Joseph's Italian Bistro — Restaurant in Oak Island

Our visit to your restaurant on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, was not our first but will most likely be our last. We visit Oak Island 3 or 4 times each year and since discovering Joseph's a few years ago we have made a point of dining there 1 or 2 times each visit. As always our food was very good. We arrived around 7:15 prepared to wait a bit for a table but were surprised to see only 3 or 4 other tables of diners. As there were 4 in our party we were seated at a table directly across from the entrance from the kitchen. Not too bad at the beginning of our meal but before we finished the noise from the kitchen became a bit distracting (banging of pots and music that was not the same as what was being streamed into the dining room). We asked our wait person why when the restaurant was almost empty we were seated at such an undesirable table. We were given the answer that there is some predetermined formula of how people are seated!!! When leaving we questioned the hostess on duty about our inability to make reservations for 6 as we had earlier in the week called to make a reservation for 6 on Thursday, November 1. It just seems that the magic number is 8. Well, you lost our business because we did make reservations elsewhere for our party of 6. We have eaten at very fine restaurants in Charleston, SC, that have happily made reservations for a party of 2! We obviously do not fit your predetermined formula and much prefer restaurants that understand their existence depends on customers feeling valued and...

Joseph's Italian Bistro's food reputation preceded itself. We have met countless people since our move to Brunswick County in June 2023, and a large portion of them insisted we give it a try. As I do the first time I dine at an Italian Restaurant, I ordered the Lasagne and my wife had the Double Lobster Tail entree Special. But not before I had the Meatball appetizer and my wife had Mussels in Red Sauce. EVERY bite was extremely gratifying. The desserts had to be taken home to enjoy. I of course had to go with the chocolate cake while my wife went with her usual, a Cannoli. Wow. It is always nice to see people enjoy what they do. That is the case with the awesome Servers at Joseph's Italian Bistro. When we go out, we like the server to know we are there not just to eat, but to Dine. Our Server Kara understood that. At no time did we feel rushed. And yet, it seemed everytime we required something, Kara always magically appeared. We both strongly recommend Joseph's. Don't be hesitant to go when you hear people speak of the "long line" or that you'll have to wait for a table. We arrived shortly before they opened at 5pm on a Saturday (in February) to a short line out front, which quickly grew. However to the best of my knowledge, everyone was seated immediately. We suspect that will be different during the summer months. The ambiance is wonderful, with seating outside with a lovely view of the Intercoastal Waterway. We can't wait to...

Horrible experience. We drove from Holden Beach and could not have been more disappointed. The food was practically inedible, the service was terrible and the atmosphere was just OK. We were a party of 4 seated outdoors. We ordered the calamari and the meatball to start. The calamari was just strange, covered with chopped tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. The meatball appetizer was by far the best thing we ate all night as the pasta dishes (linguine with clams and pasta with seafood) were beyond mushy (pasta was broken in half and waaaaay overcooked) and with little to no flavor. We literally had to douse the linguine dishes with salt and request lots of extra Parmesan in order to eat them. And our waiter told my husband after the fact that they had run out of mussels for his dish. That said, the service was extremely slow and inattentive. Our waiter smelled of cigarettes and was incredibly unprofessional. He essentially put a bottle of wine in front of us and told us to serve ourselves as it was twist off cap. What could have been a nice view was obstructed by plastic and canvas panels. Needless to say, we will not be returning. Honestly, save your money. Stay home and make some al dente linguine with fresh garlic, good quality olive oil, and some fresh local shrimp. This place was the worst restaurant experience we have had in a...