I don't understand why this restaurant has an average of 3 1/2 Stars. Whenever I'm in the area for business I come here and have never even disappointed. The service is fast and friendly and the food is delicious. Last nights spaghetti squash bolognese was so tasty and filling... after my goodhouse salad and all the bread- I couldn't finish. Another delicious menu choice I've had in the past is the tuna wontons.... amazing. My server Jamie did a great job - thanks for the great recommendation. Update - just had another wonderful meal at not your average Joe's. Julie is a friendly efficient server. read more

Not Your Average Joe's - Norwell - New American Near Me - Norwell, Massachusetts

Brian took care of my family and I. He's amazing, I have a soy,gluten,and dairy allergy. He was very efficient, checking on every item I asked about to make sure there was no soy or dairy as well. I have never had such an awesome experience with a server! HE DESERVES A RAISE!!! read more

Not Your Average Joe's - Norwell - New American Near Me - Norwell, Massachusetts

So I still believe this place is average but I could go just a smidgen above after a 3rd visit. I had a gift card sent to me after my previous review which was nice of Jimmie. Overall, I feel like this was a better visit and not just because of the gift card. I feel like service was better, food was better, and the atmosphere was better. Wanted to go with steak since the first attempt at steak didn't go well. The steak wedge salad was good. Steak cooked how I wanted, tender and delicious. I appreciate Jimmie taking the time to get me in so I could have a better experience. I'm not sure I would've made the effort otherwise, and this visit elevated NYAJ a little higher read more

Not Your Average Joe's - Norwell - Steak wedge salad. - New American Near Me - Norwell, Massachusetts

One of the most family friendly places on the South Shore or anywhere. Every time I show up w my 2yr old they have a 45 minute wait and then move mountains to seat us within minutes. Notice to MGMT: give your hostess a raise. She is amazing. Service is always friendly and they always accommodate my son. Once they took him into the kitchen so he could "help". He came back to the table with the biggest smile in the restaurant. Thanks Joe's. You have a loyal family for life. read more

Not Your Average Joe's - Norwell - New American Near Me - Norwell, Massachusetts

If you have read any of my other reviews, you would know that Not Your Average's Joes is one of my favorite restaurant chains in the Massachusetts area. I find their restaurants to generally be just a few steps above an average chain like Chili's or TGI Fridays. This particular NYAJ's is located on Pond Street in Norwell, quite close to the Route 3 split. Lots of parking, and never all that busy. Within the last few years this NYAJ's has spruced itself up with a full inside and outside renovation that makes it look much more inviting and professional. Service here was pretty good and everyone seemed to be on top of maintenance and keeping all customers happy. Food was prompt and everything was accurately made to order. The menu consists of mainly American foods, primarily, burgers, sandwiches, salads, meats, pastas, seafoods, pizzas and more. While everything I have ordered from the menu over the years has always been great, my favorite thing about Not Your Average Joe's (by far) is the bread. I find it to be so filling and delicious, and the same quality every time I visit. Another thing that's great about Not Your Average Joe's is that the menu is very infrequently changed in a negative way. Typically, they seem to add more options and take away fewer. Within the past year or so, a bunch of menu items that were removed were re-added back onto the menu, which was an additional bonus. In general, I would highly suggest Not Your Average Joe's, and in Norwell, I would confidently say that it is one of better restaurants in the area. 5 stars. read more

See all

I've had tremendous food at other NYAJ locations, and I even had a good takeout experience at this location several months ago. But my most recent outing made me think that this place is definitely not average, it's below average. Hence the 2 stars. The cleanliness of this place was definitely 5 stars. The visual presentation of the food was 5 stars. That's the good news. The bad news is the rest of the meal. I'm not one of these people who lower their ratings over incredibly nitpicky things. There were some major problems with the lunch I had, especially since it cost me $70. The server was fine, but when offering suggestions for a daily special (in this case it was a crab cake sandwich), there was no mention of the price. I just assumed it was in line with their other regular menu items until I saw that it was about $17 per sandwich. It's not so much about the price as it is about the expectation. If I had known it was $17, I probably would have just ordered one instead of two. Yo, I didn't order two for myself. I treated a friend who also wanted to try it. More on the crab cake sandwich in a bit. Next came the soda. I'm going to come right out and slam places that screw around with the mixtures. If the soda doesn't taste just like it's out of a bottle you can buy at the grocery store, then that a major restaurant faux pas. I tried two different types of sodas, and both had the right amount of carbonation, but there was basically little if any taste. As disappointing as that was, it wasn't anything compared to the food. And this is a real shame because it's obvious from the way the food was presented on the plate that this place takes pride in what it serves. But I really have to question what the head chef is doing, and my friend and I came to the exact same conclusion independently. We ordered the Ahi Tuna Wontons. It's a bit strange because you have a choice of having ahi tuna on a slice of cucumber or a fried wonton wrapper, and the wonton wrapper is kind of huge compared to the size of the tuna. A couple of problems became instantly apparent. First, ahi tuna definitely doesn't go with either cucumbers or fried wonton wrappers. Second, if a place is going to serve tuna, it's got to let the tuna be the star. There was so much sweet glaze and spicy shiracha sauce covering the tuna that it was just about impossible to taste the fish. The crab cake sandwich was beautifully presented. But there were two significant problems. First, the bread was delicious but it was way too thick to the point where it overwhelmed the crab cake. Again, the seafood should be the star. And second, it was tough to actually taste the crabmeat in the sandwich. To be fair, in the past, I've never ordered seafood from here, so it could be that this is just an issue of finding the right balance for their seafood dishes. We also ordered dumplings and they were good. The size and taste were on the mark. But I don't understand why they have to be swimming in a pool of soy sauce. There's a reason why Chinese restaurants don't pre-mix the dumplings with the soy sauce: it allows the consumer the ability to adjust the taste so that the soy sauce isn't overwhelming. I should also point out that our server was very nice and the food was brought out in a timely manner. The interesting thing is that if NYAJ were to follow my suggestions about the seafood, they'd probably end up saving money because they'd have to use significantly lower amounts of condiments. read more

Love the Ahi Tuna Wantons. Table bread is very well made foccacio with a great crust. Very interesting menu options. Can have fun exploring the menu. read more

Giving the place a 4 star rating because I didn't try everything on the menu. Yet. Found this place using Yelp while on the way to a different restaurant. It wasn't busy thanks to the weather. We had our choice of tables but sat in the lounge. The ambiance was great, and the mood just right for a quiet dinner. Our server was Kacey, who was very knowledgable of the menu and did an awesome job overall for us. The menu had plenty of different options for different tastes . Our food was top quality and very well plated. The pricing was a bit above average, but for a quality evening is worth it. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area. Great place for special occasions. read more

Not Your Average Joe's - Norwell - New American Near Me - Norwell, Massachusetts

My favorite place in the world. There Waldorf salad and steak with mashed potatoes are bomb. Don't get me even started on the bread and oil it's my favorite part. Love this place!! read more

I ordered a chicken cobb salad for dinner. The salad had boiled egg slices, avocado slices, crumbles of blue cheese, bacon bits, and lettuce. Unfortunately, the chicken was dry and burnt. The balsamic vinaigrette that came with the salad tasted funny as well. It was more like a yogurt than a dressing. Was a little bit disappointed. read more

The staff were so nice and Alex our waiter gave us great insight to the menu... Everything is cooked fresh and you can taste the quality! We stopped in before we left from our weekend with family.. Our family were even exited that we tried Joe's, as its their favorite place to come. We can see why... read more

Not Your Average Joe's - Norwell - Ahi Tuna Wontons!! You must try these.... - New American Near Me - Norwell, Massachusetts

See all

Horrible! Ordered a "bowl" of Chile for $10 and was cup size and worse was awful! Also ordered the meatloaf sandwich which was also ridiculously small and was dry and no flavor. Great takeout experience! Should have gone to Burger King down the street for better food and A LOT less money! Avoid! read more

Went here last night with a couple friends. Got some drinks and food. I want to make it clear that the one star is not a reflection of our bartender, Rosie, she was a great mixologist, attentive, and very friendly. Rosie gets 5 stars. Below Your Average Joe's gets 1. read more

I went with a friend for appetizers and drinks. I ordered a Bloody Mary and it was awful. I could see a hesitation when I ordered it. I took one sip and it tasted like ketchup. I got another drink and it was okay. The apps were not bad but not worth going back. read more

Just had dinner there tonight. The outside patio overlooking Accord Pond was beautiful. Lynne was our server and the service was excellent! The entrees were done very quickly and I highly recommend the chicken piccata: every mouthful was delicious and the portion size was perfect. read more

I also went on a date to Not Your Average Joes right off the highway in Rockland. I had never been there before but had heard exceptional things from several friends. Despite my date being subpar (lol) the haddock with mashed potatoes was out of this world. Similarly, our server -- "Gerald with a G" -- may very well have been the single best server I've ever had. He was personable, knowledgeable about the menu, and most importantly very funny. If I hadn't liked my date I probably would have been mad because I'm pretty sure my date liked him much better than me. All jokes aside, really good stuff all around. The bathrooms were also very clean which is always a good thing imo. read more

I have never written a bad review in the 40 years of dining out but felt this was so unacceptably bad that I needed to do it. The food was horrible. The clam chowder was thick as paste. . The salad was not fresh and seemed like the vegetables were old or it was just sitting out for a while. The chicken tenders tasted bad and even the French fries were bad (soggy fries). The service was horrible too. I can see where a place may have a food issue or bad service on a rare occasion but this was both which tells you all you really need to know. The waitress forgot what we ordered for food and then forgot the ice cream we ordered our child. It would be one thing if she were very busy but she was too busy chatting with other staff to give good service. I will never go back to this establishment. I really wouldn't be surprised if they closes for good given what we experienced as I can't imagine a place like this staying in business much longer. It would be been much better to dine anywhere but this place and could have received better service and better food quality for a third of the price at a fast food restaurant. If you are thinking about dining here I'd say save yourself the money and bad experience and dine at any fast food place which will be better than this place. read more

I usually grab dinner here before a show at the nearby Company Theatre. I like that they are so supportive of the local arts. They even run fundraisers and offer discounts to pre and post theater guests. That is one of the reasons that I feel a little squeamish about leaving a negative review. I'll start by stating that this location of the popular chain doesn't feel like a chain. The staff is great and accommodating and the menus doesn't seem generic. Although it's not the Ritz, I've always had a good meal and a fair deal here. However, last night. I ordered the worst salad ever!... an it cost $19.99. Do not under any circumstances order the Tuna Nicoise Salad. It was terrible! A mess of field greens spattered with chopped up roasted red peppers, under cooked chunks of boiled potatoes, a half of a handful of pitted nicoise olives, some quartered hard boiled eggs, thickly sliced onions, topped with grayish but not spoiled raggedly cut rare? Tuna... but the worst part was the odd tasting green beans and the horrendous acidic, sour dressing. I really should have complained. Instead I asked for olive oil to cut the acidity of the dressing and only ate the tuna, olives and the egg. I really was wanting a nice salad and was expecting that from this restaurant; especially for the exorbitant $20.00 price tag. On a good note, the complimentary bread and oil that they serve are delicious, so I didn't leave hungry and my daughter loved her fish sandwich. Still, I left feeling disappointed enough to get up and write a review this morning. read more

when we sat down we didnt get a server for at least 10 mins, everything is overpriced. some food was 25+. i got a buffalo chicken wrap and my mum got a sandwich. they came with fries, it took ius at least 20 mins for the waitress to ask us what we wanted to eat. the fries came col and they stuck together. u also have ti ask for bread now as they used to give it to you. very disappointed read more

We had lunch with Dear Friends yesterday& the Service was great & the food was delicious!

Our meal started off with our server making a politically-charged comment, which my husband & I found offensive. I ordered the mustard chicken, my husband had chicken parm, & our toddler had chicken tenders from the kids menu. The plus is that they were accommodating and allowed our daughter to have a side of avocado as her fruit with her meal. But the kids chicken tenders are panko-encrusted which any parent will know is not a kid-friendly texture. So our daughter, who eats mostly anything, wouldn't touch her chicken. My husband's chicken parm did not have sauce, which we found odd, and my mustard chicken was oddly-shaped and poorly plated. A D+ for playing/presentation for all our meals. It will be a long while before we come back to this location. Westwood is far better in terms of service/ambiance/food presentation. I should also add that I learned tonight from our server that their Parmesan oil blend is 90% canola oil & only 10% olive oil. That's disgusting. read more

It was my boyfriend's birthday and we haven't been here in awhile so we decided to try it. Needless to say we will never return. We ordered three bud lite drafts and the waitress returned to inform us they were out of draft so we got bottles instead. When she brought them to us she informed us we got the last 3 bottles. My boyfriend then ordered a 20oz beer and received a 14oz. The food came out and it was terrible. My boyfriend's fish and chips came out cold and very bland. My pizza was so soggy. I was embarrassed to have suggested this restaurant for a birthday dinner. We will never return here. read more

Went to the Norwell restaurant. The service was good but the food/drinks were sub-par and Overpriced. The fish was almost raw when it came out and sent it back for a replacement meal that was comped. My wife ordered a 9oz glass of wine - when the bill came we found that we were charged $18.50. So my impression was the food was undercooked and the wine was wayyy overpriced and we will not be back and I do not recommending dining here. read more

Been a patron of this location for years, usually in the bar area, and during half price happy hour. Can't say enough good things about the food. I truly don't think I've had a meal I haven't enjoyed from here. Definitely better than the food you get at typical chains, plus some of the ingredients are locally sourced which is always a bonus. Their ahi tuna wontons are phenomenal (my personal favorite out of any restaurant I've tried them at, which is a lot), and the quality hasn't changed in years of getting them. I'm also a big fan of their salads, the Cobb is huge! Enough for two-three meals. They always have monthly specials that are designed with the season in mind, including a monthly beer and cocktail choice - and not just the usual suspects like other restaurants, unique selections. Not sure why there are so many negative reviews about the food. I haven't been disappointed a single time in years of frequent visits to this location. read more

Went here with a couple of friends to grab a bite to eat on our way to Provincetown. It was a little after lunch, so we were able to be seated right away. The first thing they serve is bread with a oil dipping sauce that has cheese and some other ingredients in it. Though the sauce it pretty simple, it was actually quite good. For my main meal, I decided to go with the salmon, as it was recommended by our waiter. I ordered it with Brussels sprouts and asparagus in place of the mashed sweet potatoes. The fish was a little overcooked and also tasted a little more fishy than I would have liked. Thankfully the Brussels sprouts were cooked well, as the sauce they were served with provided some flavor for the fish and the asparagus--which was just served steamed. Overall, this place has some good things going for it and then also has some items that could use improvement. The service was friendly, but not always attentive and the pricing was reasonable. read more

When looking for a sit down place to have lunch with coworkers, this place seems to be the go-to. Its fast, reasonably priced, and pretty good food. I've been to a number of NYAJs over the years and generally don't hold a high opinion of them. They strike me as something of a upscale Applebees. But things have been changing. First off, the menu seems to be changing every 10 weeks or so. New additions, seasonal dishes, local ingredients. Some things you don't usually expect to see from slow moving chain restaurants. Not only has the selection been improving, but the quality of the food is great-- there was a time I wouldn't even thinking about ordering seafood from a NYAJs, but that time has passed. Service has been generally great here too. I'm here almost exclusively during lunchtime and the staff seems to know we're trying to be in and out in under an hour. A few times the kitchen has been slow to get plates out or the waitstaff has engaged us a bit too long in casual conversation when we just want to eat and get out but overall there's not much to complain about. Finally, the decor is typical NYAJs, modern and clean, without the overly gimmicky feel of the other major chain restaurants. Overall, I don't get excited for Not Your Average Joes but with the little changes made regularly over the years, I've been changing my tune. Solid 4-stars. read more

I wish I could remember our waiters name. Everything he recommended we tried, and it was delicious! I've always been a big fan of NYAJs but this location is just perfect. Everyone is so friendly, the atmosphere is good, and I have never had 1 issue with my food. Go here if you get the chance, it is excellent read more

I'm going to preface this by stating that I love the one in Randolph. This one is definitely your average Joe's. Oh dip! Now that I got that out of my system, the service was just okay. Our waiter seemed to be a big fan of lurking over us while we tried to make decisions, which I hate, and I totally blame him for my ordering the Caribbean Breeze (or something equally embarrassing). It tasted like cool whip with no alcohol, and made the food taste like plastic. Avoid this at all costs (which you probably will since you're not me). Also, he called one of our friends "Boss." That's like an automatic -10 points, Chief. The calamari was too spicy for me (not saying it's bad) and I didn't like the Margarita Pizza. But as always, the bread was on point. I think the summary of this review is that upon the chance of me having a craving for Joe's again, I'll make the trip to the Randolph location. read more

Last Thursday, my girlfriend and I returned to NYAJ in Norwell after a 3-month hiatus due to a poor experience. The wait was well worth it! Our waitress, Jamie, was as pleasant and helpful as can be. We were excited to try some of the new items on the menu. I ordered the pork ramen and my girlfriend ordered the fried haddock sandwich. Both meals came out promptly, hot, and full of flavor! This experience has redeemed NYAJ Norwell as one of my favorite places to dine. We also have a new top waitress to add to our list of Julie and Veronica. We will be back soon! read more

I don't know why there are so many negative reviews of this place, I think it's great. I love the atmosphere, very trendy and modern. The wait wasn't long at all, though we had a reservation. My table ordered mostly pizza, a margherita and buffalo chicken, both of which were delicious. I myself had the empanadas which I thought were very tasty. Our waitress had a bit of an attitude, which is what lost it a star. Overall I thought it was a good experience, and I would recommend it! read more

Great lunch with friends! We all had a drinks, apps and a soup/sandwich special. We tried the dumplings for an app which were amazing and I am typically one that only likes dumplings from specific asian restaurants. They were piping hot (big thing for me) and had terrific flavor. The soup (chicken tortilla) had tons of flavor and also was steaming hot. I would have liked the option to have the soup before the sandwich came out, but I didn't ask and the server definitely would have let me. Service was great, and we had a great time. Bonus points for Curious Traveller Winter Shandy on tap! read more

Since moving to the area 6 months ago, I've been here several times and have always good experiences: consistently good food and drinks, nice ambiance, great service. Some of my favs: ahi tuna wontons, potstickers, scallops with the orange chipotle couscous, enchiladas, pomegranate-lime martini, and the sangrias are always great! Few things I'd like to point out after reading some of the prior reviews: 1. If you're frequently cold, bring a sweater. Don't expect a restaurant to alter their temps to accommodate the one person with poor blood circulation. Not all of us are cold!! 2. You didn't get food poisoning an hour after you ate. That's actually not scientifically possible. The gestation period for those types of harmful bacteria and virii are much longer... Some up to many days after. 3. If you don't like something, tell your server right away. If they don't fix it how you'd like, speak to a manager and let them try to fix it. Don't be passive aggressive and say nothing, then complain on Yelp later... (That makes you a douche). Seriously. read more

Went here the other night because I got a birthday coupon for a free dinner and dessert. (Of MY choosing) The bread and oil is super delicious here... We got the blueberry sangria and it was very good. I wished I had got the pitcher because it would of been only a dollar more for 2 more (big) glasses, I ended up getting the steak tips and they were good my boyfriend got the cheeseburger and he told me that this was one of his top 3 favorite burgers.( After Grumpy Whites and the Fours frenchy burger) I told my bf to order something more expensive because I figured when they got my voucher they would had taken his burger off the bill for the free meal and I was really suprised when they took my tips of the bill! We also got the white chocolate bread pudding for dessert and it was sooo good. And also free :-) Service here is awesome. The waitstaff is on there game here. Can't wait to go back when it's nice out and sit outside :-) read more

I've not had much luck at "Not your average joes" in the past, but today I finally had a much better experience. Being that they are very close to the hotel I stay at and are really the only place nearby to get a meal, I really don't have much to choose from. Arriving before the masses for happy hour I got much better service today. I opted for their 3 mustard chicken with veggies and sweet potato wedges. I think I should have started with this way back when. It was awesome. The chicken was breaded perfectly and very hot when it was presented. I did like the way they took a whole sweet potato, wedged it and deep fried them. It made the inside very tender. The only thing missing was a sprinkle of cinnamon. I think if you can get the servers from talking among themselves and actually wait on you then I think I could give Not your average Joe's a higher rating. But since I've never really seen this happen I can't go higher than a 3 star rating. read more

Food is always good and menu changes up frequently with fresh takes on classics. Good stuff.

Overdue review! Consistently good/great restaurant for lunch/dinner. The foccacia w/dipping oil is hands down the best thing ever. I could make a meal out of that w/a glass of wine and caesar salad, but there are so many other good options to choose from! Service is always on point (as it was today for Mother's Day lunch - thank you, Diane!). Today we ordered the chicken lettuce wrap appetizer to split w/the kids and I got the chicken enchiladas and the hubs got a southwestern burger that he was a fan of . I love that the kids menu includes sirloin tips and salmon (of course my kids ordered mac n cheese :/ I think that's my only complaint is the kids mac n cheese - too much of a floury/roux taste v. cheesy) Hands down - a winner! P.S. I'd love to see french onion soup on the menu! Summer, fall, winter, spring - I'll eat it! read more

On Easter Sunday my husband and I had dinner at Not your Average Joe's. We have dined there many times, and it's never a surprise to receive good service and a scrumptious meal as well. I believe the proprietor should rename this outstanding restaurant to "Above Average Joe's". Granted there are some reputable restaurants; but rarely is the the food consistent. I have never been disappointed with either the service or the meal. My husband and I were greeted with a warm,and accommodating waitress named Nicole. We were astounded to find out she had just started! May i suggest if you are searching to dine at a place with excellent accommodations and equally good food,choose Not Your Average Joe's. My favorite dish is the Crusted Mustard Chicken m-m-m-m-good! Bon Appetite! Ronnie S. .. read more

As usual, wonderful food, great atmosphere and the best bread and dip EVER!! Will, our waiter was attentive, friendly and professional. Love coming here for lunch. read more

I visit this place with my family quite often as the food is consistently fresh & delicious. They offer two menus, one with traditional American fare with a unique spin on every dish, the other menu is tailored for special diets such as vegan, paleo and gluten-free. Their salads are loaded with the freshest ingredients. The Super Crunch is one of my favorites, always so crisp and colorful.The menu is also seasonally updated every few months so there is always something new to look forward to Now, the best for last; other than the oh-so-delicious food, they have the friendliest, most efficient servers there. Gerry is an absolute standout. He goes above & beyond and does it all with humor and a smile. I can't say enough about how wonderful he is, you will just have to go see for yourself. We've also had Brian serve us on occasion and same goes for him, he provides impeccable & friendly service. Oh, their complimentary bread & olive oil dip is soooo good - I could eat that every day!!! read more

Friendly service but the prices here are outrageous. My husband got the crab cake benedict which was pretty good. I got the side goat cheese salad with chicken with was absurdly small for $14.25. There was also no flavor. What really topped it off was they charge $3.25 for a soda water. Seriously? Will not be back. read more