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Josephine's, Lancaster, PA

Josephine's

4.9 (1475)
$31 to $50
Modern European
50 W Grant St, Lancaster, PA 17603-3802

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2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 17 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Romantic
The Story of Josephine’s
The story of Josephine’s begins during our executive chef Daniel LeBoon’s childhood. At eight years old, working for his father’s catering company, Daniel discovered a passion for food. This love — and undeniable talent — saw him intern at Philadelphia’s prestigious Le Bec-Fin. He went on to work in Paris at the venerable Hotel Vernet working under the renowned chef’s Alain Solvere and Alain Ducasse. In 2004, Daniel purchased Josephine’s in Marietta and developed an extremely loyal following based on the combination of great food, great atmosphere and great hospitality. Although Josephine’s closed in 2011, the name and the experiences are fondly remembered by countless people.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Modern European, Contemporary American, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (717) 299-7090
  • Website
    http://www.josephinesdowntown.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Rafe Hottenstein
  • Location
    50 W Grant St, Lancaster, PA 17603-3802
  • Neighborhood
    Lancaster
  • Cross street
    Corner of Grant & Market Streets
  • Parking details
    Privately-owned parking lots located on either side of restaurant. Prince street parking garage located half a block away. Additional street parking is available.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Gift card

Gift card

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Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 1,475 people are saying

Josephine's reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9
4.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.9Ambience
  • 4.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Philadelphia County

    Best Overall

  • Philadelphia County

    Best Food

  • Philadelphia County

    Best Service

  • Philadelphia County

    Best Ambiance

  • Lancaster County

    Best Overall

  • Lancaster County

    Best Food

  • Lancaster County

    Best Service

  • Lancaster County

    Best Ambiance

  • Lancaster County

    Best Value

  • Lancaster County

    Great for fine wines

  • Lancaster County

    Romantic

  • Lancaster County

    Good for special occasions

  • Lancaster County

    Lively

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Josephine's offers an exceptional dining experience with "incredible food and drinks" and a "chic old school vibe". The atmosphere is sophisticated yet comfortable, with live piano music enhancing the experience. The service is frequently praised as "top-notch" and "attentive". Highlights include the wagyu steak, crab cakes, and lemon meringue dessert. Perfect for special occasions or a refined night out.
1,475 Reviews

  1. Lev

    Washington, D.C. Area2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent restaurant we spent our anniversary dinner out. They made it special. Food, ambiance and service were exceptional.

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  2. molly

    Greater Boston1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What a lovely evening in an old school atmosphere with a piano- bass duet playing Sinatra and company. Our server, Kyle, was like an old friend— who knows a lot about food and Bev. His recommendations were spot on, from the oysters to the Black Cod to the Lemon Meringue dessert.

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  3. Rose VIP

    Philadelphia County14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent selection of starters and dinners. Unique cocktail selection. Enjoyed the live music with dinner. Excellent service.

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  4. Earle

    Philadelphia County15 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Perfect spot for a romantic anniversary dinner - food, drinks, and ambience are always great.

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  5. Lydiana VIP

    San Diego6 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 6, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Our first visit: Josephine’s has a lovely touch with a personalized menu page recognizing the special event. The ambience is rich with bright colors, unique decor and many framed photos of classic movie stars and musicians. Our server was a nice man but not the level of service for a 5 star upscale restaurant. I asked about the martini specials and about the wine. His response was something to the effect of “get drunk before dinner with martinis then switch to wine for dinner. Get chill right away with a martini”. His choice of adolescent words were not what we expected for an elegant evening out. He suggested the pickled James Dean martini. Overwhelming taste of pickle juice. He offered to add more vodka to reduce the pickle flavor. No. Hard pass. I ordered a glass of Cotes d Rhône. The wines by the glass menu are mostly CA wines. I was hoping and expecting for more French or European regions wines. Fortunately, the waiter did not add the martini to the bill. We shared the antelope appetizer which was good - not great. The meat was room temp. The 2nd appetizer was 2 very cold - hard - pieces of smooth foie gras with 3 pieces of toast. I’ve had better grocery store foie gras. I opted not to order main entree given the appetizers. We shared the crab cake entree. It was very good! Served with mash potatoes and asparagus. Will we return? Unlikely. It was an adventure as we’ve never been and we were celebrating a special occasion. If we do, maybe we sit at the bar and enjoy the live pianist and order French or Italian white wine and share the crab cake entree.

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  6. Tyler

    Baltimore / Maryland10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Incredible food and drinks. Waiter was fantastic (he was also the bartender) and knew everything about the food and drinks. Love this place!

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  7. Francis

    Philadelphia County3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic birthday experience. Our entire party thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

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  8. tom VIP

    Philadelphia County6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 31, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We sat too close to the piano, which was quite loud during dinner conversation. Overall, the best place for fine dining.

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  9. Darren

    Philadelphia County9 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 31, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Awesome as usual. Just wish we would have been out front with the piano.

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  10. Michael VIP

    Greater Boston18 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were visiting Lancaster for a couple of days and came across this absolute gem of a restaurant. Very chic old school vibe and aesthetics. The service was wonderful and the food was even better. Don’t miss the Duck or crab cake entrees, perfect. The octopus appetizer is a must as well. Finally, the lemon meringue dessert is the highlight of an already fantastic experience.

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FAQs

Josephine's offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (717) 299-7090.

Josephine's is rated 4.9 stars by 1475 OpenTable diners.

Josephine's does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

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  3. Philadelphia County
  4. Lancaster County
  5. Lancaster

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 17 times today
Google Map for Josephine's

50 W Grant St, Lancaster, PA 17603-3802

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Corner of Grant & Market Streets
  • Neighborhood
    Lancaster
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Modern European, Contemporary American, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Privately-owned parking lots located on either side of restaurant. Prince street parking garage located half a block away. Additional street parking is available.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Rafe Hottenstein
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Gift card

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

Send a gift card
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