just outstanding. food, service ... excellent enjoyed a great meal with a great atmosphere. we will be back

This was the best Italian food I've had in a very long time. Huge portions so we had plenty for lunch the next day. The service was just ok. I think our waitress was a bit distracted because the manager stepped in a refilled drinks and removed plates a couple times. The only reason I gave 5 stars is because it is such a small place you are literally elbow to elbow with the table next to you. Hate listening to others conversations and hate that everyone is listening to ours lol I probably won't eat here again but it is definitely a place to give a try if you want good Italian food. read more

Food was amazing! They were so accommodating for a last minute catering order for our rehearsal dinner. I'd give them 10 stars if it was available. Everything was spot on. read more

Solid 4. I like the limited menu. The food was the best Italian in the OBX so far. Palermo Pear Salad: 10/10 wow! Great combination of flavors. Cheese Stuffed Meatballs were very good. Along with the meat sauce and pasta. read more

Love it all especially veil dishes and combo plate........ yummy yummy but get there early

Wonderful place! Small, a bit loud, but really enjoyable! Huge portions! Service was spectacular!

A party of 7 plus a high chair please, "oh we dont have high chairs" do you have a booster seat? "No we don't have anything like that, and it is going to be at least an hour wait- we have a party of 14 and one of 7 ahead of you". Ok. So. This is advertised as a family Sicilian restaurant but it doesn't offer a place for a baby to sit...??? The hostess was cracking her gum so much when she spoke, I didn't catch her name. But her I'm too busy for you attitude was enough for our party to not waste the hour waiting to eat here. I went back inside to let her know to take us off the list, but she was no where to be found. read more

Delicious, and I mean delicious Italian food! Small place with big flavor. Sides are a La carte but you will likely not need it! Portions are large. No reservations so timing is important but a wait would totally be worth it! read more

My mom wanted spaghetti yesterday afternoon, we called Josephine's and it was delicious!! The best meatballs I've ever had! definitely give them a try. read more

Loved this place from start to finish. We were greeted right away and seated immediately. The staff were very friendly and courteous. The place is small and somewhat dark, but the atmosphere was pure Italian or Sicilian as it were. When we sat down we noticed the portions on the table next - they were HUGE! The waitress greeted us shortly after being seated and brought us bread and took our drink orders quickly. We had the apple gorgonzola salad, the lasagna special and chicken Milanese. The chicken dish was very very good. The lasagna was good as well, but the chicken was the star of the dinner. We brought leftovers home. We ended the meal with carrot cake, coffee and tea. The desert was very moist and delicious. I strongly recommend this restaurant and will be back the next time we come to the OBX!!!! read more

Josephine's never disappoints! We went this week for the first time in a while. We arrived at 6:30PM and had a short wait for a table. Later is usually better for getting a table quicker during the off-season. The food was fantastic! Plentiful and delicious as always. They never miss a beat regardless of how busy they are. Jennifer was our server and she was both friendly and attentive. The value is undeniable and we brought home leftovers for lunch the next day. They have a reasonably priced wine list and the menu selections are limited but all exceptional. We had a great meal and were thrilled to be back again. read more

Called to place a pickup order at 5pm. Waitress said order won't be ready until 6pm. We said we were already on the way so we would sit at the bar and enjoy some cocktails, no problem. Arrived at 5:05pm, sat at the bar and ordered some drinks. A regular (determined this from his conversation with the waitresses) walked in the same time as us, placed a food order and grabbed a beer. The "bartender" walks away and tends to several other parties not at the bar before coming back to make to our drinks. At 5:25, the regular received his order (of 4 entrees, an app and two salads). At this time, the "bartender" asked if we wanted more drinks. I asked if she knew how long our order would take before we ordered more drinks. She goes to the back, then comes out and says, "your pickup time is for 6pm". I mentioned to her that the guy who came in the same time as us (and ordered a ton more food upon arriving) got his order 30 minutes before our pick up time. She immediately became defensive and reiterated that our pickup time was 6pm and the other customer ordered something different than us (however, I heard the guy order and it was the same dish!). I wasn't mean, or rude, I just inquired and got attitude. This "bartender" then failed to ask us if we wanted more drinks, so we sat there until 6:15pm, without drinks, until our food was ready. There was no "thank you", " sorry for your wait", "screw you", or anything. The food is mediocre and the waitresses think it's social hour amongst themselves. They don't care about their customers, and the "bartender" clearly didn't care about making more money or tips. If the person who answered the phone had simply told us to order when we got there to save time, we would have done that. read more

Oh you have to get Josephine's Combo. Every time we go, I aspire to try other entrees, and I have, but the signature dish is the combo. HUGE cheese-stuffed meatballs, a sausage and gemelli pasta. It's simply heaven. Heaven. You heard it here. read more

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While we've been coming to OBX for years, this was our first visit to Josephine's. This is a old school, everything from scratch and prepared to order Italian restaurant. Outside is a waiting area where you can enjoy wine or other beverages from their bar, while you wait for your table. Inside, it is comfortable, rich...a old school Italian feel - and that is a good thing. Service was friendly, prompt, and you can take your time and enjoy your meal. Though the menu changes, there is something for everyone and it will be delicious. read more

The food here was fantastic! Portions large and service was great. I had the veal Marsala - best I've ever had. My husband had the combo plate-2 huge delicious meatballs, pasta and sausage. Highly recommend read more

Remember to try this in 2023. Recommended by the people we met from Virginia Beach. End.

Holy cow! Seriously the best Italian restaurant I have been to in forever. They have a smallish menu but everything is house mad and incredible. The menu changes every week. Try Josephine's Combo and the stuffed spinach bread. 10/10 highly recommend! read more

This is one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever eaten in. Service is great wine is very reasonable and food is spectacular. Everything is homemade and you can really taste the difference. I never go to Nagshead without stopping there love this place. And they're doing the social distancing well every other table felt very safe there and will definitely go back. read more

Our family loves coming here every year. Fresh menu every week, with limited menu. Authentic italian food. Always a must stop, a rare GREAT restaurant in OBX. read more

Great friendly service, and delicious food. We had the Caprese salad, and a house salad with delicious house made vinagrette. My kids had pasta with Bolognese sauce. Hot crusty bread with olive oil for dipping. Both my husband and I had the Chicken Francese. It was hot and fresh. Nice portion size. Lovely dark interior which would be good for a romantic date. I really liked this place. Waitstaff was helpful with my son's food allergies and helped us figure out what was safe for him to eat in a friendly and efficient manner. This was truly appreciated! Overall a great experience! read more

Love this spot! Hostess Nora was super friendly and was great with my goddaughter! Food was amazing and the house baked bread is to die for! We added cheese and hots to our herb oil blend. Dessert was delicious. We had the Combo, Linas Pasta and the walnut salad. Shrimp app and mussels were yummy. Highly recommend, but get there early. They're busy. Lastly, the prices are awesome!!! read more

Josephine's - Italian Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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Another great Italian restaurant. We sat at the bar and enjoyed eating, drinking and chatting with the bartender and locals. So much food we couldn't finish it! Everything was great! read more

We had dinner there last week while in kitty hawk. excellent food. Good portions. Good atmosphere. Returned again this evening. Sat at the bar. Another outstanding meal. Problem was it was too hot in the restaurant. Everyone was fanning themselves, including the hostess and waitstaff. I'd give it a 5 star, hands down but too stuffy tonight. read more

Food was amazing!! Portions were huge, we shared they were so big. Salads were big & super fresh! We will have leftovers for days! Highly recommend the Tiramisu!! It was excellent, service was great!!! read more

We tried Josephine's at the end of our vacation last year, after having driven by it for a while and meaning to stop. Glad we did! It was one of our first stops this year and we'll visit again before we leave. Huge portions of great quality food. You will get two meals from a dinner. The restaurant is small, so either get there early (before 5:30) or prepare for a wait. The service is fast though, so tables turn over fairly quickly, but without making the diner feel rushed. Highly recommend as a great value for the money. read more

We visited Josephine's during our Outer Banks vacation this week. We have been coming to the Outer Banks for years and have never found a good Italian restaurant. Josephine's changed everything. From the second you walk in the restaurant, you can smell the delicious sauce in the air. It smelled like someone's authentic Italian home kitchen. The service was FANTASTIC. You were treated like a member of the restaurant owner's family. The entrees on the menu looked so good that we even ordered 6 entree's for five people. The special for the evening was eggplant parmesan . My Sicilian grandmother is an excellent Italian cook and she has never had such scrumptious and authentic eggplant parm. The eggplant was sweet and fresh and did not have a bitter taste. It was delicately flavored and the presentation was beautiful. The sauce was superb. It was as good as in Italy. The spinach lasagna was superb. The pasta was light and the filling of spinach and ricotta melted in your mouth. The meat sauce on that was slightly different from the eggplant sauce but equally as good. Josephine's combo platter had homemade sausage and giant meatballs with a chunky tomato meat sauce. It didn't disappoint. The portion was large and can't wait to have the rest that we brought home! Two people in our group had the chicken dish. The chicken was cooked so nicely in a light garlic mushroom sauce. The chicken was tender and it was served over pasta. Even though we were stuffed, when the homemade dessert tray came around we couldn't resist! Overall we cannot wait to return. We will be telling all our friends to visit Josephine's. read more

I was very disappointed in the service! We got there just as they opened and the two of us sat at the bar. The service was very slow, after 30 minutes we had to ask where our appetizers were and an hour later we had to ask where our main courses were. Three other couples who came in after us ate before us, and the one couple ordered the same dishes as we did. The only explanation given to us is that we ordered appetizers, and the other couples didn't. It took 2 hours to receive and eat our meal. I am a local and I live 10 minutes away from this restaurant and I will never go there again. Also, the atmosphere is very dark and extremely small. read more

Don't bother, not only was the menu disappointing as they only had 5 items, but the service was the worst I have ever experienced. We ask for ginger ale and was told there was none and then was told "yeah, its the end of the world, no ginger ale". Then when drinks where brought out the waitress asked us why we were being sarcastic to her when no one had said anything. She then told us to leave No one in our party had expressed anything sarcastic and no one was upset about not getting ginger ale I'm really wondering if this server has some untreated personality disorder I believe she said her name was Joanne or Jody Beware if you get her I would normally never place a negative review especially about an individual server but this was outrageous read more

My family(kids, grandkids, etc.) have been vacationing on OBX for 12 years. Last night we had dinner delivered from Josephine's. It was fabulous. Everyone loved it including my 7 year old granddaughter. From the pear salad to the cavatelli, to the chicken parm, it was amazing. I would call it memorable. Don't forget to order some loaves of bread. You won't regret it. The staff is great too. Sonny and Joanne are really nice and very accommodating. It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. read more

First off the food , atmosphere and ambiance of this place is all good. More than good, excellent in fact. Our waitress had a bit of an attitude. We waited 30 min outside to get our table. We were very comfortable no Problem at all. But then we waited another 30 min at our table with our Drinks waiting for anything to munch on. When I asked the waitress if we Could have our bread....she was sharp with me that "our bread order " had Not come up yet. What!, Then 30 minutes in when she actually brought the bread she literally held it over our heads while she delivered an ultimatum that this would be the only bread we would get and that we should under no circumstances ask for more. I ordered a delicious pear salad which the waitress insisted on giving to my dinner mate. He did not realize what I had ordered and tried to send it back to the kitchen. This upset the waitress very much until I claimed it. At that point she still insisted on pushing it off on my Dinner mate who had to hand it off to me. When the main course arrived, My fork had been removed in my salad bowl. She was very polite in bringing me a replacement. I guess enough was enough with her attitude. read more

For the second year in a row, we chose Josephine's for our New Year's Eve dinner. As usual, the service was slow but well worth the wait. From the salads, to the appetizers, to the main entrees (Lasagna and Veal Marsello) the food was outstanding. The one disappointment was that the entrees arrived unexpectedly and while we were barely half way through the salads and appetizers. For a meal of this good quality and the price, more detail should be given to timing. All in all, a wonderful restaurant and finally a first class Italian (Sicilian) restaurant in OBX! read more

Great food and excellent table service. We visited the week of July4th and were seated quickly. The hostess was top notch. I can't wait to return! read more

Best dinner we had all week! Small place, limited menu, but great quality and great tasting food. We had the eggplant parmigiana, Spaghetti and meatballs and the veal dish. All were properly cooked and great. Huge portions and expect to take leftovers home. Service was very attentive. Wish we could take them home with us. read more

Limited menu. Excellent food. Intimate atmosphere. Would come back next time we are here. Warning: large portions!

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. read more

I guess I'm a snob. I live in Jersey and pride myself on knowing good Italian food. Last night I had the urge for a bowl of pasta and this restaurant looked good on paper. We were even more excited when we went there and there were many locals waiting for tables (this is technically the offseason now), upwards of 40 minutes. The restaurant is small, tight, but has a nice look and it smells good in there. So we sit and check out the menu. ONLY FIVE ENTREES plus 1 special. Their web page shows a more extensive menu and this is what sold us on the place before we even got there. Ok, I'm a little surprised but I'm thinking it smells good and people are loving this place. Not me. Soda comes in a tall plastic Pepsi branded cup. Ok, food is cheap, the place is fairly new, and we're at the beach. Ordered the Caprese salad. Disappointing. Plum tomatoes, out of the tub mozzarella, over romaine lettuce, with weak, possibly jarred balsamic dressing. (more on this later). For dinner, we both had the spaghetti & meatballs. Not bad but could have been better. The marinara seemed fresh but pretty sure a combination of canned ingredients. Meatballs were too tight, baked and dry. And it was buccatini, not spaghetti - looked nice but not the same thing. Also note that the meatball app (table next to ours) had 2 fist sized meatballs. the meatballs that came with our spaghetti were a little larger than golf balls. A little disappointing because we were expecting the same balls with our spaghetti. Here's my point: Such a great opportunity, especially with such a limited menu to do something really special here. They could use balsamic vinegar instead of vinaigrette. They could make their own mozzarella from curds. They could skip the lettuce and still have a kick ass app. the meatballs could have been made with a gentler hand, and while i have no problem with baking meatballs, how about keeping them in a pot of sauce until service - it would make a world of difference. If your going to sell yourself as a Sicilian trattoria, do it the Sicilian way - not in the Sicilian style. Its like wearing a kilt and playing the kazoo, when you know you should be playing the bagpipe. My guess is that this restaurant is new and they are trying to figure out what sells, what their customers want and how best to serve it. If I was to give them the benefit of the doubt, I think they are watching their costs until everything feels right. They have such a great opportunity here, especially with such a small and limited menu, make it fresh, make it homemade. If they did, they could charge more, feed more, and really do something special here. Bottom line: Not bad, not great - but has potential. read more

Delicious intimate Italian food served with a smile. Fresh, pleasingly dense homemade bread is served with olive oil and a crushed seasoning blend. I chose a house salad with freshly shredded Parmesan and a delightfully tart house vinaigrette dressing. The entree for the evening was chicken Parmesan. It is a generously portioned breaded chicken breast served over fresh pasta with a rich deep red tomato sauce. For dessert, I had a slice of the cheesecake with a nice berry sauce drizzled across it. This place is not to be missed. The ambiance is comfortable. You'd never know you were dining in a strip shopping center by the loving detail that has been given to the interior of the restaurant. read more

Josephine's - Chicken Parmesan. The photo doesn't begin to do it justice. - Italian Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

I must say we met the owner or partner at a place making new menus by mistake. We were lost trying to find a how to get to the lighthouses. We ask her about local restaurants in the area for seafood and other types of food. We did not want what we have at home restaurant. She told us of a few seafood restaurant and her own restaurants. So Tuesday we went to eat at Josephine's I must say it is probably the best lasagna I have ate. I also tried my friends combo and it too was delicious. I will say though they give you enough food that you can split your meal. So happy we ran into her by mistake great food and service. read more

Rodger G. Your not a snob, your an ass! This place is great! Food, staff and plus its not for tourists! Us locals have been wanting a place that isn't big with big seating and long lines! Did I have wait some, yes! One large table, mostly 4 and 2tops. Menu changes every week which is great! This was my first time and I plan on going back a lot! read more

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 decor 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 entree 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 Cafe Franco's read more