat around Acton, we've heard good things about Not Your Average Joe's from our sister that went there a couple years ago and since it popped on our gps we decided to give it a try. Bad mistake !!! We got there at 7:15 and didn't sit down at our table until 8:10 !!! We were starving ! The hostess with glasses put up a big fake smile as we walked in and we were promised a table within the next 20mins, we were like the place is packed so it must be good . She disappeared for a while and when the 20mins were up I went back in and another hostess was there and didn't even had our name down , they've scrambled to find us a table but by then 30mins had passed and we were furious amd were offered a few cocktails at the bar, we looked at her and told we don't drink and are you kidding me? The bar had a 3rd row of standing loud obnoxious people swearing and drunk. Our kids started to get upset so I sent them to next door at Dunking Donuts to grab a bagel so they could last the wait. As soon as that happened the hostess that later identified herself as the GM brought us a lil plate with some stale pizza points . We laughed and finally got our table. The menu is very complicated and there was nothing that our kids wanted at this point so I just ordered them a small cheese pizza , if they didn't eat there they were eventually gonna have it on the way back to Boston. My wife ordered the Mustard Chicken which she barely ate because it was cold and the mashed potatoes had entire garlic gloves in it. It was disgusting . I had the Jambalaya and the mussels were not fresh , they smelled like spoiled fish , the rest was okay and uninteresting . We were charged $2.99 for each of the sodas we had and barely saw our waitress for a refill , we kept having to flag her down. We've ended up filling ourselves on bread towards the end of the meal because we wanted out of there , and the bread ... Haha it was advertised as being baked fresh every hour by our server but it was cold and as stale as a couple days old bread I had in my house . The dip is just canola oil and not extra virgin olive oil as we were told by our server . My kids didn't even wanted the complimentary hoodie cup since we were ticked off. The said GM never visited our table after we complained about the food to our waitress . We had to flag her down to get our check and leave that place forever . On top of it all the open kitchen is very loud and we heard the F... Word a few times , they looked very stressed back there and we also saw a lot of employees just standing around towards the back and kitchen , they seem overstaffed on the dining room and lacking cooks behind the line. Do yourself a favor and don't go to that place or any other in the chain, reading the reviews at other locations it doesn't seem any different ! The name can trick you in but the reality is this place is way below average !! Save your time and money. read more

Left before we even got seated. We made reservations for 5 PM on a Monday evening for 2. You would think the 2 hostesses were trying to figure out a plan for world peace. I requested we not get the same table we got last time right near the kitchen door since the waiters kept bumping into me on their way. What does the hostess do? Out of all the empty tables available she leads us to that same table. We just walked out watching the hostesses continue in their endless confusion of where to seat people in a restaurant with lots of empty tables. Ridiculous!!! read more

Boring menu. Very slow kitchen. I had to keep ducking as the servers carried other people's food over my head, which made me really uncomfortable. The decor is loud and obnoxious. The level of restaurant noise was so loud I couldn't hear my daughter talking from across our (small) table. The food was just mediocre. No reason to go back. read more

Good service and nice clean place to eat but is very average to say the least. Hit up a Cheesecake Factory instead!

The food is stale and mediocre wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone not even someone I hate I would seriously give this place no stars if i could read more

We will never eat here again. Our family went for lunch on a weekday. We waited 1 hour and 50 minutes for our meals. They kitchen lost our orders -- that's what our waitress told us when she FINALLY noticed that - hey! a group of people has been sitting at one of my tables for an hour and they don't have food. Even after she remembered we were there (again - it had been an hour!), we waited almost another whole hour for our food to arrive. She did not apologize for the remarkably poor service. We spoke with the hostess and manager, neither of whom apologized or offered any recompense. Food was mediocre. Never, never again. read more

Great place for lunch with kids. After visiting the Children's Mueseum we stopped here for lunch and the staff was friendly and accommodating with our cranky three year old. The waitress even brought over some pizza dough for him to play with and he immediately calmed down. Food was decent and the seating and atmosphere was great. Would definitely stop in for lunch again. read more

Dinner was great but waitress could have been better. Too much wait time. Took an hour and a half for dinner. I spoke to a host who didn't apologize for the wait and then we waited 5 more minutes. The table next to us sat after we did and left before we did read more

Sat at the bar and had the scollops they were great. It was busy but I got my food really fast.

The food was wonderful. Had crab cakes and they were delicious with a great spicy sauce. The service was less than great - minimal attention and did not get refills. Manager never asked how food was but asked all tables around me. I've eaten at multiple locations and the food is consistent and tasty. Disappointed in the service but food was good! read more

I like the menu here and it is a fine place to eat at live. BUT, the part of their business that is really atrocious is their take out. TERRIBLE take out service. I've ordered at least a half a dozen times and they are always late, dis-organized and apologetic about getting the orders out. They really need to fix this part of the system. read more

The bread and dipping sauce is awesome! Food is very fresh. I have gotten the chicken enchiladas, meat loaf, bacon blue-cheese pizza, chicken parmigiana and have never been disappointed. I have always gotten lucky with the wait time and got a table right away. Only downside is some of the tables which are very small... Way too small actually. If you sign up for e mails you will get a free entree and dessert on your birthday! The amount I have spent there I deserve it and appreciate a free meal once a year. Keep up the good work and keeping the farm fresh food thing going! read more

I ordered take out- grilled chicken and fries from the 'KIDS' menu for my son. When someone orders from the 'KIDS' menu assume they are feeding this food to a child! Shame on you for serving burned fries with a piece of rubber to feed a kid. It is too bad I could not make my way back there to feed it to the cook!!! read more

This is a go-to place for a group of friends after tennis or golf or just to meet up. We ordinarily sit in the bar during happy hour and love the apps. We were later tonight, and sat in the main restaurant for dinner. The food, as usual, was just fine. Our favorite entrees were the jambalaya and the chimichuri steak, but the portion of the latter was very small and a challenge to share . What made the night a standout, and added a star to this rating, was the outstanding service by our waiter, John. He gave excellent suggestions, based on our stated preferences. When we expressed disappointment that we missed the $1 oysters, he found a half dozen that he shucked himself. Thanks, John, for the attention to detail, anticipating our requests and making the evening so enjoyable. I'll request your station my next time in. PS--None of us are fans of the new wall decor. Yikes! read more

Have gone a number of times for lunch, usually seated and served very quickly. Food is consistently good, good noise level, friendly wait staff, and the menu changes fairly frequently so it does not get boring. Would definitely recommend. read more

NYAJ's had been our go to place for a meal out expecting creativity at a reasonable cost but it seems things have gone all wrong. Went for their barbeque promotion and had the peach chicken skewer. Chicken was dry and tasteless, the fries were soggy and the biscuit? Well let's just say hockey season is around the corner. These are not food preparation issues, these mgt. decisions to make sure no food is left unserved. Joe's seems to be more now about marketing than cooking and it's a shame. p.s. they don't give you bread until you decided on an appetizer. Cheesy. read more

Good as always. Bread with olive oil dipping sauce is always a highlight. Spring rolls made with crisp, cool fresh veggies were excellent. Chipotle chicken salad was good, if not really special. Service was great. The table in the middle was a bit noisy - should have asked for a booth on the side. read more

Solid diiner. Our server Amy was attentive without making us feel rushed. Food was great - very filling with plenty left over to enjoy tomorrow. Enjoyed the Thai lettuce wraps and the chicken enchiladas. read more

Just enjoyed a relaxing post-work Winesday at NYAJ. Great deal, decent food. This restaurant is always pretty busy. The bread appetizer is so-so, entrees are good to very good, great selection of beer and drinks. Dessert is forgettable. We went for the apple cranberry cobbler with ice cream and biscuit - the biscuit was dry and stale, and the rest of the cobbler was cold. read more

I went in for dinner with son, who has some pretty serious food allergies and I was so impressed with the level of concern by everyone. Our server was kind and knowledgeable and the manager Jose was exceptional. He personally delivered the food to my son and made him feel like royalty. Everything was delicious and we'll certainly be back! read more

Went twice and didn't enjoy the commotion to get in. Very busy, good for them, but customers not really moving smoothly. Disorganized was my first impression. Good, not great food, but clearly a chain. I will continue to seek out locally owned and managed restaurants- often superior to the cookie cutter corporate recipes. read more

If I could give this less than one star I would. We placed an online dinner order at lunch time, for dinner (a large order). A pick up for 4pm. We got the pop up that said our order was placed and we would get a confirmation email. After about an hour I didn't get an email, so I called, no answer... I called 4 more times, still no answer. We felt like we couldn't order someplace else because possibly this order went through? The website told us it did so we didn't want to ditch them with all of that food. So my sister checks in and apparently they can't take online or phone orders today. Would have been nice for something to have told us that. Facebook/ website/ anything. Needless to say we never go the food and placed a $150 food order elsewhere. read more

The wait staff is always attentive. The kitchen can be a bit slow, but not so much as to ruin your plans for the evening. it's a chain, and you get what you expect from that chain as a whole. read more

Always a good experience. The service is great, food comes promptly and is always delicious and the way you ordered it. The atmosphere is pleasant as well, it is always crowded but it creates a lively fun vibe, you don't feel crowded. If you are looking for a solid place to eat with regular comforting foods that could please any diverse group (there is seriously something for every kind of taste on the menu), this is the place. And the prices are very reasonable as well. read more

I don't often write bad reviews... But this place was terrible. Ordered same menu items as in Nashua NH Not your Average Joes restaurant and it was completely different. Waitress service was slow and rude. 15 min to get water for the table when asked. Food was soggy and when waitress came to ask how it was we told her nicely that it didn't compare at all to same menu items at their other restaurants, she whipped it out of my hand and rolled her eyes. She did take it off of the bill, but was very rude from their on. The remainder of the food was tasteless and seemed to be sitting under lights in kitchen for a very long time. Place was dirty, floor, menus and table... A lot of potential for this restaurant in this area, and it's going to waste. What is Nashua doing right and Acton is so obviously not?? Would love some feedback. read more

I've eaten here with my wife about 100 times. Drinks are consistently good. Joe's provides a good variety of seasonal drinks that my wife almost always raves about. Soft drinks are good and constantly being refilled. Not Your Average Nachos (with chicken) are always great (my favorite). Soups, tomato basil and clam chowder, are always good. Soups of the day are always worth considering too. This past year I usually don't get past the nachos and soup. My stomach is only so big. Also some entrees are not for me (the meatloaf was bizarre). Pizza is ok. But I will say that steak tips and hamburgers are pretty good. Service is always good and cheerful. I'd give Joe's of Acton a four and a half. read more

So disappointing! The only good thing was the delightful waitress, so I gave 2 stars instead of 1 The chicken dish I got was completely tasteless. We thought dessert may be better...tasted like Jell-O pudding. Will never go there again- don't waste your money read more

An enormous decline in food quality over the past year. Cold bread, much less selection of bread types than a year ago. Rubbery chicken, doughy/undercooked cataloni, over-salted chowder, spotty seasoning of the Jamabalya, almost like they forgot to stir the pot. All served barely warm. The restaurant was 25% full at 5:30 pm on a Thursday night - the 'word' must be out there. We saw a kid next to us served under-melted cheese on a burger, but with a burned roll. Nice combo. Where is the Quality control at the "Pass" in the kitchen? Our server, "M" argued with us about the fact that each of us got 1/2 a menu - literally. Pizza and sandwich pages were not included. He brought a full menu, and basically blamed us for not seeing that the pages could be sticky. As college grads, we can count. Also he bitched that he 'had' to present us with a customer satisfaction survey. Well, you have the data, now do something about it. I'd go to "Crossroads" first. Boring food - but at least served hot. read more

We've eaten at the restaurant and also had takeout. I eat rather healthy and I love Not Your Average Joe's burgers. They are expertly cooked and always perfect and consistent. I get the sweet blue burger but my hubby and son get the cheddar with bacon. Yum! We also love the homemade bread and olive oil dip. I've also had their homemade lemonade and clam chowder...delicious! read more

First of all, I want to say that I went into this place with high hopes because some friends have been to this restaurant at other locations all with great things to say. On that note - - - this restaurant is located in a strip mall and really feels like a restaurant that was wedged in between two stores. With all the large decorations and bold colors stuffed into a rather small space - - -it's kind of claustrophobic once you get in there. The hostess took us to a small booth and when we arrived there was a huge plastic bucket of dishes (clean? dirty?) on the seat - the hostess moved them to another booth and motioned for me to sit. The seat was DIRTY. I had to ask her to wipe it off, which she did with a wet cloth then motioned, again, for me to sit. The seat was obviously wet - I had to ask her to dry it (Why at this point I didin't just ask if we could sit at one of the other available booths is a mystery to me) Our server was great ( I was I'd have gotten his name - cause he is doing himself a disservice by continuing to work at this restaurant where his talents -great personality, ease with conversation - are wasted) We ordered a pizza - The Santa Fe Chicken pizza. The pizza was just OK - very, very bland - - the chipotle sauce barely gave it a kick. Very much a let down. It's only consolation is that it was perfectly cooked. I had to use the facilities located at the back of the restaurant. The door leading into the annex where the mens/ladies rooms are was SO dirty that I actually took a step back to navigate where I could touch it to push it open. I finally decided that the safest thing would be to push it with my foot. YUKThe bathroom had a stall with a toilet full of gross crap, almost overflowing and of course it stunk. I was smart enough to grab an extra papertowel on the way out so I could open the door (pull handle) to get back into the restaurant. We had dessert, Marshmallow Creme Brulee - - -it was great - seriously good, decadent, light and perfect with black coffee. Then came the boom . . . . just before we left two girls were putting together napkins with utensils in them and setting tables. One of the girls dropped the utensils on the floor, picked them up, wrapped them back in the cloth napkin and put them on a table without missing a beat. Enough said. read more

NYAJ is a favorite mine. The food is great, and I always look forward to my meal. I've had many great experiences at NYAJ, Acton - dining in, at the bar, and take out. The staff is always friendly and accommodating, especially the host/take-out crew. Recently the managers helped fulfill a last minute request to help me and my family celebrate my mother's birthday - the carrot cake is so delicious! read more

My excuse for not writing about this visit on September 18th is that I left for Philly the next day and totally forgot I came here with my Brother and my nieces. The trip was a last minute kind of arrangement so I didn't expect much and forgot about the visit until my SIL and nieces returned today to find this place closed until noon. We were pressed for time and stopped by the Finagle A Bagel in Needham instead (if you are so inspired you can read that review but it was neither awesome or horrid so that's your choice.) That Sunday we stopped in and had some lunch. I was expecting not this place. I was expecting a diner or maybe a local knockoff of Ruby Tuesday's. This place was a surprise. It wasn't a place I would have taken my kids back when they were wee. Nice food, nice atmosphere, there's a bar in here? Whatever, I don't really drink I'm too cheap to pay outrageous sums to get inebriated with friends and strangers unless it's at a show. And I will get trashed before a show and feed the intoxication with cheap beer because I can't taste anything anyway. Okay, sorry for the tangent. We had kids with us, I don't like drinking around kids, especially when I am going to know them for the rest of my life. Who needs drunken relative memories? So: 1 order of the kids hand-breaded chicken tenders with fresh fruit 6.99. (I ordered wrong, so sue me. How was I to know that my SIL and Brother let their kids eat french fries! It wasn't a criticism on their parenting abilities, I just thought they hadn't relaxed yet. I guess they did. Sooner than I expected. My punishment was my niece picking my fries off my plate. No biggie.) 1 order turkey burger house-made, blended with feta and spinach, served with a mediterranean salad and a side of ziziki sauce 9.99 (hey see what I mean? My Brother is now eating turkey burgers for God's sake with a salad no less. Alright he's been eating them ever since he and his now wife moved in together, bully for him I hate ground turkey. Anything that flies should never be made to imitate red meat or animals that are earth bound.) I ordered the pork cubano - spice-crusted pork tenderloin with pickle relish, yellow mustard and melted swiss, on ciabatta 10.99 and it was alright. I was treated to lunch, I'm not going to complain. I have no shame but I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. I had fries with it. And the midget ate some of my fries. That was okay though she's too small for it to be a big dent anyway. The interior decor is funky and the lighting is dim. It was nice but not upscale. I wish I had gotten pictures. It looked like OOP decorated it with it's trendy lamp shades and embellishments. I really wish I had come without the kids and with some friends. The menu looks like a mix of modern meals with regular pub fare. I wish I lived closer, I'd like it if a place like this was around my town. It's a local chain but it had some flyers on the tables declaring that they try to use local produce and products as much as possible. I know that is in vogue lately but I can agree with the local consumerism. It attracts my business. We didn't get to eat here to day (what a shame, too.) I hope that I am able to come here again at some time in the near future. Or maybe (yeah, right,) they'll establish a place in my state. I'm not holding my breath though... read more

Ridiculously diverse menu and so far everything I've had has been done perfectly, which is really impressive given how many different kinds of food the kitchen has to juggle! Extremely accommodating of weird diets too. Try to get Lisa as a server if you go, super genuine and helpful! read more

Two stars because the food is good and I like the gluten free menu. However the service here is seriously terrible. Went about a month ago at 4:15 pm and expected to be in and out because we had young kids with us. Everything went wrong. The waiter forgot our drinks. He forgot our silverware. He basically ignored us and forgot everything. It is baffling this place has a guy this bad as a waiter on a Saturday night which is usually the busiest night at a restaurant. Our food took over an hour to come. It took about 20 minutes to get anything that we asked for. Seriously the most terrible waiter and service ever. The only redeeming quality is the food was so good so we gave it another shot. Fast forward to tonight. Very nice waitress but it goes downhill from there. The martinis have almost no alcohol. We sent it back and it tasted a bit better but still a martini should be mostly clear, not dark red but apparently it's "illegal" to add more alcohol than an extra ounce. Fantastic just what a customer wants to hear. It took 45 minutes for a soup to come out and when it did it was cold. Meanwhile everyone around us who was seated way after us got their food while we waited and waited and waited. We have young kids with us and came at 5:15 so the wait was completely ridiculous. Then once our meals are delivered the managers brought them over (I think because they knew we were pissed about the wait) and said nothing about how long it took! Not "Oh I'm sorry you waited over an hour for your meals when everyone else around you got them so much sooner." Nothing. What kind of service is this? To be fair the waitress offered us free dessert or a free drink but at this point we were all just annoyed at the second terrible experience that we couldn't leave soon enough. Seriously never ever going back to this location. The food is good but the awful service seriously ruins everything. read more

One of the best chain restaurants around. When it came to Acton, you would have thought that Times Square had been relocated to Rt-27. Fortunately, the food and service here is good. Specials are flavorful, and they should be awarded 'best burger in town'. I'd like to see the beer/wine/cocktail prices come down a notch. read more

My girlfriend and I went here when she discovered she had to go on a glutton free diet because of orders from he doctor. The staff here was very helpful with helping her figure out what she can or can not have and gave her a lot of good advice. They have a VERY BIG glutton free menu too. The service was very good and got the dishes out very fast. I was really impressed. read more

Salty pizza much!?! Good lord! There is no consistency here, one time it's ok, the next time it's not good!

Pretty great for a chain restaurant. Sometimes service is questionable but the food is amazing. Steak tips are my favorite!

not the best experience as we were put in the back of this less-than-attractive psuedo-warehouse with tables of young kids. food and service were decent but we won't be rushing back for a second visit. read more

Having a great Sunday lunch at Joe's. The bartender Ashley is so nice. Amazing service, very friendly and so accommodating. Oh, the food is good too! read more