Blue Joanna — Restaurant in Norwich

Came here 2030 on 11th January 2025 and absolutely loved the FOH staff. Dom and Eve really impressed us.

We were sat next to the vinyl player which is definitely a unique experience for a modern venue. However the volume of which means everyone present is shouting over it to hear each other, creating a far too loud to be enjoyable environment. This creates a negative experience form the moment you enter.

Sadly they were out of whiskey due to poor supply ordering so I wasn't able to have my all time favourite drink, an old fashioned. So I ordered something else. However after he had to chase up the kitchen for our food Dom apologised and noticed I hadn't touched my drink. A short while later he appeared next to me with an old fashioned. He had actually run out and up the road to buy Jack Daniels just to make me my drink.

That is by far the best service I have ever had anywhere. The definition of going above and beyond for the customer. I did not expect him to do that. I felt this one act completely negated any issues I had up to this point and I completely dismissed any hard feelings.

Shortly after our food arrived Dom had clocked out and we were served by the delightful Eve. She was such a bubbly ray of sunshine whilst talking to us and the chefs which shows how genuine she is. Definitely deserves high praise. Looking forward to being served by her again. I later got the opportunity to talk with Ella and Josie too who really round off the FOH team as fun yet professional which is just what you want.

Despite the above, the food that is normally great, this time fell short of that standard. Our main problem was our beef tacos with beef so hard that we needed a jack hammer to get through it. I would describe it as chewy but that's an understatement. I assume it was cooked, left to go cold and then microwaved. The FOH team did take it off our bill which was unexpected and appreciated. The rest was lovely especially mojiti rice.

However given the tiny portions that they have to cook are nothing compared to restaurants wherein the chefs cook proper meals, I think the chefs should spend less time singing and dancing and more time...

I was really excited for this place - the vibe looks good, the food sounded good and we were really looking forward to trying it. We visited on 27/06.

For the food: The good stuff, the oyster mushrooms are FANTASTIC and was easily the best thing on the menu - easy 5/5. The rest of the food, was a 2 at best. The staple, the blue tacos, were good, but I wouldn't put it past that. Everything else we had was pretty poor, the steak was not tender at all, bland, and chewy. The broccoli was hard - it's not that hard to cook good broccoli but this was undercooked, and under seasoned. The calamari was too lemony, and again, not that fantastic - I've had much better.

The overall vibe and atmosphere? Good enough. They have a Blue Joanna piano - which wasn't used, but it's ok. It's small, but quirky and you can tell what they're going for - I imagine it's good on other nights

For service: One of the waitresses (I believe she was a manager, in red on the day we visited?) was great, talkative, polite and just great at her job. She knew we weren't happy with our meal and provided us with shots to compensate, which was nice!

Would I go again? Probably not. I imagine this was an off night, but it's my only review of the place and isn't completely up to my vibe. It's not the cheapest (nor is it the most expensive) - but the food didn't give me that wow factor that other places in Norwich give me, there is definitely better places to go, but at least we...

Wow. Best meal I have had in a very long time. I am allergic to a few things and I'm vegan, so often I find myself eating strange, underwhelming food when going out. The experience at Blue Joanna couldn't have been more different. My friend had informed the team when she made the booking, and they said they could adapt the menu to suit. From experience, this doesn't always fill me with hope.

We arrived to a very friendly greeting from the team (the restaurant itself is cute with a great vibe), and they explained the menu. I asked about my allergies, shortly after the chef came and sat with me to discuss my allergies and told me I could have every veggie option on the menu(!), everything is cooked fresh so easily adaptable. He took the time to go through everything - he was extremely kind, and didn't make me feel awkward, which is usually the case. I also felt he took the allergies seriously, which is refreshing.

The tapas dishes are perfect for sharing; we had three meat eaters and two veggies, and all the food was amazing, nobody was disappointed. We ate a lot of food (I'm not used to having so much choice!), and the bill was surprisingly affordable. Cocktails were delicious too!

Hands down, easily the best meal I have had since coming out of lockdown. I have since been telling everyone I know that they should go! If you're considering it, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you Blue...