Absolutely amazing experience! From the moment we walked in, the vibe was perfect -- such a beautiful space with great lighting, music, and energy. It feels upscale but still fun and welcoming. The food was incredible. Everything we ordered was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. You can really tell there's attention to detail in every dish -- honestly some of the best we've had in a while. Our server, Carmen, truly made the night. She was so attentive, friendly, and on top of everything without being overwhelming. She gave great recommendations, checked in at the perfect times, and brought the best energy to our table. You can tell she genuinely cares about her guests and wants everyone to have a great experience. Between the amazing food, great atmosphere, and outstanding service (especially Carmen!), we'll definitely be back. Highly recommend! read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This place is definitely intimate, and the aesthetics are absolutely beautiful. It's the kind of spot that makes you check yourself before you sit down because everything looks so pretty. There's one section of the restaurant where all the flowers are that requires a reservation, and now I understand why. The birthday celebrations there are on another level compared to the rest of the space. If you want the "main character" birthday experience, that's the section to book. We started with the calamari. Visually? Stunning. Texture? Fried to perfection. Seasoning? On vacation. A little salt would have completely transformed it. I also wasn't sold on the spicy marinara sauce. It just didn't compliment the calamari the way I wanted it to. It was giving "we tried something different" but I wished it kept it classic. I ordered a strawberry mocktail concoction and I have zero complaints. It was refreshing, delicious, and honestly made me feel a little fancy. For my entrée, I got the steak tips and fries. The steak tips were cooked perfectly and super tender. The fries were seasoned beautifully, ironically with the exact seasoning the calamari was missing. The entrée was top tier and absolutely mouthwatering, though they could have eased up just a tiny bit on the salt. My blood pressure was like "okay, we get it." My friend celebrated her birthday early and the presentation was adorable. They really do know how to make you feel special. The chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, however, didn't quite do it for me. It tasted a bit heavy on the cacao powder. Not bad, just not the dramatic dessert moment I was hoping for. Overall, we had a great time. The ambiance alone makes it worth the visit, even if a few dishes missed the mark. I'd definitely come back to try their brunch because I feel like that might be where they really shine. Just be prepared for parking to test your patience since it's right by State Street. read more

Had a great experience at Joia! The Porcini Pillows were an incredibly delicious entree. Other standouts included the Meatballs & Ricotta appetizer & Tiramisu for dessert! Their signature Joia spritz cocktail was also delicious. The interior has an upscale, dark & moody vibe that seems like it would make for a great late night spot. Joia is centrally located in downtown Boston and has a cute, covered patio as well. The staff was so kind and attentive & provided great recommendations from the menu. I'd love to come back and try more of their wonderful offerings! read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Porcini Pillows - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Joia Restaurant and Lounge has a patio out front and is located close to the Greenway, opposite the Boston Aquarium area. I ordered my lunch to go. Beef Short Rib - pickles, American cheese, and aioli sauce, Italian fries $16 There were a ton of fries in the take-out container, so there was no going hungry! The short rib within the roll was generous as well. The pickle ratio was a bit too strong and not a good match for the sandwich. read more

Extremely fancy and delicious! We came with a large party for dinner. The team spoke mostly Italian. The waiter was helpful, but the support team dropped the ball. We ordered a variety of pasta dishes. The support waiter gave the wrong dish to the wrong person. We didn't realize it till all of the plats came out and it was halfway gone. They fixed the mistake, but actively ignored our table for the rest of the meal till it was time for the check. They didn't ask if everything was ok after, didn't refill drinks and it felt awkward. Good food, but not worth the price. The portions were tiny too, and I eat like a bird! read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Brazed beef - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Overpriced like all downtown upscale places, but at least it was good food. Some of the best fries I've had in a while. Pretty good table service even being very busy. However, we asked twice for them to extend an awning to block the direct sun and they never did. Comfortbale outdoor seating. Awesome that they put up an outdoor big screen for world cup! read more

Wow what a spectacular Sunday brunch experience at Joia Boston. From the moment we sat down the atmosphere was upscale yet relaxed making it the perfect spot to enjoy a long brunch. The truffle ravioli was rich and indulgent with a perfectly balanced truffle flavor that did not overpower the dish, while the steak tips were tender flavorful and cooked just right. Every cocktail we tried was thoughtfully crafted and absolutely delicious, easily one of the highlights of the meal. The overall vibe was ideal for catching up and spending time with a friend, and it truly felt like a place you could linger and enjoy. I will definitely be back to experience dinner here. The food earns a strong 9 out of 10 and the drinks are a clear 10 out of 10. read more

See all

A few steps from our hotel. I was really craving eggplant parm, but a festival in North End prevented me from dining there. Defeated, I decided to grab a quick salad or appetizer at Joi'a. I was thrilled to see eggplant involtini on the menu. Ordered that with the Black Dahlia cocktail. Pleased with both offerings. The music was good. Loved being seated in the window with the table and chairs. Service was great. read more

See all

We happened here by accident. We had a group of 8 on a busy December evening and Joia was the only spot that could accommodate all of us. The space is beautiful and even more so with the decor for the holidays. The group only ordered drinks, but all were happy with their choices. I had an espresso martini that was fantastic - smooth and full of flavor, as well as a glass of wine. Our server was friendly and attentive. Can't speak to the food menu, but would definitely recommend as a stop for drinks for date night or with friends. read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Espresso Martini - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I was staying in the adjoining hotel for a few nights and decided to try this restaurant for dinner. The restaurant offers hotel guests a discount. My server was so helpful. He gave me the best suggestions. I also used the inkind app to get an additional discount. I had the mushroom ravioli, they started me off with bread, I had soup, and a dessert. I only paid $65. I also had a pistachio martini that tasted amazing. I would definitely go back here if I were in the area. The restaurant was beautifully decorated and felt like you were at a black tie affair just sitting there. read more

See all

Only had dessert to go staying in the hotel. The dessert was incredible. I had the lava tortino fabulous ice cream. Fabulous! Fresh strawberries molten chocolate cake. Unbelievable. The vibe in the place is gorgeous. I have pictures of the entire inside of the restaurant. The food was great. The staff was amazing read more

See all

Stopped by Joia for the first time at a private party and I got a chance to try the espresso martini and brunch spread. The restaurant had a really nice decor and good vibes. The martini and the food was ok but they didn't make the espresso martini with espresso. read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Espresso martini - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great dining experience. Went here with a bigger party (i think 20ish people) and we were all accomodated for in terms of both food and service. We got appetizers for the table so I'm not too sure what each were. One was like a sushi roll, one was bruschetta, and a caesar salad. My meal was the cacio e pepe with shrimp. It was delicious and so thoughtfully prepared. YUM. Desserts we got the lava cake and the tiramisu. Both were also really delicious and well prepared. Worth the price forsure! read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Beautiful place, comfortable seats, attentive servers! It was just so relaxing inside with chill music. Ordered the lobster tagliatelle, risotto of the day and tiramisu for dessert. The food had adequate serving and was sumptuous! The homemade tiramisu was just perfect! Will definitely recommend this place for carboloading for the Boston Marathon runners! read more

See all

Had dinner on Saturday nite.... Had reservations Seated immediately at 630PM Service by David G.was super ! Started with a pistachio martini....perfect .. Appetizer ...EGGPLANT INVOLTINI DELICIOUS I had CHICKEN PARM Date could not decide between CARBONARA or PAPPDELLA David our waiter said no problem as give half & half 7 year old had MARGARITA PIZZA Eat it all Dessert TIRAMISU SCOPE OF vanilla ice cream with sliced strawberries Highly recommend for Italian cuisine Next trip to Beantown ...stop again read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - CHICKEN PARM - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Very slow service. The over stuffed chair I was seated in lack enough stuffing to support my 200lb weight and the framework cut into my thighs. Small portions that are expensive. The overall flavor of the food was good. It's unfortunate the all we got was three small bites of ham, 2 eggs and maybe what amounted to 1/4 of a diced potato for around $20. read more

A great experience on a recent business trip. The people were so friendly and the food fantastic. Scratch pasta dishes and great short ribs were on the menu and are recommended. They have a beautiful room or great window seating as options. Full bar with complimenting cocktails and of course expresso. read more

The Scarlet Vetter says..... This cozy little restaurant, is tucked away inside of a adorable boutique hotel, Harborside Inn of Boston, in downtown Boston on State Street. I'm a sucker for a great bar, and this restaurant does not disappoint, with a long, well lit bar with very comfortable, inviting rounded, cushy, elevated seats. I ordered a nice glass of Sangiovese, and the Eggplant Involtini (Eggplant Stuffed with imported Ricotta, Parmigiano and basil with a Pomodoro sauce, to start. This dish was delicious, rich and creamy. I then followed with the Chicken Parm. I requested to skip the side of pasta and requested a side of veggies instead. They obliged and boy, were they delicious! A mix of roasted peppers, onions and mushrooms. Yum! The chicken was great, moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. However, the sauce was, well, disappointing. Pretty tasteless. Oh well. Because this is an Italian Restaurant which should rock any red sauce , I gave four stars. They would have gotten a four and one half, if that were available, as the rest of the food and everything else was very impressive. The bartender was awesome. Very attentive and accommodating. I stayed over in the hotel and had breakfast at 7 am the next morning. I ordered Cappuccino to start.....frothy and yummy! Then I followed with three scrambled eggs with Mozzarella, and a side of mild Italian sausage. The eggs came with roasted melt in your mouth potatoes which was not on the menu but we're a nice addition. Fabulous! This protein packed breakfast kept me going with no thought of food till 5ish that afternoon. This is a restaurant worth traveling to from anywhere in Boston. read more

See all

Ambience was impeccable and prices very reasonable. Enjoyed my wine and pizza night :) read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

I decided to make last-minute reservations at Joia to celebrate my cousin's birthday. Neither of us had been to Joia before and we wanted to try it out, though I was a bit skeptical after reading some of the reviews. However, I can say that Joia is definitely worth trying for yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. The host, who we later found out was actually the owner, was very nice, and our waitress was super sweet and attentive. The aesthetic was beautiful and the vibe was great. For our appetizer, we ordered the Frittura di Calamari ($18.00). I had an Espresso Martini ($19.00), the Cacio e Pepe pasta ($38.00), and the Lava Tortino for dessert ($13.00). My cousin ordered a mocktail ($8.00), the special Chicken Parm dish ($38.00), and the Tiramisu for dessert ($12.00). Please keep in mind that a kitchen appreciation fee of $5.47 was added to our bill read more

See all

Beautiful restaurant & bar. We stopped in on our first night, for some drinks while staying at the hotel next door. A few days later we returned for breakfast. Our table enjoyed omelets and French toast, both meals were delicious and served hot! The restaurant is beautifully decorated with comfortable seating. The service was great both times! read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Western Omlett - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

The service was great, I really enjoyed my drinks ! Carmen was a great waitress and suggested many good options. The atmosphere was nice and it was very friendly in here. I would come back again!!!!!! read more

Delicious food during our quick trip in Boston! Came here for breakfast and lunch within the same day. Amazing flavor in all the dishes :) All potatoes had good seasoning and crisp. they also have beautiful decorations and nice music inside. Servers were friendly as well although they don't come to your table as frequently as others might. read more

See all

The food is under seasoned and way overpriced I had the Romain salad (which had zero taste and then I got bolognese pizza where I couldn't taste the bolognese and the cheese was bland. The best thing about it was the broccolini. This place is mid. Don't waste your money. read more

Had such a great night here!!! We came to celebrate my friend's Birthday and it was the perfect place for the occasion!! The Carbonara and the Arrabbiata pasta dishes were delicious and the drinks were shaken to perfection!!! The service from our waitress Carmen was top notch, she made the evening extra special for our birthday girl!!! We will definitely be back to celebrate the next one! read more

* Ambiance amazing, food not-bad * We visited this restaurant as a group of 8 for dinner. First off, I loved the ambiance and the service. It's a perfect place for celebrations like birthdays. However, I felt the menu is too short. It's difficult to feel very luxurious in terms of getting choices to choose from. That being said, the server did a great job in catering to our dietary needs. Parking was available for a fee about 3-4 mins away from the restaurant. Overall not bad and I would somewhat recommend it. read more

See all

We stayed at the hotel (Harborside Inn) next door for 5 days, came here for breakfast every day, dinner twice, we loved this restaurant! Food is excellent, service is great, restaurant is beautiful and clean. For breakfast, we've tried everything, omelettes, eggs, sausages, ham, bacon, pancakes.... everything is tasty. They have good chefs. I drink tea. They use good quality tea here. Waiter Santiago is the best! He is professional and friendly. He remembered I like Earl Grey tea, and served us hot steamed milk for coffee and tea. He tried harder to do a better job. We were very happy to see him every morning :)) read more

See all

The restaurant is very pretty inside and small. but nicely decorated, and the drinks were good, which is the only reason this isn't a zero-star review. Our reservation was for 7:30pm yet we didn't get seated until 8:45pm. My husband ordered the chicken parm, which had absolutely no flavor, and I had the steak tips which were okay at best. Also, just an FYI: a call was made ahead to ask if it was okay to bring our own cake. they said yes but failed to mention there's an extra $5 per person fee for them to cut it. That should've been communicated upfront. Overall, very disappointing experience. Not worth the wait or the price. read more

I came here for my friend's birthday and I had a great time. Carmen was an amazing server, definitely ask for her! The food was amazing, the music was amazing, and the service was great. I had the special which was a white wine pasta with lobster and shrimp and the strawberry blush drink. Amazing! Will def come again read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - special pasta - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

It's lovely. A modern Italian restaurant that is attached to the Harborside Inn. Beautiful intimate dining room with an equally large bar-space with lower lighting and high-top booths. They offered and we choose the high-top in the window. It's a very small table with a light and an orchid. We had to move the orchid off to the window sill to have room. Very pretty though. The first gal that asked which water we wanted and mentioned sparkling. I said oh no thank you, just still regular water. Thankfully, she hadn't opened the bottle at our table before I stopped her and clarified tap water. So be careful when you order. I did select a glass of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo. It was perfect. Only thing not perfect was the dust inside the glass made a fine layer on top of my wine. The light on the table made it apparent. I had been working then travelling all day and was at a point I didn't care but was surprised. You can see it in my pic below with the bread service. The server recommended the short ribs that I did order. Excellent portion size, served on a bed of polenta with red pepper jam and interesting Italian glaze or gravy. (gravy doesn't sound sexy). The pepper jam was odd but it was very good. The bread service was a nice surprise. It was a pesto with some cream or cheese dollop in the middle. My husband had the Chicken parmesan dish. We should have shared, it was huge. Since we were staying at the hotel, we received 20% off our dine in dinner. I believe it is for dine in and dinner only. Great deal. Excellent service, atmosphere and entrees. read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Bread and wine - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

I loved my experience at joia! I sat on the patio with a reservation I made the day before (walk in would have been fine tho). The patio is super cute and well spaced. I ordered an espresso martini and loved the beautiful design as well as the taste. I sampled several things from the small plates menu but what really stole the show was the octopus- wow! Incredible flavor, texture, and consistency. Seasoned and cooked to perfection. I'd go back for that alone! Service was very good too. read more

Joia Restaurant and Lounge - Espresso martini - Italian Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

All I can say is ... DANIELLA! The best bartender/server one could ask for. Incredible service, kind, comfortable companionship. Daniella was such a bright light in a crowded sea of bars, servers, etc, Staying at Harborside Inn, stopping in for a nightcap on a few occasions, had such great service from Daniella and crew that we had to keep coming back. What a great way to end the evening. Oh, and have the calamari... so freaking good! THANK YOU! read more

Our first time but definitely not the last. A great dining experience soup to nuts. Expect a great greeting and attentive staff. Our waitress/server was Carmen. The drinks were spot on. Both the small plates and entrees were great. The atmosphere and decor were welcoming. Highly recommended. read more

Ambiance is so gorgeous. Food and drinks were amazing with gold portion sizes! The staff were so attentive and kind. They gave us a round of free shots for my friends birthday. Definitely will come back! read more

Food: overall the food was alright. It felt like some of the pasta was slightly undercooked with great sauce on top. The pizza is just a basic dough with cheese and topping, but not much sauce which makes it dry. The salad was overdressed with too cheese and dressing, which made it too much to enjoy it. The bread is super crunchy but almost too hard to really chew it well. The burger wasn't even cooked at medium rare and it had a lot of oil seeping through the bun. The only thing that was probably good is the fries and truffle pasta, which had the right amount of creaminess and truffle salt. Service: the servers was bare. I felt like they didn't do much to serve our table attentively. It was rather slow and there wasn't much going on, so I feel like they could've done a bit more to make sure that we were enjoying our experience. Ambiance: it's beautiful inside with white floral decorations, almost similar to like having a wedding. It's definitely more of a fine dining experience, but you can dress casually inside. Location accommodation: it's right by a hotel so you can do parking by valet or you can do parking garages that are two minutes from the restaurant read more

See all

$40 for one drink??? A double Grey Goose and cranberry is $40? Clearly, I should have asked (that's on me), but I've been to 'big cities downtown' all over the world and NEVER HAVE I EVER!!!' Nothing on the menu of 'higher end boozy' drinks here was over $20. Yet somehow bartending staff couldn't let us know the obvious financial damage and then feigned to be sympathetic at the end after a major gouging?!? Thanks... Why would you not say something?? We were so excited to be staying at the beautiful hotel next door and planned to spend more time here but goodness! I've never posted a review like this in my life. Buyer BEWARE here. Only order set drinks off the menu unless you expressly ask how much a drink is. My bad, but I feel robbed. That said, the ambience and setting is perfect. The food smelled incredible though we didn't order any. I was excited to bring my son back for breakfast and dinner tomorrow as it is connected to our hotel and the menu looks amazing, but after I was presented with my outrageous ticket, I think I'll pass. read more

Adjacent to the Harborside Inn, we came here to Joia for dinner on Christmas Eve and as soon stepped through the doors, we're greeted with various hues of purple, lavender, magenta, and blue that were contrasted with white seating to the bar at the left, high tops in the center, and wall couch seating to the right. Led by the manager who was kind and pleasant, we were seated in the back half area where two large circular overhangs draped white flowers over two large darker tables. The ambiance is modern with greenery, dimly lit but vibrant, and had a nice soundtrack. Our first round of drinks were the Espresso Martini (if it has espresso, I'm getting it!) and the Peach Bum Martini. The Espresso Martini was presented with a nice surprise of the restaurant's name in cocoa dust. With the Disaronno and Frangelico, it added a certain depth but I couldn't discern the espresso. We thought the Peach Bum Martini was too sweet and in our second round of drinks, we were able to exchange it out with a Bee's Sting which, although on the tarter side, was more palatable. Pairing the Bee's Sting was the Old Fashioned and this one had a nice bite. The Mediterranean Style Octopus caught our eye right away and when it came to the table, we were happy it was served as whole tentacles instead of sliced since that removes most of its locked-in juices. It was one of the greater octopus dishes we haven't had in a long while - tender, nicely grilled, moist. The zucchini and eggplant caponata was by far the best complementary bedding for octopus we've ever had. And it works so well! Would've ordered another but we had two entrées on the way. When the Tagilatelle con Arogosta arrived in a large plate with a small area for the food to settle in, we thought it was presented with a bit of flair with the lobster, clams, and mussels resting on the bed of pasta below. While the pasta had a nice chew, we were disappointed with a couple of the mussels that didn't taste pleasant at all so they shouldn't have been served. The ribeye came on a cutting board, sliced with the bone, with three different flaked salts and we used the brown variation mostly since it gave a very welcoming coffee flavor but apparently it's just a smoked salt! The steak was juicy, tender, and medium rare to our satisfaction. Overall, we enjoyed our experience with the ambiance and most of the food and drinks. Service was great for us - kind, attentive, warm. You can definitely dance, wiggle, and jive your food down to your stomach with some of the music they play. Since it's in the city, parking will be street, a parking lot, or take the MBTA or Uber it. read more

See all

Our server Daniella was incredible! My friends and I were celebrating my friend's 30th birthday (we had a party of 13). Daniella came up and asked myself and another friend if we had anything we were celebrating, we filled her in on our friend's birthday. She asked if our friend had any favorite artists, which we let her know Sabrina Carpenter. Daniella had the music in the restaurant stop, then put on "Espresso" after dimming the lights and putting a spotlight on the birthday girl as Daniella came out with the lava cake and limoncello shots on the house. Little did we know the bar sent over two towers of limes on fire with champagne flutes, also on the house! The entire staff was incredible and that's a memory my friend will have forever. They really made her feel special and we can't thank Daniella and all that helped at Joia enough for an incredible dining experience that you can't find elsewhere! Thank you! read more

Had a girls night and Carmen really elevated the experience with excellent service and recommendations for our food and drinks! We had the Cacio e Pepe and Ribeye. The ribeye was perfectly tender and juicy, pasta was delicious. read more

This was recommended to us by our concierge but we were not impressed. We were not greeted when we entered and were unsure what to do. Eventually someone helped us and told us to sit. Awkward. Service was slow eventhough it wasn't crowded and lots of staff standing around. Ordered Gnocchi and the short ribs as meals and capreses for appetizer. Soda was not good and beer was ok. Mozzarella cheese was good and short ribs were yummy but pasta was not. Had to hunt down our server to ask for additional items. Well over $100 for everything and left unsatisfied. read more