Walk down 42nd Street toward the Hudson River and the neon glare of Times Square begins to fade. It gets quieter. Darker. But then, tucked away between 9th and 10th Avenues, you see it—the blue awning, the warm glow through the windows, and the unmistakable spirit of 1920s Paris. This is Chez Josephine New York, a place that honestly shouldn't still exist in a city that eats its history for breakfast.
New York changes fast. One day your favorite bistro is there, the next it’s a high-end pharmacy or a glass condo. But Chez Josephine has been sitting on West 42nd Street since 1986. It was founded by Jean-Claude Baker, one of the adopted "tribe" of the legendary Josephine Baker. Jean-Claude didn't just open a restaurant; he built a shrine to his "second mother" and a living, breathing salon for the theatre crowd.
If you’re looking for a quiet, minimalist dinner with industrial lighting and kale salads, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a palace of red velvet. It’s a room filled with vintage posters of Josephine in her banana skirt, flickering candles, and a grand piano that actually gets played. It feels like a movie set, but the history is real.
The Jean-Claude Baker Legacy
Jean-Claude was a character. That’s probably an understatement. He was the kind of host who knew everyone’s name and treated every diner like they were the lead in a Broadway play. When he passed away in 2015, people worried the soul of Chez Josephine New York would vanish.
It didn't.
The restaurant still carries that specific, frantic, beautiful energy of a pre-theatre rush. You’ll see actors who just finished a matinee, tourists who stumbled in by accident and look confused by the opulence, and seasoned New Yorkers who have been sitting at the same table for thirty years. It’s a mix that shouldn't work, but it does.
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The walls are covered. I mean, literally covered. There is barely an inch of wallpaper showing through the framed photos and posters. It chronicles the life of Josephine Baker—the Black Pearl of the Jazz Age, the French Resistance agent, the civil rights activist. Sitting there, eating coq au vin, you realize you’re sitting in a museum of a life lived at full throttle.
What to Actually Eat (Beyond the Vibes)
Let’s be real for a second: themed restaurants usually have terrible food. You pay for the decor and the history, and the steak arrives tasting like a shoe.
Chez Josephine New York manages to avoid that trap by sticking to the classics. It’s French bistro fare. It isn't trying to reinvent the wheel or use "molecular gastronomy" to turn your soup into foam.
- The Boudin Noir: Not for everyone, obviously. But if you like blood sausage, theirs is legendary. It’s rich, earthy, and served exactly how it would be in a Parisian alleyway.
- The Spaghetti with Meatballs: Wait, Italian food at a French bistro? Yeah. Jean-Claude called it "Le Grand Spaghetti" as a tribute to the soul food Josephine loved. It’s a weird anomaly on the menu that has become a staple.
- Steak Frites: The baseline test for any French spot. The fries are thin, salty, and addictive. The steak is reliably good.
The wine list is decent, though not encyclopedic. You’re here for a glass of Bordeaux and the live piano music. Speaking of the piano—it’s the heartbeat of the room. The performers usually start in the evenings, playing everything from Cole Porter to Gershwin. Sometimes a Broadway performer in the audience will get up and sing a few bars. It’s that kind of place.
Survival on Theatre Row
Theatre Row is a specific stretch of 42nd Street. It’s home to several Off-Broadway houses like Playwrights Horizons and the Signature Theatre. Because of this, the rhythm of Chez Josephine New York is dictated by the "curtain."
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Between 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM, the place is a madhouse. Servers move with a frantic precision that is honestly impressive to watch. If you want a slow, romantic dinner, do not come during the pre-theatre window. Come at 8:15 PM. The room thins out, the lights feel lower, and the pianist really leans into the moody stuff.
There’s a common misconception that this place is a "tourist trap." I get why people think that. It’s near Times Square and it’s flamboyant. But look at the people at the bar. They’re locals. They’re stagehands from the theatres nearby. They’re writers. A real tourist trap doesn't have a soul; this place has too much of one.
The Josephine Baker Connection
You can’t talk about this restaurant without talking about the woman who inspired it. Josephine Baker was the first Black woman to become a worldwide film star and a symbol of the Jazz Age. She famously moved to Paris because she couldn't stand the racism in the United States.
Jean-Claude met her when he was a teenager in Europe. He became part of her "Rainbow Tribe"—the group of children she adopted from all over the world to prove that different races could live together in harmony.
When you dine at Chez Josephine New York, you’re participating in that legacy. Jean-Claude wanted to bring a piece of Josephine’s Paris back to New York. He wanted a place where the "outcasts" and the "artists" felt like royalty. Even now, years after his death, the staff maintains that "everyone is a star" attitude. It’s charming, if a little theatrical.
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Addressing the Critics
Some people find the decor too much. "It's cluttered," they say. Or "the lighting is too red."
They aren't wrong. It is cluttered. It is very red. But in a city that is increasingly becoming a series of white-walled, minimalist boxes, there is something deeply comforting about the excess of Chez Josephine. It’s a rejection of the boring. It’s a reminder that dining out is supposed to be an event, not just a way to ingest calories.
The prices are "New York mid-range." You’re going to spend money, but you aren't going to need a second mortgage to pay for dinner. It’s fair for the location and the live entertainment.
How to Do Chez Josephine Right
If you’re planning a visit, don't just wing it.
- Make a reservation. Especially on show nights. The "OpenTable" era hasn't killed the need for a phone call here, though you can book online.
- Dress up a little. You don't need a tuxedo, but you’ll feel weird in a hoodie and gym shorts. Put on a blazer or a nice dress. The room demands it.
- Talk to the staff. Many of them have been there for years. They have stories about Jean-Claude, about famous actors who’ve sat in the booths, and about the history of the posters on the walls.
- Sit near the piano. If you’re a fan of the Great American Songbook, this is the best seat in the house.
There’s a certain magic in the way the blue neon sign reflects off the wet pavement on a rainy Tuesday night. You step inside, and for two hours, it’s 1930. The world outside—the sirens, the construction, the stress—it all just sort of stops.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit
To get the most out of your experience at Chez Josephine New York, follow this specific plan:
- Timing: Book your table for 8:00 PM or later if you want to catch the best live music sets without the frantic pre-show crowd.
- The "Secret" Drink: Ask for a classic French 75. It’s not always the "featured" cocktail, but the bartenders here make it with the kind of old-school precision that fits the atmosphere perfectly.
- Explore the Art: Before you sit down or after you finish, take five minutes to actually walk the length of the room and look at the posters. It’s a curated history of 20th-century entertainment that you won't find in a book.
- Order the Profiteroles: Even if you’re full. They’re the real deal—warm chocolate sauce, cold vanilla ice cream, and pastry that actually has some structure to it.
This isn't just a restaurant. It’s a piece of the "Old New York" that everyone claims to miss but rarely supports. Supporting places like this is how we keep the city from turning into one giant, sterile mall. Go for the history, stay for the music, and eat the bread.