Josephine — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Been in business for myself for the past 30 years, at first hand I know how crucial it is, to treat the customer with respect and listen when responding to a comment or review, not be defensive rather, learn from the mistake, total failure in their part. The owner here it's pretty much portraying this behavior to their staff unfortunately! Please read Below, a copy of my review left on yelp! which I would have left alone but well, you can be the judge! Unfortunately it appears the owner Joshua, needs a lesson on how to take constructive criticism the first week in, and not insult the customer and also hire or better train wait staff that doesn't feel uncomfortable at a customer complaint! We were a party of four and started with some wine which our friend didn't appreciate so that was sent back, so we ended up ordering a bottle which was OK, I asked for decanter and the waitress felt bothered by this, another comment we made was that it was kind of dark, we couldn't read the menu maybe bigger letters? this happened in the room in the back can't really comment on the front we suggested a tad more lighting, again defensive response! moving on to our Appetizers they were outstanding the sourdough and the crostinni with whipped ricotta great job Chef we enjoyed this very much all of us did, then came my Caesar salad also a good choice, our friends one had the Beet Rissoto that she enjoyed, her spouse had the lasagna which it’s certainly not traditional and we knew that, not a concern there, my friend did eat it but it was just Ok, somewhat bland he said could of use a bit more cheese he did eat it though, not our case, for our main courses, well mines and my wife didn't eat dinner at all, my wife ordered the Rigatoni which was cold, extremely spicy and chewy not all dente, sauce did taste ok but just to darn spicy! I had the Cacio also cold and flavorless so we send them back! we were offered other things but decided not get anything else at that time, then came the dessert again not traditional we get it! we order the olive cake which was marvelous we really enjoyed it, again great job chef! but the Tiramisu that's another story my female friend who did enjoyed her Beet Rissoto gave the waitress that asked for our feedback some constructive criticism so we thought !!, oh boy that set a motion of emotions! as not even two minutes later here comes Joshua, whom very condescendingly told us this restaurant may not be suited for you!. What? he even said, I have someone in the front from Italy that's says best Italian ever! I don't care! what! again arguing judgmental tours our feedback ! we get it new restaurants, new glitches, we would have come back for sure and gave then another chance! guess not! As you can see, I even complemented some if dishes he failed to acknowledge on he's defensive replies !! Dude this is not the Bar youre no dealing with the Drunk customer at a bar anymore, Big Difference maybe you should ask Johnatha Insetta on how to treat a...

UPDATE: I’m updating my review after a really negative experience with this restaurant 12/16/22. My husband and I arrived around 5:00 without reservations with the hopes of sitting at the bar. The bar was busy, but a few seats were open. While we were looking, a waitress kindly informed us that the open seats were actually occupied. She then offered us a small table nearby, stating it was often available for bar seating (we did not ask for seating, she offered this on her own accord). I told her that would be wonderful, but given how busy the bar was, I wanted to make sure that someone else had not already requested the table. She understood and said she would speak to the lady at the hostess stand (which I believe was actually the general manager). The waitress explained the situation to the lady at the hostess stand and told her that she offered us the table. The general manager became irate and started chastising me about how they were fully booked for the night and the table was not open unless I had a reservation. She became very aggressive and rude, stating that if the bar was full there was nothing they could do for us. I was visibly taken aback by her hostility, because 1) we did not ask for the table, her staff offered it to us and 2) we are fully aware of how reservation systems work- we would have happily gone somewhere else when we found out the bar was full, but again, a staff member approached us and offered seating. I even apologized for making her upset because I was so surprised by how negatively she reacted. I ended up walking away, clearly offended by her tone. My husband, who was watching the conversation from afar, immediately asked why the manager had gotten so aggressive with me, so it was even clear from others how mean she was being.

I’d like to emphasize that it is not the fact that we could not be seated that is prompting this review (we totally understood), it is how the manager treated me and spoke to me. We had loved the restaurant, visiting 3 times already since their opening. We had great experiences with the waitresses and bar staff and we really loved the food. Therefore, it was really upsetting to be treated so poorly by a manager who is expected to be a representation of the restaurant. I hope the owner addresses her attitude, because she will drive customers away.

ORIGINAL: We had a wonderful experience at Josephine! Tiffany provided excellent service and the food & drinks were so yummy. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful!! My favorite thing was the ravioli. Can’t wait...

Love Josephine and been here many times for dinner and brunch. Hilarious to read some of these reviews (they didn't have chicken piccata, calling the owner defensive in his replies to reviews because he communicated back to random people who said the handmade pasta is the worst pasta they've ever had...). That is a professionalism I have to commend. Anyhow, yes it is upscale. The restaurants on the Avondale strip have been terrible for a long time (they were just the same restaurant-- American food with a southern touch, how unique). Finally we get a real restaurant. The drinks are delicious. The focaccia is awesome, yes it's $10 but you know what, it's a bread appetizer. Maybe don't expect an entire loaf of it. You're going out to eat, you shouldn't expect food to be $3.99 because you can get a loaf at Publix (a nod to other idiotic comments in here). Caesar salad is great---the first time I went there I felt it was too anchovy forward, but since then it's been dressed perfectly and the anchovy dialed back. That's exactly what you want with a restaurant, they try things, adjust, listen. The braised beef ravioli and bolognese are my favorites by far. And the meyer lemon tart is my go to dessert. I'd encourage you all to read the 1 star reviews if you have any apprehensions about going here, and understand it is people who think they can treat staff terribly and be treated like kings, think food is too salty (at a scratch italian restaurant), want sides with their lasagna (what?), thought it was too expensive, thought things were bland, and the list goes on. All I can say is...I've had these dishes and they're delicious. Not bland. Not salty. You go to a nice restaurant, they don't give you a heaping plate for you to stuff your face with until you're sick. And they charge you more because they use higher quality ingredients and make things by hand. The sound issue was a very real thing and again, they listened (literally) and dealt with it. I would ask my fellow Jacksonvillians to stop ruining every good thing that happens here because it isn't like the Carraba's they're used to. Sigh. Thank you guys for creating Josephine and looking forward to many more meals...