In 1998 the restaurant won an America’s Classic Award from the James Beard Foundation[1] Joe Weiss began his Miami Beach career by cooking at Smith's Casino beginning in 1913.

Joe's is the biggest buyer of Florida stone crab claws, and it plays a significant role in the industry, influencing the wholesale price and financing many crabbers.

Five years later, he opened up the "original Joe's Restaurant" in the front room of the bungalow he shared with his wife Jennie on Biscayne Street.

[4][5] In 1998, they won an America’s Classic Award by the James Beard Foundation[1] Restaurant Business Magazine, the industry publication of record, reported in October 2014 that Joe's Stone Crab ranked second in the United States with $35.3 million in revenue in 2013.

The restaurant is reputedly referenced in Ian Fleming's novel "Goldfinger" as "Bill's on the Beach" in which James Bond ate the best meal he had ever eaten in his life.