Reviews Joe Benny's Focacceria

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!

The sign got us in, but the simple yet delicious food and authentic service earned the stars. This quaint Italian restaurant is a local gem and this was our first time in. Joe himself greeted us with a warm welcome and after a brief wait, we took a seat at the bar. While waiting for our order of meatballs and Angry Ginger pizza, Mr & Mrs Clause came in for dinner too and it was pure joy. The meatballs smothered in homemade marinara and served with focaccia bread are flavourful and moist. My personal favourite is the fluffy focaccia bread with the crunchy ends, which is also their pizza dough.

Another amazing evening at Joe Benny's! I was fortunate enough to get a table inside and enjoy the Bocce Focaccia straight from the oven! Fantastic Italian options and the Best Balls on the block. Additional -- final week there. Amazing service and amazing food!

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!

Consistently my favorite spot in Baltimore. You have to realize it's a small restaurant run by a small team. Expect to be patient and arrive early if you want to get a spot right away. I always aim to be at the bar to watch Joe in action and interact with everyone. You'll want to go more than once to try them all. Must haves: Burrata app - Very refreshing and delicious app Sloppy Rowe - Best balls on the block covered in cheese. Cheesy bread app - I get this when I'm not getting a pizza so I still feel like I'm getting a pie All of the pizzas - Find your flavor and learn about the thick Sicilian style of focaccia pizza. Don't expect a little thin crust pizza. Finish it off with whatever Puffs they have available for dessert

Joe Benny's was a nice time. No wait got a table right away. The place has a warm vibe. This was our first time. The meatballs are tasty and the sauce is good. We had one of the cold cuts and it was made just right. Our waiter was cool. Could've may sure our water bottles were served cold felt like room temp. Nevertheless she was cool. We also had the Black Mamba pizza. It was good. Have to eat it while it's hot. A nice touch to the place is seeing the owner working like everyone else and still had time to speak and wave. Good to see he rolls up sleeves and helps the team.

Great little place! I can attest to the statement on the shirt! (Check photo and read for yourself!) The place was packed and it was a Wednesday night. Short wait, but worth it. We started off by being greeted by Joe Benny himself. Very welcome and energetic as he was preparing all of the meals personally. Definitely try the sloppy Joe meatballs and you can go wrong with anything else. Just need to be patient as each order is made fresh and comes out toasty and warm! The setting was also equally as good as it’s nestled in Baltimore’s little Italy district.

This was recommended to me by my boss when he came to Baltimore one year ago. It was a 10 minute walk from the Inner Harbor. Wow! Was the food so good. I had the recommended meatballs and Silcilian salad. The best meatballs in Baltimore or anywhere.

Good spot. The Sangria was great. Meatballs were good and the sauce was good. The penne pasta was a bit dry we asked for more pesto sauce and the focaccia was also a bit dry. Toppings were good. The cream cheese puff hazelnut was good also. Nothing special but good spot.

Absolutely satisfying dining experience at yet another one of Little Italy's premier establishments, Joe Benny's! Because the meatballs have gotten such rave reviews, I had to give them a try. Wow ... flavorful, filling, and full of love :-) Seriously, though, the texture and taste were nearly flawless, and the sauce was perfect. Thoroughly enjoyed the Sicilian Salad, particularly the julienne bell peppers, which complemented the dressing very well. If I had to survive on bread alone, I would want it to be Joe Benny's focaccia because it was as close to my grandmother's as I've tried yet. Mitch took care of me at the bar, and I will most definitely return on my next trip to Charm City!