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A lament heard around Lansing has been, "Will Joe's ever reopen?" This week the answer is yes, as new owners Jamie and Heather Ciaschi reopen the Ithaca landmark Monday, January 16th. They have been renovating the restaurant since November, and it is ready to reopen its doors on Monday.


The Ciaschis are maintaining the Joe's traditions, with few changes to the Italian restaurant's menu. The bottomless salad is back. As before they won't be taking reservations, but you can "call ahead," to reduce the wait to get in. The old decor has been replaced with warm Tuscan colors, music and historic pictures of Ithaca from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. This will bring the restaurants back to its roots, as it originally opened in 1932.  The menu has been placed on their new Web site, www.joesithaca.com.


Quite a bit of work went into the building. The kitchen was completely renovated inside, and got a new roof. The upstairs apartment has been outfitted as office and training space. The old decor has been replaced with warm colors, music and historic pictures of Ithaca from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. This will bring the restaurants back to its roots.

"The restaurant did open in 1932 as an Italian restaurant," says Jamie. "We thought it would be fun to create a theme around that time frame, the 30s, 40s and 50s. We went down to the History Center and purchased all the pictures that you see on the walls. They're all of different buildings and streets from that time frame. You'll see a few of those same photos in the menu."

Just like old times, the bar is busy

The Ciaschis have hired Executive Chef Theodore 'Chef Ted' Tomandl and Sous Chef Michael Orlando, both graduates of the prestigious Johnson and Wales University School of Culinary Arts in Providence, Rhode Island. Tomandl is an award winning chef, with recent experience at the Cascade Grill, on Owasco Lake. Orlando has experience as a chef in several restaurants in Rhode Island.

This is something Jamie Ciaschi always wanted to do. "I'm from Ithaca," he says. "I grew up in a family of restaurateurs and I've always had a dream to come back to Ithaca and own my own place. Fortunately my wife was supportive of the idea. She encouraged me to check the place out. As we looked into it further it became more and more of a reality."

Justin Woods serving Tiramisu

The Ciaschis come from a long tradition in the restaurant business. ""My Grandfather was 'Big Jim' Ciaschi," says Jamie. "He owned several restaurants in Ithaca. I grew up in the Char Pit. That's really where I developed a passion for the restaurant business." 'Big Jim' Ciaschi Sr owned the Villa Restaurant (now Pangea) in the late 1950s, Big Jim's Bar and Carryout from 1950 to 1967 and founded the Char Pit Restaurant (now Lucatelli's) in 1967. Jamie's father, James Ciaschi Jr., owned the Char Pit Restaurant until 1984. Joe's kicked things off with a VIP reception on Thursday to reintroduce the restaurant to the public. They served drinks and tastes of some of the dishes they are famous for. The pizza is as good as ever, and if possible the Veal Marsala is even better than before. And heed this warning: don't order the Tiramisu if you are trying to diet! "It's something I've always dreamed of doing and we were fortunate enough to make it happen," says Jamie. "Come try it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed."

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