Josephine’s Tea Room & Gifts

We made reservations for desserts for Saturday December 12, 2015. We sat down and waited 10 minutes before we asked for our waitress. When she showed up we explained we had called and made reservations for dessert. She seemed quite put out we weren’t eating lunch even though it was past 2:00. She told us she would get the dessert tray to us when she could. Well apparently she couldn’t because 20 minutes later we walked out. We sent a note to management and never heard back so we won’t be coming back again. While the desserts are great, the service is terrible.

Everyone I’ve talked to about Josephine’s calls it a hidden gem tucked away in Godfrey and now I can finally see why. A classmate and I were treated to lunch here by a professor and when we arrived, it felt like we were whisked away to a meal at a cozy bed and breakfast more so than a restaurant. The atmosphere is welcoming, warm, inviting and quaint. While dining at Josephine’s, there’s an option to dine both indoors as well as outdoors. It was a beautiful fall day outside so we decided to dine al fresco. Josephine’s offers lunch specials and more than 16 homemade desserts daily. On the day we came, the specials were a stacked club sandwich and quiche, both of which were served with soup (lobster bisque or cheddar broccoli soup) and garden salad/​caesar salad/​pasta salad. I decided to go with the club sandwich which was served on a buttery croissant with baked ham, turkey, bacon, havarti cheese, lettuce, tomato and berry jelly. For my sides, I chose the lobster bisque and pasta salad. The portions were very generous. I loved the juxtoposition between the salty bacon and sweet jelly. Despite the large portions and being on the verge of food coma, our professor insisted that we save room for their desserts. The options are incredibly expansive which is a bit of an understatement. Our server brought out a wide variety of desserts on a large silver platter and even after naming the 10 or so desserts on the platter, she continued to rattle off 5 – 6 more desserts off a list. My mind was blown! Some of the options I remember included coconut cream pies, pumpkin cheesecakes, chocolate mousse cake, strawberry shortcake, blackberry cobblers, crème brûlée, and chocolate lava cake. After my head stopped spinning from all the possible dessert options, I chose the crème brûlée and I’m so glad I did. It was served with whipped cream and strawberries. The sugar topping was perfectly caramelized, shattering into pieces as I gently tapped with my spoon. It was the perfect meal — by the end, I felt like I needed to be wheeled out and tucked into bed for a nap rather than heading back to class.

Love this place! I have been going here with my family for years! The last time we went, it was on a Friday for lunch. We had a reservation which is the only way to go. I had a chicken salad sandwich and corn chowder. It was all delicious! The chicken salad was on a buttery croissant and the corn chowder was creamy, but not too thick. And the rolls… sooooo good and homemade. And you cant leave without having a dessert. Everything is homemade and it is alllllll good! I had a banana cream tart and I still have dreams about it. The crust was so light and flaky and it had nice banana flavor without being too sweet! I highly recommend this place and a bonus is you can shop before or after for some new jewelry or a new purse!!! :)

Time spent at Josephine’s is time well spent. It is a joy to eat in the well appointed surroundings. Josephine’s decorates for the seasons and puts a lot of time and effort into making it the nicest place for ladies to lunch in the STL area. The drive from STL is pleasurable and includes free water views as you cross into Alton.
The main event at Josephine’s is the Dessert Tray. I am unsure how the employees do not all weigh one thousand pounds. The desserts are hand made each and every morning. They are the best cakes, cheesecakes, pies, cobblers, and tarts I have ever tasted. I usually eat one there AND order one to go.
Every girl deserves a trip to Josephine’s. Treat someone soon!

I took my mother here to celebrate her 80^th birthday yesterday & I won’t be returning. It was warm & humid, so we asked to sit in an air conditioned area. We were lead to a table in the main dining area & it was so loud that we couldn’t hear the waitress plus the tables were so close together that we could barely pull out a chair to sit down. We asked to sit some where less noisy and she took thru two more rooms with plenty of empty tables that were air conditioned to a patio that was not. We didn’t want to be a pain, so we accepted this second table. Two more tables of people came in after us and received service and drinks before we finally asked if we had a waitress. About 5 minutes later, we finally got a waitress to come take our order. We ordered drinks specials from the bar which took almost 15 minutes to arrive and the waitress spilled the tray on my adult daughter’s lap. Another waitress came over and offered her the damp cloth she was using to clean tables while our waitress gave me what was left of my glass of red wine then took off. She did apologize but no effort was made to clean up the mess or to assist my daughter in cleaning the wine out of her clothes. One would think that we would be offered a complimentary drink or dessert but that didn’t occur either. Under other circumstances I would have complained but didn’t want to upset my mother. The other people in the room who came in after us had their food, ate it & left before our food even arrived. The food was good but the service was terrible.

Overrated, bad service, terrible attitude of staff. It is beyond arrogant that this place treats guests the way that they do. We had a terrible experience over the holidays. Waited an hour after our reservation, our waitress was so inappropriate-​criticizing the way we ordered and how much tea we drank and the food came out luke warm. I tried to call the owner 5 times to speak with him and every time they said he’d call me back which he never did. I used to go every time I was in town for a visit. Never again.

This review is solely on the customer service and nothing else. I did not eat here but some family did. Once again, this is solely on the customer service.
Sooo, I wanted to surprise my aunt since she was going there with my mother and a friend to have a little birthday lunch. I was going to pay for their lunch over the phone. I called a day beforehand and spoke to a nice young lady who explained, that I would have to call on the same day that they are having lunch since they wouldn’t know beforehand how much the bill would be. She also explained that when I call, they can transfer me to the deli and take my card information. Ok. Makes sense. Thank you.
The next day is when disaster strikes. I called as soon as my mother said that they had ordered dessert. Perfect. I call and speak with someone that caused me to want to get on a flight and shake some sense into her. I provide her with the party name and time of their reservation and she says that i would need to know what section they are in. I do one better and tell her the name of the waitress. Between me texting my mother asking her the waitress name and me calling this lady back, the waitress had given them the check. HUH? Isn’t that the reason for my call for me to pay and they not receive the check? JESUS! I tell her that and she says oh. Then she says um, how would you be able to pay for their meals on the phone? Via credit card or debit card ma’am. Oh ok. She puts me on hold and says that she will go to the deli part to take my information.
I hold and she returns to the phone to tell me that she can’t do it because it is busy in the deli. WHAT? I said all they are doing is taking my card information for the bill. She says yeah but they are busy. I calmly say, is the deli the same line that people use to pay when they are done eating? She says yes, WELL, HOW CAN THEY NOT BE TOO BUSY TO ACCEPT THEIR PAYMENTS BUT THEY CAN’T ACCEPT MINE AND IT’S ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME? She stutters and stutters and say’s I don’t know. I politely tell her to have a good day and hang up.
I went to a trusty Walmart and wired the money that they spent on lunch to cover the bill and be out of an extra $ 5.00. I gladly will pay the $ 5 for convenience than to deal with that lady. I definitely plan to contact them with my formal complaint.

This place is definitely a hen party, there were a few men, some of whom were there a little reluctantly from their dress to their body language and mannerisms. The older men knew what to expect but it is more of a place where ladies dress in a little more than work clothes and wear their best jewelry and sport their best shoes and purses for that naught much talked about competiveness. Cloak and dagger cattiness as they eye your look that you have chosen when you pass by their tables then they are on to the next pursuit. I regret leaving my pink Michael Kors studded Hamilton and highly coveted vintage Versace turquoise leather trimmed shades at home as I am not into the competition scene like I used to be when I was younger. Next time I will have my game on and be more than ready looking like a lady pimp and will trump the evil ones.
The service is excellence of quality precision. They definitely have their game plan down. It was a crapshoot but I chose the daily special as did my mother. It consisted of seafood quiche, lobster bisque and salad. OMG was it par excellence. The service is orchestrated to be fast and wonderful. The ladies who serve and wait on you are lovely. Seafood quiche is a crapshoot and I might have been looking for a reason to complain and I most certainly could not. Best quiche ever forever, bisque was awesome and so was the salad and we remember it fondly some three months later as we plan a group visit for later this week.
Dessert for me was the
, I had the coconut layer cake and would have robbed a bank to eat an entire pot of that luscious 7 minute frosting with that browned crispy delicious coconut added to it. The layers were numerous almost like a Smith Island cake. My mom had coconut pie with mile high meringue, not their best, but way better than anything that you could find in a store. Not enough coconut and a little too much salt on the crust for whatever reason.
The meal was fast paced. We sat, ordered, ate lunch, had dessert, and was ready to roam the gift shop in less than an hour. Spent over a hour in the gift shop looking at all of the wares. I expected much higher prices as that is what most places do by gouging customers. There prices on most if not all items was actually quite reasonable. Saw a purse and my get it on this next visit as it matches a pair of sandals to a tee.
I highly recommend this tea room and gift shop. Highly recommend reservations for groups over about 4 to have a super good all around experience. We are meeting a dozen people on this next visit and I will review that experience as well because it will make a difference.

This is absolutely the best place to go. Every time I go there I always want to try something different but I always keep going back to the crystal bowl salad which is very delicious! The service has always been very good and the employees are all very friendly. The décor is beautiful in the restaurant as well as the gift shop. They have two fireplaces that they use in the winter. In the summer they have seating outside that is also very nice. The desserts are wonderful. If you go here you must try one or two! They have beautiful gardens in the summertime too. We usually go there without a reservation but we really never have to wait that long. Its worth the wait anyway. It is crowded inside but its not a problem. They do have a fairly small parking lot and sometime parking is a problem. Overall its just a great place! You must try I don’t think you will be disappointed.

The food was fabulous! We were there at 1 pm on Saturday without a reservation. We had no problems getting a table (seated within 15 minutes) but I would highly recommend a reservation!
I had the garden salad with sweet & sour vinaigrette and ½ a Ham Special (hot ham and cheese) sandwich. The homemade onion roll for the sandwich was very fresh and added to the sandwich experience. My Mom had the pasta salad and ½ a turkey sandwich. The portions are much larger than I expect to find at a tea room. The ½ sandwiches were the size of a normal sandwich in many restaurants. Guess this is why almost everyone was leaving with multiple to-​go boxes. It was $ 12.00 for my meal with the Ham Special costing extra and $ 10.75 for Mom’s meal.
We shared two desserts: the «mystery» pecan pie and the Crème Brulee. The desserts were $ 6.25 each and worth every cent! If you are there late in the day I highly recommend ordering your dessert when you are seated. Most of the desserts ran out before we made our order. Luckily when I meals were delivered our waitress asked us if there was a dessert she should hold for us as they were starting to run out (only 6 or 7 options left). There were at least 6 different dessert options that we saw walk by that were no longer available when we ordered. By the time we finished I heard those working the dessert case list only about 4 dessert options and most were limited to 2 or 3 pieces.
Their online menu includes a Johnny Rabbit’s «Famous» french onion soup but this wasn’t listed on the menu. When I asked the waitress said it was available but only by the bowl not the cup. Since the online menu calls it «Famous» I’m surprised not to see it listed on their menu.
It was great that our waitress left a small carafe of water on the table as we had empty that before we saw her again to even ask about any refills. Don’t get me wrong she was a great waitress but we seemed to be her only table in that room and she was away from our area except to check on us.
I agree with other posts that it is incredibly loud which made it difficult to have a conversation without shouting across the table. They need to remove a several tables in order to make it a more enjoyable experience. I had to get up to let the lady at the next table out. Tables were so close together that we felt like we were sitting at the table with the other ladies. The corners of our tables seemed to be about 6 inches apart. I’ve been to other tea rooms and never experience the noise level or the close tables as I did at Josephine’s.
Place also didn’t seem focused on tea! I didn’t see any teapots brought to the table like I’m used to with tea rooms. Their select of teas seemed VERY limited. They don’t even list their teas in the online menu.
I didn’t seem any options on the menu for having the trays of finger sandwiches with tea like I see at most tea rooms. I would not choose to have an elegant women’s lunch or party here as the environment isn’t anything special.

I’m an aficionado of both fine teas and tea rooms — which are not always found together. Josephine’s is an example of this, but that’s fine with me. I can take my own tea if I must, but this place has the atmosphere of a traditional ladies’ tea room — and very good food. My best friend comes from New Jersey just to see me and go to Josephine’s! Once when I had pneumonia, she called them and arranged for my favorite lunch to be picked up by my daughter and delivered to me, 12 miles away. It was delivered with get-​well notes from the staff; I was so touched, I cried.
When my friend comes, we make reservations at Josephine’s and clear the entire day. We prefer to sit in the room closest to the enclosed porch; it feels airier, and seems to handle the inevitable crowds better. Before and after lunch, my friend has to go through every inch of every shop.
My adult son and my husband both enjoy going here with me, despite (or perhaps because of) the overwhelmingly feminine crowds — the food is just worth the trip. My favorite is the roasted red pepper soup; and I’ve never been able to replicate it at home. As for desserts — well, pick one! Or two — nobody will judge. They are all too good to leave there.

Ok, this is from a mans perspective. I stopped here for lunch, and the men were way outnumbered here. The place was very busy. Reservations may be a good idea for larger groups. The décor definitely appeals to the ladies. It’s like having tea in the parlor! There is a gift shop attached. The desserts looked fantastic but not this time. A dessert stop here would be perfect. They bring around a tray showing off the delectables. I had the Lobster bisque soup and the Ham special sandwich with
Real raspberry iced tea– nice touch that they bring you a flask. The service was good… even though the waitress working hard to keep up, but still very pleasant.
Service was a little slow but you only notice if your alone. Great spot to meet friends.

Such an awesome place. Make a reservation! Seating is limited and the tables are very close. I recommend the lobster bisque.

I love the Lobster Bisque. Cobb Salad or Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad are my two favorites. I generally enjoy eating at Josephine’s, though sometimes the noise level is so loud that it’s hard to enjoy lunch. I wish they could figure out a way to muffle the sound. Otherwise, it’s a great place to eat. When friends/​family are visiting from out of town, it’s definitely a place to take them.

I had a nice experience at the Tea Room last weekend. We had a 12:30 reservation; thanks to everyone who recommended making one! I completely agree that one is needed at the Tea Room; I don’t think we would have been able to enjoy lunch had we not made one.
We arrived a little early so that we could walk around the shop. The shop was huge-​I think I actually got a little turned around while browsing. There were so many awesome items for sale, I definitely know where I’ll be going next time I need a gift. As I made my way to the final shopping room I began to smell the food and I saw an entire case filled with desserts! Whoa; I wanted all of it.
They called our name a little after 12:30 and we were walked over to a table. Our server came over very quickly to greet us and bring us water. I was shocked at how efficient she was since the place was packed. There were tons of large parties and I know she had a few other tables as well, but she did a great job at assisting us and telling us all about the specials for the day.
We all decided to order the special of the day. That day they had a choice of sandwich, soup, and salad… all 3 for a great price! I was able to try all 3 of the menu items I wanted! Our food was brought out rather quickly. The salads were fresh chilled, the soups were piping hot, and our sandwiches were made to order just right! It all looked delicious. Our server came over a few times to check on us and to make sure we had everything we needed. She even brought us some more water.
By the time we were finished with our meals she came over to clear off the table and then she brought over a tray of desserts for us to look at. She told us about all of the desserts they had to offer. They had 2 trays floating around that day, but she only needed to bring us 1. I knew what I wanted based on what I had seen being passed around. We each ordered dessert and by the time it came over we were amazed at the size of everything.
I took a few bites of my strawberry cream puff, but I definitely needed a box. I could not eat anything else. Our server brought over some boxes for us and gave us the check and told us to take our time.
Overall, this was a fantastic experience and I can’t wait to go back!

On a recent trip to Illinois I got to experience lunch at Josephine’s Tea Room. Our group of 4 arrived on a Saturday with a 12:15 reservation. We had a 10 – 15 minute wait, during which we walked around the gift shop. I was warned ahead of time that the prices of the items were too high, but in my opinion they were not. (Then again I live in DC). When we did get our table, I was disappointed that there wasn’t a tea list. I ended up ordering the Raspberry Iced Tea. I guess, I had expected to be treated to a British style tea time with hot tea and tower of scones. However, the whole atmosphere was lovely and all the food we ordered was tasty. It was definitely catered to the «ladies who lunch» demographic. I’m going to wear a large hat the next time I go. And there will most certainly be a next time I go because of the dessert tray.

I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager with my mother & friends. Now I’m 40 & still enjoy it. The whole place has grown over the years. Reservations are a must & I suggest seating that is outside or in one of the sunrooms. The inside is very noisy but you will have that with a bunch of women talking. They have expanded their soups, use to be only two a day but just went Monday to celebrate my 40^th Birthday and they had Lobster Bisque, Brocc Cheese, French Onion & soup of the day was smoked Gouda with a roasted red pepper Bisque. There where 4 of us & all soups where good, lobster bisque is my favorite. I also get ½ the ham special sandwhich so I have room for dessert & I had almond joy cheesecake which had a chocolate Ganash topping, amazing! They have no less than 15 desserts to chose from everyday, from cheesecakes to fruit pies, carrot cake, meringue pies etc. Can’t go wrong with any if them. If you like curry try the fruited curry chicken salad, other favorites are small crystal bowl salad or ½ a club sandwhich with soup. I can eat good soup everyday. Staff is wonderful & they run their butts off, my only negative here is that over the last few years they have packed in more tables & it’s really packed which takes away from some of the enjoyment. Lunch here will cost a good $ 20 with dessert.

My daughter’s mother-​in-​law treated 3 of us to lunch at Josephines. First we entered into the boutique which was outstanding. We had a reservation at 12:00 and we got in right on time. Each room was lovely. The restaurant was already full and bustling with customers and servers, we were seated in the room with all the windows.
I found the servers to be very attentive, friendly and always had a smile. I had the cressant/​chicken salad meal with a salad and lobster bisque soup. My daughter ordered the Josie club sandwhich. The sandwiches were huge, enough to feed 2 people. All the food was fresh and served with great presentation. The dessert plate that the waitress brought out was amazing. There were at least 10 desserts on the plate, but there are approx. 20 desserts to choose from, and taste as wonderful as they look.
I feel like the prices were reasonable for what you get, great food, ambiance and wonderful customer service!

This place is a compound. Numerous buildings and a park area with gazebo between the buildings.
My college chum and I went for lunch. I called ahead for a reservation and a recommendation on how long it would take us to drive there. She was spot-​on with the timing.
We arrived a tad early and were immediately taken to our table. We did not find it a loud place, and we were at a table by the server entry computer. It certainly was busy and bustling, but it wasn’t so loud that we couldn’t hold a conversation.
We were in a beautiful room. I think I counted four separate dining rooms. One we walked through. One we ate in. And two others (one a covered porch) I observed.
They were all beautifully decorated with mantle pieces (The one we were in had a fireplace.), and other rooms had decorative flowers/​twigs/​greenery.
My college chum got the ½ salad and cup of soup. She chose the fruited chicken salad and lobster bisque.
I got the ½ sandwich and cup of soup. I chose the cold turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayo; and the lobster bisque. I would have loved pickles.
The lobster bisque was quite flavorful, creamy with lobster in every bite.
She liked her salad but it was huge, so she took half home.
My turkey sandwich was very tasty. The lettuce and tomato were fresh, the turkey was great.
Service was prompt and very friendly.
Although the dessert tray was beautiful, we both declined. They had many, many, many dessert offerings.
And after (or before) you eat, you shop.
Lots of decorative items for the house, many unique things I’ve never seen. Most presented in themes of a color. Good idea.
Jewelry, scarves, women’s clothes, rings, bracelets (some highly marked down), watches, purses, pocketbooks, key chains.
We did a little shopping in the building that houses the restaurant and the building over from the park area.
The second building we went to was women’s clothing, jewelry and purses.
It’s all so well displayed. They’ve done a good job.

«It’s famous you know.» This was the tactic my mother used in effort to convince us to join her for tea.
The three of us drove an hour in effort to make our reservation. After the labyrinthine maze of what they call the parking lots, the stalking of patrons going to their cars and witnessing numerous guest shouting what I could assume are curses due to fighting for parking spaces we finally found one. The gift shop was like a geriatric convention and smelled like a group home while swarms of elderly women huddled over overpriced nicnacs. After confirming our reservation we waited about 20 mins to be seated. The menu… maybe two dozen items (including dessert), nothing stood out. We ordered the half ham sammich and lobster bisque, a half turkey sammich with cesar salad and a small glass bowl salad. No special sauce, spread or dressing… just bread and meat. none of us in the party enjoyed the bisque.
But hey! what about tea! The sole reason why we came! When I think of going to a Tea Room I think of a large varied selection of teas from around the world. Imagine my surprise when the selection was maybe a half dozen teas I could pick up at Shnucks… like the complimentary teas you find in your hotel room. I stuck with water while the two in my party ordered Earl Grey and Lemon tea. I was disappointed in the selection.
The place was PACKED, everywhere!!! Im surprised no fire codes were violated due to how packed it was with tables crammed into corners. It was loud! We had to yell just to have a conversation with people sitting next one another. The service was fine… nothing to complain about. =) I forget her name… Gail maybe, she was happy and fun.
Dessert! We originally wanted to to get out of there quickly but wanted to at least try dessert. Other and I shared the pecan surprise, it was good… I’ll give them that. I could see pre-​ordering a whole dessert for special occasions but that would still require picking it up, not fun.
In short, this was not my idea of tea. It was not worth the drive out, the wait, the noise or the food. Dont get me wrong… it was not a terrible time just WAY too much trouble and nonsense for what you get. I will pass on future invitations.