Extremely bummed that Joe Benny's closed. They had the best focaccia I've ever had. It's thick, airy, fresh and has the perfect amount of crunch.I regret not coming here more often. The last time I came, I told myself I wouldn't wait so long to come back, and when I wanted to come back I find out they're closed. The optimist in me hopes this isn't permanent. Joe Benny's was an extremely lively spot. The last time we were here, our next door neighbor served us (we had no idea she worked here). Joe is one of a kind. I remember coming here when they were newly open and we had great conversation about the city of Baltimore. The next time we would talk about our love for Italy. The food is phenomenal, the space is cozy (bar seating in the front) and the people here are great. Being a huge Kobe fan, I did not expect Joe to create a Black Mamba focaccia honoring him. I guess it makes sense since Kobe grew up in Italy. That was super cool of him. Love this place and I really hope they come back.
Daniel Zurbruegg
Sad to see this place is closing. My wife and I come here when we are in town for an Orioles game. Awesome place with awesome food! Hopefully not the last we see of Joe Bennys!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
wiguy 3
Incredible local place with great food and fun neighborhood vibe.Sadly they are closing in June.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Nonna
We've Got A Lot
Family atmosphere. Fantastic authentic Italian Food. The owner is the nicest guy around always willing to
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sal Catta
will sadly be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jan Das
Love their black mamba focaccia. The only decent pizza place in Maryland. tasty and flavorful. Service is great as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wilson Mendis
We got there at 5 pm on a Wed so no wait and our party of 6 sat comfortably (4 kids) at a table in the back away from everyone. Which was perfect for 4 kids 8 and under. My kids loved the spaghetti and meatballs. We got the nonna, the fancy Nancy, and the fire eater. I loved the fire eater. The fancy Nancy and Nonna was also good but that was my fav. The focaccia it comes on is thick and fluffy and I thought very filling. We barely finished a whole pie the 4 of us eating. Lots of leftovers.
Beiji Suonan
Came to Joe Benny’s from Virginia, our drive was about 1.5 hours, got there at 4:20pm, still had to wait until 6:30 to get seated because we needed the big table, but the wait was the most pleasant wait time i have ever had, the ambience was amazing, playlist was lit and you get to order drink while you wait! i ordered the sicilian salad and also the sloppy meat ball as appetizers, the first bite just redeemed the wait. i also ordered the big woo, again, it’s not just pizza, it’s focaccia, so the crust was flavorful itself. They tend to sell out pretty fast cause it is a small restaurant, everything on the menu are handmade, so expect them to sell out if you are too late already, it’s not the Cheesecake Factory, there are a lot of nice places in little italy, no need to dump your first world problems onto small businesses while they need your support the most.
Brad Ross
TLDR: Amazing focaccia pizza and an unforgettable neighborhood atmosphere. Unfortunately they are closing their doors at the end of May 2023 for the time being. But it's not a goodbye for forever, but see you later!Vibe: 5/5. Located in the heart of Little Italy on S High Street, Joe Benny's is a small rowhome restaurant. Inside, the restaurant holds approximately 30 guests at any given time by way of the long bar top and a handful of 2 tops in the back dining room. Joe Benny's has that neighborhood watering hole vibe down solid. Because the place is so narrow, diners will be in close quarters with the staff and other guests at all times, but that's not exactly a bad thing. The kitchen is located right behind the bar out in the open, so you can watch all items being made from start to finish. Unfortunately, by the time I post this review, Joe Benny's will be in their last few weeks of operation as they are planning to close up shop at the end of May. Due to the imminent closing, demand has been through the roof, so expect to wait 1hr+ at peak hours. Fortunately, it has been said that the closing is only for the immediate future and Joe plans to make a comeback in some shape or form in the future.Service: 4/5. We went on a Wednesday at 4:45pm (they open at 5pm) and there was a line of 30+ people stretching down the sidewalk waiting for them to open. When Joe opened the doors at 5pm, he warmly greeted people and mentioned that the "service may suck" tonight because they are short on staff being it's their last few weeks in operation. My party of 2 missed the first seating, so we decided to wait via standing at the bar inside the restaurant. Joe mentioned it would be around an hour wait, and he was pretty much spot on with that estimate. In the meantime, we kept ourselves busy with a few sangria's as we stood in the background listening to the friendly banter between Joe and his patrons. When we were finally seated a little before 6pm, we already had our order ready to go so the staff promptly took our food and drink orders to get it started. Both the food and drinks came out faster than expected which helped justify the long wait. Small miss, but one of the pizzas we ordered was misunderstood during the ordering process and we received a different pizza then what we anticipated. They asked if we wanted to get a replacement made, but we were totally fine with the pie we received, and we wanted to get the next group of diners in behind us.. In a sea of pizza restaurants offering up more or less the same things, Joe Benny's truly has something special. The focaccia style pizza just hits different than any Sicilian, Detroit or Chicago style pizza I have ever had. The focaccia provides this unbelievably pillowy yet crisp base for Joe's amazing sauce and toppings. One thing I definitely appreciated was the frequent use of burrata cheese in the pizza combinations. Of the three pies we ordered, our favorite was by far the crabby Joe and the sharini. The Crabby Joe was their take on a crab dip pizza, but a much superior version using homemade garlic sauce paired with lump crab. The Sharini used their famous homemade meatballs paired with a heaping dose of burrata and sauce. Simple by design, but an amazing combination of textures and flavors. There were several other pizzas on the menu we wanted to try, but for 2 very hungry people, 3 pizzas was borderline overkill. Overall, I highly suggest paying your respects to Joe Benny's for a dinner service before they shut their doors. You may have to wait, but that focaccia and family atmosphere makes it well worth it!Vegetarian options: There are some non meat pizza optionsKid-friendliness: This is a restaurant more than a bar and have plenty of pizza options for kidsParking: Little Italy parking can get tricky around peak dining hours, so come prepared to drive around looking for parking or waking from a paid garage in Harbor East.Wheelchair accessibility: Very narrow restaurant and have to go up stairs to enter. Not
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jacintha T.
Sad to report Joe closed his doors last week. Best balls in the town!Foccaia bread makes the pizza unique and delicious. Owned and operated by Joe himself. Yes he is in the kitchen. Bakes all the bread fresh daily and the ingredients are often local sourced. This was my cheers spot! #ThisFeedsMySoul
Tried both the meatballs and a foaccacia which was alright. The meatballs weren't anything special in my opinion. The foccacia is good and better than you standard one, but I kind of just prefer a regular NY pizza slice. It also lacked sauce.
J Frye
Shame on me for putting off dining at Joe Benny's for so long! I wish there was more time to indulge in the Sloppy Balls, Foccacia, and the dreamy Reese's Cream Puffs with Silky Chi Hazelnut Mousse.... my daughter said I should befriend Joe so we could go eat at his house.... but for real, I need either the meatball and sauce recipe or the dessert. Otherwise, I'll fall into a deep depression knowing I'll never have either ever again ?. I wish more people were good empathetic people who placed value on these small, charming, scrumptious establishments, and maybe Joe Benny's would be around even a little bit longer. Thanks to the crew there for a fantastic dining experience! Chefs Kiss!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Watts
Absolutely phenomenal. The pizza crust is incredibly light and airy, but crispy and crumbly on the outside. The sauce is perfectly acidic. Also had the meatball sub which was equally outstanding. They were soft and flavorful, served on a house baked roll and topped with sauce, ricotta and provolone. An absolute masterpiece.
Ahra J.
I know they're closing at the end of the month but worth some final 5 star reviews!We had been waiting years to go, we don't live in the area and the few times we made it up there, they ran out of food so we were forced to go elsewhere. We did have to wait a little over an hour but it was certainly worth the wait! We got 3 different pizzas (one was not what we ordered but still delicious) and wine. The pizzas are baked on a focaccia bread and it adds such depth and texture to the pizza. The outside is crunchy and the inside is soft and the amount of toppings to bread ratio has been perfected. Also loved that they cut into strips, making it easy to eat and it held together very well!I am sad I was only able to check out JB's once and more sad to see it go but wishing the staff and owners a bright future!
Brad R.
TLDR: Amazing focaccia pizza and an unforgettable neighborhood atmosphere. Unfortunately they are closing their doors at the end of May 2023 for the time being. But it's not a goodbye for forever, but see you later! Vibe: 5/5. Located in the heart of Little Italy on S High Street, Joe Benny's is a small rowhome restaurant. Inside, the restaurant holds approximately 30 guests at any given time by way of the long bar top and a handful of 2 tops in the back dining room. Joe Benny's has that neighborhood watering hole vibe down solid. Because the place is so narrow, diners will be in close quarters with the staff and other guests at all times, but that's not exactly a bad thing. The kitchen is located right behind the bar out in the open, so you can watch all items being made from start to finish. Unfortunately, by the time I post this review, Joe Benny's will be in their last few weeks of operation as they are planning to close up shop at the end of May. Due to the imminent closing, demand has been through the roof, so expect to wait 1hr+ at peak hours. Fortunately, it has been said that the closing is only for the immediate future and Joe plans to make a comeback in some shape or form in the future. Service: 4/5. We went on a Wednesday at 4:45pm (they open at 5pm) and there was a line of 30+ people stretching down the sidewalk waiting for them to open. When Joe opened the doors at 5pm, he warmly greeted people and mentioned that the "service may suck" tonight because they are short on staff being it's their last few weeks in operation. My party of 2 missed the first seating, so we decided to wait via standing at the bar inside the restaurant. Joe mentioned it would be around an hour wait, and he was pretty much spot on with that estimate. In the meantime, we kept ourselves busy with a few sangria's as we stood in the background listening to the friendly banter between Joe and his patrons. When we were finally seated a little before 6pm, we already had our order ready to go so the staff promptly took our food and drink orders to get it started. Both the food and drinks came out faster than expected which helped justify the long wait. Small miss, but one of the pizzas we ordered was misunderstood during the ordering process and we received a different pizza then what we anticipated. They asked if we wanted to get a replacement made, but we were totally fine with the pie we received, and we wanted to get the next group of diners in behind us. Food: 5/5. In a sea of pizza restaurants offering up more or less the same things, Joe Benny's truly has something special. The focaccia style pizza just hits different than any Sicilian, Detroit or Chicago style pizza I have ever had. The focaccia provides this unbelievably pillowy yet crisp base for Joe's amazing sauce and toppings. One thing I definitely appreciated was the frequent use of burrata cheese in the pizza combinations. Of the three pies we ordered, our favorite was by far the crabby Joe and the sharini. The Crabby Joe was their take on a crab dip pizza, but a much superior version using homemade garlic sauce paired with lump crab. The Sharini used their famous homemade meatballs paired with a heaping dose of burrata and sauce. Simple by design, but an amazing combination of textures and flavors. There were several other pizzas on the menu we wanted to try, but for 2 very hungry people, 3 pizzas was borderline overkill. Overall, I highly suggest paying your respects to Joe Benny's for a dinner service before they shut their doors. You may have to wait, but that focaccia and family atmosphere makes it well worth it!
Extremely bummed that Joe Benny's closed. They had the best focaccia I've ever had. It's thick, airy, fresh and has the perfect amount of crunch.I regret not coming here more often. The last time I came, I told myself I wouldn't wait so long to come back, and when I wanted to come back I find out they're closed. The optimist in me hopes this isn't permanent. Joe Benny's was an extremely lively spot. The last time we were here, our next door neighbor served us (we had no idea she worked here). Joe is one of a kind. I remember coming here when they were newly open and we had great conversation about the city of Baltimore. The next time we would talk about our love for Italy. The food is phenomenal, the space is cozy (bar seating in the front) and the people here are great. Being a huge Kobe fan, I did not expect Joe to create a Black Mamba focaccia honoring him. I guess it makes sense since Kobe grew up in Italy. That was super cool of him. Love this place and I really hope they come back.
Sad to see this place is closing. My wife and I come here when we are in town for an Orioles game. Awesome place with awesome food! Hopefully not the last we see of Joe Bennys!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible local place with great food and fun neighborhood vibe.Sadly they are closing in June.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Nonna
Family atmosphere. Fantastic authentic Italian Food. The owner is the nicest guy around always willing to
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
will sadly be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love their black mamba focaccia. The only decent pizza place in Maryland. tasty and flavorful. Service is great as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We got there at 5 pm on a Wed so no wait and our party of 6 sat comfortably (4 kids) at a table in the back away from everyone. Which was perfect for 4 kids 8 and under. My kids loved the spaghetti and meatballs. We got the nonna, the fancy Nancy, and the fire eater. I loved the fire eater. The fancy Nancy and Nonna was also good but that was my fav. The focaccia it comes on is thick and fluffy and I thought very filling. We barely finished a whole pie the 4 of us eating. Lots of leftovers.
Came to Joe Benny’s from Virginia, our drive was about 1.5 hours, got there at 4:20pm, still had to wait until 6:30 to get seated because we needed the big table, but the wait was the most pleasant wait time i have ever had, the ambience was amazing, playlist was lit and you get to order drink while you wait! i ordered the sicilian salad and also the sloppy meat ball as appetizers, the first bite just redeemed the wait. i also ordered the big woo, again, it’s not just pizza, it’s focaccia, so the crust was flavorful itself. They tend to sell out pretty fast cause it is a small restaurant, everything on the menu are handmade, so expect them to sell out if you are too late already, it’s not the Cheesecake Factory, there are a lot of nice places in little italy, no need to dump your first world problems onto small businesses while they need your support the most.
TLDR: Amazing focaccia pizza and an unforgettable neighborhood atmosphere. Unfortunately they are closing their doors at the end of May 2023 for the time being. But it's not a goodbye for forever, but see you later!Vibe: 5/5. Located in the heart of Little Italy on S High Street, Joe Benny's is a small rowhome restaurant. Inside, the restaurant holds approximately 30 guests at any given time by way of the long bar top and a handful of 2 tops in the back dining room. Joe Benny's has that neighborhood watering hole vibe down solid. Because the place is so narrow, diners will be in close quarters with the staff and other guests at all times, but that's not exactly a bad thing. The kitchen is located right behind the bar out in the open, so you can watch all items being made from start to finish. Unfortunately, by the time I post this review, Joe Benny's will be in their last few weeks of operation as they are planning to close up shop at the end of May. Due to the imminent closing, demand has been through the roof, so expect to wait 1hr+ at peak hours. Fortunately, it has been said that the closing is only for the immediate future and Joe plans to make a comeback in some shape or form in the future.Service: 4/5. We went on a Wednesday at 4:45pm (they open at 5pm) and there was a line of 30+ people stretching down the sidewalk waiting for them to open. When Joe opened the doors at 5pm, he warmly greeted people and mentioned that the "service may suck" tonight because they are short on staff being it's their last few weeks in operation. My party of 2 missed the first seating, so we decided to wait via standing at the bar inside the restaurant. Joe mentioned it would be around an hour wait, and he was pretty much spot on with that estimate. In the meantime, we kept ourselves busy with a few sangria's as we stood in the background listening to the friendly banter between Joe and his patrons. When we were finally seated a little before 6pm, we already had our order ready to go so the staff promptly took our food and drink orders to get it started. Both the food and drinks came out faster than expected which helped justify the long wait. Small miss, but one of the pizzas we ordered was misunderstood during the ordering process and we received a different pizza then what we anticipated. They asked if we wanted to get a replacement made, but we were totally fine with the pie we received, and we wanted to get the next group of diners in behind us.. In a sea of pizza restaurants offering up more or less the same things, Joe Benny's truly has something special. The focaccia style pizza just hits different than any Sicilian, Detroit or Chicago style pizza I have ever had. The focaccia provides this unbelievably pillowy yet crisp base for Joe's amazing sauce and toppings. One thing I definitely appreciated was the frequent use of burrata cheese in the pizza combinations. Of the three pies we ordered, our favorite was by far the crabby Joe and the sharini. The Crabby Joe was their take on a crab dip pizza, but a much superior version using homemade garlic sauce paired with lump crab. The Sharini used their famous homemade meatballs paired with a heaping dose of burrata and sauce. Simple by design, but an amazing combination of textures and flavors. There were several other pizzas on the menu we wanted to try, but for 2 very hungry people, 3 pizzas was borderline overkill. Overall, I highly suggest paying your respects to Joe Benny's for a dinner service before they shut their doors. You may have to wait, but that focaccia and family atmosphere makes it well worth it!Vegetarian options: There are some non meat pizza optionsKid-friendliness: This is a restaurant more than a bar and have plenty of pizza options for kidsParking: Little Italy parking can get tricky around peak dining hours, so come prepared to drive around looking for parking or waking from a paid garage in Harbor East.Wheelchair accessibility: Very narrow restaurant and have to go up stairs to enter. Not
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Sad to report Joe closed his doors last week. Best balls in the town!Foccaia bread makes the pizza unique and delicious. Owned and operated by Joe himself. Yes he is in the kitchen. Bakes all the bread fresh daily and the ingredients are often local sourced. This was my cheers spot! #ThisFeedsMySoul
Restaurantji Recommends
Tried both the meatballs and a foaccacia which was alright. The meatballs weren't anything special in my opinion. The foccacia is good and better than you standard one, but I kind of just prefer a regular NY pizza slice. It also lacked sauce.
Shame on me for putting off dining at Joe Benny's for so long! I wish there was more time to indulge in the Sloppy Balls, Foccacia, and the dreamy Reese's Cream Puffs with Silky Chi Hazelnut Mousse.... my daughter said I should befriend Joe so we could go eat at his house.... but for real, I need either the meatball and sauce recipe or the dessert. Otherwise, I'll fall into a deep depression knowing I'll never have either ever again ?. I wish more people were good empathetic people who placed value on these small, charming, scrumptious establishments, and maybe Joe Benny's would be around even a little bit longer. Thanks to the crew there for a fantastic dining experience! Chefs Kiss!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely phenomenal. The pizza crust is incredibly light and airy, but crispy and crumbly on the outside. The sauce is perfectly acidic. Also had the meatball sub which was equally outstanding. They were soft and flavorful, served on a house baked roll and topped with sauce, ricotta and provolone. An absolute masterpiece.
I know they're closing at the end of the month but worth some final 5 star reviews!We had been waiting years to go, we don't live in the area and the few times we made it up there, they ran out of food so we were forced to go elsewhere. We did have to wait a little over an hour but it was certainly worth the wait! We got 3 different pizzas (one was not what we ordered but still delicious) and wine. The pizzas are baked on a focaccia bread and it adds such depth and texture to the pizza. The outside is crunchy and the inside is soft and the amount of toppings to bread ratio has been perfected. Also loved that they cut into strips, making it easy to eat and it held together very well!I am sad I was only able to check out JB's once and more sad to see it go but wishing the staff and owners a bright future!
TLDR: Amazing focaccia pizza and an unforgettable neighborhood atmosphere. Unfortunately they are closing their doors at the end of May 2023 for the time being. But it's not a goodbye for forever, but see you later! Vibe: 5/5. Located in the heart of Little Italy on S High Street, Joe Benny's is a small rowhome restaurant. Inside, the restaurant holds approximately 30 guests at any given time by way of the long bar top and a handful of 2 tops in the back dining room. Joe Benny's has that neighborhood watering hole vibe down solid. Because the place is so narrow, diners will be in close quarters with the staff and other guests at all times, but that's not exactly a bad thing. The kitchen is located right behind the bar out in the open, so you can watch all items being made from start to finish. Unfortunately, by the time I post this review, Joe Benny's will be in their last few weeks of operation as they are planning to close up shop at the end of May. Due to the imminent closing, demand has been through the roof, so expect to wait 1hr+ at peak hours. Fortunately, it has been said that the closing is only for the immediate future and Joe plans to make a comeback in some shape or form in the future. Service: 4/5. We went on a Wednesday at 4:45pm (they open at 5pm) and there was a line of 30+ people stretching down the sidewalk waiting for them to open. When Joe opened the doors at 5pm, he warmly greeted people and mentioned that the "service may suck" tonight because they are short on staff being it's their last few weeks in operation. My party of 2 missed the first seating, so we decided to wait via standing at the bar inside the restaurant. Joe mentioned it would be around an hour wait, and he was pretty much spot on with that estimate. In the meantime, we kept ourselves busy with a few sangria's as we stood in the background listening to the friendly banter between Joe and his patrons. When we were finally seated a little before 6pm, we already had our order ready to go so the staff promptly took our food and drink orders to get it started. Both the food and drinks came out faster than expected which helped justify the long wait. Small miss, but one of the pizzas we ordered was misunderstood during the ordering process and we received a different pizza then what we anticipated. They asked if we wanted to get a replacement made, but we were totally fine with the pie we received, and we wanted to get the next group of diners in behind us. Food: 5/5. In a sea of pizza restaurants offering up more or less the same things, Joe Benny's truly has something special. The focaccia style pizza just hits different than any Sicilian, Detroit or Chicago style pizza I have ever had. The focaccia provides this unbelievably pillowy yet crisp base for Joe's amazing sauce and toppings. One thing I definitely appreciated was the frequent use of burrata cheese in the pizza combinations. Of the three pies we ordered, our favorite was by far the crabby Joe and the sharini. The Crabby Joe was their take on a crab dip pizza, but a much superior version using homemade garlic sauce paired with lump crab. The Sharini used their famous homemade meatballs paired with a heaping dose of burrata and sauce. Simple by design, but an amazing combination of textures and flavors. There were several other pizzas on the menu we wanted to try, but for 2 very hungry people, 3 pizzas was borderline overkill. Overall, I highly suggest paying your respects to Joe Benny's for a dinner service before they shut their doors. You may have to wait, but that focaccia and family atmosphere makes it well worth it!