Joey Manhattan is just as amazing as the DTLA location and really the restaurant itself is just whole vibe. I finally had my chance to go when I originally went to the DTLA location, but I’m going to be sharing my experience from Joey Manhattan since I recently went there for my birthday. Joey Restaurants are sprinkled all throughout California and other locations, but was originally established in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
I truly feel like I’ve deprived myself of the overall dining experience until recently. The flavors, the experience, the servers, it’s just a sexy restaurant and well before I start sharing too much in advance, let’s go ahead and get right into another Los Angeles restaurant you must eat at: Joey Manhattan.
Los Angeles Restaurants to Eat At
Parking
Parking at Joey Manhattan and the Manhattan village is a breeze. It’s a shopping center that has since been updated and remodeled and it’s really an overall up and coming hot spot sprinkled with top restaurants, homemade ice cream spots and all the shopping you can think of. There is a Southside entrance and a Northside entrance and both sides work as far as parking. You do have the option for valet, but we love a good self park situation, so we chose to park on the Southside as it felt closer to the restaurant and I was definitely extra pregnant at the time I went.
We were able to park on the first level which of course fills up fast, but a lot of people were leaving at the time we came, so we managed to get first level parking which was perfect and again super close to the restaurant.
Entrance and Arrival
The entrance and arrival at Joey Manhattan reminds me of Joey DTLA. It’s open and inviting and something about it feels a bit mysterious. When you walk in there is complimentary champagne if you desire and as long as you have reservations, your usually seated relatively quickly. I strongly suggest getting there as close to your reservation time as possible just so your wait is shorter.
Ambiance and Vibe of Joey Manhattan
The ambiance and vibe of Joey restaurants is really my favorite thing about it. It’s dimly let, but is completely windowed, so you get natural light during the day and just enough of the evening light at night. It’s not dark to the point where you need to use your phone light, at least not to me, but again it feels sexy and exclusive and you feel like you’re in the right spot when you’re there.
The dress code is pretty casual, though you can definitely dress up. When I went to Joey DTLA I would say that I was pretty casual, but when I went to Joey Manhattan for my birthday, I definitely chose to go full glam. Plus it was after 7 and chilly so why not. The music is mainstream, with some old school hitters and when I say old school, that can range. We heard a little bit of Drake but we also heard a little bit of other artists and it really gives off a club vibe, but not in a way that makes you feel like they could have chosen better music. The playlist is well curated. I will say, I don’t actually remember what the music was while at Joey DTLA, but at Joey Manhattan, I was definitely singing along.
I also feel like it could be family friendly, but there isn’t a kids menu, so unless you child is old enough or has a relatively established palette, it’s not a place for kids though if you brought them, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Food, Drink and Menu at Joey Manhattan
Outside of the ambiance, the food alone is really what made me love Joey restaurants as a whole and I can easily see how it’s anyone’s favorite restaurant. I consider the menu to be American with a variety of options as far as meat, seafood, vegan or vegetarian, it all depends on what you’re going for.
Everything I’ve had, no exaggeration has been truly delicious and surprising as far as flavor. My favorite shareable dishes are the Korean Fried Cauliflower, the sweet and spicy chili miso paste is top tier. It’s not pasty, it’s very much a beautifully tossed sauce that really makes cauliflower better than I ever imagined personally. I also enjoy it because those it’s fried it’s not fried hard; it’s a light fry and somehow they manage to cook all of the pieces perfectly, even the last tiny pieces when you’re finishing off the dish.
The Seared Salmon Roll, is osaka pressed, the salmon is fire torched beautifully and the umami sauce is just enough flavor that each bite packs a fresh punch that isn’t overpowering but it’s not missed either.
My husband and I also shared the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake which was comprised of crab, shrimp and corn with a panko crust that is perfectly crispy on top. One thing that is important to me when it comes to crab cakes is that they aren’t soggy or seemingly undercooked. They need that level of crispness because it keeps it together at each point the utensil comes into contact with it. It sits on an apple fennel house salad with such a beautifully citrus dressing and a house made tartar sauce. It was perfect and the house salad was a perfect compliment. I’m not even a huge fan of fennel but I barely even noticed it.
We also shared the Salmon Cones, which are filled with a tempura prawn, avocado, spicy mayo and tobiko which is fish eggs. It’s such a great bite, it reminds me of a hand roll, but definitely stays put together beautifully. If you order the Koren Fried Cauliflower dip the salmon cone in the miso paste from the cauliflower, you won’t be disappointed. It’s so good.
For our entree’s my husband had the Herb Crush Salmon that I have to say was perfectly grilled, even though it doesn’t even say it’s grilled on the menu. It sat on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, snap peas and asparagus that were in the most rich and flavorful truffle beurre blanc sauce. I was very surprised by the taste because it initially it looks like milk, though that’s obviously not what it is, but at first appearance it could be tough to imagine the taste and since that wasn’t what I ordered, I wasn’t checking for it. Best salmon dish I’ve had at a restaurant and we’ve had quite a few.
I ordered the Tuna Poke Bowl which I had the first time I went to Joey DTLA. The flavor of the sashimi ahi tuna, the green papaya slaw and miso dressing just do it for me. I’ve had my fair share of poke bowls, fast versions and sit down versions and while they’ve been good, they haven’t been as good as the one at Joey Manhattan. There is also just enough dressing without sacrificing the freshness of the tuna and slaw.
Service
As far as the service goes, I have to say that Joey Restaurants, definitely has established a standard. I will say at both Joey DTLA and Joey Manhattan, I’ve had a one moment experience where the server who was super attentive the entire time, kind of disappeared at another time. At Joey DTLA, we had a really cool server and sometimes since other people bring out your food or drinks, I think there is like a bit of an overlap of checking in, but it wasn’t enough of a disappearing act for me to feel a way about it. If I was rating the overall service out of 5 stars, I would give both locations a 4.
Cost at Joey Manhattan
For two people you can expect to spend around $160 that’s without drinks. I was pregnant for both of my visits so I had a mocktail my first go round and a ginger ale my second, nothing crazy or pricey. Considering a good amount of the food can be shared, I don’t think that’s bad and considering the quality and taste of the food, I definitely wasn’t mad at all.
I’ve yet to try their dessert, I’m not a huge dessert person. I can easily go out to dinner and never get dessert and be totally fine, but they have a few things that sound good if that’s your thing.
At the moment, Joey Restaurants, at this time, the Joey Manhattan location is one of my favorite spots and I plan to go there as much as possible when possible. 10/10 would recommend.
Have you been to Joey Manhattan? Are there any Joey Restaurants in your area?
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