Joe & Eddie’s On Island

Maybe it was the time of day? Maybe the time of year? Maybe just a bad day for the hostess whose rather curt welcome and «no, you can’t sit there, that’s for family» (no further explanation) set us off on the wrong foot. (Our daughter had spied the nicely set booth in the corner, not knowing it was «reserved for family in honor of a passed family member.») Knowing the reason would have been polite and helpful.
The restaurant was not crowded, so we expected relatively swift breakfast service (about 9:30 am). Allison our server (not the hostess) was congenial, polite, cheerful, and attentive. She was truly the brightest spot of our visit.
30 minutes wait for standard menu fare — no special requests — is TOO long to wait, especially when you have a 2-​year old and 6-​year old in tow… along with a nearly empty restaurant.
When breakfast finally arrived, it was run-​of-​the-​mill, reminding us, not of a family-​owned and operated «star» by the beach, but a chain-​style diner akin to Denny’s or iHop or Waffle House. Simply put, there was no character to the dishes we were served. I asked if the hash was homemade, thinking as I tasted, it was the best thing on the plate, but to my surprise, the server told me it was «canned.»
OK…the low-​down: Joe Hill coffee – weak with no depth of flavor. Hash –crispy, nicely browned. Eggs-​done correctly. Grits – ok. Bacon – moderately crisp. Presentation… plain and rather anemic.
Price…actually for a place by the beach… the price was really good. (4 stars for the price… but lowered by the greeting and less than expected food.)
NOTE: This is a relatively new second location of a well-​established FWB restaurant.

Joe & Eddies has been around fort Walton beach for decades and we use to eat here all the time growing up so naturally I was glad they opened a location so close to my apartment on Okaloosa Island. J&E’s has always been a local favorite but this morning I was very pleased with the meal. We came in around 10:45 not realizing lunch began at 11. Our waitress offered to see if the kitchen could make a shrimp platter and a country fried steak sandwich off the lunch menu a little early. I was just gonna pass on eating because i didn’t want to be a bother but she offered to ask. They did and it was all delicious. the service is usually very courteous and quick. We made sure to leave the cook a tip on top of our servers gratuity because they didn’t have to bend the rules but they did and I appreciate that greatly. Definitely keeping the home cooked tradition alive Joe & eddies! Two thumbs up!

My family and I traveled to Okaloosa Island for the week and wanted a family-​friendly place to grab a bite to eat on our way back home. We stumbled upon this place and I am glad we did. They serve breakfast ALL day… Who doesn’t love that?! They also have other homemade comfort food like country fried steak, corn nuggets and chopped sirloin and mashed potatoes. The parking lot was a little empty when we arrived at 6PM and at first we were worried, but the service and food were wonderful. Shockingly, they served one of the best margaritas I’d had all week. Only wish we would have found it sooner! My husband loved the omelette and my grilled chicken was cooked perfectly.

Stopped by for dinner last night and it wasn’t busy at all. In fact it was so slow the hostess had the whole house. Seating customers, waiting tables, and bar back duties. Even still, she did a good job and we never had to wait for anything we needed.
I ordered the country fried steak with mashed potatoes and Mac n cheese. ⁴⁄₅ on the country fried steak, taste was good but breading didn’t stay on very well. Mashed potatoes were good, made from real potatoes not instant. Good Mac n cheese.
My wife had the fried pork chops. Same with those, good taste but breading didn’t stay on. She had the corn nuggets — amazing! Get them you can thank me later.
Kids got hamburgers. My oldest got a burger off the regular menu — patty was not a frozen patty looked to be made fresh. Youngest got a burger from the kids menu — appeared to be a frozen patty. Still tasted ok but a little disappointed there.
Overall it was good and we would go back. We didn’t even have what they’re most famous for — their breakfast. So that’s something to look forward to.
UPDATE: Breakfast. OMG. Chocolate hot cakes for me. Sausage and cheese omelet for my wife. Bacon and cheese omelet for my youngest. Oldest child had scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. Everything was amazing! And Allison was our server. Awesome!
Changed my ⁴⁄₅ dinner rating to ⁵⁄₅ since I can’t do 4.5. Rounded up.

We were on vacation and looking for a decent place to grab a bite to eat that wasn’t cramped with other tourists. I can say that we were pleasantly surprised with the food, service, and atmosphere. Wings were excellent with a great sauce that I can honestly say are some of the best I have had while eating out. I had the philly cheese steak. A little light on meat, but it tasted great so I can’t complain. Prices are very affordable. I would definitely recommend if you are in the area and looking for a good meal at a reasonable price that doesn’t feed all the tourists.

Do you want a meal that tastes like a home cooked meal? Then this is a place to go. Not only is their food great, but so is their employees. It’s a family owned establishment. Just the history alone in the restaurant will drag you in.

We have eaten here twice this week, everything is delicious and the service is great! Have a mimosa bc they are a great way to start a Saturday :) I will keep coming back.

Great breakfast spot. We had Chicken Fried Streak and ham and eggs and it was very good. We try to support the locals and these folks have been around for years, we asked about the place in Fort Walton because we hadn’t noticed it before, they explained it just opened 3-​months ago. We will go back.

Went here yesterday for a late breakfast. They serve it all day! The house was quiet but not barren which was quaint. The dining area smells sort of like cedar wood or something similar, whatever the building is made from and I liked it. I ordered a sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on a biscuit. Perfect. But the best part was they serve Belgian waffles! It’s the only place on the island that has em, I’ve checked! Got mine with blueberries! Service was mega fast and not at all anointing and salesy like most chains. The location is perfect for me, being on the island and it’s sort of like a hidden gem being where it is. Quaint, quiet, good. Will return with family and friends.

My wife and I ate lunch here on a Friday. We both got the special, roast beef with two sides. The roast beef was excellent and the sides were good-​she had a baked potato and salad, and I had okra and a salad. The waiter didn’t tell us the salad wasn’t one of the side choices, and the bill reflected the extra charge, which I think was about $ 1.00 extra for each. The waiter also kept us waiting on the bill for 10 minutes-​the place was not busy. Oh, and we got a bread roll, which was just a plain jane cold roll-​nothing special and not worth providing-​very disappointing. This place also has no drink specials, well they had a domestic draft special for $ 5.00 (16 oz) and some goofy bloody mary drink. We also learned they have no happy hour. The atmosphere and building is nice. They have a very big and nice bar area, too bad they won’t see much business in there. They will compete with restaurants on the Island and across brooks bridge that are well established, have great food, and good drink specials, so until they get a decent happy hour, good luck. We would probably go back because we live on the Island, but early enough where we can catch happy hour drinks elsewhere like Helen Back (awesome place), Oar House, etc. Worth a visit-​so give it a try. Rating based on the waiter and no happy hour! :)

Classic place! Down home food and service. A great addition and location on the island.

Great place for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Awesome Food with great service. Fantastic family owned and operated place to eat.