(310) 581-9888

2424 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405 34.0221 -118.4642

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Neighborhoods: Sunpark, West LA

JOSIERESTAURANT.COM

Years in business

Established in 2001

Hours:

Sunday To Thursday From 06:00 PM To 08:30 PM Friday From 06:00 PM To 09:30 PM Saturday From 06:00 PM To 10:00 PM

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 6.23.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Business Dining, Online Reservations, Special Occasion Dining

Cuisine:

Traditional American

Notable Chef:

Josie Le Balch

What People Are Saying About Josie

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Located on a quiet corner in Santa Monica, Josie draws a distinguished crowd. The look is pure elegance--starched white tablecloths and luxurious banquettes--with smooth service to match. – – The Food – Chef-owner Josie Le Balch is known for pushing the boundaries of New American cuisine--and she doesn't disappoint at her latest post, toying with Mediterranean as well as American flavors. Start with a butternut squash soup that's shot through with a curry scented walnut oil, or wild mushrooms in a rich cream sauce layered in puff pastry. Cod is served…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
Josie's wine list boasts an impressive selection of half-bottles--take advantage of this opportunity to sample different wines with your meal.
Know Before You Go:
If you bring your own wine, there's a corkage fee of $20 per bottle. However, if you also buy a bottle from the wine list, the corkage fee is waived.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. would highly reccommend for small parties, romantic dinners and any other special occassion.
  2. Nice atmosphere and interesting combinations of food.
  3. Good wine list, helpful staff, wonderful food, great ambiance.
  4. Spent my birthday here; service was top-notch, food was spectacular -- probably my best experience in town, and the ambience was comfortably home-like.
dessert
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. ate half of this while sipping excellent iced tea and moved on to dessert.
  2. We ended the fabulous meal with key lime cheesecake topped with blueberries-DELICIOUS!
  3. Also subtracted points for the waiter leaving his thumbprint on the powdered cocoa on the edge of my dessert plate and the bread should have been warm if wrapped in a towel.
  4. And for dessert we ordered the chocolate bread pudding, which was AMAZING!
  5. The desserts were great as well but ending up spending almost $50 a person and didn't even have drinks.
  6. Gianduja praline cake was perfectly sweet, but had two points against it: the vanilla bean ice cream it is paired with competes (too rich) and the crunchy topping on the cake is not friendly to people with sensitive teeth.
drinks
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. the service is mediocre for what they charge and the wine list is pathetic.
  2. Your hospitality, delicious food presented in such an artful fashion, fine wine, excellent waitstaff, not to mention the several nice surprises such as quiche and candies served before and after our meal made Jenelle's first "fine dining" experience a tru
  3. There were so many ways to avoid a bad exchange (call us to say the table was delayed - they take #s when you make a reservation, start us with some appies at the bar, a round of complementary drinks, asking the sitting table who ignored the situation to
  4. ate half of this while sipping excellent iced tea and moved on to dessert.
  5. Overpriced bland food and lousy wines to go with it.
  6. And you'll love the bar that was once the backdrop in Gunsmoke.
  7. The restrooms are not as clean and second the wine temperature is not good.
  8. Some great bargains also exist on the wine list.
  9. The desserts were great as well but ending up spending almost $50 a person and didn't even have drinks.
  10. Good wine list, helpful staff, wonderful food, great ambiance.
  11. Looked like a great spot for a business dinner as well with a bar in the back section.
  12. The cocktails were intresting and we had an enjoyable appetizer.
food quality
92.8600025177002% positive
  1. do know a little about good food, but the staff guided both me and my family through the menu with complete ease.
  2. The wild mushroom sandwich was great, really creamy, earthy and comforting.
  3. Spent my birthday here; service was top-notch, food was spectacular -- probably my best experience in town, and the ambience was comfortably home-like.
  4. We ended the fabulous meal with key lime cheesecake topped with blueberries-DELICIOUS!
  5. Nice atmosphere and interesting combinations of food.
  6. Delicious food, friendly service
  7. The meat is on the sweet side, cooked perfectly, with the best fixin's and homemade mayo and ketchup and mustard.
  8. the food was underwhelming, flavor-wise, the service was AWFUL.
  9. The food just wasnt as flavorful as I would have liked.
  10. Very attentive service and memorable dishes made it a great evening.
  11. everything that comes out of chef josie le balch's kitchen is absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious, and perfect.
  12. Thanks again for all the personal attention and for affording us the opportunity to know great food and those who prepare it with such dedication and expertise.
  13. was served a thin slice of mushroom cheese quiche which was perfect.
  14. The restaurant is a quaint quiet place, the food is outstanding!
  15. Chef Josie Le Balch makes really good food, but her husband's very haughty manner and bad attitude really ruined the experience for us.
  16. went with expectation of have a great meal.
  17. Again, the food was really excellent.
  18. We were surprised with a wonderful piece of quiche of some sort, served delicious bread and given tons of time to look through the scrumptious menu.
  19. Only if you like worms in your food
  20. They brought a sliver of wild mushroom quiche as an amuse bouche, which was also excellent.
  21. And the rack of lamb was juicy and tender.
  22. And for dessert we ordered the chocolate bread pudding, which was AMAZING!
  23. The tagine was good, average good, not like "we are coming back here for this dish" good.
  24. Jenelle would love to know how you got started as a chef, what your favorite dish is, and, perhaps most importantly, what restaurant you love to go to in the Los Angeles area on your special night out.
  25. Also subtracted points for the waiter leaving his thumbprint on the powdered cocoa on the edge of my dessert plate and the bread should have been warm if wrapped in a towel.
  26. started with the warm winter vegetable salad which was a heavenly combination of arugula, diced squash, chestnuts, pommegranate seeds, toasted pumpkin seed, cipollini onion and grated ricotta salata.
  27. Overpriced bland food and lousy wines to go with it.
  28. have to say i travel all over the world and have been to the top restaurants in the world such as el builli,the fat duck,gordon ramsay,french laundry but josie is the worst food i have ever had.
  29. good food
  30. Her food looked so delectable, we decided to try it on Monday night.
  31. Otherwise, their food was good.
  32. Known for game foods (wild boar, venison, roo ribs, etc.), her fish and vegetable dishes are excellent too.
  33. Overall, a great meal and a great time.
  34. great eclectic food in West L.A.
  35. The burger was tasty, topped with foie gras, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms with a hint of truffle.
  36. The food was good.
  37. Not only did we feel important, but we laughed and enjoyed some of the most amazing food ever!
  38. The vegetables underneath were good though, a mixture of beans, tomatoes and artichoke hearts.
  39. The sorbet and gelato were really good, though I later found out this place was voted best pastries!
  40. Our instincts paid off; the food was fantastic.
  41. Fantastic meal.
  42. The food was just awesome, from the soup, sweet potato fries, etc.
  43. Good wine list, helpful staff, wonderful food, great ambiance.
  44. the food was outstanding.
  45. Again, great food.
  46. The interior, first of all, was a little outdated and somewhat blah, however, that could easily become "easy going" or "down to earth" if the food was outstanding.
  47. We eat out frequently, always trying to experience new restaurants with an open mind and a mutual love of good food.
  48. Your hospitality, delicious food presented in such an artful fashion, fine wine, excellent waitstaff, not to mention the several nice surprises such as quiche and candies served before and after our meal made Jenelle's first "fine dining" experience a tru
  49. The food was amazing as well as the service.
menu variety
80.0% positive
  1. The friendly and informative staff helped us with some great selections.
  2. The prices are way over and second selections are terrible.
  3. We were surprised with a wonderful piece of quiche of some sort, served delicious bread and given tons of time to look through the scrumptious menu.
  4. do know a little about good food, but the staff guided both me and my family through the menu with complete ease.
  5. was excited to try this place b/c the menu looked great.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. Jenelle would love to know how you got started as a chef, what your favorite dish is, and, perhaps most importantly, what restaurant you love to go to in the Los Angeles area on your special night out.
  2. The sorbet and gelato were really good, though I later found out this place was voted best pastries!
  3. great place, fair prices
return potential
50.0% positive
  1. wont be back and neither will i suggest this lousy restaurant.
service
73.90999794006348% positive
  1. Spent my birthday here; service was top-notch, food was spectacular -- probably my best experience in town, and the ambience was comfortably home-like.
  2. Delicious food, friendly service
  3. do know a little about good food, but the staff guided both me and my family through the menu with complete ease.
  4. The waiter was excellent making tons of superb recommendations.
  5. Friendly staff.
  6. Also subtracted points for the waiter leaving his thumbprint on the powdered cocoa on the edge of my dessert plate and the bread should have been warm if wrapped in a towel.
  7. Very attentive service and memorable dishes made it a great evening.
  8. There were so many ways to avoid a bad exchange (call us to say the table was delayed - they take #s when you make a reservation, start us with some appies at the bar, a round of complementary drinks, asking the sitting table who ignored the situation to
  9. Service is not pretentious and multiple waiters service you at the proper intervals.
  10. The service was very good.
  11. Once seated we were pleasantly surprised by the outstanding service from both our server, Chris, and the rest of the servers constantly make sure we were in need of nothing.
  12. The horrible service, prior to even sitting, forced us to leave.
  13. also noticed this fat un polite manager who seemed like the person who doesn't have people skills and that's why the staff is like him,they dont care.
  14. Overall it was an impeccable dining experience with service to match.
  15. Service was attentive, discreet & informative.
  16. The food was amazing as well as the service.
  17. once seated service was attentive and our waitperson extremely knowledgeable.
  18. the service is mediocre for what they charge and the wine list is pathetic.
  19. Good wine list, helpful staff, wonderful food, great ambiance.
  20. The waiter could not have been any more professional, I almost felt embarrassed when I asked about the "sepia
  21. The friendly and informative staff helped us with some great selections.
  22. Gianduja praline cake was perfectly sweet, but had two points against it: the vanilla bean ice cream it is paired with competes (too rich) and the crunchy topping on the cake is not friendly to people with sensitive teeth.
  23. the food was underwhelming, flavor-wise, the service was AWFUL.
value
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. The prices are way over and second selections are terrible.
  2. Josie offers very reasonable prices for a restaurant of this caliber.
  3. great place, fair prices
1 Star Rating: Poor

02/17/09

Only if you like worms in your food

by sarawik at Citysearch

We ate here a couple of months ago. At first, I was quite impressed. The cocktails were intresting and we had an enjoyable appetizer. My husband ordered some sort of beef for his main course. I wanted to try it so he put some of it on my plate. Right before I took a bite, I noticed a small green worm crawing around on it. My husband got the waiter's attention and demanded that he remove all the food from our table. The manager came out a somewhat appologized stating that they use organic greens (as if this was some sort of excuse). The worst part of it all was although they took my husband's dinner off of our bill, they still charged us for mine even though I only had three bites.

3 Star Rating: Average

12/31/08

Food Was Just OK, but Good Cocktails

by eurobritt at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I went to Josie last night after reading great things in Los Angeles magazine and on citysearch, but have to say were disappointed. We eat out frequently, always trying to experience new restaurants with an open mind and a mutual love of good food. The interior, first of all, was a little outdated and somewhat blah, however, that could easily become "easy going" or "down to earth" if the food was outstanding. I enjoyed the lack of LA "scene" and the humility of the place, thinking that the focus must be 100 percent on the food. But no. We split two appetizers: the wild mushroom sandwich and the fig & goat cheese tart. The wild mushroom sandwich was great, really creamy, earthy and comforting. The tart on the other hand was boring. There was no goat cheese flavor really and the overall taste was unimpressive. We shared the tagine of short ribs and the white fish as the entrees. The tagine was good, average good, not like "we are coming back here for this dish" good. It could have used more potent moroccan flavors and spice, but hinted at the exotic rather than achieving it. The Israeli cous cous in the short ribs was fun texturally, but also lacklustre in flavors. The fish was boring. It was slightly fishy (as in not fresh-white fish should be mild and flaky). There was no real marinade, infusion or sauce on the fish to compliment it either. The vegetables underneath were good though, a mixture of beans, tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Oh, and we ordered a side of truffle fries. Truffle + fry should equal heaven, but at Josie not so. Once again, the fries were boring both in texture and flavor. They were barely truffle-y at all, and I had to squint and imagine truffle taste while eating them. The trio of creme brulee were boring too. I don't know why anyone would make a creme brulee with a barely there carmelized sugar top; that's the best thing about creme brulee and the best part was not capitalized on. Too bad.

  • Pros: Good cocktails
  • Cons: boring food, boring interior
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/20/08

SUPERB

by GILS at Citysearch

I recomend everything on the menu!

My own experience:

As appetizer the roasted quail was cooked perfectly.....

The venison, cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and the short ribs with cous cous. And for dessert we ordered the chocolate bread pudding, which was AMAZING!!!!

If you haven't tried this restaurant you should.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/19/08

great eclectic food in West L.A.

by jdtinla at Citysearch

I had a celebratory meal at Josie last week. Overall, a great meal and a great time. The service was very good.

We started (two of us, but hungry), with frogs legs, duck leg, and pork belly. All were excellent, though the pork belly skin should have been crisp, which it wasn't. They brought a sliver of wild mushroom quiche as an amuse bouche, which was also excellent.

We then shared the tagine of short ribs with cous cous and the venison. Again, both were excellent. The venison, though cooked to a perfect medium-rare, could have had a better crust on it. Again, the food was really excellent. We guilt the lily with the truffle fries, which we couldn't not resist eating, despite being nearly stuffed.

Though we ordered the chocolate bread pudding, they accidentally brought the trio of pots de creme to the table. My friend descended on them, so we ate them all before then tucking into the bread pudding. Again, great food.

I recommend the place highly. Easy parking and/or valet. Nondescript neighborhood, but lovely interior. Friendly staff. Monday nights they do not charge their usual $25 corkage, so we enjoyed a bottle of our own. Bon apetite!

  • Pros: great food, good service, fair value, corkage-free Mondays, wheelchair-accessible
2 Star Rating: Below Average

02/12/08

Wanted to love it

by jenlasyl at Citysearch

I had been looking forward to my first Josie experience. I came away very disappointed. The food was good. I had the duck which was wonderful. My husband had the venison so-so. The thing I was most disappointed with was the service. It baffled me. Were we being discriminated against because we were under 60? The waiter was very condescending when we asked for recommendations. We were left with no wine as our entrees arrived. Wow, I had really expected the service to be great. I really wanted to love this place and find a new neighborhood restaurant. Unfortunately, because of the service I will not be back.

The Details on Josie

Place Categories:

  • good food
  • attentive seated service
  • great place
  • great meal
  • earthy wild mushroom sandwich
  • best restaurants
  • superb chef
  • mediocre service
  • impeccable dining experience
  • memorable dish
  • perfect mediumrare
  • great fair prices
  • heavenly combination
  • romantic dinner
  • bad experience
  • absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious kitchen
  • delicious bread
  • professional waiter
  • great bar
  • fantastic everything
  • crispy pastry shell
  • excellent iced tea
  • great ambiance
  • friendly staff
  • not as clean restrooms

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