Josephine's Martini & Wine Bar

What an amazing place! We had so much fun! Mike, the manager, is so funny and creative with his drinks! The bar is like a relic from long ago with a couple couches and just a great atmosphere. I came with a group of 15 people and had a great time at open mic night. Looking forward to coming back for open-mic comedy night, and also to coming back in the summer and enjoying the outside patio. Wish I lived closer so I could be a regular -- that's how much I enjoyed it.

This is such a fun karaoke bar they do karaoke every night atmosphere and drinks 10/10 first time there and I’ll definitely be back!

The BEST bar ever. Will never be replicated. Should be a museum. Wonderful people.

Very cozy and small, but still a fun spot to party, have a few drinks, and sing some songs. Karaoke goes Wednesday-Saturday, 9-1am. It was pretty quiet when I went, but picks up later on in the night

We love this little bar. In spite if it being a martini bar it isn't really known for martinis. However the small martini menu they do have has a great selection. This place is usually crowded later, after 10. Music is good. Lots of TVs and comfy area to sit. The bartenders are nice and friendly. We have been going here for years and always enjoy the atmosphere here.

Best martinis ever! I love Josephine's. Always a good vibe

This bar has live bands every Saturday. Also has a nice outside patio.

This place is so great. Down to earth. Killer drinks. Friendly bartenders. Come here and have fun!

I love this place. Friendly, classic, and all the karaoke you can fit in your repertoire. Went dancing with a friend to the school upstairs and I endedgling down to Josephine's for real fun.

Talk about a dive bar, lol. The other reviews definitely don't do this place justice. We snagged a parking spot right off the street in front of the building. No complaints about parking or the walk. Boom, we were there. Now, where it gets interesting. You walk in the building's front door, and it opens up to a room where you can access several businesses. Josephine's is straight to the back. It's very dark, smelly, and loud. This totally reminded me of a dive bar on a college campus (maybe worse?). There's not much seating, especially when it gets crowded. The bar has limited seating, and the seating on the floor is even more limited. The chairs and couch are stained with who knows what. The song books for karaoke are sticky and nasty. From a great perspective, I was sitting in a chair and went to move and felt something poke me. It was a pair of random scissors! The drinks are 2/5 and prices are extremely expensive. I had a root beer float martini, and it was "meh". From a karaoke standpoint, it was decent. Lots of different people singing. Some good, some bad. It was entertaining, and some people were pretty brave, haha. Try this place if you dare. Get here early to get a seat. I don't think I'd come back. Once is enough.

Place is boring hot garbage! Went on a Friday night, 8 people, then tonight Saturday, 9! The major issue is how they upcharge for drinks. I am dry, and they charged me 6 BUCKS FOR A JUICE IN A DAMN ROCKS GLASS! I asked the bartender girl with the grotesque fishnet outfit on, and she just shrugged her shoulders as if she was a retard. The KJ seems cool, but seems to have nothing to work with with that clientele accept for yahoo Cheers like regulars. I fought nodding off I was so bored. Wasted a Saturday night! Hell I could have chilled with my dog for more fun! Yeah, there are wayyy better choices for karaoke and DRINK PRICES! Read the reviews...they are RIBBING PEOPLE WITH THOSE DRINK PRICES IN A DUMP OF A PLACE! I won't be back!

Well, if you want to go to a place that reminds you of Bar Rescue, this is definitely the place. Chairs with duct tape. Random chairs that don't match. Random artwork. It kind of reminded me of a house someone may have had in college. Fan behind us was covered in dust. Also, my fiance reached in his chair, and there was a random pair of scissors. Service was ok and friendly. Came for karaoke night, and the karaoke host was very nice. Now for the drinks. Martini bar should know how to make a martini, right? Um, just because something is served in a martini glass, I would not classify it as a martini. Martinis ran $10-$16. At a dive bar?! Their drink books and karaoke song books were super sticky. Their tab keeping system is very outdated. No pos so they literally hand write receipts and if you wanted to keep tab open they just hand wrote your drinks down. At least they accept credit cards I guess. Karaoke was fun, which is why I'm giving them a second star. The host was good about rotating the guests, so everyone got a fair shot to sing.

Josephines's is my kind of place. It's a dive bar, hole-in-the-wall that serves cold drinks by good people. What more could you want for a low-key hang out spot? Well, we wanted more: karaoke. And Josephine's had it! In fact, that's the whole reason we stopped in one night - we wanted to sing! We couldn't have asked for a better setup, to be honest. The DJ had a massive selection, he kept the pace moving, and there was some diverse talent on the mic. Between the drinks, atmosphere, and the karaoke we had a simply amazing time here. It was just what we were looking for; we came in with low-ish expectations and they were exceeded. I can't wait to return for another night out and highly recommend you come in for some fun when you have a chance.

Went there on a Tuesday and stumbled on a new open mic. It was their 2nd week but it was a GREAT TIME! It's called Mystery Box Open Mic and the Comics were Hilarious. The DJ/Comic/CoHost damn near made me piss myself. She was awesome. The Host was funny AF and he did a good job keeping the crowd laughing and going between acts. The bartender made one of the best lemon drops I've ever had. He was the reason I stayed for the show and I'm so glad I did!!

We came here with friends to have a fun night at karaoke. If you do not drink and that's all your here for it's a great time. However the drinks were terrible and extremely overpriced. My husband ordered and old fashioned and the bartender did not know how to make it. He served him his drink in a shot glass. Then he things to order a gin and tonic...but there was no tonic only tap water. They are listed as a martini bar but most of them were watered down and tasted nothing like a martini. We get our bill and were so over charged and we didn't not get no where near our moneys worth. Stay away from here

Great Karaoke Bar. DJ Eric The Icon is amazing and the staff is very friendly. They have Karaoke Thursday through Sunday ! Highly recommended.

Lovely, classic atmosphere - no attitudes given no matter who you are - and always a good night. Keep the good one's going~!

Josephine's is interesting. Driving by, you might not even notice it was here. I only learned about it because a good friend of mine had lived in the area for years and was a regular here. She asked me to join her after work one day, so I went -- curious about this place and their martinis. We left the bright sunshine outside and entered another world of dim mood lighting, plush couches, and a good-sized bar surrounded with comfortable stools. And then there was that random pole in the middle of the floor! Hmm. It was..... interesting. Almost overwhelming. And dark. The daylight coming in through the front door was blindingly bright. Since it was late afternoon, there wasn't much of a crowd, as expected. Still, there were a few people at the bar with martinis in front of them. My friend and I promptly ordered ours and hung out for an hour or so, sipping our delicious martinis and complaining about work. The drinks were good, the atmosphere was pleasant enough, and the company (my friend) was fantastic. I haven't been back, but this place still sticks out in my mind as a unique spot in Villa Park. I can't imagine there are too many dark and swanky martini bars in the suburb like this one.

This place has a special place in my heart for its karaoke. The drinks are good enough, but the karaoke is so much fun! The DJ, Eric, is so talented and fun. Definitely one of my favorite places in the western suburbs. If you love karaoke, you have to check it out.

I read some reviews they are interesting. Especially the guy who drank beer and became suspicious that he was drugged. Lol it's a lounge I think they charge extra for that type of thing. Super unique bar can't find anything like it anywhere. Karaoke, customers, and staff are awesome!

Adding to a prior posting about Josaphine's.... I still love J's but went there in the past week with 3 gal pals and they complained twice that the $5 martini's tasted like candy in a glass - no liquor. They nicely asked the bartender to top off the drinks with more liquor which she did -- put she also came over and showed on the menu that the $8 and $10 martinis were more powerful. When they each ordered another martini they again received weak candy-in-a-glass drinks. I am not a martini drinker, but I do know that Josaphine's martini's at $5 used to be good-to-go. So the owner (Frank) needs to reconsider the concept of the $5 martini. My gal pals loved J's so much that they want to return but swear they will only drink beer next time.

Great place fun and friendly faces always are there to share a great night. Every night has a new adventure come by and give it a try.

This joint is a clam hop. Absolute thrill if you dig diverse karaoke. Eric the Idol is the hippest MC the burbs have to offer, he's a total hunk! The bathroom smelled a little bit like a bad bought of diarrhea and a few pukes, but you can always just breath thru your mouth and ignore/cork the nose. Ask frank for corks, he will say forks? And you insist NO, nose jams! Absolute gem in the heart of villy. Ok prices.

SUPER dark lighting, I'm talking the lights are OFF. It literally looks closed. I asked the bartender if he can "turn the lights up a bit" and he rudely said no. Then he was rude to me the whole time I was there. Bizarre. This place gets a big nope.

Been to this bar 2 times which in my book was 2 times too many. Place is a dump, Martini bar lol, Martinis that tastes horrible & city prices for what a dive bar?? The sleeze fest. The bartender is scary and seems to be having a bad day or maybe just a bad life. Don't wast your time or money in this place.

Awesome Karaoke bar and Comedy club (Karaoke Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat; Comedy Open Mic on Thursdays) with affordable drinks and friendly staff and crowd. Highly Recommended !

This place is gross, in a good way. I love it! Maybe, I am just the right amount of jaded to appreciate this Villa Park biker martini bar with soft porn images in the background and couches that remind you of a college kegger. I really do love this place and the couches are not quite that shady, only my husband groped me.... The back patio is lovely on a warm autumn evening.

I've been here only twice but have full filled at least a year's worth of excellent people watching. As my friend pointed out, it felt like a Larry David moment--socially, there is a huge disconnect. Some of the sites witnessed include but are not limited to: Midget flirting with one transvestite and one steroid infused female (trust me, you could see the difference). Midget on crutches dancing around stripper pole. Transvestite glow-stick dancing without uhh...glowsticks. Coke dealer by my side the whole night. Asked my name, sure. He needed my last name too? Yikes. He watched me take every sip of drink til it was gone then screamed at me to come back when I went to the bathroom. Drinks taste like candy which is fine considering I hate alcohol. Maybe I should just buy cotton candy next time and stay home? Smoking was permitted on my first visit. Now I don't have to worry about premature lung cancer. It's a shame it had to be this way, Josephine. You have so much potential.

The tini bar is in my town and a place that my friends go sometimes.It used to be a nice cozy place to meet friends and have some really good drinks But recently they have transformed it into a different kind of place.They now have a stipper pole..WTF? and I recently found out that they are letting people smoke in there! So freaking gross and illegal! We no longer go here for this reason. We were going to head there late night one time and half way there realized that we couldnt go because one of my friends was prego and didnt feel like giving the baby lung cancer before it was born.

I don't even really know how to review Josephine's, since I have had very different experiences every time I've been there. All of them have been enjoyable, there just isn't any consistency in what you should expect when you walk in the door. Once I went there on a Friday and the music was pumping and the dance floor was packed. It was a slightly older crowd and everyone was having a great time. A couple times it has been full of tough biker-types. The last few times I was there it was pretty quiet, with only a couple locals from the neighborhood sitting at the bar and a few folks outside on the deck. Speaking of the deck, it has to be Josephine's best kept secret. A large, private, fenced in area with canopies and bags games. The stripper pole is kind of creepy, and so are the silhouettes of dancing girls playing on the TVs. Especially weird when the place is almost empty. The decor is definitely...quirky, but it's a comfy place to hang out with a group. I guess I'll keep going back, if just to see how it may have changed again between visits.

This place is rad ( I never use that word but it's exactly how I'd describe it, haha.) I walked in and the first thing that I thought was that it felt homely. It was comedy night so they set up a mic and some speakers. The comedians were hilarious and they have pretty good deals on drinks.

Fifth and final stop on my VP birthday bar crawl. Um, yikes. And you know it's bad when you really don't want to be at a bar and you're really intoxicated, because at that point it shouldn't matter. Other reviews have said it, but it really is like walking into someone's basement. It was really dark and weird. It's hard to explain what the decor is. I saw the aforementioned "stripper pole" but it was really just like a regular pole. I was hoping for some kind of stage. Not that I would really want to do anything on it, but it would be more entertaining if it wasn't just a random pole in the room. The bartender was nice. Something funny was said when she checked our IDs. Don't remember, but I remember laughing and smiling. The inside was too weird, so we immediately headed to the outdoor patio. We had to go through some weird hallway in the back, and then go through the door that led to the patio. The patio was pretty nice and airy. There were two TVs outside which would be good for a game, I suppose. The bar was pretty dead and it wasn't very much fun, so we just finished our beers and went back to Double D's. Very divey, but creepy and weird, so yeah not coming back.

1 Rude bartender who was slurring and couldn't even get a "jack and coke light ice right." Heaped the ice overflowing the cup. ... Rude patrons name calling me for asking for a mixed drink because I didn't want a shot and the bartenders did not try to intervene or anything. I was being yelled at by he patron for five minutes while I was trying to sign and calculate tip but couldnt due to harassment. Then the bartender just decided to scream at me 20 minutes later as I was silently walking to the exit to leave. I would give 0 stars if I could.

I used to love right behind this place and my roommate and I would come in almost daily. Awesome drinks and awesome service to match. It's just a funky laid back pregame place! I've moved over the years and I still like to come back to reminisce. This is definitely a place you want to try out. There will definitely be a memory to be had here haha

I stopped in for a couple beers after work, happened to be "Jokes at Joes" which is a stand up comedy night. It was pretty busy. The bartender (Michelle) was super helpful. Always had a smile on her face, and always willing to help or recommend drinks. I was here with a couple friends. Michelle was so sweet and took great care of us. Even when we were a little needy! Great customer service! Came here for the jokes but definitely will be back for the amazing service and awesome bartender!! Thanks again!!

Can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet! Josephine's is a favourite spot for a few of my groups of friends because it's kitschy and divey and cheap and non-pretentious. And just fabulous! First of all, you almost have to know somebody who knows this place to even find it, because walking into the building, you feel like you're walking into a bank. And there's no real signage outside. Then you walk inside Josephine's, and you feel like you're walking into somebody's mom's basement - complete with comfy old couches, a fake tv fish tank, and mp3's on the stereo. $5 martinis and a fun, funny owner. The bartenders come and go, but thankfully, so do the waitresses. (The waitresses aren't hired for their customer service, that's for sure.) So if you want a drink, be prepared to go to the bar and get it yourself. And if it's a Fri or Sat night, be prepared for a wait. I like to go earlier in the evening or on a weeknight, when you can actually relax.

There's something to be said about turning 21 with all your friends and realizing that Josephine's is pretty much the only place in Villa Park where a bunch of girls can have girly drinks and dare each other to dance on the stripper pole. I do like the place -- the couches and loungey tables are wonderful -- but I think this has more to do with amusement and the cheap drinks than anything else. When I went, my friends and I had a few Toscaninis and spent the rest of the night giggling at the shadow dancers on the t.v. screens and trying to avoid a pack of older gentlemen who seemed quite keen to buy us shots.

Came in tonight 11/17 at around 130 am the bartender ( which the customer next to me told me her name was Michelle) completely avoided me. I sat there for a good 15 minutes with a $20 bill waving, I saw what looked like the owner yelling at the bartender, hoping she would pay attention to non male customers.. but instead she walked away..then another woman came behind the bar and must have seen me waiting for a drink and helped me. Not sure why the bartender blatantly ignored me when there was but 10 people (myself included ) at the bar....she helped all of the guys but ignored me. To me it felt like she was just counting on the guys for their tip and didnt care about a female paying customer but I'm thankful someone else stepped in

Wish I could write a view for 1 star and 5 star... RECOMMEND if you want an experience. I've been here when it's completely dead, then I've been here when it was completely hoping. One time it was a teach party, all these female teachers getting wasted having a good time. I've been here and some punks knocked out the water pipe in the Bath Room and flooded the place. I used to live in the Ovalatine Factory and would always be a must to show this place to my friends... But half the times my friends would just be like WTF and like WTF that was awesome. Pretty crazy, I like it.

Good drinks. Food comes from somewhere next door but is also good. The bartenders are friendly. This place gets a 4 star rating because it is in a dire need of updating. Looks like you step into a XXX shop complete with red couches.

Do not go here! The inside looks like a 1970's porn set. The martinis are over priced...I'll hang out in the city if I want to pay city prices for small drinks. It didn't surprise me that there were no other females there...it was like a weird sausage fest. The bartenders should cut back back on how many drinks they have. We asked to have our tab split in half. The bartender messed up the bill and got frustrated with us. No plans to go back.

Was very disappointed. Barmaid was oblivious as to how to make a martini. Food was horrible! Had the tacos...very dry and gummy tasting. Refused to even try and consume the food. Service was not what you would expect from a Martini bar. This place has a long way to go! Barmaids were rude to the group of out-of-towners...NOT COOL!!! I've frequented alot of Martini bars and this one doesn't even come close!!! Its a dive bar with a fancy name...nothing more!!!

im never going here again. been here 3 times. the first 2 times, the bartenders kept skipping peoples songs on the jukebox, including mine. total bulls*#$. maybe thats why when we went there last weekend, they had some sort of pandora thing on? with commercials. i was sitting there with a crap martini listening to commercials over the speakers. super sexy. then 3 katy perry songs in a row. fun! just put on B96? then we ordered shots and my shot glass was cracked and there was glass in my mouth. that pretty much seals the deal for me. this bar has an identity, bartender and music crisis. always a disappointment

Here's the scene: A couple people come in and enjoy a couple of good martinis on a soft sofa under a buch of artwork while the game is played on 10 tv's as a drunk guy swings on a stripper pole under disco lights flashing to the beat of a very loud, overplayed top-40 song from a year ago while the locals talk it up at the bar. I used to like Josephine's a lot more. Recently the ever-friendly owner has been making changes that have completely changed the atmosphere of the place. It used to have a nice lounge feel with tons of paintings on the wall, sofas and soft chairs, and Sinatra and Dean Martin playing. It's changing week by week though. To what, I really cant say. The place seems to be in search of an identity now. The owner has added a ton of TV's to the place, added a stripper pole (that is used mainly by guys being silly), disco lights, and tons of speakers. The lounge feel is now disappearing. The art and sofas are all still there, but now you have flashing lights, tvs every couple feet, the stripper pole, and very loud music - the same tired cd of top-40 songs from 9 months ago playing over and over and over. What is Josephine's trying to be? A sports bar? A dance club? A lounge? A dive bar? It seems that the owner is trying to be all of the above at the same time, but it just isn't working. I reluctantly give it 3 stars and sadly that's being generous.

A nice lounge and wine bar in downtown Villa park. Plent of Tv screens make this a good sports bar too whenever there is a major Chicago sporting event. I really liked this place and there are other places within walking space that makes this one of the few places in Dupage County where one can bar hop.

I love this place, I went in for the first time about a month or two ago and have been there a few times since. The decor is really unusual, but really cool, there's tons of stuff to look at. and Its very cozy. There is no place around like it that's for sure. The outside patio is great, when you walk out it really has a city feel to it. They play a variety of music and its loud on the weekends. :) The bartenders are nice and I never have a problem getting a drink.

Do not go here. Asked if we could run a tap and at the end of the night my wife and I were over charged by $60. Obviously they were charging other drinks to our tab. Looked at the tab that was supposed to tally our drinks, as in most normal establishments, but was unreadable with various "corrections" scribbled over it. Bar staff , useless in making drinks only know how to open beers. Really a disgusting attitude from the staff and owner (manager). Real clip joint

We went there to have a Girls night out and they let us bring our own food.That was great. There drinks are great, I love the Apple martines. The staff is friendly . Nice outside patio. The bar starts hopping around 9-10 pm

I have been here a couple times now. For a martini bar, the martinis suck. You would need to be really drunk to appreciate this dive with what seems to be a stripper pole smack dab in the middle of it! I could only finish half my "martini" before I left the syrupy concoction behind. Just a really dark, weird bar.

Visited this cute place with the girls. It is a cute loungy place to meet up for a few drinks before or after your night out. The music is not too loud so you can talk without yelling and the $5 Martini's were very good.

One star is being generous. The bartender couldn't even make a straight up martini with olives. So my boyfriend and I order one of the "specials" off the menu because I guess thats all she could make. I was better off getting a juice box from a lunchable. No alcohol, all sugar. Absolutely impossible to drink. She was very rude and wouldn't swap it out, as any bartender or server should if they were professional. Would never go back. The only appealing part was the giant jenga on the dance floor.

Fun bar with laid back atmosphere. Sons of the New Amish play here every few months. A must see.

I had to write an update because since my first visit, my husband and I have become regulars. This place is in walking distance to our home, and with the plummeting temperatures, we haven't wanted to venture out on the weekends. Most of the customers here are regulars, but if you come in and you aren't a regular trust that you will be treated equally as kind and welcoming by the staff. They don't have a kitchen, but they are next door to Michael Anthony's and you can order from the bar.

This is the best place in town to be on a Friday. Late hours, cold beer, and friendly staff. Jen and Nikki are the best. My wife and I had a blast here.

This place has a lounge-y feel to it. It was early in the evening when I stopped in for a drink so it was largely empty. I'm still thinking about what I saw...scattered around the seating areas were stuffed Christmas teddy bears and other similar folksy style Christmas decorating-very innocent and homey looking....then in the corner is a stripper pole. Classic! Not sure at what point the teddy bears go away and the stripping starts but that may be some interesting entertaining. The service was good and the drink tasty so I would stop again if I were in the area.

This place was....an experience. I will say that I came here at about 11:30 AM on a Sunday. Not a prime time for bar hopping but I arrived early for a dance class and saw that this place was open. It is on the first floor of an office-like building that has a couple of businesses upstairs from it. When we got there, we observed nobody else there which was fine and interesting decor. There was a stripper pole toward the back of the bar and lots of seating. The bartender was very friendly - she admitted that it was her 3rd day on the job and didn't know where much of anything was in the bar. Because they are a "martini" bar, I thought it would be safe to order one. I tried a couple and settled on my third choice because she couldn't find the liquors needed to make the first two. She also said she wasn't really sure how to make the martini but it came out tasting great and she added an extra garnish for my troubles. I honestly didn't have any issues at all with any of what had just happened - she was new, was really nice about it and I got a martini that I enjoyed in the end. The reason for my low score is because after I had gotten my martini, the owner stormed in said "hi folks" to us and then proceeded to aggressively talk to the bartender, barking out orders and insults. She seemed really intimidated by him and it was almost uncomfortable to watch. He was turning on the TVs for her, which she apparently was having trouble with since the game was coming on. Here is the real kicker....he then came back to the bar and said to me, "I know you. you are that girl that my brother got pregnant with" and walked back out. WHAT?!? Not only have I never seen this man before in my life, but on top of it I was with another guy at the bar and did not get pregnant by his brother. Way to chase off your only customers on a Sunday afternoon.

I love this place. Great atmosphere and both bartenders on Fridays are awesome but definitely not whores! Whoever wrote that last reviewed is a total dbag!