Joe Benny's - Baltimore

I can't believe I waited so long to dine at Joe Benny's! I wish I had more time to enjoy the Sloppy Balls, Foccacia, and the delicious Reese's Cream Puffs with Silky Chi Hazelnut Mousse. My daughter even suggested we become friends with Joe so we could eat at his house! I really hope to get the meatball and sauce recipe or the dessert before I fall into a deep depression knowing I may never have them again. It's disappointing that not enough people appreciate small, charming, and delicious establishments like Joe Benny's. Thanks to the amazing crew for a fantastic dining experience! Chef's Kiss!

The wait was definitely worth it! The pizza was absolutely delicious, especially the focaccia. Although it's sad to see the restaurant closing, we're happy that Joe will be taking a well-deserved break!

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!

Its a packed little restaurant but the focaccia is incredible.

Great service, amazing atmosphere, the focaccia is unmatched, but I was unimpressed with the pizza, might just be my taste but I thought it needed more sauce