Brasserie Jo

While I have almost no complaints about the staff or the service here, my rating is primarily based on the food at Brasserie Jo. The location is great, ambiance was lovely, and my party of six was able to enjoy conversation easily together without having to shout or struggle to hear over high noise volumes. An overall nice atmosphere.
But right from the start, I was even underwhelmed by the baguette they brought out to the table as we were seated. I’ve had better French bread at non-​French restaurants, to be honest. But thats not a big deal so much as the food we actually ordered: To start, my husband and I shared the appetizer of Roasted Bone Marrow with Mustard Crust. This was absolutely terrible! We were shocked. It really seemed like they had served us marrow bones that the marrow had been scraped out of already, and replaced it with straight grain mustard. Im convinced that we had no marrow in that dish whatsoever. I at one point was so overwhelmed by the strong mustard that I had a coughing fit and we both had to give up and stop eating the dish. Be warned. If we had not been with company, my husband and I would have said something to the waitstaff.
For entrees, my husband and I both ordered the Beef Short Rib Bourguignon. We were pleased by the quantity of food, and the short ribs were cooked perfectly, as were all of the vegetables. However, the sauce was so incredibly salty, and there was so much of it, that it completely overpowered an otherwise delicious meal. After a few bites, the saltiness just made it impossible to continue enjoying the dish. This is coming from someone who typically loves salty foods, but this was even to much for me. Sadly I could only finish about a third of my meal.
My friends, from what was said, were similarly disappointed in their meals. One ordered a strip steak, which she mentioned had an offensive amount of whole peppercorns on it. Another friend ordered a chicken dish, which looked unappealing. Presentation was not strong in anything we received. Only one of us actually cleared our plates.
A few of us ordered dessert, including a Brioche Bread Pudding which they were surprised to find was more of a slab of sponge cake, than actual bread pudding. Another friend ordered the profiteroles, which were enormous, and the server poured so much chocolate sauce on them that we all thought the chocolate was going to overflow off the plate! Sounds decadent, but further continued the theme of the nights meals of being overpowered by some element.
Sadly, we won’t likely return to Brasserie Jo when there are so many other far superior options for French food right in Boston. We left wishing we hadn’t spent the money for what we received. Now we know!

Eye wateringly expensive for not out of this world service levels, customer profile is approximately 50+ years old. Stayed in the hotel attached which was nice but food elsewhere is better, try Atlantic Fish instead.

Came back to give it another try. Food was better, maybe they had an off night when i went. Service was attentive, the chef was on the floor came over to say hi! We had a variety of appetizers and my fiancé and I both ate steak. I got the rib eye and he got New York strip steak. For dessert crime brûlée ^_​^. All and all this trip was excellent, we will defiantly return.

Ordered room service. Onion soup and shrimp cocktail. Smooth and simple transaction. Oh my oh my. French onion soup was spectacular. Jumbo shrimp were large and in charge. But the best part? The warm loaf of bread in a bag that I didn’t order that paired so well with my wine. 2^nd time staying at the hotel next door and after multiple breakfast, dinner and bar visits the staff are always friendly, attentive and want you to enjoy yourself! Thank you!

So disappointed with this place. It had High reviews for a French restaurant in the city, we found it to be extremely crowded, and temperature wise hot! The service was atrocious! No one ever bussed our table or removed our menus from the table. The temperature In the restaurant was sweltering even if the food was decent we could enjoy it because we were rushing to leave because of the heat. The cocktails were $ 17 each and good but not worth the price, at all. If the service was amazing I wouldn’t mind paying, but it wasn’t. We only ordered 2 appetizers (flatbreads) and 2 cocktails and 2 beers and the bill was $ 98!!! Over all the average age of patrons were 60+ which would explain the heat. I was not impressed with the service, food, or drinks. I would not waist your time.

Let’s be honest here. I would have given a 4-​star rating if the service was more attentive.
The menu is definitely on the expensive side.
Food was delicious with flavor.
Home fries were perfect. Probably some of the best I’ve ever had. Nice and crispy on the outside and a perfect balance of spices the leaves you feeling satisfied :) that’s a huge compliment coming from me since breakfast is my absolute favorite. Eggs were a lil overcooked. And I enjoyed the fresh preserves selection for toast they had.
The coffee is definitely premium quality French press. Very bold and rich in flavor. The juices were freshly squeezed! My grapefruit juice was delicious!

AWESOME BRUNCH! Our first stop to dine when we visited Boston. Delicious Mimosas! Friendly staff! definitely returning when visiting!

Just stopped in for a quick breakfast and I was throughly impressed. The Belgian waffle was amazing. They had an issue with their payment system, but the staff remained calm and continued to be helpful even in a stressful situation.

My family and I had a late (10:00 PM) dinner after the Boston Pops Holiday Concert. They did a great job. The food was wonderful and the service was attentive and professional. My daughter and I split a dozen oysters as a starter but the rest of our party of six skipped starters. The entrees of Pepper Steak (2), Short Ribs, Scallops, Mussels, and a Brasserie Steak were all excellently prepared and enjoyed. We ordered lots of drinks and several glasses of wine. The bill was $ 358 which was pricey but reflected the quantity and the quality.

Ugh, i really don’t like this restaurant. The food was average at best and the décor would be appropriate for a suburban friendly’s not an upscale restaurant in downtown Boston. White paper table cloths do not belong in a restaurant at this price point. Service was ok, nothing special. There are so many better places to spend your money than here.

Way over priced for the food we had. Had an 8pm cheese plate (4 types of cheese, 2 very small pieces per type, and some bread to eat with it) and chowder (most likely from Sysco out of a bag), plus a few drinks. The humor of the bartender was nice.
My Girlfriend wanted to see if breakfast was any better. $ 25 a person for a hot buffet had tasteless sausage and bacon. Girlfriend could not finish her food. Eggs looked like they were boiled in a bag. The pastries were good. Pineapple was perfect, but really all they did was cut it. Not worth $ 25 a person, we had a better buffet for free the morning prior at the Sheraton.

We have been to Brasserie Jo a couple of times now for dinner. Both experiences exceeded expectations. The food is consistent and the service excellent.
Last night was a bit of a slow night for Saturday, but my guess was that it is the weekend right after New Years and people are partied out. We were able to walk in and get a table around 7pm. However we would recommend making reservations. Brasserie Jo is typically hopping and there were a number of times we weren’t able to walk in or even eat at the bar.
Upon seating we received a warm baguette, which is in a paper bag and from which one would tear off a piece. We also received a carrot relish/​accompaniment. Both times, I had the French onion soup, and both times were good. The crock is a little on the small side, but the soup is tasty and not too salty. There is a decent amount of cheese and croutons. The only think about the soup that could make it better would be the presentation. It looks a little too greasy (probably because of the cheese). But it is good otherwise. My partner got the clam chowder last night, and he said it was really good (better than Legal Seafood’s) – he noted that Brasserie Jo’s was a bit heavier, which I appreciate in a chowder.
For my entrée, I had the Jo Burger (see pic). It was good and cooked to my liking. It’s stacked high with the burger, mushrooms, lettuce and fried duck egg – I ended up eating it with my fork and knife as it was too big to eat it like a «regular» burger. It is served with fries, which I think we’re better than the first time I had them (with steak frites).
Brasserie Jo has valet parking but there is a parking garage across the street at Copley. Also, there are some metered spaces in the vicinity and if you are lucky to snag one of them, great! We live in the suburbs and we would make a special trip into town to eat at Brasserie Jo as well as just popping in if we’re in the area and hungry for decent French food.

Had the bone marrow (one of the best I had) and the short ribs. Food and service were outstanding. I highly recommend for those who appreciate great food.

Dinner was good I got steak fries that was tender, moist, and juicy. The fries were crispy and perfectly cooked, although I wouldn’t have serve them with ketchup. Others had short rib Bourgogne, which I tasted and enjoyed. Unfortunately, the service was bad, I mean, our server was truly a mess. We asked three times for a bread plate and every time we had a doubt on the menu the answer was inconclusive and vague, as if he didn’t know the menu. To be totally fair the house offered the deserts, but between the bad service and the overpriced cocktails they deserve the 3 stars from me!

Dined at Brasserie Jo with a group of 4 on a Friday night around 6:30. (They do take reservations) The restaurant is quite large and open and had sufficient space between the tables. You definitely don’t feel crammed into the space.
They have a very nice wine selection, from which we selected a couple bottles. The beer list is underwhelming and expensive so I recommend sticking with wine. They bring a french baguette and pickled carrots to the table which is a nice touch. I ordered the roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and french peas. Everything was very good, not necessarily spectacular, but very good. My friend ordered the mussels, which came in a really delicious french-​style buttery sauce. They give you a millioin mussels so I was able to have a few. I highly suggest dunking the baguette in the sauce!
The desserts looked really good but unfortunately we didn’t have time to order any. Very high quality French food at Brasserie Jo. I’m not sure the quality quite matches the price tag… but this is a nice option if you’re craving French cuisine in Boston.

I recently dined at Brasserie Jo for an event and was definitely impressed by the level of detail that went into our meal.
We started with a Pastrami Salmon Amuse Bouche; dried dark rye, sauerkraut Bön-​Bön and Salmon Roe followed by a Roast Beet salad; pickled shallots, hazelnut crumbles all atop a goat cheese mousse.
I enjoyed the Green Circle Chicken as my entrée; parsnip, chanterelle strudel and heirloom carrots (this was my favorite — SO GOOD Chef Nick!)
Ending the meal with the Baked Alaska that had a pumpkin meringue.
Fantastic service and remember during the holiday season Brasserie Jo participates in Hearth Shares (allowing diners to donate a dollar to help end homelessness in Boston!) Please consider donating.

What an interesting place to be when you find out about the terrorist attacks in Paris. The TV played football, no one said a word.
I ordered a moscow mule which came in a glass, not a copper mug and it tasted like gin, not vodka. Not too good. But, the Crème Brulee was awesome.
The next day, we went back and had breakfast. I hate Tarte Flambé. Ok, it really is a flatbread pizza with eggs, roasted tomatoes and bacon. It was super good. Our waitress was really pleasant. I would go back.

The food was decent the service was horrible. I don’t know where to begin, our waiter might have come over twice. We finished eating and the plates sat for an hour. Our empty glasses sat throughout the meal. The tip was automatic and not deserved.

Rip off for Denny’s-quality breakfast
My husband and I were staying at the Colonnade and got a coupon for this restaurant. Not only was the waitress rude and condescending but she failed to mention that in addition to our $ 11 two eggs that a little piece of ham was an additional $ 6!!! Are you kidding me??? Supposedly they are supposed to mention this scam of theirs but she didn’t and the hotel insisted on defending them that we signed the receipt (which my unsuspecting husband signed bc I had to leave early to get ready for our event. They refused to take off the exorbitant charges so they just lost a customer for $ 12 scam – is that REALLY how you want to make your money, folks? Deceptive up charge menus???
Scum.

The first time I came here was back in 2005 when I had dinner with my at-​the-​time boyfriend (now husband) and his grandparents. We came here for dinner before going to the Boston Pops and it was a wonderful experience. I remember ordering a dirty martini with his grandmother and having so many laughs here. What stood out at me was the service, it was top notch and they even had a crumb catcher to clean our table after each course.
Years later, I come back here again to enjoy a dinner with my husband and the service is still impeccable, nothing has changed. 10 years and still wonderful customer service. That’s how it should be!
My husband got the NY strip steak and it was perfectly cooked. They even replaced the green beans it came with, with brussel sprouts, no extra charge. I got the chicken coq au vin and that was delicious. Oysters on the half shell for our appetizer was a nice way to start our meal.
I’m thrilled to see this place still standing a decade later. Class always win, always.

Well, my fiancé just sent me a message from the bathroom, where he’s been for the last 30 minutes (again), that reads, «I’ve been poisoned.» Poor guy.
This place was a huge disappointment, and obviously outrageously overpriced for the quality of food. I first noticed this when I spotted my favorite bottle of wine ($ 30) on the menu for $ 105. I really do understand that a bottle of wine is going to be more expensive at a restaurant, but to jack up the price this much is criminal.
My own food was the epitome of «OK» — Frites were cold and generally just not very good. To be completely honest, we questioned at first whether or not they even made them or if they were frozen because neither of us could tell. My steak was ok, but nothing to get excited about…
My fiancé mentioned right away that his Choucroute Alsacienne tasted off. He generally likes everything and will finish whatever he orders, but he eventually stopped halfway because in his own words, it was «absolutely disgusting.» As I mentioned earlier, he has been sick on and off most of the night.

We only had breakfast but I can say that their less-​healthy breakfast… pancakes for instance are great, Blueberry to be specific… very nice and real maple syrup. I would highly recommend those or then French toast.

I want to preface this review by saying that I am coming from the perspective of a vegetarian, so just keep that in mind.
My friends and I recently went here after a couple of them had a good experience on Valentines day. I really appreciated how they had available reservations and when you walk in it’s no wonder why… this place is huge! It has a seemingly old-​style banner sign outside that is deceiving in how informal it makes the place look. It really does have a nice interior. Very elegant.
Upon being seated you are immediately given a baguette of bread, which is very nice (none of this sharing 5 slices of bread between 6 people stuff). However, I found the menu to be lacking. Literally the only 2 things I could eat was a spinach/​gouda flatbread and mac and cheese. I opted for the spinach and cheese flatbread, but when I got it, each slice had a MOUND of spinach on it. While I appreciate spinach, it was so disproportionate I ended up scraping off a lot of it to be able to finish half the plate.
Also, I asked the waiter if there was a drink on the sweeter side he would recommend. I wanted something light/​fruity since I had to drive home later that night. He recommended a blueberry lavender beverage that ended up tasking what I can only describe as vodka-​laced Robitussin. The waiter never asked us how our meal was, so I never had the opportunity to ask for a different one (which I know is going above and beyond), but still it would have been nice to have that opportunity.
I will say that we asked random servers for several more baguettes of bread since I wasn’t really eating my meal, and they were very nice about it. However, I probably would avoid going back.

Un vrai restaurant français au coeur de Back Bay. Tout est écrit en français, le menu même les toilettes! Mais personne né parle français à part un gérant qui reste depuis plusieurs année à Boston. Choix de vin, plats succulent, plateau de fromage au dessert (choix à notre table). Mais tout cela à un prix, mais qui vaut la peine.

Good for french breakfast