Ashley Z.
Yelp
Came here with two fellow mother monsters around 5:30 on a Thursday for the $20 prix fixe deal, and we were seated in the garden, which had a lovely atmosphere and adorable decorations. We loved the Gaga paraphernalia featured throughout the restaurant.
First of all, the deal is crazy good for NYC! It included a beverage, salad, entree, and you can add an appetizer and cannoli for an extra $10, which we all opted to do. I started with a glass of house white, which was light and tasty. We also had a bread basket, which was nothing special. I enjoyed my Caesar salad, and my friends and I split the meatballs and arancini appetizers. I definitely enjoyed the arancini more! They were crispy on the outside and gooey/cheesy on the inside, yum. I got the eggplant Parmesan for my main, and while the eggplant was very good and well fried, the accompanying spaghetti was very very average. While I think there's definitely an upper limit to how good spaghetti and marinara can get, this spaghetti was decidedly mid. It had a stranger aftertaste as well. Dessert picked up again with a delicious cannoli!
Tbh, I wasn't expecting that much from Joanne food wise, given the other reviews and the price, but I left full and happy and glad I went. There is a lot of amazing Italian food in NYC. Joanne may not necessarily be amazing, but it's a steal for the price and has Lady Gaga's claim to fame. We had a lovely chat with our waitress as well about Lady Gaga visiting the restaurant and occasionally cooking for guests. When I think of a homey family restaurant, I think of a place like Joanne.