NYCReview

Joseph Leonard review image

Joseph Leonard

$$$$

170 Waverly Pl, New York
View WebsiteEarn 3X Points

Joseph Leonard is 650 square feet of seriously hyped restaurant. By my estimation that makes about four bloggers per square foot that wrote it up based on a pencil sketch and insider information from a delivery guy. I guess that makes us late to the game.

So while we won't exactly follow suit and take you through the place of origin of every antique light fixture and picture frame in the building, we will tell you this - it looks like a tastefully furnished studio apartment that's 50% bar (my kind of apartment). It's also pretty obvious that the restaurant was conceived in the spirit of Little Owl.

Every inch of space serves a purpose, including the upper level bar seats, perfectly engineered for surveying the action while you eat. The menu is American with both French and Southern touches, and while dinner is generally better than brunch, it's a nice place to dine any time of day. We like it and will visit often - a new West Village go-to even - but you'll find that all that hype is pretty hard to live up to. Don't look to us if you go in expecting a religious experience and come away a little disappointed. That's what you get for spending too much time on Yelp.

Sign up for our newsletter.

Be the first to get expert restaurant recommendations for every situation right in your inbox.


By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Food Rundown

Soggy Toast

People rave about this. It's exactly what it sounds like - toast that has become soggy from pan drippings, covered in mushrooms and a poached egg. Its a nice dish, but I wouldn't put it in my "poached eggs make everything better" hall of fame.

Steak au Poivre

Very well executed, and ridiculously good, this might be my favorite thing on the menu at J. Leonard. I swear there is more going on with the seasoning here than just black pepper...maybe some star anise? It doesn't matter, it's tasty. Oh yeah, and it sits on top of scalloped potatoes cooked in duck fat.

Joseph Leonard review image

Crispy Braised Pork Hock

We've had plenty of pork hock and shank in our lives, but this one stands out because it has an incredibly tasty and crispy skin. Thank you deep fryer. Also the greens on the plate were surprisingly tasty. Might have been the most flavorful pile of arugula I've had. It's amazing what a difference a correctly seasoned salad makes.

Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha

Sriracha makes everything better, and you know this.

Joseph Leonard review image

Egg Sandwich

Nice because it's served on a croissant, and we like that. This is a good brunch option, and comes with some of those brussels sprouts.

Saucisson a L’ail

One of the better things we've had a Joseph Leonard, brunch or otherwise. Excellent hand made pork sausages with a huge extra crunchy hash brown on the plate. Order this and a bloody mary with a beer chaser and you'll be feeling like a million bucks.

Biscuits and Gravy

The homemade biscuits were nice, but the gravy was too light and not porky enough. Having biscuits and gravy on the menu is cute and all, but please don't tease me. There should be so much thick gravy on the plate that I can't see the biscuits, but merely sense their presence.

Featured in

Suggested Reading

Bar Sardine review image
Review

Bar Sardine in the West Village has a burger that’s hard to beat.

Cafe Cluny review image
Review

A can’t miss West Village Infatuation go-to that’s Perfect For all kinds of things, including Brunch, Date Night, and Dinner with the Parents.

Fedora review image
Review

Fedora is in the basement of a townhouse in the West Village, and it feels like a dinner party in a speakeasy that your friends happen to own.

Jeffrey’s Grocery review image
Review

Jeffrey’s Grocery in the West Village is one of the few restaurants in town we return to regularly. It is Perfect For pretty much everything.

Infatuation Logo
2023 © The Infatuation Inc. All Rights Reserved.

FIND PLACES ON OUR APP

Get it on Google PlayDownload on the App Store