About Joe's

When Camella and Joe Biandi opened Joe’s Café in 1938, Mrs. Biandi cooked her homemade spaghetti sauce right in the front window for everyone to watch. This popular dish soon attracted more than the neighbors and a long tradition of patronage from the area’s colleges began.

Just as many of her patrons came from far and wide, Mrs. Biandi was herself an extensive traveler. It is said she visited Argentina and brought back the idea for the “Gauchos,” the famed and fabled cowboys of the “Pampa,” painted on the walls. At first glance they seem out of place, but they are quite fitting for a spaghetti and pizza house since many gauchos are of Italian descent. Some say the idea was that of local artist James Waldren. In any event, it was Waldren’s artistic talents that turned an idea into decor almost 75 years ago. The gauchos remain a colorful part of Joe’s history.

In 1974, Gerry Rainville and Jack Sullivan bought the café from brothers Joe and Tony Caruso. The two enjoyed a successful partnership for 37 years and when Gerry retired in 2011, Jack teamed up with his daughter, Meaghan, to carry on the tradition of Joe’s Café: Good food and fine service in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere.