TV Restaurants

Is Original Joe's Still Open? Food Paradise Update (San Jose, CA)

Food Paradise, Season 3 San Jose, California

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Original Joe's is open — confirmed via ktvu.com, May 27, 2026.

What the source shows: News coverage from KTVU and SFist, both dated 2026-05-27, along with a Yelp listing updated July 2026, show Original Joe's in San Jose is still operating under the Rocca family despite reports it may be sold. How we decide a status →

What happened after Food Paradise?

Food Paradise: Manliest Restaurants featured Original Joe's, a downtown San Jose Italian-American restaurant known for dishes like Joe's Special. According to KTVU (2026-05-27), the restaurant marked its 70th year in 2026 under founder Louis Rocca's grandsons, Brad and Matt Rocca, and co-owner Michelle Rocca said the business was "here to stay" after reports it might be sold. SFist, also dated 2026-05-27, reported the restaurant had been listed for sale, with the Rocca brothers saying they had no plans to close and were seeking a buyer who loves the restaurant. According to Yelp, updated July 2026, the restaurant continued operating at 301 S 1st Street with posted hours and more than 2,600 reviews.

The episode Food Paradise, Season 3

Episode 1
Air date not confirmed
Title: Food Paradise: Manliest Restaurants · What was featured: Italian-American classics like Joe's Special at a downtown institution
How Food Paradise restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 3 Food Paradise

Season 3: 17 of 22 still open

All 4 Season 3 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 301 S 1st St

All 892 TV restaurants in California →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 3 references

  1. ktvu.com https://www.ktvu.com/news/original-joes-san-jose-we-not-market-we-not-closing-we-here-stay
  2. sfist.com https://sfist.com/2026/05/27/san-jose-original-joes-restaurant-goes-on-the-market-could-it-rejoin-its-sf-cousins/
  3. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/original-joes-san-jose-10
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Record fp-0162 · checked by Cal Marchetti.