Review Joe Benny's Focacceria - Baltimore

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!

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.

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.

Had a great dinner experience! Stopped by on a Friday evening, no wait for a table. Our server Stephanie was great and recommended customer favorites. We shared the Big Guy focaccia pizza pie and the Anita Manna special with rigatoni pasta and meatballs. Both were absolutely delicious and paired great with the ice cold Peroni beer. Highly recommended!

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!

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. 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!

Whatever this restaurant lacks in size, it makes up with outsized taste and charm! Remarkably, the dining room only has six tables. There are another four small tables outside. We came on a Saturday night around 7:30pm. We waited about 30 minutes for a table. There was a very limited menu because the restaurant was short-staffed. The high-top table we had was incredibly wobbly, but our waiter quickly fixed it. How this place gets by with only one toilet for customers, who knows? But it works! We’re giving this place five stars based on the quality of the food alone. We also got to meet Joe himself! He is a great guy. Get the meatballs with the cream sauce. You won’t be disappointed! Also, if you order the pizza, order it with extra cheese. You won’t be disappointed! This place has the best “thick deep dish style” pizza in Baltimore! (It’s really focaccia-style, but if you like deep dish pizza, you’ll love this place!) Also, Michael was a great server!

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

This place was an amazing surprise after a long day of work in Baltimore. Meatballs and Pizza were incredible. The Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Puffs were a perfect ending to a great Meal.

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.

Joe’s food is the best- anywhere, not just in Baltimore; even better than any food I had when I lived in Italy. Joe, the food, the service, the low-key atmosphere are all the real deal. Do yourself a favor and order the burrata, the meatballs and some focaccia pizza- you gotta try everything. My fav is the sloppy rowe - meatballs with burrata melted into the sauce. The dessert options are always changing and always delicious. Enjoy!

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.

Such gooood food in cold 🥶 weather!! Meatball and pizza are absolutely delicious. Really like the vibe of Joe, so funny and warm😆

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.

Joe Benny's was a little smaller than I expected, but the food, service and drinks were awesome. We got an appetizer of best balls on the block, I got the cold cut and my partner got The Baltimore Foodie pizza. Everything was quote tasty!

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.

Joe Benny’s was an amazing experience. Great costumer service, be ready to wait on a Saturday because there’s no reservations. The meatballs are the best in town, the sauce was delicious. Expect to be greeted by the owner also, he makes sure you are having a great time. The focaccia style pizza was very tasty. Each pizza is personal size, definitely an experience to go there.

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!