The inspiration behind Baton Rouge’s new Josephine’s Italian Bistro dates back decades.
A tradition of Sunday dinners in the kitchen of a fiery Sicilian woman was the catalyst to open the restaurant. Her name was Josephine.
“It’s my grandmother’s name,” said executive chef and co-owner Russell Davis. “Her parents emigrated from Sicily, and I grew up going to her house on Sundays and eating Sunday dinner, watching her cook, and I just always wanted to do an Italian restaurant in her honor.”
A picture hangs in a hallway of the newly opened Josephine’s Italian Cuisine, 5350 Government Street, Baton Rouge, of co-owner Russell Davis dancing with his grandmother, Josephine.
After opening Eliza Restaurant in 2016 and Jed’s Local in 2018 with his wife, Sally Davis, the couple brought the new Italian restaurant to fruition after about five months of construction inside the former Roman’s Cafe in Mid City.
At 5350 Government St., Josephine’s Italian Cuisine soft-opened on Jan. 22, and its menu includes many family recipes, from lasagna to spaghetti and meatballs.
“She was a little spitfire, I would say,” Russell Davis said about his grandmother. “She was a little thing, but she was very loving and very feisty. Very passionate.”
Piccante Pizza, Arancini, Bucatini All’Amatriciana, and Grilled Shrimp at Josephine’s pictured on Tuesday, January 27, 2025.
Menu rundown
The menu includes antipasta, salad, pizza, pasta and dessert as well as primi and secondi courses. Russell Davis and his team picked dishes from different regions of Italy to create the menu.
One of his favorite appetizers on the menu is the arancini, comprised of risotto stuffed with fontina cheese and Italian sausage. It’s then placed on a bed of caponata, an Italian eggplant and sweet-and-sour relish, topped with tomato sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. His other favorite appetizer is the bruschetta with house-made focaccia with mozzarella, tomato, basil and balsamic vinaigrette.
Arancini at Josephine’s pictured on Tuesday, January 27, 2025.
Sally Davis’ favorites include the chicken parmesan — a dish with breaded chicken breast, pomodoro, bucatini and mozzarella — and the risotto and Gulf shrimp. There’s also the pork Milanese, a pan-sautéed and bone-in pork chop with arugula salad and polenta.
The full bar includes specialty cocktails, beer and cider. Wine options include red, white, rosé, sparkling and dessert wines. There are also dessert cocktails like the Grappa Espresso Martini with Schiava Grappa Quaranta, Cafcaffe coffee liqueur, demerara syrup and espresso.
For happy hour, pizzas and spritzes will be half-off, but happy hour days and times haven’t been nailed down yet. Russell Davis is thinking it’ll be on weekdays starting around 3 p.m.
Piccante Pizza at Josephine’s pictured on Tuesday, January 27, 2025.
The dessert menu features classics like tiramisu, panna cotta, cannoli and affogato, which uses gelato from City Gelato, a local ice cream shop.
City Gelato is one of several local businesses that the restaurant sources in recipes, including mushrooms from St. Francisville-based Mushroom Maggie’s Farm, some cheeses from Southern Maid’s Dairy in Franklinton and honey from Biggie Bee Farm in Port Allen.
“Just as we do at Jed’s and Eliza, that is a commitment to local, seasonal products and commitment to our local farmers,” Sally Davis said. “That’s something that will never change for us.”
Server and bartender Monica Fontenot wipes a table in the wine room at Josephine’s on Tuesday, January 27, 2025.
Interior
The couple worked with interior designer Sara Brignac at Workshop 31Twelve to transform the space.
“We had an idea of what we wanted this to be like,” Sally Davis said. “We wanted it to be casual, a neighborhood spot, very welcoming and comfortable and also, because it’s Italian, we wanted it to feel warm and cozy.”
Inside, the building holds two dining areas, one with a bar, and the other called the Wine Room, which will be available to rent for private events. In total, the restaurant can seat approximately 50 people.
Owners Sally and Russell Davis at Josephine’s on Tuesday, January 27, 2025.
The walls hold ceramic plates, prints and vintage Italian mirrors from a consignment business down the street, Shop House. Gold light fixtures brighten the room, and red wall sconces add a pop of color to the cool-toned walls and booth seating.
“We wanted this to have more of a lively cafe feel,” Sally Davis said about the bar room. “The other room, we wanted it to feel a little more quiet, the dark and moodier colors over there, where this is light and bright.”
There’s also a drive-thru window, so customers can pick up food to-go without leaving their cars. Takeout orders, by phone or drive-thru, are not currently available, but this will likely change in the next few weeks, Sally Davis said.
Bucatini All’Amatriciana at Josephine’s pictured on Tuesday, January 27, 2025.
“We live in Mid City,” Sally Davis said. “So it was great to have a spot and be part of this revitalization that’s happening on Government.”
Josephine’s Italian Cuisine, 5360 Government St., Baton Rouge. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays.
