As you drive along Route 202 north of Baltimore Pike, there’s a mysterious new restaurant just opened back away from the road. J Marie’s Speakeasy and SupperClub is reminiscent of the prohibition era’s private clubs, from a time when Route 202 was a country drive past farmsteads and woods. We recently pulled in and checked it out.
J Marie’s Speakeasy and SupperClub sits in the building which used to host Antonio’s Italian Restaurant. About a year ago, Marie Cantatore and her partner Jon Rusakova, turned the space into Olive Branch II, hoping to extend their popular downtown West Chester eatery Olive Branch. 
Now, they’ve changed themes and created a destination restaurant with live entertainment and fine food and drink.
As we entered the restaurant, a pianist softly played the standards on a baby grand piano. The walls are painted red and thick curtains give a clandestine ambiance to the space, as if you are in a true speakeasy during the prohibition era.
But what is really spectacular is the food. Marie knows how to cook.
Once seated, we were brought an assortment of cheeses with crackers and campanada while we looked over the extensive menu.
To start, I ordered the Clams Casino, which are purportedly made using Marie’s secret family recipe. My date tried the Tomato Bruschetta, which was fresh and accented with basil on crisp slices of roll.
For the main course, I enjoyed the succulent Shrimp LeJon. Huge pieces of shrimp wrapped with bacon and stuffed with a combination of Parmesan cheese and horseradish sauce
gave this dish the perfect kick. As a side dish, I ordered the Lobster Mac n’ Cheese. Large chunks of lobster balanced the creamy cheese very nicely, making this a classic dish.
As we ate the piano player ran through a repertoire of classic songs, including “What a Wonderful World.” The piano was a great accompaniment to the meal, and we enjoyed naming the songs as he played through a medley.
My date raved about the Stuffed Pork Tenderloins. For a side dish, she tried the Creamed Corn which was spectacularly fresh, with the corn still being crisp in the creamy sauce.
For dessert, we tried Marie’s famous Red Velvet Cake, which Marie makes with a special white chocolate chipotle icing. This dessert, which is served often at Olive Branch, has won the WC Dish dessert competition in the past. The key lime cheesecake was also particularly creamy.
J Marie’s features a piano player on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
After supper, Marie gave us a tour and discussed her plans for other spaces. She is putting the finishing touches on a private room with a table that seats 12 to 14 people. This space will be nice for families or companies that would like to hold special events. Marie is also planning to book farmhouse type meals in this space. In the fall, she plans to open a speakeasy in the basement, a large relaxing getaway space which will have couches and a fireplace in addition to a full bar.
One of the most popular attractions at J Marie’s has been a Frank Sinatra impersonator, who croons in the main restaurant on select Saturday nights. He performs this Saturday, July 9th and also July 23rd. Call (610) 455-0115 for times and reservations.
We had a great meal at JMarie’s on Friday night. The food was exceptional, service attentive and a great atmosphere. We’ll be back!
After reading reviews here, I decided to give J Marie’s Speakeasy and Supper Club a shot! Not disappointed! Loved the ambience and want to go back when the piano player is there. My companions and I decided to order apps and sides; we were in that sort of mood. Our apps arrived to our table in a timely manner and staggered in such a way that we could enjoy one and move to the next. We enjoyed the Tequila Shrimp, Clams Casino and Seared Tuna. All featured a fresh taste and a pleasing presentation. Then came our sides: Jack Daniels Sweet Potato Mash (YUM), Sauteed Mushrooms (simple, yet elegantly tasty), Baked Asparagus (perfectly tender), Truffle Parmesan Fries (excellent combiation and perfectly fried) and the Lobster Man & Cheese (not overly salty like I have had other places — nice balance of lobster to cheese to noodles).
Our waiter was attentive and fun! Our drinks were well executed and the desserts were heavenly (Strawberry Shortcake and Almond Joy Cheesecake). I recommend this establishment unreservedly.
This place is THE WORST, start to finish.
My husband and I ate at JMarie’s last night for our anniversary. We are always afraid to try a new place for the first time on such a special occasion but we were so happy we did. The place looks beautiful and it really sets you back in time. The photos on the walls from the 1920′s are fabulous. Everyone was so attentive and the food was fabulous. I had the shrimp lejon and a HUGE baked potato. My husband had the lobster ravioli and baked asparagus and he cleaned his plate. The delicious pumpkin pie was homemade
We will be back. Looking forward to going to a Johnny Cash or Frank Sinatra night. Thanks for a great night everyone.
I agree it is the worst experience from start to finish…..walked out without eating the meal that we sent back because it was still frozen. The rest room had no towels to dry hands and the toilet paper was on the floor, table clothes still had food from previous diners and empty tables were not bussed.
Would love to try the restaurant with some friends. Are they any current promotions or coupons available since the restaurant is fairly new.
Thank you.
Visited the bar area of this place last night, so I can’t comment on the food. We were at the bar for approximately 3-1/2 hours and not once did the bartender come over and ask us if we needed a drink or wanted more. We always had to call him over or track him down – not sure what he was busy doing because it wasn’t that crowded in the restaurant or bar. The prices are normal for the area ($4 domestic bottle beer, $8-9 mixed) for drinks, but I’d rather go over to the Blue Pear and pay a couple dollars more to get great service and a welcoming staff. One other thing – can they put more lights in the bathroom? It was so dark, I’m wondering what they were hiding.