Joe Caribe

Auburn, United States

3.7

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 530-823-5333
Website:
joe-caribe.com
Address:
13470 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA, 95603
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
2.2 miAuburn
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Auburn) 17:02 Sunday, 22 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The inspiration for the menu comes from owner, Joe Gleason’s many years in the food business. The menu is an eclectic take on island-​inspired, Caribbean cuisine dishes with influences from many places. The menu includes appetizers such as Fire-​Roasted Artichokes with sherry-​shallot vinaigrette & roasted garlic aioli. The salads should not be overlooked, as they are not your every day salad. The Caesar has a red chile dressing with toasted almonds and asiago cheese. Also on the menu are specialty Taco’s including fish taco’s, Pork Mango taco’s, Shrimp taco’s, and Chicken taco’s. The Burritos are a must try. There are House Specialties that include Yellow Curry Noodles, a Veggie Curry dish, Salmon and Shrimp Curry. Grilled sandwiches, soups and sides are all crowd pleasers. The menu offers a children’s menu as well.

History

Established in 2008.

Joe Caribe Caribbean Bistro and Café opened it’s newest location in late October of 2010. The new location includes a bar and lounge with a handcrafted fireplace. The main dining room has high ceilings and an open view into the kitchen. Joe Gleason has expanded from his former location of six employees to a staff of over 30.

Meet the Business Owner

Joe G.

Business Owner

Chef & owner, Joe Gleason serves up his islands-​inspired dishes in his new location, which boasts a 3,500-square-foot, full service restaurant and bar. He has been cooking since the 1980s, and started in the restaurant business as a waiter. Gleason got his chef’s training at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He has worked at a number of restaurants since then, including the popular Zuni Café in San Francisco and Nepenthe in Big Sur. Joe is taking a relaxed approach to the new restaurant. Joe likes to keep it casual and comfortable.

Nearby

Near this location:
100
ft
Snow Mountain
13479 Bowman Rd
110
ft
Realty World-Jerry Patchen
13466 Lincoln Way
130
ft
Quality Inn Auburn - Foresthill
13490 Lincoln Way
130
ft
MILLENIUM SMOKE SHOP
13466 Lincoln Way
130
ft
Millenium
13466 Lincoln Way
180
ft
Burger King
13446 Lincoln Way

20 reviews of Joe Caribe

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Place rating: 5
Auburn, CA
The best fish tacos I ever had were in this little surf town, Sayulita, Mexico. Joe Caribe’s in Auburn is the second best place!!! –Not bad, considering Auburn is no where near the ocean!
Place rating: 4
Columbia, MD
Caribbean curries and other flavors of this great area of the world! You wouldn’t expect to find a pretty good Caribbean place here but it’s true, it exists. I tried the tomato-​curry bisque/​soup and *loved* it. I wish I had more of an appetite that evening or I would have ate more. My family had other dishes such as the tacos and such… all which were great. For dessert, we tried the Mango Passion fruit Pana Cotta and bread pudding which again was all pretty good! There is tons of seating in this restuarant and I did notice it gets busy later.
Place rating: 3
Newark, CA
Pork tacos were very good and the carrot salad.
Very nice place, we had a great time!
Service was wonderful!
Place rating: 4
Delano, CA
I had the grilled skirt steak (medium rare) and it was delicious. I wasn’t too fond of the spinach because it had a coconut taste to it. It was different but I was starving. The potatoes were really good.
They don’t have any sauces besides ranch and ketchup. If you try to ask for anything else, they don’t have it. They are a Caribbean restaurant and the flavored are very simple.
I would definitely come here again if I’m ever in the area.
Place rating: 5
Auburn, CA
We went to a restaurant over by I-​80 and Bell Rd but since we arrived earlier than 4pm they cannot serve anything from dinner menu. We browsed Unilocal and found Joe Caribe’s…quite hesitant but when I saw stuff on the menu which my husband will like and some stuff for myself, we took the bullet!
The ambience is pleasant… place is clean and doesn’t stink!
I ordered the Yellow Curry Noddles with prawns… when I have the first bite… tastes so heavenly! It’s not spicy at all and the coconut milk and the herbs made the flavors burst in your mouth! My hubby ordered the steak with the potato wedges and green salad on the side… the salad was so yummy with its passion fruit dressing.
And when it’s time for dessert… ohhhh the Fresh Mango Passion fruit Pana Cotta made me more crazy and I even have extra order to go!!!
Place rating: 5
Auburn, CA
The food is delicious, the service is friendly and professional, and the setting is comfortable and fun. I recommend the curry noodles with chicken or the curry chicken burrito, but everything I’ve eaten there I’ve liked.
Place rating: 4
Ripon, CA
Food was good. Service was good. Limited selection of beer on tap. Had jambalaya and Sierra Nevada pale ale bottle.
Place rating: 3
Nevada City, CA
I came here with a large group of people from work, and this restaurant was very accommodating to us despite already being busy at the time. I had tacos which were good, with fresh pico de gallo, and not at all greasy or overdone. They were decent. Salsa was also fresh and tasted homemade to me. The beer selection was also good. Overall a good meal, I left feeling like I’d eaten something healthy and not saturated in grease like so many other Mexican restaurants tend to do.
Place rating: 3
Weimar, CA
The place is OK. I don’t see what the big deal is. The food is middle of the road, neither bad nor great.
Place rating: 3
Pacifica, CA
Food and service was just ok. We went when it was pretty dead, but the service still wasn’t that attentive. The fish and pork tacos were tasty, but the rice and beans were flavorless. Expected more based on the reviews.
Place rating: 1
Roseville, CA
Not sure if the food is any good?
Sat at our table for 15 minutes the server never stopped at our table.
When we walked out 3 servers were standing at the front chatting each other up.
This place sucks.
Place rating: 5
Eagle, ID
Great staff
Liked the cole slaw
The chips and salsa were amazing too; unusually nutritious.
Place rating: 2
Nevada City, CA
I had lunch here with a friend.
We sat at a table in the bar area.
I had the fish tacos and a glass of wine. I found the food marginal, nothing special, edible. The wine was the sauvignon blanc on the menu. It was drinkable. No rosés on the menu.
The person tending our table was just ok. We could never catch her eye. She was just there to do the job.
I have been here before as it is convenient, but I can’t think I will agree to it again.
Place rating: 5
Walnut Creek, CA
Super good food! Our server Sophia was authentically sweet, gracious, knowledgeable, caring and fun. As of the rest of the staff, they seemed to work really well as a team, clearing plates, filling water glasses and they appear to be having fun while working hard. It’s nice to see people that care about great service that enjoy their craft.
First time here and we will be back on our way through. NICE JOB AND THANK YOU!
Place rating: 3
San Bruno, CA
The skirt steak was really good. It had a great marinade and was cooked perfectly. We also had the fish tacos, which is suppose to be their specialty, one of us liked them and one if us thought that they were nothing special. The service was just ok too. A little slow but not awful.
We went on a Friday night and it was quite busy. The wait was 20 – 30 minutes at around 6:30pm.
Place rating: 5
Temecula, CA
I’ve been wanting to visit this place since it first opened. Unfortunately, back in the day when I lived in Auburn, it was near impossible to convince my mother to try food (e.g., quesadillas) outside of Taco Bell or Chevy’s. Fast forward to December 2015, and upon visiting home, I was able to finally give this place a go. Granted, my mother thought it was too scary and pricey to attend.
My boyfriend and I ventured here after deciding an early dinner was a good option. After all, we were tired of warming up pizza from a few nights prior. And so it was a good option. We were seated right away and drinks were served rather quickly. The food did take a while longer.
The chips, salsa, and guacamole were delicious! That easily could have been my entire meal. I did order the quesadilla (like mother like daughter) and the bread tasted as if a flour tortilla and naan bread had a baby. So freaking good. It was one of the best quesadillas I have ever had. I wish I still lived near by because now I have to wait until I can try it out again.
My boyfriend had the chicken curry burrito. Over the next ten minutes, I completely lost him to the burrito. It’s safe to say he liked it very much. The portions were so huge that he could not finish it!
Prior to leaving, I did order the fire roasted artichoke appetizer to bring to my mother. And she thought it was the best thing ever.
Place rating: 3
Concord, CA
Came here on a cold, November evening in search of a hot meal. I had the chicken tacos, and found them disappointing. They reminded me more of a tostada, served flat with the insides on top, which was a little strange from what I’m used to. But the worst part was the greens mixed in with the chicken were cold! Not saying it was wrong, just weird — it’s like putting hot chicken in a cold salad — not to my mind a good combo. Plus it killed the «hot» part of a hot meal.
The place itself seems popular, with a lot of locals, and a lot of people filing in for takeout. Obviously they are doing something right; alas, for that night, not by me.
Place rating: 2
Roseville, CA
We came across the place on our way back from Colfax. Hubby spotted «Tacos.» So we decided to stop by.
Hostess greeting at the front was friendly. Our server was also incredibly friendly. However, not so knowledgeable about the menu… as my hubby asked if the ribs were spare or baby back… she acted unsure and then said «spare.» Our guts told us they were probably baby back, so hubby ordered those… and yeah, they were baby back. Lol.
I did order the tacos. But first, our chicken wings came out. Flavor was so so. And you could tell they were frozen chicken wings, as the center was a little cold compared to the rest of the wing. My Tacos came out and had a beautiful presentation. However, they were drenched in their cole slaw, so it was hard to get the flavor of the different meats. I ended up removing a lot of the slaw, so I could taste the meat. Not bad.
So yeah, the meal was just ok. But, I’m not from Auburn, and I didn’t really expect much. Lol. Would we come here again? Nah. Smh.
Place rating: 4
Reno, NV
The big «Fish Tacos» sign caught my lover’s eye, so we pulled in here faster than a fat kid waddling after the musical ice cream truck. I was on a soft foods diet at the time, and unfortunately, not a lot was offered in that area. This is what I imagine to be a Caribbean style restaurant with exotic and sweet floral notes. So I ordered the artichoke appetizer ($ 8.99 or so), which was an entire artichoke with the hair scooped out marinated and grilled in balsamic vinegar and oil. It came with some sort of aioli, which was perfect for the tartness of the balsamic vinegar. My companion got the fish tacos, of course, huge portions covered in a tangy slaw with rice and black beans. I had a bit of the cabbage slaw and fish and it was tasty!
The place was hopping and looked like they had some great happy hour deals. I can see us stopping in the future as Cory really loved his tacos, and we like Auburn a lot. I would venture out then and try some other things I saw, like the shrimp tacos or the wings.
Place rating: 5
Colfax, CA
Exceeded all my expectations. I was starving from eating road snacks all day and needed something delicious in my tummy.
I was uncertain as most off-​the-​interstate restaurants are mediocre at best. They messed up my order the first go around (no nuts on the curry but it showed up with a mountain of those things). They were very apologetic and quickly made me a new dish. Under normal HANGRY circumstances, I would’ve been nonplussed. My first bite changed everything. DEEEEEEELICIOUS. And one of the best curries I’ve had. My fella had the ribs and I swear they were marinated with magic. The mashed potatoes, slaw, ribs… all very Caribbean and amazingly flavorful.
The local brewery, Knee Deep, makes a perfect IPA that’ll ease any road warriors’ spirits– in fact, it’ll lift them to the heavens (where I’m sure this was brewed).