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    Josephine's Italian Restaurant

    3.7 (46 reviews)
    Open 4:30 pm - 8:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Josephine's Italian Restaurant Italian Restaurant Photos

    JOSEPHINE'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Josephine's Italian Restaurant

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    Ellen A.

    Have been here about three times in the past few weeks. each time I think it is better than the last time. Bread plate. Aspargus. Carrots. Meatball. Yummy! Bring your friends. Bring a date. Go by yourself. Excellent service Cat.

    Jonathan R.

    In a land that food forgot, and after becoming thoroughly disenchanted with Grand Junction's other (2) Italian offerings, I naively, but still optimistically, ventured to Josephine's in Fruita tonight. What unfolded, tragically, was another, disappointing, Colorado restaurant experience. How I wish it weren't so. Starting with the Caesar salad: While they adorned it with 3 anchovies, what remained was a pile of lettuce. The cheese was missing. That delicate trifecta of cheese, dressing and lettuce? It was 2/3 represented, at best. Salad dressing was barely discernible and not flavorful, certainly not what you would expect or desire--to make the lettuce pile virtuous. Upon asking for the missing cheese, the server brought out a generous serving in a cup, which still didn't pack the depth and goodness of the Parmesano Reggiano cheese that I routinely buy at Whole Foods in making my own salads. It's not that expensive. Pasta: it was beyond disappointing. From store bought pasta, lower quality pasta that was undercooked, red sauce that was watery and lacked any substance, barely possessing traces of a tomato, this was worse than a good Rao's TV dinner. It was red colored vinegar. Conspicuously lacking was the presence of fresh tomatoes or the spices that make marinara sauce interesting. This was truly the most boring and run of the mill marinara sauce I think I've sampled in at least 5 years, maybe 10, maybe 15. Pricing was fair--if the food would have been of high quality. But paying $13 for the Caesar salad? It was basically a $1.35 mound of chopped romaine. The pasta? Any ordinary, store-bought sauce, from Trader Joe's to Ragu to Rao's would have proven more flavorful. If you're detecting a pattern here, you're not alone. The mountain of store-bought pasta with red colored vinegar sauce lacked the customary cheese or crushed peppers you'd need to try to rescue this dish. The bread sampler free plate was acceptable, but just as I was about to praise this a little, I suddenly experienced a salt explosion in my mouth. You see, the server dumped mammoth amounts of salt in the olive oil dish. They traded this out for untainted olive oil with pepper. I know that we are dealing with a 3 month old restaurant. But this was a $33 mistake. I keep harkening back to White House Pizza in Carbondale, where you can savor the marvelous Split Decision pasta, cheese, and yes, marinara sauce ensemble, replete with sausage, zesty marinara sauce and more, plus a vastly superior Caesar salad- all for $20. Some of us learn hard. Painfully so. As of today, however, the Grand Junction region lacks Italian food meeting my basic standards.

    Meatballs in marinara, delicious!
    M L.

    Our 8th or 9th visit for a birthday celebration. Again, outstanding service and fabulous food! Once again, mixologist crafted tasty cocktails. Parting birthday gift, a Josephine's beer glass and a box of delicious homemade Italian cookies.

    Roasted Carrots, Panzanella & Burrata Salad

    Amazing food and staff! went there for our anniversary and even walking in, the bar area, gorgeous! Wasn't overly busy and they accommodated us having a stroller/car seat for our baby. They didn't have the chicken but will be returning to get that next time! The carrots!! AMAZING we got some to go as well and LOVED the salad! 10/10 I will say I would love more variety of different pasta sauces; I know they're new so hopefully in the future!

    Menu

    Poor service. They do not return phone calls for reservations. Definitely experiencing growing pains of a novice restaurant. Once service improves, the food will be great.

    Sausage and fennel pizza

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    6 months ago

    Outstanding Birthday Dinner! Fantastic Service, Food, and Atmosphere. Highly recommend the Mushroom Polenta.

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    4 months ago

    Food was tremendous!! Lasagne to die for - service was great - drinks too! Ready to go back many times!!

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    5 months ago

    Amazing! Fantastic date night or even just get together event. Foods great, Drinks are amazing!

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    5 months ago

    We had the beet tartar, carrots and pizza. All great. Service was outstanding and mixed drinks were wonderful. Very nice date night!

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    Review Highlights - Josephine's Italian Restaurant

    They aim high to please the Grand Valley with shareable and comforting dishes that come from their ancestry and authenticity.

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    Antica Forma - Pepperoni pizza

    Antica Forma

    4.2(1.7k reviews)
    59.5 mi
    $$

    Yummy! We shared a salad, an appetizer, and a pizza…read more I think the appetizer - Montemarine?- was my favorite! It had grilled onions and prosciutto on bread. Oh my. So delicious! The pizza was exquisite as well. The crust is everything! We did the salciccia e fungi. Everything great. I'd return!

    Ah, that satisfied the Pizza cravings…read more What I got a couple of items in a party of 2. Calamari, this was good, I thought it was nicely battered and fried. I had to try the homemade mozzarella and got the principessa, this was okay - I tasted more of the arugula than the cheese... The Pizza was very good, I got the confiding and this was veggies one. There were eggplants and olives and so. It was tasty, I thought the crust was a little on the thinner side but overall it was still good. The serving sizes were very big I thought, though the pizza was a personal size, I thought it was quite big and can be shared with another person. Environment Parking here was decent, there was quite a number of parking available, but I can see that it can get filled up pretty quick. The interior was quite big there were a lot of table seatings and there was also an outside seating area. Niceness of the staff Seems very fast paced but I was able to get what I needed with no issues. The food came out fairly quickly. Dollar It can add up if you get too much. The appetizers were 15$+ and the pizza was $21.... So it can add up really quickly... Yes I would return here.

    Photos
    Antica Forma
    Antica Forma - Meat lovers

    Meat lovers

    Antica Forma - Pistachio pesto with a gluten free crust

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    Pistachio pesto with a gluten free crust

    Citrolas

    Citrolas

    3.7(211 reviews)
    10.9 mi
    $$

    The food we got takeout was fine, but they were horribly disorganized for our pick up…read more The restaurant directs you to DoorDash to order, but when I got there, they were confused about how to check the DoorDash orders. I arrived 10 minutes after the order was supposed to be ready, but it was clear that they hadn't really checked any of their DoorDash requests and didn't really start preparing anything until I got there. So we got the food about 45 minutes later unexpected. When the takeout was finally delivered, the host assured me there were knives forks and napkins for two people, but in fact when I got back to the hotel, there were no eating utensils in the package. These might sound like little annoyances, but when you were traveling on the road for multiple days, the added inconvenience of late delivery no way to eat the food made the experience pretty awful. The restaurant seemed really understaffed, and didn't really get the concept of customer service.

    Stopped in for lunch at Citrola's Italian as it has been awhile since I last visited and was very…read morepleased with the experience. Much better than I remembered from 2013, but some friends said give it another shot. So I did. They offer all the standard Italian favorites you'd expect, I decided to go with a pizza option. The Supreme pizza was spot on -- loaded with toppings, perfectly cooked, and exactly what I needed that day. It definitely hit the spot. One of the best additions is the sandwich shop, The Cutting Board. It's a great bonus, especially for lunch, giving you even more options if you're in a hurry or just craving a sub instead of pasta or pizza. Not sure if it's a partnership or just sharing space, but it's great and The Cutting board in the past has been a great lunch destination. Overall, good Italian food, great lunch option, and a place I'll definitely return to.

    Photos
    Citrolas - Entrance into bar

    Entrance into bar

    Citrolas
    Citrolas

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    Enzo's Ristorante Italiano - Tagliatelle Bolognese:  pasta Al Dente magnifique'

    Enzo's Ristorante Italiano

    3.7(212 reviews)
    10.7 mi
    $$

    In from out of town and went for dinner with some girlfriends. We started with drinks, cold and…read moretasty. We shared an order of Figa-Figa--delicious!!! We each had a different entree, and all were very good. We had desserts which we also cleaned up off the plate. Our service was friendly and attentive. All in all a very comfortable, enjoyable and delightful dinner.

    Dined at Enzo's Ristorante Italiano last month and realized I forgot to leave a review -- but it's…read moredefinitely worth mentioning. It's a good spot for a nice dinner out. I started with the Italian Wedge salad, which was excellent. I'm not a ranch fan, so I had them swap it out for Italian dressing, and it paired perfectly. I always love starting a meal with a good wedge, and this one did not disappoint. For the main course, I ordered the Pasta with Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce. I'm a big fan of spicy Italian flavors -- it's a different kind of heat -- and this dish delivered. The Calabrian peppers (one of my favorite peppers) were perfectly incorporated, giving it great depth and flavor. The spice level was just right: bold and flavorful without being overwhelming. If I had one critique of the meal, it would be the pasta itself -- the noodles were fine, but nothing particularly special. That said, the sauce and overall flavor more than made up for it. I skipped dessert only because the portion size of the main dish was so generous there was no room left. If I had ordered one, it absolutely would've been the tiramisu. Honestly, slightly smaller portions on the entrée wouldn't hurt, but that's not a bad problem to have. Also, the aesthetics of the dining area need some work, feels kind of outdated and old, the tables near the kitchen entrance doors tacky and the tables felt crammed in there, minimal space between tables. It could really use some updates of the interior to bring the dining room up to the experience you'd expect for a $55.00 meal before tax for 1 person. Overall, a very enjoyable meal, and I would go back.

    Photos
    Enzo's Ristorante Italiano - Entrance

    Entrance

    Enzo's Ristorante Italiano - Meat lovers calzone and Veal Parmesan

    Meat lovers calzone and Veal Parmesan

    Enzo's Ristorante Italiano - Whiskey and ginger-ale & honey had a Cognac XO neat

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    Whiskey and ginger-ale & honey had a Cognac XO neat

    Modern Brava Trattoria - Primo Corso appetizer!

    Modern Brava Trattoria

    4.3(293 reviews)
    79.9 mi
    $$

    We all have a moment of fortunate happenstance; or I should call it, "serendipity" when we are out…read moreand about. And that is the best kind of Yelping. For this restaurant, the find was almost like that. We (while enjoying our quick spa getaway in town coming from the greater Denver area) found this place after a disappointing experience with another similar restaurant nearby as it was closed for a private party that night. We were in a dire need of finding something alternative. As we were walking around town earlier that day, we did notice this place. After checking to make sure that it was truly open (not again, right?), we rushed there to fill our empty stomachs. The experience? It was quite good! Despite its unfortunate setting (downstairs in one of the buildings on the busy main street in town), what they can offer is worth the mention. Ambience?? Good! Fairly small restaurant but the layout is efficient where it can hold at least 50+ people when it's packed. The bar is the most ambient part of the restaurant where copper top was most fitting with chic looking lightings hanging from the ceilings. As long as the weather permits, seating in the patio is available. Three men collaborated to assist us for all of our needs during our fairly quick dinner. Time was barely 5pm. The night was still very young. Other diners eventually streamed in and it was at its 50% capacity by 5:50m. By the way, this experience was on a Thursday in mid-April of 2026. Here is what we got: -Justin Cabernet $15 per glass -Mediterra Super Tuscan $15 per glass (I had this one. Justin which my daughter had was better than mine in my opinion.) (The selection for wine by the glass is a bit small; they could easily add a few more to both the white and the red) -Starter bread (complimentary; later one of the men came to refill it by adding a few more slices. Excellent starter bread) -Mussels alla Crema (Cream based. They can make it with red sauce as well; $18) -Torretta de Malanzane (An eggplant burrata dish, $17) -Brassato (A gnocchi dish with braised short ribs, $30) All of the dishes were equal contenders where I simply couldn't pick one winning dish out of them. Each dish's meticulous presentation coupled with the overall seasonings, flavors and complex or perfected texture, their creative dishes are the core reason for their successful restaurant operations is what I gleaned while dining. We, unfortunately, skipped the dessert part as we saw an ice cream place several doors up the street from it earlier. We wanted to immerse ourselves in different dining experiences while our short stay in town so maybe next time we dine here again, we will indulge in their "decadent" dessert treats.

    The food was absolutely delicious! We got the eggplant burrata appetizer, the lobster risotto, and…read morethe veal piccata. Honestly some of the best food we've had in awhile. Highly recommend!

    Photos
    Modern Brava Trattoria - One of the two-person tables

    One of the two-person tables

    Modern Brava Trattoria - Mushroom and Truffle Risotto

    Mushroom and Truffle Risotto

    Modern Brava Trattoria - Bar area

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    Bar area

    Gios Family Dining - Side Salad

    Gios Family Dining

    4.8(8 reviews)
    64.3 mi

    We had read some reviews and thought this would be a great place to stop in and have some delicious…read morefood... In fact the morning breakfast room had talk from other people of how great dinner was... We were not disappointed! We asked what was recommended and our server Sarah had a whole list of things that she thought we might like... We found out that they make all their own homemade sauces and dressing... And she wasn't wrong... There were six of us and we enjoyed crisp, fresh salad, and the dressings were amazing. I had blue cheese and it was just a perfect amount of blue cheese and dressing... Our friends had the Stromboli and they wolfed it down. They said it was really good and you can choose between homemade marinara or homemade ranch or both. My friend and I had the same calzone filled with all kinds of deliciousness... I have to say it was probably the best calzone I have eaten the reason why is because I don't know what they do to their crust but it's light. It's not so heavy and. "doughy".. in fact, it was so good that my husband wants to go back for lunch tomorrow and get his own calzone... He chose to get the lasagna and gosh that came out in its own skillet and it was bubbling and looked fantastic. He ate every little bit of it and said it was absolutely absolutely delicious. We had a great time at Gio's and the place was clean and cozy and has quite quite a bit of seating so it was really comfortable....

    - We ordered a steak platter ($16) and Pasta ($14) - Pasta…read morewas "make on your own". You can choose from several protein options and sauces. Comes with a Side Salad or Soup. We took Chicken Alfredo Pasta and Side Salad. You get to choose a salad dressing too. Honey mustered is always my favourite! Pasta tasted so good! The amount was so much that I couldn't finish. - It's a cozy well decorated place, the restrooms are clean, people are so cordial. - Definitely loved the experience. And I recommend this restaurant.

    Photos
    Gios Family Dining - Lasagna dinner

    Lasagna dinner

    Gios Family Dining - Steak, onion rings, blue cottage cheese

    Steak, onion rings, blue cottage cheese

    Gios Family Dining - Menu cover

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    Menu cover

    Josephine's Italian Restaurant - italian - Updated May 2026

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