Joseph's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Bridgeport

For my Birthday my wife and I decided to go to Joseph's Steakhouse in Bridgeport. I picked the place because I'd been there before and loved it -- the steak was seared perfectly on the outside with the perfect crust and the inside was, as I asked for, a medium rare. So why not go back again, I figured.

Anyway, we arrived this past Friday at 7PM and were quickly seated. First off, I couldn't believe how empty the place was for a Saturday night. There was absolutely no one in the in bar and only one couple and a party of roughly 8. That's it. I even checked in the other small dining room they have when I went to the bathroom, and no one there either.

Our waiter was a nice guy but he never told us the speacial(s) of the day, which my wife and I overheard after we already ordered. But, whatever. My wife and I ordered ceasar salads to steak with steaks four our entrees. I ordered the porterhouse med-rare with a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus and my wife ordered a filet med-well with a baked potato.

When our salads arrived, they were cold, including the plate itself. So we know that they were made early in the evening and left in the fridge. That's fine, we looked past it (but really, how hard is it to put together a fresh salad?!). As it turns out, the salad were good.

When we received our entrees, the first thing I noticed was the steak was black on the outside (not a nice brown/dark brown crust like last time) but black. However, it was cooked perfectly to med-rare on the inside so I decided not to say anything. BUT, when I tried my mashed potatoes, I immediately realized that they were INSTANT!!!!! How can any restaurant, let alone a Steakhouse that sells prime, dry-aged steaks, serve INSTANT MASHED POTATOES?!

So, when the waiter came back to clear our plates, I said, "These instant mashed potatoes were great." Of course I was being sarcastic but I did want to get my point across. The waiter joked that it was a special reciped to which I replied that they were Buds instant. He gave a smirk and walked away. When he returned, he said, "You're wrong, the chef said that they were Idaho Instant." WHAT?! I couldn't believe the waiter would say that. LOL!!!!!

After our table was cleared, the waiter brought over dessert menus but my wife and I declined. So, there we sat for 10 minutes waiting for what I would think would be our bill. But no, our waiter came out from the back and was standing by the door rocking back in forth on his feet whistling dixie. Interesting waiter! So I flagged him over and asked for the check and he obliged.

We paid our $235 bill not including the 20% gratuity and called it a night.

Conclusion: We won't be going back again. This place has really turned and it looks by the reviews here on Yelp that I'm not the only one that feels that way. Too bad, because I loved it the first time I went. What a sad state of...

I made a reservation for eight at Joseph’s Steakhouse to celebrate my birthday, expecting a memorable evening, but unfortunately, it was far from that.

While most of the food was decent, the mac and cheese lacked flavor. Our server, Paul, was inattentive and made several mistakes throughout the evening. I specifically ordered a French 75 and was instead brought a bottle of Prosecco with no explanation. He forgot my sister’s salad entirely, and she ended up being the last one served. He also failed to bring out the glass of Bonanza wine I requested to accompany my lamb chops—something I had asked for clearly and ahead of time.

To top it all off, despite this being a birthday celebration (clearly noted on the reservation), I was not acknowledged, wished a happy birthday, or offered a simple gesture like a complimentary dessert or glass of champagne—something that even modest establishments usually provide. For the price paid, the overall experience fell embarrassingly short.

To the management: I strongly urge you to revisit your customer service and training protocols. Attention to detail matters, especially on special occasions. Your team missed several basic service expectations, which poorly reflects your establishment. Please take this feedback seriously. No guest celebrating a special moment should leave feeling overlooked, disappointed, and frustrated.

I would if I could leave a negative star rating for customer service and experience. I hope this helps future guests avoid the same experience, and I sincerely hope Joseph’s can rise to the standard it...

The service was excellent. Sadly that was the only part that was. The special salad for two had bacon that was nearly flavorless, with Gorgonzola that had lost the best of itself wandering around the back of the walk in. The asparagus as a side was half tough and slightly over cooked and sparse in quantity. My friend who was my host ordered a porterhouse to my horror he ordered medium well, but the very well done steak he received was pre butchered into about 7 pieces. Over cooked and extremely dry with an after taste that reminded me of frost burn. I had ordered the veal, since I was not the one who was paying the tab I did not speak up out of courtesy to my host who was from overseas. When you have to use a steak knife as a hack saw to cleave off a piece of veal you know you are already in trouble. the fact that i had to stop for a moment and consider the flavor to decided if i had gotten pork or veal though is the biggest problem i had with my plate. I have had better beef off of a halal cart in NYC and that would have only cost me 6 dollars. 152 dollars for a second rate meal at best was absurd and i have been apologizing the entire evening...