What a pleasure to dine here for my best friend's birthday. The drinks were delicious, steak tartare appetizer delicious, the pork chop was the best we've ever had anywhere, profiteroles delicious and we refused to split so we each got our own and devoured them! Will definitely recommend to anybody interested in some top notch food and I hope to enjoy eating there again soon!
Martin Harris
When we walked up and saw a line to get in I the 1st time it was a little discombobulating. Then like school kids playing musical chairs they all rushed the bar like a herd of cra cra elephants.However we were seated immediately and began a wonderful meal served by excellent staff. My only critique was... I have none. The beet salad is as good as it sounded.The winner winner chicken dinner was a smaller Rosie type bird wood fire crispy cooked.The dream pork chop was thick, big, and moist.The tar tar roll was a new presentation and different.The salmon, sturgeon appetizer could be an entre in itself.The oysters were the smallest I've ever seen, but had that clear clean firmness that only fresh oysters have. The California raised ones were best.Euro wines always scare me as in I don't know them, but we had a great Zen so fare complete.We will be making the trek back and are happy to have a great low key fine dinning place to add to our small list up here in the foothills.Well done!
Akiima R.
This restaurant is phenomenal!!! Every dish was so flavorful. We had oysters, duck mousse, the pork chop, sweet pea vareniki, and the squash dip! Every dish was seasoned to perfection with unique spices. The drinks were well balanced and yummy. We had their old fashioned and gin and Julius. The space is intimate and moody which is perfect for any kind of celebration. Book in advance because this place fills up quickly.
Cameron
My wife and I have gone 10 times so I though we would write a review. Here goes nothing.4.7/5 overall compared to the bestThis is our honest opinion and is intended for the restaurant owners.The first thing you will is the quality ingredients. I raise my own meat and veggies, and this tastes homegrown, well sourced, and acutely seasonal. And despite what people say, it is well priced. You could go to Olive Garden and spend the same amount (please don’t). (Ever).The atmosphere is tasteful, fun, refined, classic—the kind where you’d say to yourself “I’d like to open a restaurant like this some day.” Crowded, a bit noisy, but in a familial way that makes you happy.The service is quick. Love that. The servers are good, some better than others. Some contribute to the warm atmosphere, others don’t as much.Side note: is it just me or is there a bald redheaded server at every good restaurant who seems a little angry at the world? This one speaks a little too quiet and leaves before you can ask questions.The food:There is a central theme you’ll start to notice among many dishes: The use of fennel, bay, and other fine herbs that stand out just enough to appreciate them, some times masterfully. Especially the fennel.Secondly, the dishes tend to be on a sweeter side rather than an acidic side (I tend to want more acidity), some utilizing a type of Russian dressing more perfectly than others.There is one dish we have gotten every single time without fail: the Vareniki. Some iterations are absolute perfection, others near perfection, and you will find yourself thinking about the dish often throughout your day. Almost life changing. And it’s cheap.Same goes for the tartare. It is my favorite dish, and will change how you think about life, let alone food. Of all the dishes, I would say it most masterfully utilizes the fennel, fine herbs, and that Russian dressing. It is refreshing, clean, tender, and absolutely perfect. It was best with the potato chips. The sourdough is good, but there is better sourdough out there.The desserts are also some of the best you’ll have. The chocolat chaud was life changing, as is the almond cake. if you ever see the wine ice cream, make sure to get it. Mind blowingly good. Citron tart, flawless. The profiteroles have a hint of bay and lemon in the ice cream that will make you want to sing. Try all of the desserts.There are a few things that i wouldn’t necessarily want again:the burger was wonderful quality, but conservative and forgettable. (The fries are always the best anywhere btw).The pork chop is an amazing pork chop, but there is only so much you can do with pork chops. The sauce on the plate is too sweet and it clashes with the sweetness of pork after a few bites.Some of the salads have a little too much going on and don’t have enough acidity (same goes for the burger and the pork chop). I was really excited to try the beet salad, but there wasn’t an acid to counter the sweetness (again).The moule frites were good, but not great.The mac ‘n mimolette was very good, but even better cool when you taste the bay leaf coming through the cheese.Fried Chicken sandwich: most tender chicken you’ll ever eat. Life changing.The French onion soup is good, but the broth tastes more minerally than unctuous and rich. Some broth from cuts of beef that have more connective tissue and collagen taste better.I’m the kind of person that never orders beef steaks at a restaurant because I can always make them better. Needless to say I was hesitant to get the steak frites.However, I couldn’t have been happier. It brought me back to France (was better then steak frites there) and the familiarity and simplicity of a perfect New York cut, perfectly cooked, perfect sauce with peppercorns, and perfect fries was heartwarming. I’m happy right now just thinking about it. Don’t forget to get the aioli.Overall, if you want a perfect meal, get the steak tartare , the vareniki, the steak frites and some desserts. I would choose that meal over anything in northern California right now.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Ken Cunningham
Siberian pine cones. Who knew. Great Pate. Pork chop and NY were top notch and both sauces were spot on perfect. YUM. A bit noisy but then that's what happens when you are packed on a Tuesday night. Even with full tables service was great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Liver Mousse, Beet Salad
Franz V
My wife loves this place and now I do too. Cocktails are amazing and so is the food. The half chicken and Butter Rum! Amazing!!!!!!! Oh, also the Wednesday fried Chicken burger/sandwich is super good. For me it's a little on the pricy side so we just go there for special occasions. Making reservations is also soooooooooo easy, I love that.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Scott H.
We love Josephines flat out best craft cocktails in Auburn, the menu is great, from Mac & Cheese to amazing sea bass! (And try to fit in the deserts, which are truly over the top
Kay C.
What a wonderful find. I relocated from the Bay Area and Midtown Sacramento up to the Sierra Foothills, during the pandemic, and although I've searched high and low for a great little cocktail bar to replace my former favorites, I have not been able to find one which specializes in my three favorites -- a large rock Old Fashioned, a Gin Fizz, and a whiskey sour with lemon juice and egg white (no s/s mix). Team Josephine offered it all. The Gin Fizz was in the form of the Gin & Julius, and both a traditional whiskey sour and the New York sour option, with a wine float. I had both the Gin & Julius and the Whiskey Sour, and both were just excellent. The side order of fresh, hot, salty Pommes Frittes with aioli were also excellent. I came in on a spur on the moment on a Wednesday night, no reservation, and I was treated warmly, given a nice little window table, and enjoyed friendly, great service. I'll make the drive to Josephine as often as possible, I'm sure. Dinner next! ::Only downside, but not enough to take away a star -- I imagined a calm Parisian bistro environment before I arrived, but the streaming music volume was fairly high for such a small space. Definitely dominated the room::
Mitchell M.
Another solid Yelp find. While driving to Tahoe I was looking for a nicer spot to stop for dinner (so over fast food) and am so happy that I found Restaurant Josephine. Sat at the bar with friendly + personable service, really solid food, and a strong cocktail program. Will definitely be back!
Victoria B.
I've been to Josephine's so many times and tried so many different things and I have NEVER had something that wasn't delicious and amazing. It's never disappointed me and it is just absolutely phenomenal, a MUST try for anyone who loves good food.
Recommended dishes: Selection of East & West Coast Oysters
Ann Carder
Very classy, friendly and amazing food. The presentation of the food is remarkable.Love the Chinaware, eclectic!Dietary restrictions: Gluten free necessities.
I’ve never left a review for a restaurant before however this was truly an exception. After having a wonderful dinner I had the pleasure to order the “Tarte Au Citron”. This is without a doubt the best dessert I’ve ever ordered. Absolutely wonderful, will hope to be going back very soon. Wonderful staff and customer service.
Gil Yamzon
The food and service were really disappointing this visit. We usually love the food, but the French Onion soup and Vareniki were not good. Our neighbors did not like their steaks either.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Craig Smith
Not too sure how to rate this place. It blew my expectations and that is what has me ?all over this place.It's your typical fancy restaurant with service that is top notch! You walk into the restaurant and it's like you blasted back to 1920 Pairs! The decor and the service all match the atmosphere.The menu changes and you can find it on their website. If the persimmon spice cake is still there ORDER IT!!! We had oysters and a fancy salmon appetizer! For dinner we had a waygu burger and the NY strip. Amazing cocktails and wine accompanied our entrees and the service was fabulous.We will be back very soon!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wagyu Beef Tartare, Tarte Au Citron, Selection of East & West Coast Oysters
What a pleasure to dine here for my best friend's birthday. The drinks were delicious, steak tartare appetizer delicious, the pork chop was the best we've ever had anywhere, profiteroles delicious and we refused to split so we each got our own and devoured them! Will definitely recommend to anybody interested in some top notch food and I hope to enjoy eating there again soon!
When we walked up and saw a line to get in I the 1st time it was a little discombobulating. Then like school kids playing musical chairs they all rushed the bar like a herd of cra cra elephants.However we were seated immediately and began a wonderful meal served by excellent staff. My only critique was... I have none. The beet salad is as good as it sounded.The winner winner chicken dinner was a smaller Rosie type bird wood fire crispy cooked.The dream pork chop was thick, big, and moist.The tar tar roll was a new presentation and different.The salmon, sturgeon appetizer could be an entre in itself.The oysters were the smallest I've ever seen, but had that clear clean firmness that only fresh oysters have. The California raised ones were best.Euro wines always scare me as in I don't know them, but we had a great Zen so fare complete.We will be making the trek back and are happy to have a great low key fine dinning place to add to our small list up here in the foothills.Well done!
This restaurant is phenomenal!!! Every dish was so flavorful. We had oysters, duck mousse, the pork chop, sweet pea vareniki, and the squash dip! Every dish was seasoned to perfection with unique spices. The drinks were well balanced and yummy. We had their old fashioned and gin and Julius. The space is intimate and moody which is perfect for any kind of celebration. Book in advance because this place fills up quickly.
My wife and I have gone 10 times so I though we would write a review. Here goes nothing.4.7/5 overall compared to the bestThis is our honest opinion and is intended for the restaurant owners.The first thing you will is the quality ingredients. I raise my own meat and veggies, and this tastes homegrown, well sourced, and acutely seasonal. And despite what people say, it is well priced. You could go to Olive Garden and spend the same amount (please don’t). (Ever).The atmosphere is tasteful, fun, refined, classic—the kind where you’d say to yourself “I’d like to open a restaurant like this some day.” Crowded, a bit noisy, but in a familial way that makes you happy.The service is quick. Love that. The servers are good, some better than others. Some contribute to the warm atmosphere, others don’t as much.Side note: is it just me or is there a bald redheaded server at every good restaurant who seems a little angry at the world? This one speaks a little too quiet and leaves before you can ask questions.The food:There is a central theme you’ll start to notice among many dishes: The use of fennel, bay, and other fine herbs that stand out just enough to appreciate them, some times masterfully. Especially the fennel.Secondly, the dishes tend to be on a sweeter side rather than an acidic side (I tend to want more acidity), some utilizing a type of Russian dressing more perfectly than others.There is one dish we have gotten every single time without fail: the Vareniki. Some iterations are absolute perfection, others near perfection, and you will find yourself thinking about the dish often throughout your day. Almost life changing. And it’s cheap.Same goes for the tartare. It is my favorite dish, and will change how you think about life, let alone food. Of all the dishes, I would say it most masterfully utilizes the fennel, fine herbs, and that Russian dressing. It is refreshing, clean, tender, and absolutely perfect. It was best with the potato chips. The sourdough is good, but there is better sourdough out there.The desserts are also some of the best you’ll have. The chocolat chaud was life changing, as is the almond cake. if you ever see the wine ice cream, make sure to get it. Mind blowingly good. Citron tart, flawless. The profiteroles have a hint of bay and lemon in the ice cream that will make you want to sing. Try all of the desserts.There are a few things that i wouldn’t necessarily want again:the burger was wonderful quality, but conservative and forgettable. (The fries are always the best anywhere btw).The pork chop is an amazing pork chop, but there is only so much you can do with pork chops. The sauce on the plate is too sweet and it clashes with the sweetness of pork after a few bites.Some of the salads have a little too much going on and don’t have enough acidity (same goes for the burger and the pork chop). I was really excited to try the beet salad, but there wasn’t an acid to counter the sweetness (again).The moule frites were good, but not great.The mac ‘n mimolette was very good, but even better cool when you taste the bay leaf coming through the cheese.Fried Chicken sandwich: most tender chicken you’ll ever eat. Life changing.The French onion soup is good, but the broth tastes more minerally than unctuous and rich. Some broth from cuts of beef that have more connective tissue and collagen taste better.I’m the kind of person that never orders beef steaks at a restaurant because I can always make them better. Needless to say I was hesitant to get the steak frites.However, I couldn’t have been happier. It brought me back to France (was better then steak frites there) and the familiarity and simplicity of a perfect New York cut, perfectly cooked, perfect sauce with peppercorns, and perfect fries was heartwarming. I’m happy right now just thinking about it. Don’t forget to get the aioli.Overall, if you want a perfect meal, get the steak tartare , the vareniki, the steak frites and some desserts. I would choose that meal over anything in northern California right now.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Siberian pine cones. Who knew. Great Pate. Pork chop and NY were top notch and both sauces were spot on perfect. YUM. A bit noisy but then that's what happens when you are packed on a Tuesday night. Even with full tables service was great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Liver Mousse, Beet Salad
My wife loves this place and now I do too. Cocktails are amazing and so is the food. The half chicken and Butter Rum! Amazing!!!!!!! Oh, also the Wednesday fried Chicken burger/sandwich is super good. For me it's a little on the pricy side so we just go there for special occasions. Making reservations is also soooooooooo easy, I love that.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We love Josephines flat out best craft cocktails in Auburn, the menu is great, from Mac & Cheese to amazing sea bass! (And try to fit in the deserts, which are truly over the top
What a wonderful find. I relocated from the Bay Area and Midtown Sacramento up to the Sierra Foothills, during the pandemic, and although I've searched high and low for a great little cocktail bar to replace my former favorites, I have not been able to find one which specializes in my three favorites -- a large rock Old Fashioned, a Gin Fizz, and a whiskey sour with lemon juice and egg white (no s/s mix). Team Josephine offered it all. The Gin Fizz was in the form of the Gin & Julius, and both a traditional whiskey sour and the New York sour option, with a wine float. I had both the Gin & Julius and the Whiskey Sour, and both were just excellent. The side order of fresh, hot, salty Pommes Frittes with aioli were also excellent. I came in on a spur on the moment on a Wednesday night, no reservation, and I was treated warmly, given a nice little window table, and enjoyed friendly, great service. I'll make the drive to Josephine as often as possible, I'm sure. Dinner next! ::Only downside, but not enough to take away a star -- I imagined a calm Parisian bistro environment before I arrived, but the streaming music volume was fairly high for such a small space. Definitely dominated the room::
Another solid Yelp find. While driving to Tahoe I was looking for a nicer spot to stop for dinner (so over fast food) and am so happy that I found Restaurant Josephine. Sat at the bar with friendly + personable service, really solid food, and a strong cocktail program. Will definitely be back!
I've been to Josephine's so many times and tried so many different things and I have NEVER had something that wasn't delicious and amazing. It's never disappointed me and it is just absolutely phenomenal, a MUST try for anyone who loves good food.
Restaurantji Recommends
Owner and staff always top notch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Selection of East & West Coast Oysters
Very classy, friendly and amazing food. The presentation of the food is remarkable.Love the Chinaware, eclectic!Dietary restrictions: Gluten free necessities.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sorbet, French Onion Soup Kit Serves 2, Duck Liver Mousse, Beet Salad, Wood Grilled Steak Frites
I’ve never left a review for a restaurant before however this was truly an exception. After having a wonderful dinner I had the pleasure to order the “Tarte Au Citron”. This is without a doubt the best dessert I’ve ever ordered. Absolutely wonderful, will hope to be going back very soon. Wonderful staff and customer service.
The food and service were really disappointing this visit. We usually love the food, but the French Onion soup and Vareniki were not good. Our neighbors did not like their steaks either.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Not too sure how to rate this place. It blew my expectations and that is what has me ?all over this place.It's your typical fancy restaurant with service that is top notch! You walk into the restaurant and it's like you blasted back to 1920 Pairs! The decor and the service all match the atmosphere.The menu changes and you can find it on their website. If the persimmon spice cake is still there ORDER IT!!! We had oysters and a fancy salmon appetizer! For dinner we had a waygu burger and the NY strip. Amazing cocktails and wine accompanied our entrees and the service was fabulous.We will be back very soon!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wagyu Beef Tartare, Tarte Au Citron, Selection of East & West Coast Oysters