Josephine’s

As a part time local in obx and a homesick New Yorker, the family owned Josephine’s is the perfect solution. Delicious, lovingly prepared food that is so reasonably priced served by friendly and welcoming staff. «Coz» and «Josie» have done an amazing job raising their boys who run the show to be polite, sweet and generous. I brought my 10 yr old in on a busy Saturday night and they spoiled her w/​extra cherries in her Shirley temple and when they heard she had won her school spelling bee she got 2 cannoli for dessert. Love this spot! My daughter’s favorite meatballs!

Fabulous! original! Let go of your expectations and just enjoy the great and unusual offerings! We got 1) clams with artichoke and rice — really excellent, and 2) this huge plate with enormous meatballs and some sausage and pasta in marinara — OMG! totally amazing. We took the meatballs home and I ate them 3 more times! The bread was good, but sort of reminded me of pretzels. Tables are a bit crowded, but the restaurant was packed and I know why. Our hotel attendant recommended this place and I was a bit skeptical, but it was awesome.

Hands down best food in OBX– just ask one of many locals in the place. Authentic Sicilian cooking with a menu that changes weekly. Everything was exceptional, but of particular note were the layers of flavor in the spinach lasagna, the house made sausage with fennel and kick, and an apple Gorgonzola salad. Get there early or prepare to wait — even off season. Shout out to the bartender Howie who doesn’t stop pouring drinks, serving food or sharing smiles!

OMG ! We were here for the week and the girls at the rental office gave us the best food tip ever. We had two meals and each one was fantastic !!! Thank you to the chef and to the wait staff for the best Italian food experience we have had ever. WE WILL BE BACK…

The last thing I think of when traveling to the Outer Banks is Italian food. Seafood, always… Italian, not so much. I’ve been disappointed by the pizza and other typical Italian foods in the past… I get it, I come from a stronghold of quality food at every corner. The meatballs in Josephine’s combo were excellent as was the sausage and sauce. Shrimp scampi was not shy on the garlic — delicious. Veal Fantasia was a favorite of others that we dined. Costs are very reasonable… down to the wine which was $ 5 per glass… gotta love that. Only room for one dessert… the chocolate bomb way so good. I highly recommend you find this little spot in the Outer Banks. The bartender… our waiter for the evening was quite friendly and consistently checked on our satisfaction, so if no seat in the restaurant, don’t be afraid to sit at the bar. Enjoy!

We travelled all the way down to Kitty Hawk from northern Corolla & despite the 45 minute wait (which we spent at the bar drinking delicious house wines), our family of 4 agreed that it was absolutely worth it. Not only is the staff friendly and accommodating, but the ambiance is homey yet romantic with a classy Italian feel. On top of that, our food was PHENOMENAL. Very authentic and full of flavor! Although all dishes were delicious, the spinach lasagna was hands down the winner of the evening!
If you have an Italian craving while in the OBX, look no further than Josephine’s! You won’t regret it! The wait is definitely worth it.

Went last night for dinner. Had to wait about 20 minutes, but for the OBX in the summer– that’s nothing! Absolutely fantastic. I had the Linguini with Clams, my dad and aunt had Josephine’s combo, and my mom had Chicken Milanese. Everybody enjoyed their meal, and had some to take home as well. There are several reviews on here about the owner/​staff being rude, but we had a completely different experience. Everybody that works there was super friendly and our waiter, Sonny, would frequently check back on our table in case we needed refills, etc. We had the «chocolate bomb» for dessert, and it was delicious!
I’ve been to the OBX every year of my life and I would definitely recommend this place. It’s the best Italian food I’ve had on the island.

It’s hard to believe that this gem of a restaurant is located in a small strip mall. The place is tiny, clean, very well decorated and the ambiance makes you forget your not in little Italy. The wait staff was friendly and knowledgable. Everything is fresh and reasonably priced. The meatballs are probably the best I’ve had in a long time or maybe ever. The tortellini in pesto sauce melted in your mouth and the spinach rolls are something you have to try if they’re being offered as a special menu item. I’m really glad that we gave this place a try and you should too. We couldn’t finish our meals because the portions were so large (which means leftovers)!! Giving it four stars because my pasta was a little undercooked.

This was our 2^nd time visiting here, it’s a small restaurant but it’s worth the wait. Great atmosphere, nice staff & the food is amazing. The red sauce is the best I’ve ever had. Come early and you won’t wait as long to be seated. We will be back next year!

As soon as you cross the threshold of the doors you become in captivated by the authentic Sicilian family way of dinning. Being Family owned and operated they treat you like one of their own. They do this by keeping prices reasonable and giving you portion sizes that are sure to satisfy the hungriest traveler.

Visited this tiny but sensational restaurant because of its Unilocal reviews. We were out of town guests traveling home from vacation, sick of seafood and wanted some good pasta. We were not disappointed. Josephine, the owner greeted us and seated us and was generally interested in explaining the menu choices and followed up that we were satisfied with our choices. Service was Good, food was excellent. We even got dessert which is not normal for my family. Would highly recommend. We will be back on our next trip to the OBX!

My boyfriend & I have eaten here once every summer since it opened and have never been even slightly disappointed. The ambience is great, the service is exceptional, and the food is more than delicious.
As some other reviewers have mentioned, the space is small and thus ends up causing a delay at times, but this place is totally worth the wait. Many restaurants at the OBX are «family friendly.» While there is nothing wrong with that at all, its also nice to have a dimly lit, intimate space to go that is perfect for a date night.
The staff is so friendly and you can tell that this family owned business is cared for deeply by all involved. The menu changes weekly, which allows for something new to try with each visit. No matter what we’ve chosen each time, we have been very satisfied. The dessert selection here is large and you cannot make a bad choice. The prices are completely reasonable for what you’re getting.
We love Josephine’s and hope it is a part of the OBX for years to come so we can keep coming back!

We didn’t have a reservation but decided to give it a try. Sitting at the bar waiting. and the bartender ignored us until I cornered her. Ok, not a good sign but the ladies salad next to us made us hope of good things vs to come.
We finally get a seat at the bar and ordered.
Placed our ordered. dinner was great. Blue cheese salad and vodka pasta. Ask for Vinnie at the bar. Will definitely be back.

Outstanding food and large portions.

I’m no connoisseur on Italian food but the sausage in Josephine’s combo was hands down the best I’ve ever had. All of our food was delicious. The cream sauce that comes with tortellini is VERY rich. You can’t beat the prices for the quantity and quality of food that you get at Josephine’s. I would expect to pay double the listed price for most of the entrees, especially in a beach town. The $ 14 bottle of the house cab wasn’t bad either. It’s tiny and they don’t take reservations so be prepared to wait– it’s worth it!

This restaurant raises the standard for Italian food on the outer banks.
Good food without breaking the bank. If you want lo split checks, it can’t be done. So be aware.
Service was so so, but not terrible. We’d go back again.

Great food, lousy waitress! After realizing that this is a very small business, I understand a little bit better about the wait time for the best Italian food I have ever had. With that said, our waitress was not very attentive.

Worth the wait for a table as the menu has a broad selection, the food delicious and almost everyone leaves well pleased with a doggy bag.
By the time your meal is finished, Josephine and her staff make sure they visit your table to insure the food is up to your expectations. She even volunteered to pry open a ‘mussel’ in my delicious appetizer.
Do not miss the chance to visit this first rate restaurant.
Alop

Tonight was our final night on a family vacation and we decided on Josephine’s based on the reviews. We were seated right away, which was an unexpected bonus. True, the menu was limited, but we expected this as we reviewed the current menu online before heading to the restaurant.
Food was OK. Nothing special, but decent… especially for a tourist beach town. The MAJOR disappointment is how they handle kids. They informed us that they do not have a kids menu. Since the other reviews indicated the portions were large, we figured we would share with our kids, who are 10 and 12. The server, who was very pleasant and attentive almost apologetically returned to the table to tell us there would be a $ 9 charge to split the plate. We thought this was a bit ridiculous, given the fact that they don’t offer a kids menu. Do they really feel that a 10 year old should order a full bowl of pasta crafted to satisfy any adult, with almost guaranteed leftovers? Anyway, we agreed to the $ 9 charge as we didn’t want to order yet another full meal, since we were leaving in the morning… no opportunity to eat the leftovers.
When the bill came, there were 2 $ 9 charges for 2 «split plates». Now, let’s be clear… there was ZERO effort on the part of the server or the chef in «splitting» a plate. Not even a separate plate. So, our bill was inflated by $ 18 when all was said and done. When we asked the server about the double charge, she said there was nothing she could do, but she would be happy to get Josephine to discuss our situation. I gladly accepted this offer, thinking that the owner would surely understand our position and credit the additional $ 9 charge. I could not have been more wrong! She simply said «they want each person to order a meal». These people made more than an acceptable profit on my family of 4, with a bill of $ 63.00 before the additional $ 9 was added to the bill.
If you want everyone to order a meal, then expand your limited menu to include a kids menu… go ahead and even charge $ 9 for the kid’s meal, which is ludicrous, but better than charging that amount for absolutely NOTHING!
When the owner said «Well, I am sorry,» I said that is fine we would pay it, but never return to the restaurant. She just said she was sorry and walked away.
So, IF you have kids, don’t even think about it. If you don’t have kids, I would still look elsewhere. somewhere where the customer comes first. IF the food was special, I could likely overlook this experience… but it wasn’t, and I can’t.
Josephine’s? Skip it… You can do better.

Decent Italian, beware not much for vegetarians. Not sure we’ll go back as we liked some other local spots more.
Pros:
Very fresh food, well cooked, very tasty. Not to die for, but solid.
Great décor and atmosphere
Friendly staff.
Cons:
–The wait staff and kitchen seemed to have trouble keeping up with a busy night. Service was friendly but felt quite slow… same with getting food from kitchen.
–The salads while great are around $ 10 each. Large portions but it makes it hard to get a salad with your dinner… if you can split with someone else at your table it works out, but otherwise it is odd not to have a more modestly priced salad option.
–My daughter is vegetarian and there was literally nothing on the menu for her. They did a pasta off menu with marinara but it was quite disappointing in an Italian restaurant that being the ONLY entrée option. It was good but she had no choice other than that. We wanted one of the dishes made w/​o meat but it was pre-​prepared according to the waitress… At an Italian restaurant it is usually safer for vegetarians.
Overall it was reasonably priced and good food but it was not worth the 40 minute wait we had on the evening we went and had much better luck in term of food and service at Café Franco’s