Grumpy Joe (Baguio City): Serving American and Italian Comfort Food, with Perpetually Long Queues (Is It Worth Lining Up For?)
This article is part of the Baguio City Food Trip 2024 series.
Grumpy Joe is a well-loved restaurant in Baguio City serving American and Italian comfort food. It currently has two branches in Baguio and has expanded to Dagupan (Pangasinan), San Fernando (Pampanga), and San Fernando (La Union).
When I researched about Grumpy Joe, I learned that it always has a long queue. Some customers even wait for 2 hours!
So we went to check what the fuzz is all about. We went to main branch in Gibraltar on a Tuesday and came after lunch to avoid the lunch crowd, in the hopes that the queue is short. Thankfully, there are seats where customers can wait.
Waiting Area (photo taken after our meal)
If you’re getting impatient, you can try their ice cream. They have Filipino flavors, including Keso (cheese), Ube (purple yam), and even Kaning Tutong (burnt rice).
Ice Cream at Grumpy Joe
Fortunately, we were called in less than 10 minutes. The food didn’t take too long to be served as well.
Inside Grumpy Joe Gibraltar
To whet our appetites, we ordered the Mojo Fries, which is way better than Shakey’s. LOL. It’s super crisp and comes with a dip that’s sweet, tangy, and slight spicy.
Mojo Fries (PHP270)
We also tried their bestselling Grumpy Joe Fried Chicken. It has juicy and tender meat, and a crunchy skin. Dip it in the gravy to elevate it!
Grumpy Joe Fried Chicken (Solo/4pcs.: PHP420; Double/8pcs.: PHP820; Group/12pcs.: PHP1210)
Of course, we didn’t pass on their pizza. You can have it either thick crust or thin. We got the former and it’s nicely soft!
To maximize our Grumpy Joe pizza experience, we tried the 2 in 1 flavors. The first flavor is Grumpy Joe, which is loaded with bacon, ham, ground beef, pineapples (it goes in pizza LOL), onions, and bell peppers. It’s really like an elevated version of Pizza Hut’s Super Supreme, and I love it!
Left to Right: Spinach Truffle and Grumpy Joe Pizza (PHP666)
The other is Spinach Truffle, which has balanced flavors. There’s also a lot of cheese but it’s not overpowering.
For pasta, we tried their bestselling Lasagna. Unfortunately, we find the sauce to be on the sweet side.
Lasagna (PHP340)
To wash down all the food, we got Blueberry Pomegranate and Watermelon Lemonades. While both are refreshing, I like the former better, as the latter is too sweet for me.
Left to Right: Blueberry Pomegranate Lemonade and Watermelon Lemonade (PHP150 each)
So is Grumpy Joe worth lining up for? If the queue is only thirty minutes, yes. They have good food and portions, which is perfect for a family meal. Except for the lasagna, every item we got is delicious. I highly recommend it to you!
Have you been to Grumpy Joe? How was your experience? What item above have you tried or would like to try? Comment below!
For Grumpy Joe branches and operating hours, visit their Facebook and Instagram accounts.