Josephine

Upon trying to find a place last minute for brunch we came across this place. Since they were able to reserve we decided here. Walking in we were promptly greeted and upon looking around while walking to our table I noticed everything clean, bright, and nice lot decorated. Even noticed some of the light fixtures looked repurposed. I also noticed they have a very well stocked bar, as I noticed some options that are harder finds within most bars. Our food was good, probably one of the most flavorful Benedict's I've had to date. Although my potatoes did not match in flavor because they barely had any kind of seasoning or herbs to complement such a favorable Benedict. A friend had the chicken parm sandwich and it looked a lot better than we all expected. Meanwhile even down to the pimento dip was raved about. Also to note, our server was very respectful of us and our conversations. She was there whenever we needed the her the most. Only thing I'd say is she was a little delayed after the food had dropped to the table to check if everything looked ok. All in all I think this place is definitely being overlooked. As you can get good food and drinks.

Great atmosphere, love the exposed brick. A nice open bar area! We had a reservation and were seated right away. Our server was great, very knowledgeable & went the extra mile for us. The food was delicious, we had meatballs as an app that were awesome. Then she had the chicken which she loved & I had the lasagne pinwheels which I hadn't seen before and were rich and delicious. They have a happy hour until 6pm with discounts on many apps and drink specials. Great value for a great restaurant! We'll be back!

Josephine's overall vibe and ambiance - classy and extremely well-appointed, but with a dash of "take a picture of the pinwheel lasagna for Insta" - can overbear the food and drink at times. But that shouldn't take away from the fact that both are excellent. The focaccia, the speck/melon, and the arancini are all top notch starters. The cacio e pepe, the lasagna, and the agnolotti are all fantastic pastas (maybe skip the amatriciana, which has a tomato sauce so concentrated I think you could strip paint with it). The branzino is impeccable, and not a dish you find many places in town. And lest we forget - the drinks. Best cocktail menu in Avondale, both the signature and classic drinks, and that's saying a lot. Plus some well-rounded beer and wine choices. Service is friendly, and I've never felt rushed to leave even when it gets crowded. I don't hear Josephine mentioned among the top spots in the city nearly as much as it should be - hopefully that will change!

Cacio e Pepe is what I get every time it's wonderful and so are literally all the appetizers. Espresso martinis are delicious and they seem to really have a great selection of different bottles of wines. My friends and I love to eat here

The ambiance of this restaurant was lovely, but u think there was only about five people in there, not including employees. We oped for this bc the other three places had 30-45 min wait. Imagine being hungry and there were La petit plates and no other pasta besides rigatoni with no meatballs. We wanted the full pasta menu which was not available for lunch. The hardy biscuits and gravy have a different take. Instead of flour based, the rue was made with oil. Biscuits were fresh and had great texture tho. Got my egg scrambled instead of fried, but only a small portion. This isn't ihop lol. We both got the mimosas which was made with brut champagne, I guess I like mine better with sparkling wine. Not worth the hype for brunch.. Good for photo ops.

We dined in for a birthday dinner. The booth seating was low for our aging parents. Our server was patient and attentive throughout the meal. The focaccia was wonderful. We weren't impressed by the pizza rolls they are more like egg rolls than pizza rolls with the filling substituted. The meatballs were well liked. The radicchio salad dressing was exceptional with a nice lemon zip. The cacio y Pepe was creamy and the pinwheel lasagna had a nice sauce. We enjoyed the meal although all agreed it wasn't worth the price tag

We all had great first experience. We were seated in a room towards the back to accommodate our party size and give us a bit of privacy. The restaurant is beautiful. Our server Georgia has a wonderful energy. I arrive just before happy hour ended and ordered an aperol spritz, a glass of red wine, pizza rolls, charcuterie and Calabrian chicken for us to try while we waited on my family to arrive. Everything was a hit but we didn't care for the chicken. When I see Calabrian, I expect heat. There was no spicy detected.Once everyone arrived, we ordered entrées. My dad and son had the lasagna rolls. I had a bite and it was perfection. No need for additional salt or anything. My dad said it was delicious but he wished it had more meat. My mom, daughter and I had the spaghetti di mare. Our only critique was the overcooked clams. The clams were extremely chewy but we ate around it. The rest of the meal was perfect. Everyone enjoyed the food and agreed we'd return. Unfortunately, the rest of our group are picky eaters and much more picky than I expected. You can't please everyone. They chose not to order andand ate burgers down the street once we left.

If you get one thing from Josephine's, I beg you to order the cacio e pepe arancini. It melts in your mouth and makes you question if you're going to order an entree or just get 3 more orders of this delicious appetizer. The ambiance is upscale casual, perfect for a Buisness lunch or a fancy anniversary celebration. I highly recommend Josephine's to anyone in the area! Instagram : @thegourmetsketch

Located in downtown Avondale area, parking is always hit or miss. But it's free, so.....We stopped in here on a bustling Saturday afternoon, 2:40pm to eat. We were told that it was still only Brunch and offered to sit where we liked.The inside was much larger than it looked, with many tables and semi circular booths available. The back also had 2 very large areas for dining, meetings and parties.We started off with the pastry platter. It looks small but was large enough to share. The madeleine looking cake was actually an olive oil cake, moist and delectable. Just like the ones in Europe! Next was the zeppole. It was delicate and served with a sweet strawberry sauce. Next was a biscuit thing that was doughy and served with a rancid parmesan butter. It went downhill from there.I ordered the lemon ricotta pancake. It was served steaming hot, underside almost burned. It came with a sweet butter that melted and pooled in one spot, which looked horrible. Maybe it should be served on the side since we eat with our eyes first,? The pancake was like a soufflé , very egg tasting, but very bland. A few lemon sugared rinds on the top did not help. It was not as expected. When the waitress came to clear the table I said " you can go ahead and take the strawberry sauce. It was delicious and I was saving it for my pancake but a bug flew in it", as I picked it out ! She shrugged and walked away......Several flying insects were where we sat, close to the window in the back. I do not recommend for Brunch....Maybe dessert and coffee only or maybe dinner is better.

This restaurant has a beautiful atmosphere in downtown Riverside with a choice of indoor and outdoor seating. The art and decor of the restaurant is fancy, elegant, and a little modern. We were seated at a booth. Our server explained the menu and specials very well. There were so many delicious appetizers that it was hard to choose one. The steak tartare was a star! Well stacked on just a little bit of toast and the flavors melted in your mouth. The sourdough focaccia was light, had a crisp exterior with a herby crust. For our main dishes, the ribeye was classic, and paired nicely with an Au Jus. It came with some grilled veggies as well. The cut of meat seemed decent but there was more fat on the meat than expected that wasn't grilled as much as I wanted. The fiola de mare was coated in a heavy cream sauce, which was rich and had great flavor. I was surprised to see the noodles so short though, not the most beautiful dish!