Junto

Jason /​Mac and crew have mad cooking skills. Beef Cheek excellent; Skate excellent; Wild Boar excellent. Scallops excellent. Great food great experience will be back for more.

We only recently heard about Junto, but the feedback was very positive… so off we went to try it out.
The restaurant is a peaceful environment with nice appointments, friendly staff who are well groomed and dressed (always nice to see) and also attentive during our dinner. The menu is very interesting with items you normally would not see, or even be willing to try… so we opted for our table of four to have the Tasting Menu.
Eleven small plates of food arrived over the course of 2 hours and we were smart enough to bring a variety of wines to pair. Absolutely everything was top notch and delicious, so major kudos to the chef on that note, but I have to mention three in particular only because the dishes would NEVER appear on my list of things I would typically order, but were outstanding.
Chicken liver pâté (I know… yuk!). Outstanding!!! Well done from Will who works both front and back of the house. Next notable was Beef Cheeks… never knew cows had cheeks, but they made me smile a lot. After several more super items, dessert was a Panna Cotta that was the perfect size, sweetness and texture to end a memorable dinner.
Can’t wait to go back!

Went here with my husband for Valentine’s Day. The food and service was excellent. The food was fresh and unique. The only issue was that the tables are very close together and it is difficult not to hear neighboring tables conversation.

What a fabulous Brunch! This is our 4^th time dining at Junto. The first was for a duck pairing dinner during the wine fest (which was great) and we stumbled upon brunch here today. What a pleasant surprise, everything was hot, fresh and delicious. We ordered a little bit of everything– apple fritter, grilled blueberry muffin, pancakes, amazing grits, toast, eggs, home fries and bacon. It was FANTASTIC! Brunch prices are reasonable, portions are on the smaller side but food is satisfying. It is more than enough food. Ambiance and décor is simple, the focus is the food. Service is excellent as well.

Asata was a phenomenal server, and the rest of the team kept the level of service going. Some of the best food I’ve had on the region, and we cannot wait to go back!

Despite the mixed reviews I read, we decided to give Junto a try. This restaurant was doubly disappointing as the food was tasteless and overpriced. It’s a BYOB and it seems that they make up for missed profits from liqueur by inflating prices.
I was intrigued by the menu as it offered a nice selection of interesting sounding dishes that appealed to me as a «pescatarian» along with a nice «carnivore» selection for my husband.
He started with the potato and wild leek soup. It was the high point of the meal. I wished I had ordered it instead of my tasteless Wild Mushroom Hot Pot. I had never had a mushroom dish I didn’t like until this rubbery mass of funghi arrived. My entrée was the Day Boat Scallops. The scallops were sweet and tender, but there were only 4 of them and they were medium sized. For $ 32.00, I expected more than a few mouthfuls. The Horseradish Potato Pancakes looked lovely. In fact the entire presentation was a delight, but the pancakes were tasteless – not a hint of horseradish or any other seasoning. The spoonful of Apple Sumac Slaw was crunchy and flavorful, but minuscule as was the Pumpkin semfaina. My husband ordered the Free Range Chicken ($ 29.00) with Birch infused Jus. It came out looking moist, juicy and perfectly roasted. The jus glistened and the color was rich, but, you guessed it, it was tasteless. How did they manage that?
The waitstaff were pleasant, efficient and attentive without being intrusive. The hostess was lovely. I hope they have a plan B for their livelihood. I can’t believe cusotmers come back here a second time.
Generally we share a dessert/​have coffee, but we decided to cut our loses and stop for gelato at Gemelli Gelato on the way home – at least the evening ended well.

We always enjoyed this local restaurant but the last two brunch outings were
not acceptable! Eggs served cold and slow service!!! We will not be back!

We had enjoyed wonderful meals at Brunch prior to this past month when we went twice and service was slow and horrible, platters were cold, underdone or overdone. IT IS BREAKFAST! You should know how to cook and serve an egg correctly. Sadly we will not be back. So disappointed!

Great place. The food was delicious and the atmosphere great. The place is very clean. I was a little fancier than I expected but the prices were very reasonable. I was surprised at the small crowd for brunch but I’ll definitely be going back there.

Meh.
Came for brunch with hubby after seeing this restaurant on zaggat’s list.
potato pattycake: tastes more carrot than potato. Ugh! I like veggie but this i cannot eat.
Beef hash with two eggs: not bad.
Corn biscuits with gravy and potato: mediocre.
Grits (side): okay.
Nothing stands out. Except the tiny portions. Seriously, we are talking brunch here! We’ll probably be hungry in two hours. Total came out $ 36 + tip. Very unsatisfied. See pics. Note the plates are salad plate size. Oh, and the tea is just a least expensive teabag. Definitely will not return.

DUCK DINNER REVIEW: My parents, my husband and I have been talking about doing the duck dinner since our last dinner at Junto. Well we finally did it and here is what I have to say:
1. Our server came over and made us aware that she knows that we ordered the duck dinner and asked if we wanted to order any appetizers to start. I asked the server, as I was under the impression, if the duck dinner was four courses. She then asked if we ordered one or two ducks and we said we didn’t know that we just ordered the duck dinner. So she had to go in the back to ask what the deal was with the duck dinner. Maybe they don’t do too many of these but it was really confusing for us. She then came back and said that there are four duck courses but each plate is smaller. Still baffled, we ordered a meat and cheese plate to share which was absolutely delicious, especially the mortadella with fig bread.
2. Our courses started with foie gras which was the only picture that I managed to take since I was too concerned with taking my next bite of delicious duck! This foie gras was so delicate and rich that each bite you took coated your tongue with flavor.
3. Next to come out was pickled duck heart with pickled turnips. Maybe it was the wine but I laughed because I thought the waiter said «pickled duck parts» but he did not find that humorous at all! The pickled duck heart tasted just like pickled. I just couldn’t eat mine due to the texture but my husband ate it for me. I ate all of the turnips on my plate.
4. The chef then came out to present the duck and to tell us about how they prepare the duck for our dinner. I was under the impression that he was going to leave the duck at our table so that we could just start carving away like a Thanksgiving turkey. But he took the duck back in to the kitchen which I again, thought they were going to carve the duck and then bring it back out so we didn’t have to carve it ourselves. We did not get that duck that he presented. But we did get two more very, very, very yummy dishes!
5. The third dish to come out was my favorite. It was duck leg raviolis and I will dream about these for the rest of my life! They were so melt-​in-​your-​mouth fabulous and I savored each bite of the two raviolis on my plate.
6. Last but not least were the duck breasts. You could taste the smoke flavor that was used to prepare the duck. It was good, but small.
7. At the end we were all under the assumption that he was just going to plop the duck down in front of us so we could dig in. Even though that didn’t happen and the plates were smaller «tasting» plates, the portions really do equal just about one duck. One duck split among four people isn’t like splitting a Thanksgiving turkey among four people so I think that’s what we were expecting but received what we ordered.
8. The duck is $ 50 per person and since we had four, they charged $ 25 per extra person to split the duck among more than the intended two people. The service was a little rocky to start since it seemed like our server didn’t really know how the duck dinner worked but after that bump it was smooth sailing for the rest of the meal.
9. Oh and the desserts are fabulous! I got the root beer float and my husband got the panna cotta. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

WOW what a great chef this guy is. Inventive, great presentations and flavorful! So lucky to have this restaurant less than 10 miles from home.
I’m rating Junto 4.1 stars, almost all on the quality of the food. Had a mixed cheese & charcuterie which were very fresh; smoked chicken croquettes which were hand rolled & fried in fresh oil — amazing!; duck cannelloni where the home made ricotta tasted like it was made that day — bursting with flavor; day boat scallops where the sauce salmis so complemented the vegetables & scallops.
The service is good. Sean was our waiter along with a food runner who explained everything nicely and a table clearer who was efficient & polite. The room is, well, Meh — chairs are a bit uncomfortable and the room can get quite noisy when it’s a full house. The bar I set is the old Fountain Room at the Four Seasons. The food could have definitely been served there!
Can’t wait to go back — well done everyone!

One of the five best restaurants in the Western Suburbs of Philadelphia. I’m shocked that Junto didn’t show up on the first screen of my local search. The food is fantastic, incorporates locally grown produce and the tasting menus in particular are a culinary delight. It’s not only BYO, but supplies proper glassware, and the service is both friendly and excellent. The prices aren’t cheap but good value. Long may Junto prosper!

Had an excellent dinner here last night. Was greatly impressed with not only the food but the level of service we received. Our waiitress was very polished and professional which is hard to find in Delco. The food was amazing. We started with the cheese board which consisted of all local fresh cheeses. I had the wild mushroom appetizer and my husband had the squash soup. Everything was very fresh and lovingly prepared. My scallops were the best I ever had! Delicious! This is a true dining experience for those who are looking for that. We had to wait a while between courses but that is what fine dining is all about!

It would be rude for me to complain about my dining experience since my dear friends treated us to the night. I came in with high expectations of junto because of other reviews. One of our diners quipped that the cornbread in the shape of an ear of corn was the best thing of the night but I think that is being too tough. All in all the food was all very good. The egg yolk ravioli was absolutely delicious even if it is a little gimmicky. my lasting impression was some of the meals were skimping on the main Ingredient for example there was barely any chicken liver moose on the Charcuterie. The foie gras with butternut squash special Only had a few crumbles of foie. It was delicious but I wish they hadn’t gotten me excited for a piece of Foie when it was really featuring a piece of butternut squash with foie «butter». Since we didn’t get the tasting menu I asked the chef to surprise me with an entrée of his choice. I was presented with perfectly prepared day boat scallops with Brussels sprout, cauliflower, smoked sweet potato and sauce salmis it’s a nice balance of sweet scallops with bittersweet brussels sprouts and cauliflower the smoke flavor added a nice aroma sensation. We ordered the «Shoofly Profiteroles» advertising a Pecan and buckwheat cream puff… this was a miss… Oddly dry and mostly left on the plate. The room was packed so maybe they were overwhelmed. So this is not a bad review it is just not a rave review.

Good, inventive cuisine particualrly considering what else is being offered in the area. But that being said, the extremely small portions and big prices don’t equate to a good value or a memorable experience.
For our party of four, we had four entrees, two appetizers, a dessert and two bottles of sparking water, and our bill was over $ 200 with tip. While some of the food was really good (especially the beef cheeks appetizer and sturgeon entrée) the amount of food we were served was so small that we left really hungry which has honestly never happened anywhere else in recent memory. Also, a number of our dishes were only served lukewarm, the one dessert that we tried was well, pretty horrible (the flourless chocolate cake aka flavorless chocolate cake), and the bathroom was pretty filthy. And you know what that says about the cleanliness of the kitchen :(.

(4) ~ very good food & service… like how they try and use locally sourced ingredients;)
OUR DINNER MENU:
* Squash Soup = (4) very good
* Pickled Root Vegetables Plate = (4) very good (our favorite appetizer)
* Beef Cheeks = (3.5) good
* Lamb Cannelloni = (4) very good
* Shoofly Profiteroles = (3) ok… was more of a Cream Puff then the Shoofly pie that I’m familiar with…
* French Press Coffee = (4) very good
NOTE: Located at the end of the Olde Ridge Village Shopping Center… off of Ridge Road.

After reading the Inquirer review, I went to Opentable and made a reservation for the first Saturday night I could get — 30 days later. Finally ate there last night with our friends. There were hits and misses, but overall, I thought it was very good and would go back!
My friend and I shared the tasting menu @ $ 55 each (minimum of 2 people need to order it). Our husbands ordered a la carte.
Hits: The sturgeon and chicken main entrees were excellent, smoky, juicy portions. The day boat scallop dish was perfectly seared, perfectly just cooked fresh fresh fresh tasting. It was so good that I got only a bite of mine — my friend stole the rest. The beef cheeks dish was extremely tender and delicious. BYOB is a big plus.
Misses were:
(1) the wood planks that several of the dishes were plated on. Although I like the concept, the knife and fork scrapes/​gouges from the previous diner (s) were off-​putting IMO; if serving on wood, I recommend new or Not-​scraped-​up planks.
(2) desserts need improvement. The chefs menu dessert was a tiny square of panna cotta for each of us. Although delicious, this single mouthful of dessert was really too tiny. My friend’s husband ordered the chocolate cake. This was served with an odd strawberry-​ish purée and an even odder clear aspic-​ish concoction that in no way complemented the cake. The cake in itself was just okay. Chocolate desserts are easy to wow, so this was pretty disappointing.

Here is a staff that works hard to create a very nice dining experience for you. Certainly one of the best crafted menus outside of the big city.
We had the duck special for two, a whole duck brined for twelve days (!) then seated, and served in three courses. We had to bring some home. Our friends had a black bass they said was excellent.
Service was a little slow, probably due to being packed after such great newspaper reviews. Dessert list was a bit slight, if that matters to you.
Attentive, pleasant staff and wonderful tastes. Easy parking.
Noise? My wife is quite sensitive to sound and was not bothered here, also the staff reads these reviews and is working on sound abatement.
If you want a leisurely, well crafted dining experience, this is the place. Very well done.

We had seen a review of Junto in the Sunday Inquirer and decided to try it for Saturday brunch. We were not disappointed.
Both my wife and I chose the «Old Glory» (two eggs any style, choice of meat, home fries & whole grain toast). My wife opted for thick cut smoked bacon, while I went with scrapple. Everything was delicious and fresh. The scrapple was brown and crispy on the outside, soft and nicely seasoned on the inside. Decaf coffee was prepared at our table with a French Press.
The service was prompt and attentive. Prices were reasonable; we’ve paid more for less at other restaurants.
We will surely return for dinner.