It’s lunchtime, but your stomach wants haupia- macadamia nut pancakes, ube French toast or just a basic local-style breakfast of fried rice, bacon and eggs. Where can you go to satisfy your craving?
Joe’s Grill Express in the Airport Commercial Center, a small strip mall between Alamo Rent a Car and Thrifty Car Rental on Nimitz Highway, offers breakfast all day.
JOE’S GRILL EXPRESS
3131 N. Nimitz Highway
Phone: 312-3057
Hours: 4:30 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, closed Sundays
“Some people want pancakes at night, too,” said owner Charla Prado.
About the business: Joe’s Grill Express opened in April 2012 and was taken over by Prado about six months later. Prado said she kept the previous owner’s name and menu but offers specials depending on availability of ingredients. Current specials include haupia-mac nut pancakes and ube (purple yam) French toast. If the specials become popular, they could make it onto the permanent big-board menu hanging on the restaurant’s wall.
What to order: Most breakfast items cost $6.75, although a minibreakfast is $4.75 and pancakes and waffles range from $3.75 to $5.75. The most popular breakfast item is the Joe Moco Special ($6.75), which comes with corned beef hash, two pieces of bacon, two eggs, fried rice and gravy. The menu has a wide range of items including longanisa and pork adobo.
Once lunchtime hits (around 10:30-11 a.m.), choices expand to include furikake chicken, sesame- garlic fried chicken, teriyaki pork, burgers, sandwiches, nachos, enchiladas, salads and more. All these items carry over to dinner, unless they sell out.
Most daily lunch and dinner plates also average $6.75, with the two most expensive being steak and shrimp ($8.50) and boneless beef short-rib soup ($8.75, only available on Thursdays). A handwritten daily specials board near the cash register lists around five dishes. A recent sampling included pinakbet with fried pork belly ($6.75), crab stuffed salmon with roasted potatoes in a lobster cream sauce ($12) and spaghetti with meat sauce ($7).
Grab and go: Some diners do eat at the tiny restaurant’s counter or four tables, Prada said, but about 80 percent are takeout customers.
“They’re working people,” Prado said. Many are regulars who grab breakfast and then come back for lunch.
“Dinner (hours) we have families going home or staying away from the (westbound) traffic,” Prado continued. “Tourists come, too.”
Parking: Usually not a problem, as Joe’s shares about 75 stalls with Chan’s Gourmet Buffet and several other establishments.
“Grab and Go” focuses on takeout food, convenience meals and other quick bites. Email ideas to crave@staradvertiser.com.