Jo’s Cafe

Hoffel poffel is one gigantic breakfast of eggs scrambled with chunks of potato, onions, and, at Jo’s Café in Milwaukee, WI- lots of nuggets of spicy salami and, optionally, cheese on top. The only reason we would recommend not getting hoffel poffel for breakfast is that the OTHER kind of potatoes at Jo’s – the thin-cut hash browns – are delicious. Cooked in a flat patty until brittle crisp, they also are available under a mantle of melted cheese. Either sort of potato will leave precious little room for Jo’s terrific pecan rolls and cinnamon rolls; nor should a first-time visitor miss out on one of the large omelets cooked on Jo’s busy griddle.

That griddle, just behind the counter at the far end of the restaurant, is hypnotic to watch. The short-order cook wields her spatula like a hash-house maestro, creating gorgeous piles of potatoes and perfectly-cooked eggs, sizzling sausages and bacon, and orchestrating every table’s meal so all plates arrive at the same time. You’ll not likely have a choice of seats when you come to Joe’s, because they are always in short supply; but if you can sit opposite the grill, the good view of food being made adds a whole other dimension to the meal.

Lunch at Jo’s Cafe is Roadfood supreme: daily specials such as meat loaf, beef stew, pork chops, and country-fried steak, available with real mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, and a yeasty fresh-baked dinner roll. Any day, you can order good barbecued pork ribs or chicken.

Jo’s Cafe isn’t a grand place – just a short counter and four small tables – but its grateful clientele know that when you sit down in one of these precious seats, you are about to enjoy an uncomplicated visit to blue-plate heaven.