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Josephine's, Lancaster, PA

Josephine's

4.9 (1479)
$31 to $50
Modern European
50 W Grant St, Lancaster, PA 17603-3802

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 9 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Romantic
  • Great for creative cocktails
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 1,479 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 a "warm and inviting ambiance" that captures an "old school atmosphere." Guests rave about "fantastic food" and "attentive service," particularly praising servers like Kyle and Tate. The restaurant's standout dishes include crab cakes, black cod, and lemon meringue dessert. Ideal for "special occasions," Josephine's is "a must-try" in Lancaster.
1,479 Reviews

  1. james

    Baltimore / Maryland7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always great food and outstanding service. Always our first choice for fine dining!

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  2. Danielle

    Philadelphia County5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful place with excellent, well-timed service. So many great portraits on the wall to look at. I highly recommend for special occasions, as they offer personalized attention to detail that makes it look like YOU went above and beyond. Can't wait to go back.

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  3. Katie

    Chicago / Illinois3 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 15, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was fantastic, service was amazing. Crazy loud party next to us made both hard to enjoy. Not sure why we were seated there when there were plenty of open table. Will absolutely go back but will request a better spot!

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  4. Kelly VIP

    Philadelphia County1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 13, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Josephine's is the best step back in time to a sexy, movie star era that provides the best food, drinks, service, and attention to detail. They made our anniversary special with a personal note in our menu. Scott, our server, was awesome. This place is a must visit for a small or large group as I have experienced both.

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  5. Lev

    Washington, D.C. Area2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    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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  6. molly

    Greater Boston1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    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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  7. Rose VIP

    Philadelphia County14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    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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  8. Earle

    Philadelphia County15 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    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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  9. 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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  10. 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!

    Is this helpful?

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 1479 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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  2. United States
  3. Philadelphia County
  4. Lancaster County
  5. Lancaster

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 9 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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