Osteria James Joyce — Restaurant in Trieste

Rarely do I encounter a dinner experience that has left me speechless, but being at Osteria James Joyce has definitely floored me. We came in as they were closing but they still accepted our group of 12 with no hesitation.

The Ambience:

The restaurant was cosy and comfortable, with a piano to boot. Perhaps it was because we were the only patrons left, but it did not feel stifling at all, and the seating arrangements were such that, whilst close to other tables, it did not feel cramped. Lighting was warm and inviting, wine bottles on shelves (I do recommend asking the service staff for their recommendations, because every time they brought out a bottle of their choice it was delicious!), cute little vintage adverts and posters on the walls did add a homely touch to what was otherwise a pretty lux feeling restaurant.

The Food:

Damn was the food good! The kitchen prepared for us a medley of seafood for starters: Mussels and Clams in a delicious seafood bisque, Tuna and Salmon tartare with a creamy dipping sauce situation coupled with seaweed, raw scampi prawns and oysters. Heaven! For Mains we had a squid ink pasta. Pasta was cooked to perfection and the seafood taste in the pasta was not too overpowering. Well balanced and really quite delicious. The tiramisu and the lemon meringue tart we had for dessert was truly chef's kiss yummy. What an end to a glorious dinner!

The Service:

We literally felt like we were welcomed into a family home. Every single one of the members of staff, be it front of house or kitchen, were exceptionally kind, accommodating and just darn good at their jobs. The Owner was truly a remarkable man, speaking to us as if we were all his nieces and nephews and treating us with such warmth and hospitality.

I have been rambling, but I thought this place deserves all the praise. I cannot recommend this place enough and would dare say that my Trieste experience would not have been the same had I not come to this wonderful...

A street off the main square, narrow, alive, the kind of place where you feel immediately that the city is not putting on a show but simply being itself. That’s where Osteria James Joyce sits, unassuming yet perfectly placed. Inside, the welcome is not routine hospitality but something better, something personal. The owner, the staff, they carry themselves as though your presence matters, and on my birthday they sang to me with such unaffected warmth that for a moment I believed it.

The food? Not the weary repetition of Italian standards, but dishes with imagination, with a hand behind them that cares about pleasure and surprise. The wine list, too, generous and thoughtful, not an afterthought but a companion to the food. Service of the kind you remember: attentive without suffocating, helpful without condescension, even offering recommendations for the city beyond the table.

Osteria James Joyce is more than a good restaurant, it is one of Trieste’s best, a place that leaves you both satisfied and faintly...

I come here already a few times for lunch and dinner, alone and with some friends. Not a single times the service or the food disappoint me. I always have follow the saying:”You can’t judge a restaurant because on your first time.

I already try the majority of the foods on the menu and I can say is amazing. Fresh and tasty. Not to talk for the variety of red and white vine: from light to strong, delicate-sweet-dry, simple to valuable.

From what I see, not so many tourists come here, the majority of clients are Italian. This specific details can be a quality for the restaurant himself, not caring about the money, but more for the people that know what they are eating.

It’s a nice place, calm and welcoming. The kind and patient waiters know what they are doing, and if not, they are more than ready to ask to the chef to be sure to welcome your request on their best.

I will come again in the...