Chez Josephine

Review summary

1. M

   Mark

   New York City

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is a lovely, cozy French style restaurant providing an excellent experience depending on your expectations. The French onion soup and lobster bisque were excellent, heavy and rich in the French style. We'd hoped for a special Christmas day menu, which I should have researched in advance. Arriving at 3PM, there was a pianist playing live lounge jazz, later on 2 children dining at a table each performed a song. The specialty cocktails are nice, but to keep them under $20, the martini glasses are quite small. The Blue Dreams had a beautiful artisan drizzle. The Duck à l'orange was a magnificent meal, with nice touches like crystalized sugar on the orange slices. Unfortunately, the restaurant received some very poor quality cuts of beef and the Black Angus filet mignon, while cooked to perfection was very fatty and sinewy, very difficult to cut and inedible. Same with the second. The pomme frites were also delicious but we had to send the order back twice. We'd hoped the waiter might have sent the manager over, however he did remove the order from the bill, even having eaten a few bites. A 22% gratuity was automatically added for Christmas, and the waiter was very kind to point that out. (But we forgot to increase the tip to cover what the cost would have been before they removed steak - apologies!) There were a few ornaments hung on the chandeliers but not much in the way of Christmas decorations, though the red velvet walls give a Christmas vibe throughout the year! Chez Josephine is narrow, adding to a classic 1920s feel, with the restrooms upstairs - another lovely touch is the branded hand towels. But something to be aware of for those who have difficulty with stairs. For tourists not familiar with French cuisine, it is important to understand the menu and how the cuisine is prepared with robust flavors.and thick creams, very differently from a typical chain restaurant. Obvious to many, but to my Midwestern mom, it was a bit fancier than she liked.
   

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2. L

   Luis

   New York City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Service a little bit confused, they should be able to take orders and also serve it
   

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3. G

   George

   Miami

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Nice restaurant.Bit expensive.But great ambience.chicken was lovely!
   

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4. k

   karine

   New York City

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   Pâtes bolognaise poivrees immangeables.. frites surgelés..et tips de 50 dollars sans nous demander notre avis..
   

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5. J

   James

   VIP

   Raleigh

   22 reviews

   5.0

   22 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Terrific bistro. I had the lentil soup special and spaghetti bolognese. Nice wines, excellent service, singer on piano, beautiful atmosphere!
   

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6. M

   Michael

   Washington DC

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Perfect. Great ambiance. Great music. Great food. Great service. It will meet and exceed your expectations.
   

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7. W

   William

   New York City

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Incroyable endroit, de la part de français c’est absolument fantastique !
   

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8. M

   Mitchell

   New York City

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Old NYC experience. A small French bistro tucked between theaters and corporate buildings. The food is good; well prepared, tasty, and true to its identity. The service is friendly, attentive, and tuned in to the theater rush.
   

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9. D

   Dennis

   New York City

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   Food was good… service not so much. They would ask if you need something and not bring it, nobody came to see if we needed anything, and an uncomfortable wait time to get a check at the end…. They need to fix this. Also, tables are way too small, and too close together. Could not fit everything easily on a table for 2..
   

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10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York City

    10 reviews

    1.0

    10 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4

    This used to one of our very favorite places in NYC. It was never perfect but it was urbane, with old favorite dishes well-prepared and attentive service. In every way it has gone downhill. The waiter acted like she was serving slop at a diner. Several manger types stand around doing nothing and looking confused while no one ever offers another drink or stats long enough to let you ask for Mayo or ketchup with frites. The same old favorite dishes are in the menu but are now diner quality. No bread offered with the pate, and no one was there to ask. The $50 filet tastes like a cheaper cut of sirloin, the au poivre sauce is bland and gloppy, the frites not crunchy. The lemon tart brûlée is no longer a tart. It’s a cutout of stiff lemon with gelatin. The experience was just disappointing. Another great place is gone - just the trappings remain
    

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