Justin's

09/15/08

Must be jazz fans

by gokylego at Citysearch

I'm a regular customer as well as a musician who occasionally plays at Justin's. Some people think it's "too noisy when the band is playing." Well, the dining room turns into a jazz club after 9:00pm, they even charge cover. That means people are there to listen to music while they dine/drink. If you are not a jazz fan and would rather talk than enjoy the music, it's not the place for you.

Despite that I go there frequently and am friends with most of the wait staff there, I'm rating it low, because I do think the services are poor and quality of food is very inconsistent. The wait staff are snobs. If they are busy, they ignore you and don't even apologize for not being attentive to the customer. Like I said, I'm a customer and a musician, so they know me pretty well. You would think they would treat me well, but NO. When I go in as a customer, they ignore me and I end up standing there for a very long time or seating myself. Even if I say "I'm starving, I'd like a menu" right when I enter, it takes 15-20 min for them to bring me a glass of water and a menu. If this is how they treat a regular customer and a friend, I can't imagine how they would treat other customers. The food can be very good, but also can be very bad. Some of the "signature" dishes that they've had on the menu for years you would think they have special recipes so that they taste exactly the same time after time. But, they tend to taste different every time, which I don't think should occur.

Justin's is a hit-or-miss place. Hope you get lucky and have a good experience if you go.

• Pros: Good jazz, decent selection of drinks
• Cons: Bad service, inconsistent food quality

09/01/07

DON'T GO EVER!

by jbella9218 at Citysearch

Just don't go - don't waste your time and money. We went on a friday night...upon entering, waitresses breezed by us without asking if we were being seated or helped. After walking through the restaurant to find the manager, we were told to "seat ourselves." A dippy waitress finally came to take or orders after we finally recieved menus from another not-so-thrilled to be there waitress brought them...Some $9, oily taco chips and drinks later, we recieved our entrees. Ropa vieja (classic cuban dish) and jamaican chicken - we knew by looking it wasn't going to be the best - but don't judge a book by its cover, right? WRONG! Both entrees had frozen corn and peas slopped on them. The ropa vieja was like wet cardboard, and the j erk chicken had salty, unidentifiable brown mush slathered on it; salty to the point where it was inedible! One bite, and we called the "happy waitress" over, and asked here to take them back. After speaking to the manager, she said "the chef is excellent" and that these piles of mush were there "signature dishes," although the menu said nothing of the kind, and were told "i guess its just not YOUR style - no apology. We paid the FULL PRICE -$70 - without eating the entrees or being compensated. RIDICULOUS - do not go and waste your money on defrosted veggies and slop, coupled with unhelpful service!!!

• Pros: none
• Cons: too many to mention; see the review!

04/15/07

exceptional staff and jazz

by justinsjazzlover at Citysearch

I have been dining at Justin's for years, and I love it. They are as much a Jazz club as they are a restaraunt. if you are in to dining and talking only, I suggest getting there by 7 ( the music starts at 9 or 9:30) They serve great food until 1 A.M., and the staff is so professional and polite. I'm sorry that there are some negative reviews on this site,,,I have never experienced anything but exceptional food, service, and music there.

As a side note. I don't think that people should complain about not being able to talk over live music, I feel that the people who are there to experience what the jazz musicians have been working thier whole lives to offer should complain about the loud talking.

This is a special club, but obviously not for everyone. If you are into amazing live Jazz however, this is THE place to go.

• Pros: music, service, late night kitchen, food
• Cons: parking