Julian's

We went in for dinner, before seeing Cirque du Soleil on Thursday, July 2nd, so it was just after 5pm. I ate from the Munchies menu: couscous salad, grilled asparagus, grilled tofu. And my tofu could have been a little more grilled, but my meal was wonderful. My partner had something with curried eggplant that was delicious. Deserts were plentiful, ginger ice cream was a great ending. Our server was alone, taking care of both inside and outside. She did a wonderful job, even as the place filled up, reassuring us that our meal was on it's way, checking back with us, always with a pleasant attitude. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. Pros: Affordable fresh food Cons: Always somewhat crowded more

Julians is hands down my favorite place in Providence for breakfast, although there is usually a wait it is well worth it! They offer a wide range of choices begining with traditional items such as oatmeal and eggs to creative offerings such as an herbed egg wrap. Julians can also feed the pickiest and most concienous eaters with plenty of vegan and dairy free items on their menu. The staff is always very friendly and will welcome you with a cup of delicious fresh brewed coffee (or mimosa) while you wait :-) Pros: Delicious creative food and friendly staff Cons: Usually a wait more

Fairly priced, large portioned breakfasts are the best part about Julian's. Good drink list, lots of options for vegans, too. Long wait on Saturday/Sunday. more

julian's is a place you really want to like, but have to struggle to do so. the place is almost always completely packed, which makes getting a table a chore, but the bigger issue is that there's no place to wait. so you end up standing over diners (a con for the waiter and the diner) and trying to dodge people and waitstaff for half an hour. there's a way to beat this - be there when they open at 9:00 am - since most of their clientele can't seem to make it out of bed that early. that's another issue - a breakfast joint that opens at 9! once you finally get inside, there are three things to consider: the staff, the ambience and the food. the ambience is great, as long as none of the waiting crowd is sitting in your face, and is usually a talking point to some extent. the service is generally good as well, although some of the staff have a poor attitude. (if you don't want to wait on people, don't be a waitress!) most of the time it's not an issue, and most of the folks are nice. coffee gets filled up pretty regularly, to boot. the food - well, they make a real effort to make breakfast transcend its usual boring pancakes and eggs state of affairs. usually they succeed... omelettes have been excellent, their different hashes are fun and they've always got a few curveballs on the specials menu to keep things interesting. some things do suffer however. i'm not sure how they managed to do smoked salmon and poached eggs and then place this nice combination on top of the most awful, low quality ""italian"" bread you've ever seen. (and they're located next door to a great bakery!) so if you can beat the crowd and get a good waiter, you should have a good time at julians. but if you show up late and get in the cattle car, your morning is going to be a little less relaxed than you may have anticipated. Pros: fun menu, interesting ambience Cons: gotta beat the crowd, occasional bad service or spotty food more

Julian's is definitely a fan-favorite in Providence. Before I had ever gone, I had heard so many things about it both good and bad, from so many different people that when the opportunity presented itself, I went there with high-hopes mixed with trepidation. I have been many times since that first adventure, but the experience has changed very little. It is definitely a hot spot on a weekend morning, so be prepared for a wait of over an hour. Luckily, there's a 7 Stars on the same block to tide you over in the meantime. The food is pretty consistently good brunch fare, which could be accounted for by my sticking to the personal favorite of bacon egg and cheese on grilled italian bread. Its enormous and filliing, and the bacon is always right on. The atmosphere is quite eclectic, as is the typical crowd that packs the place to the gills. My only real complaint aside from the wait (which admittedly could be avoided if I didn't choose rush hour) is the always-surly attitude of the waitstaff. On one occasion I had a very pleasant server, but on every other visit have felt like the staff was doing me a huge favor by coming by the table once every half hour to grouchily jot down orders etc. This is true of the times where I've gone and it has not been busy, also. Maybe this is due to my not dressing ""Julian's style,"" but I have heard this from my more fashion-adventurous friends also. Otherwise, the menu has everything you could ask for in a brunch place, and if you're up for a long Sunday morning/afternoon to go over the events of Saturday night with friends, this is a great place to go. Pros: Good menu, eclectic atmosphere, reliable Cons: Surly waitstaff, long waits more

I've been to Julian's for dinner, or just for drinks, but to me the best thing about the place is breakfast, and the best thing about breakfast is their line of signature Eggs Benedict. There are a few standard Benedicts on the menu -- traditional with ham, Nova Scotia with house-smoked salmon, Florentine (with spinach), and such -- but for the adventuresome diner, the Benedict of the Day is always worth it. I've had all kinds, including one with Polish sausage and spicy Hollandaise (my favorite so far), and others where the thick toast is replaced by a rice cake, a potato cake, and other sorts of imaginative canvasses on which the chef paints his masterpiece. The Hollandaise is invariably warm, smooth, and perfectly seasoned; the toast is two thick slices of Italian bread; you can get a half-Benedict as well and they all come with Julian's signature home fries (be sure to ask for the homemade ketchup). There are other good things as well -- my friends who like hash, or omelets, are always happy -- but for me, it's the Benedicts that keep me coming back again and again. Pros: Superb, innovative cuisine for every meal, funky interior, sidewalk seating Cons: Interior be too warm in summer, and too cold in winter more

Always a wait, slow service, and the food is either amazing or really bad it seems, its never consistent. Pretty expensive, but overall it has a lot of menu choices. Pros: Great Art Cons: Slow Service, No Parking more

A couple of friends were excited to take us to Julians and we were looking forward to a wonderful evening. Unfortunately, when we got to Julians we were suprised about the temperature. The temp. outside was 32 degrees and the temp. inside wasn't much warmer. When we asked the waitress why it was so cold she said that the hood above the stoves pull all the heat out of the restaurant. Our food took about 45 minutes to arrive and it was excellent, however we sat with our down coats, gloves and scarves on- freezing and waiting for our meals. My suggestion is to either dress really warm or don't go to Julians from November to April. more

You know a place is pretty cool where there's Star Wars figurines in the bathroom. I went here for brunch on a Sunday morning and wasn't disappointed. My omelet was large and delicious, my coffee refilled quickly and I had a chance to enjoy the weather outside. I was lucky to come early enough to avoid the line that was starting to build up. Great time overall. Pros: Food, something different more

I had the pleasure of trying Julian's on a weekend trip to Rhode Island. It was wonderful. The food came in good portions and was wonderfully prepared. Sampling the rest of the party's meals as well, there wasn't a single thing I didn't enjoy. It was fantastic. It was fabulous. It was fantabulous. Pros: Excellent food, Nice, open kitchen, Attentive staff Cons: Strange boot mugs., Small beers more

Artsy kind of restaurant in Federal Hill. Plates of food reflect the atmosphere. Portions are right size, not too big, not too small. Have some great combinations of food as well. Pros: Funky, Different foods, Not crowded more