Josie’s

Alas, this UWS classic has closed, after more than 20 years… Not a perfect meal in its later years, but still to be missed.

We were part of a group of 15 gathered for a friend’s birthday dinner, an annual occasion at Josies. Our friend Joe is a health and fitness guy, so this restaurant seemed like a great place and we had been here before.
We have come to expect bland, overpriced healthy dishes by lackluster staff and miserable management and were actually looking forward to this fiasco.
Our request of separate checks for each couple plus some singles was met with a swift no-​can-​do, blaming it on their computer system.
The joyless service was indifferent at best and uncaring at worst, with our slice of cake being served to the birthday boy, and no one else being presented with the opportunity to order dessert or coffee.
We did get there 90 minutes to 2 hours prior to closing but some of the guests who had had enough got the message, threw some money down on the table and left.
Not ever volunteering to be the «banker» and management refusing to issue separate checks, next thing you know we are $ 70 short on a several hundred dollar bill… and people are already out the door.
Arguments, gas pains and bloating ensued.
For me I think it was the yucky bean dumplings or the fillet of horsemeat (supposed to be mignon) that did me in.
Of course the few of us that were left had to make up the difference including the 18% tip that was not deserved and we left to the evil eye looks we were getting from the wait staff and management who did NOTHING to ease the situation at all, let alone thank us for coming.
We went across the street to end the evening with some frozen yogurt after spending hundreds at Josies, paying a shortfall and not even having a chance to get dessert or coffee!
This was our 3^rd time at Josies and sorry to say… after RUINING THE OCCASION for all, 3 strikes and you’re out!
Conversely, a week earlier we had a 50^th birthday bash for my wife Phyllis at Maggiano’s Little Italy and I’ll be writing the review of that FIVE STAR experience next!

Josie’s is my Go-​to on the UWS for take out when I want something healthy and simple. I’ve been inside a few times but don’t love the atmosphere.
Favorite dishes: macadamia chicken salad, unfried rice with salmon, tuna burger. Air crisps are yummy.
Food is consistent. I order often using seamless and order is always accurate and arrives in a reasonable amount of time.

Ambiance: This is a restaurant right new our apartment and we have eaten here quite a few times. It’s right in the middle of super casual and formal… kind of like medium casual. I came with my boyfriend and was just too hungry to change out of my gym clothes, and it was totally okay.
Food: The menu is not so big. Pricey entrée choices. I enjoyed my tuna burger, but I chose salad instead of fried as my side. When the food arrived, my plate was steaming hot. I ate my tuna burger first and started to eat my salad, BF did the same. Surprise! Your lettuce is now cooked. Hot salad is super gross. My disappointment with the hot salad was just doubled when I told the waiter and he did adjust our bill, not asking for half off the whole check but you could have taken a 10% I’m sorry discount off. Although he did offer a new side, we were sad at the hot salad and just wanted to go home.
Overall: Nice ambiance, yummy bread they pass around. Wish they had more menu items though and little more exciting options too. Healthy doesn’t have to be bland.

Our party of five came here for Sunday Brunch with no reservation, and we had about a 15 minute wait– and that was probably the best part of the experience.
We had to wait quite a while for service once our party sat down; we started with one waiter and 5 minutes later ended up with another. But honestly all of this would not be a big deal if the food was actually good. I was interested in trying Josie’s based on the vegetarian leaning menu. I ordered the Denver Vegan Scramble; which ended up being a pretty bland dish of red pepper and faux tofu egg. I smothered ketchup all over it to make it tastier than it was.
My hubby liked his Chicken Club sandwich more than I liked the vegan scramble.
Still based on the «diner» atmosphere and the so so service I see no reason to return, given all the better options in the area.

I came here one rainy Sunday evening and after a friend recommended this place for the great vegetarian options they offer. We were greeted by a truly lovely waitress who resembled Betty Who in all the best ways. I chose the Organic Three Grain Vegetable Cheeseburger with Air-​baked fries– so delicious! This burger is not your average Morningstar Farms patty served at most places claiming to have vegetarian options. It was very filling and the fries were fantastic. The service was prompt and pleasant all throughout. I wouldn’t mind if the glassware and décor were upgraded a bit but overall a nice place.

Believe it or not, Josie’s has one of my favorite burgers. I probably have the burger here 2−3x/month. I like the burrito, club sandwich, stir fry, and the salmon. I usually order in from Josie’s and the food is consistently good. I’ve eaten at the restaurant dozens of times over the years and the food is always consistent. The service is good, not great and the same for the atmosphere. Both could be improved to match the consistently delicious, organic food.

I have been to Josie’s on a number of occasions and had a great experience, but this review is specifically for my experience ordering from Seamless, and the terrible attitude laden response I had from a «Jeff C» when I called Josie’s to follow up.
I ordered the Yellowfin Tuna, a personal favorite, and decided to splurge and order desert. I wanted a piece of chocolate cake and was persuaded by the description of the Organic Chocolate Pudding Pie over the Pecan Pie because it was listed as coming with fresh whipped organic cream. Yum!
Unfortunately, when I got to my dessert, there was no cream at all.
First world problems, you say. I know, but this is Unilocal.
Since I was particularly looking forward to it, I called Josie’s to follow up. «Jeff C» answered and was immediately giving me attitude. «We only deliver what’s in the food description», I was told as soon as I described the scenario.
«Yes, and that’s all I expected. Not bars of gold.»
«We don’t serve whipped cream. Does it say that in the description?»
«Yes, it does.»
«I just checked, and it doesn’t»
Meanwhile here’s a screenshot of my selection.
I told him he was giving me an attitude and all I wanted was what was described, and nothing else. While I probably should have asked for the manager, I’m wondering how much work is really necessary to get some damn whipped cream when that’s what was described.
Instead, I call and get an attitude from some punk at a restraurant I’ve spent hundreds of dollars over the years.
I should hope that Josie’s has a higher standard of service in general and that this one person’s attitude will not be what I have to look forward to in future ordering experiences.

Nice, organic dining option with a pleasant, casual dining room and attentive staff. We grabbed a quick meal here before going to Lincoln Center, which is a short walk away. The Beacon Theater is just around the corner.
Prices aren’t cheap but they’re not outrageous either. You get a delicious chunk of free corn bread with hummus made of what seems to be sweet potato.
Our two entrees were full plates. We had seared tuna ($ 20) and veggie meatloaf ($ 17). Both were good.
Appetizers are decent. Butternut squash soup ($ 7) is quite large; would definitely order it again. Ditto for the shrimp and veggie dumplings ($ 11), which seemed to be homemade and fresh. They were a little bland, but that was fine for a healthy choice. I liked the taste of the BBQ pork ribs ($ 11) but felt this was a bit expensive for just a few ribs.
Desserts are tricky. They’re mostly pies. While it’s great to have gluten-​free and dairy-​free options, they tasted like they were gluten-​free and dairy-​free. Skip them, unless you’re desperate for something sweet, and have the cappuccino instead.
While this isn’t exactly a destination restaurant, I would definitely go back if I happened to be in the neighborhood.

My friend and I enjoyed dinner at Josie’s before a Lincoln Center show… and dinner was the highlight of the night! I am a healthy eating advocate, but definitely a carnivore, so I ordered the meatless meatloaf with some trepidation (but after a strong endorsement by the waiter). It was DELICIOUS.
The waiter allowed me to try a wine before ordering a glass and gave me the time to sit and wait for my friend to arrive. I devoured the basket of bread while waiting (and I don’t eat bread).
I’d go back in a heartbeat. It’s difficult to find restaurants near Lincoln Center that aren’t tourist-​priced.

Terrific restaurant!
This was recommended to us by a former NYC resident as her favorite restaurant, and I definitely see why.
We had her favorites — the black bean dumplings and the macadamia-​encrusted chicken salad. The bread also was to die for!
Excellent meal, excellent service. They also offered a prix fixe menu for those going to Lincoln Center or Broadway.
Highly recommend!

The main appeal of this place is that you can manage to get a Sunday brunch reservation for 12 people the night before.
Location is convenient. Food is BLAH. My husband’s omelette smelled, making me think the eggs were rotten. The kitchen is in the basement and just looks dirty. While I did enjoy the breakfast burrito, it was still unimpressive. I mean, it’s pretty hard is it to mess up a breakfast burrito. Everyone else’s food was pretty ick.
Still not sure how/​why this place is open. UWS needs to work on their brunch game.

Many mediocre visits in and deliveries out, I’m officially crossing Josie’s off my list of lunch options. It’s yet another disappointed sigh in a neighborhood hungry for restaurants.
The macademia crusted chicken salad has been a shrug, a least common denominator when I don’t feel like thinking and it’s past time to eat. The mango is usually sweeter than I expect, and the accompanying foccacia is consistently moist and rosemary-​y.
Now, the logistics of food delivery are complicated and bound to fail now and then. The food orderer should know that. The restaurant should know that. I, indeed, know that. When I order delivery, my expectations include a reasonable chance that something might go a little wrong – say, 15% of the time.
However. HOWEVER. When an order goes to the wrong address, or a delivery person makes a mistake, there is a protocol that follows: Person complains, restaurant apologizes, restaurant resends the order with alacrity (and sometimes a free side of fries, or something), person accepts the later order and goes on with her day.
Josie’s gets delivery time wrong about 30% of the time. Today, the order was over an hour late. Of the times they make a mistake, they are rude and slow 100% of the time. When I called the third time to check on the order, they spoke to me in annoyed tones, as if we were having a two-​sided disagreement between two friends rather than between a paying customer and a restaurant that effed up repeatedly. I honestly don’t think they would have resent the order if I hadn’t really, really insisted. And forget about the free side of fries.
#endofrant

This is a really nice place to go at night for dinner. The waitress is personal and very friendly. Order a wine and enjoy casual UWS dinner time

I had the chicken quesadillas. Had about 5 bites where i chewed into some chicken cartilage. Not the most enjoyable meal. I felt the food was bland. I guess if you are a vegetarian, this place might be the place for you. Perhaps I am not within their target demographic. I’ve been there for Brunch before, I feel I enjoyed that a little bit more.
They market themselves as a gourmet spot, however, it feels more like a diner with bells and whistles.

Years later, Joeie’s still offers lots of healthy and vegetarian/​vegan options. My only real issue is that the food is overpriced. Also, the veggie burger isn’t a burger at all. It’s basically a few grains that are mashed together that fall apart from the weight of the bun that sits atop of it.
The not-​fried-​fries are good and not greasy, but they don’t give you many with your meal. The Turkey burger here is better than most places, but overall, the prices are not equal to that of the food. There are better options around.

Ok but expensive for what you get; my bread was really whole grain, dry and hard to eat. My eggs were cooked just as I ordered but drinks took a long time to come-​tea and coffee– my server kept apologizing for delays, but I would not come back here. I am not that into organic (I am a organic chemist by training) but I have had much better versions of this type of food.

Stumbled upon Josie’s after going to European Wax center on 74^th and Columbus. I was craving a good salad and the macadamia crusted chicken salad was on point! I also had the ginger calamari which was tasty, innovative and reasonably priced (for the UWS). I will definitely return, I want to try everything on the menu! Also the bread and sweet potato dip was amazing.

they have a prix fixe brunch menu for $ 21.75 not listed on the website which includes coffee, cocktail, app and entrée.
coffee tastes yummy and water refill is prompt.
free cinnamon bread at brunch.
brunch dishes seem mostly generic. i ordered the tuna salad because it seemed to be the only thing on the menu that i couldnt make on my own. should have let them go easy on the wasabi dressing but the tuna itself was cooked very well.
many gluten-​free options available but not as paleo-​friendly because of grains. also note that the «healthy pancake» is NOT gluten-​free (spelt flour).

This is going to be a regular go-​to spot for me. I love that the menu is seasonal and the food is so fresh. The décor is casual, but not diner casual. I came to catch up with a friend and it was the perfect atmosphere for that.
The ancho rubbed grilled salmon with mango roasted pepper salsa over mashed sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus was an amazing choice on my part. The piece of salmon was a great size and was grilled to perfection. I was able to finish the whole dish and feel satisfied.
My friend got the grilled natural chicken breast teriyaki with wok sautéed string beans, broccoli florets, zucchini, cremini mushrooms, baby bok choy & Asian greens with organic tamari brown rice and she couldn’t get over how good it was. She said she’ll definitely be returning with her boyfriend.
Aside from so many options that look amazing on the dinner menu, I’d love to stop in for brunch or lunch because those menus look great, too. The service was good and the food came out quickly, but we weren’t rushed by any means.
If you’re looking for an average priced place to go for a casual (but not sweatshirt/​sweatpants/​yoga pants casual) meal, definitely check out Josie’s. There’s something here for everyone!