Johnny's Downtown

It was my beautiful birthday, my older daughter and a great friend of the family that I aslo consider my daughter too brought me here it, was ours first time at this beautiful restaurant OMG the people super friendly the food I don't care if it was a little pricey but it was worth every penny , also the awesome (guy sorry forgot his name ) but he was absolutely wonderful playing the piano and all the rest of the people participated with the singing ❤️ what out can I said every things was on point nice and glassy and very clean my sweet drink 🍸 can't remember sorry either what ir was but I know the waitress did said ir was the only sweater drink they had it was delicious what a wonderful time I did had, I would recommend very mature people to visit this great place I love it and I will be going back soon... thanks to all the beautiful staff keep the good work 👏, we did have a great time and since this is the month of my birthday I will still be celebrating perhaps stopping by here again...oh yeah the food was excellent and delicious I did have the shrimp pasta I know it did had another fancy name but that is what it was ...thanks again to everyone.. God bless

Great food great people. And the music is fantastic.

My beef and barley soup and grilled filet Caesar salad was the best combo I have ever had.

Our experience at Johnny's Downtown was wonderful. We had our wedding reception in the wine cellar with close family and friends. It was a beautiful room with a lot of character. The customer service was great and the food was even better! Everyone in our party also had high praise of the food, drinks, atmosphere, and staff. I would highly recommend booking your special event at Johnny's!

As the one reviewer mentioned, we loved the old school steak & pasta house vibe. Some people found it dated, but my wife & I loved the look & atmosphere. We loved that there was a piano player! It really adds to the experience. I was attacked by an overweight pigeon in the parking lot, but will not hold that against Johnny’s! Our appetizers were great, & we loved the veal. Very friendly and attentive staff. One minor criticism, the rolls were a little hard. Everything else was excellent. We will be returning for sure.

I am processing my review by saying that I think I’ve only given a five star review twice. Service - Noah is friendly and knowledgeable. He was efficient. He didn’t stop by our table too frequently and was there when we needed him. Almost perfect service Cocktails - Round one - my date had their dirty martini with Tabasco. She loved it. I had their Downtown Manhattan. Very good Round two - My date had another martini. This time there was too much Tabasco. I tasted it and it was definitely too much. Noah took our word for it and replaced it and it was perfect. Apparently they had two bartenders working and the first and second martini were made by different bartenders. I tried their signature old-fashioned. Excellent Bread - I didn’t ask but I think one of them was focaccia. It was very peppery and we loved it. Great flavor and texture. I wonder what kind of butter they serve with the bread? I would like something with butter flavor. It wasn’t bad, just a little bland Salads - traditional Cesar. Excellent Entrees - My date had the house made angel hair. Excellent. I had the gnocchi with shrimp sauce, shrimp, and broccoli. Again excellent I read some of the recent reviews prior to going last night. I think it’s important that if something isn’t right you bring it to the server’s attention so they have an opportunity to make it right. Do we want something corrected or do we want to complain in a review?

Wonderful service, welcoming environment with classy decor. Great food, great wine. From the welcome at the door, to the bread, salad, soup and entrees, we were very happy with our dining experience. Our waitress was outstanding. The filet & lobster pastry was excellent! Very cool place. Loved the live piano player, too.

Matthew was such a great server and made our dinner 10 times better. The food was just as good, best meal I've had in a while. I definitely recommend swinging by here if you get the chance.

Great food and people. Fun time

Outstanding on all fronts. It was so great, we ate here twice on same short trip. Had grouper, gnocchi, short ribs, chocolate decadence. Ambiance off the charts with the wooden old-school bar, live piano. Service by Colin perfect. Will be my first stop on my next visit to Cleveland.

Good food and a nice atmosphere with an excellent wait staff. We started with a trio of appetizers, stuffed calamari, stuffed peppers and muscles in a white wine and butter sauce. I had the potato crusted Grouper with green beans.

A great experience! We loved the bar area, as well, and the gentleman playing the piano!

Atmosphere was nice. Food was ok just ok. James are waiter was a little distant not friendly at all.

Food was great and recommend if you're looking for upscale Italian. They were very accommodating of us as later walk ins and staff was friendly.

This place wasn’t horrible but was disappointing overall. On our first visit, we were promptly turned away and told the kitchen was closed. About a month later, we came back in at around the same time (on a weeknight) and after waiting probably 3-5 minutes just for someone to greet us, were seated without issue, which made the first experience feel strange in hindsight. During our second visit, the service still felt unwelcoming, particularly toward my friend who was treated noticeably differently without any clear reason. Don’t want to assume it has anything to do with race, but whatever it was, it definitely affected our comfort level and overall experience. We were expecting something more upscale, but the atmosphere was very loud with noisy drunks. The bathrooms were quite dirty. The food itself was decent but nothing to go out of the way for. The fried mozzarella was frozen, not fresh, so the cheese inside was cold and hard. They do have some unique entrée options which were the best parts of the meal. This place was recommended to me, but I later found out the recommendation was actually for Johnny’s on Fulton, not this downtown establishment. Unfortunately, this experience just didn’t live up to expectations.

We were very excited to go to this legendary place for homemade pasta and Italian food. They did not have a Bolognese which I thought was very strange. They only had a marinara sauce. I ordered the seafood with homemade pasta and marinara. There was a couple of decent sized shrimp and then a bunch of salad shrimp in there. Two scallops and then some tiny bay scallops. But the worst part was the pasta was so overcooked it was like a big pile of glue. Very disappointing dinner. I could tell that if the pasta was done right it could have been a decent meal. I will say the duck breast appetizer was excellent.

Let me preface the review by saying the food was excellent, as always. From dropping the car off with the valet, to being seated at our table the experience was great. Our waiter, however, was just adequate. He took our orders correctly and was not rude, but this establishment deserves better. He seemed to have an attitude that night and made us feel as if he was doing us a favor when we asked for simple things. When we asked about dessert options or asking to divide the total between two checks, the waiter did not have a pleasant demeanor. Service notwithstanding, everything from the appetizers, to entrees, drinks, and desserts were wonderful. Try the short ribs.

I enjoyed the piano player and that’s really about it. The linguine with clams was not only overpriced, but undercooked and the clams came from a can. There was just nothing special about it. I really did not like the sage that they used in the preparation either. At least the decor is more updated than their other location on Fulton.

TLDR: Great service, but food lacked depth of flavour for the price and a part of my dish was substituted for something else without asking me if I was okay with it. The people at the host stand gave us somewhat odd vibes, but we were able to be seated immediately without a reservation, which was great! Our server was great, very attentive and kind and we were served very quickly. The menu had a good variety of options for appetizers and entrees. What fell short for us was the food and presentation. For a nice restaurant, the actual presentation of the dishes was just okay. Neither of us felt the food was worth the price, as there was a lack of depth to the flavors. In addition, I ordered the braised short rib with risotto and the kitchen replaced the risotto with their house potatoes without asking me if I was alright with the substitution. While I still ate the dish, I would've liked them to inform me before substituting, not as the plate is given to me.

I am italian and just arrived here in Cleveland for work; the starter Jambo Shrimp Cocktail was good with a nice sauce and also the drink was good, I select a prosecco that I feel home for one moment. The problems came with the main course; the veal scaloppine and shrimp with linguine (fish and meat together!) was a mix of something that we totally didnt understand plus parmesan on top (not wirtten on menu, dangerous for allergic people!). My wife took the Italian feast; linguine with mix of fish scampi, shrimp and mussels; the base is good but please dont break the pasta(linguine) is a profane in Italy break the pasta! and the sauce with sagebrush is not good for me in the fish (personal opinion) we usually put in the meat. The service was very good as the atmophere. We are far away from a real italian cousin and we understand there is a big influence of American cousin in theese plates, but sometimes with these good ingredients less you do better it is.

What could of been a very enjoyable dinner became wait to see if we get our drinks and wine! 5 out 6 enjoyed their food The Short Rib failed. Unfortunately our server was having a Off Day? What could of been a enjoyable meal for all us we left Johnnys with big disappointment.

Very cozy place! Stopped in for a cocktail and appetizers and was pleasantly surprised there was no wait on a Saturday evening. I ordered the stuffed banana peppers which were just ok, but the cocktails were the real star of the show! Service was excellent as well.

It was a Monday night and perhaps the A team was somewhere else. Much of the food was reasonably good. However risotto served with braised short ribs was undercooked. Risotto *should* be served al dente. This was crunchy, not al dente. I mentioned it to the waitress who frankly couldn't have cared less. No offer to bring a replacement portion of properly prepared risotto. No problem. I didn't make an issue of it but no one in our party will ever return. At Johnny's prices competently prepared food and professional waitstaff should be a given.

Went here on our anniversary. We had reservations and upon entering the host greeted us and sat us down. Unfortunately it took over 5 minutes. We kept noticing other people come and be attended and not even water we had. My husband went to wonder where and when our server would come. After a female server told us she didn't know what was happening, shortly afterwards our server came. Maybe he was having a bad day, didn't want to be at work or something. I mean he wasn't rude but the lack of being attentive was noticeable. The food was OK. Not the greatest but not awful. I went searching for the bathroom and a "regular" customer was the most enthusiastic and friendly to show me the way. Wouldn't say that this would be my top of the list place to go to for a fine dining or another important dinner date.

Had a 5.00pm reservation. Not a sole in sight when we arrived. 10 minutes to get seated and then sat for another 10 minutes before a very nice and apologetic waitress asked if we had been helped. She was actually very sweet and attentive. The shelves by the booth next to us were caked in dust. We asked to see the manager just to bring it to his attention. He could not have been any less interested and simply said…I guess we’ll need to talk to the cleaning company. No attempt at all to apologize. Food was average at best and after spending almost $200 we felt as if price far exceeded the value, ambiance, food quality, service and cleanliness. Think twice before dining here.

Over seasoned, over cooked, and the server was undertrained. Party of 11, they did not know how to evenly split the check. The server when asked what the beers were only said "We have a selection of cans and bottles" and stood stoically still as if she just listed of everything they had in the cooler. Never again.

I don’t usually write reviews, yet came for Valentine’s Day and it was a very mediocre experience. The hostess and what I presume was the manger there were extremely kind. Yet our waitress had to have been the rudest waitress I’ve met. We had said that we understood because it was packed and busy, yet even with us being patient she grumbled and mumbled to herself the whole time. She was an older women and I’m sure she was tired but it was extremely bad service. We also wanted to buy a bottle but were told it was only by the cup. The food was alright nothing to be excited about. At the end of the night we had wished we went somewhere else.

By the look of the restaurant I had high expectations of a fine dining experience for a working lunch. We experienced quite the opposite. The meatball sub was generic and the bread says toasted Italian bread on the menu but it's just cheap white bread. They call ribeye, Rib Eye... This place is not worth it and the prices are outrageous. Service was okay but we did not get bread when everyone else did. It took forever for the server to come back because he started boxing up everyone's leftovers... One by one ... We won't be back

Not necessarily a review of Johnnys but Johnnys little bar who they apparently share a kitchen with. After seeing the reviews about poor quality food I have to say Johnnys little bar gets their food from the dollar store. I imagine Johnnys may do so as well. The picture is a turkey club I was served

David Flowers was beyond rude. I brought my family to a beyond ridiculous price gouged NYE menu. The Piano player Mike was gorgeous. Wish he had a better place to play.

I can’t believe I forgot to write this review. We had chosen this place to be our rehearsal dinner — 14 people and over $2,000 spent. The restaurant was 1/2 empty. We had the reserved room. It took almost 2 hours to get appetizers. Then another hour for the entrees. No apology. Nothing. When we called to tell the GM a week later after paying the full bill and tipping well, the response was basically a shoulder shrug about how incredibly awful the experience was. You have dozens of choices that are SO MUCH BETTER than this sham. Cook dinner yourself. Toss it in the garbage. Kick yourself in the face. Roll in dirt. And you’ll have a better experience.

I usually do not write reviews, but this experience was so bad, I must make an exception. I had heard the legends about Johnny’s Downtown — the “iconic” Cleveland spot where old-school charm supposedly meets fine dining. What I actually got was a three-hour test of patience and indigestion, masquerading as a meal. From the moment we sat down, things started going downhill. The waiter disappeared for 20 minutes before even bringing water — perhaps he was off trying to find the lemons for the “lemon butter” they later drowned the Potato Crusted Grouper in. When it finally arrived, the fish was soggy, not crisp; the potato crust tasted like wet cardboard seasoned with regret. I’ve had better texture control microwaving frozen fish sticks. The French Onion Soup, supposedly a house classic, came lukewarm — like someone had described the concept of “heat” to it once, long ago. The cheese was rubbery enough to double as a bungee cord, and the broth had the complexity of a bouillon cube melted in tap water. My companion’s Veal Parmesan was a crime scene. The veal was hammered thinner than a parking ticket, the mozzarella slouched over it like it had given up, and the marinara sauce was somehow both bland and acidic. Even Olive Garden would’ve called this a bad day. Then came the Homemade Gnocchi — doughy little stress balls floating in a sauce so heavy it could anchor a freighter. The shrimp were overcooked into chewy pink marbles, the broccoli limp and lifeless, and the Romano cream tasted like curdled ambition. We tried to find redemption in dessert, but the only thing served swiftly was the bill — a cruel joke, given that we’d waited over 45 minutes between courses. Even the Soup du Jour took so long I started to wonder if they were waiting for the next day to arrive. The atmosphere? Somewhere between “dimly lit nostalgia” and “funeral home with candles.” The once-elegant charm feels stale, as though the restaurant’s glory days are as distant as their sense of urgency. If Johnny himself still roams this kitchen, I suggest he take a long, hard look at his Filet Mignon ($60.95) and ask: “Why does it taste like despair?” In short: Service: slower than a glacier. Food: uninspired, overcooked, and overpriced. Ambience: dated to the point of parody. Save your evening — and your digestive tract — and head literally anywhere else downtown. Johnny’s might once have been a Cleveland institution, but now it’s just a museum exhibit of mediocrity.

This restaurant masquerades as "fine dining." Cool atmosphere but the rest not so much. Find out for yourself if you're willing to blow $100.

I’ve had layovers in airports that were more enjoyable — and better fed — than my night at Johnny’s Downtown. Service? If disdain were an art form, this staff would be Renaissance masters. Our server couldn’t have looked less interested if they tried — rolling eyes, muttering one-word replies, and wearing an apron so stained it told its own tragic backstory. Plates were slammed, drinks forgotten, and smiles extinct. The “atmosphere” — dim lighting, sticky tables, and air thick with disappointment — gave the whole place the charm of a retirement-home cafeteria pretending to be romantic. Johnny’s Downtown isn’t a restaurant anymore. It’s a cautionary tale in linen napkins — a museum exhibit titled “When Standards Die.”

Honestly, the portions were too small, and the service far too terrible, for the prices to be what they are. From the start, the service was horrible, and we should have taken that as a sign to leave. We found Johnny’s Downtown online as we were searching for places downtown to go for our first wedding anniversary—we’re from Louisiana, so we relied heavily on reviews to make our decision & reservation. When we arrived, the host stand was in disarray with no clear host, but also neither gentleman present acknowledging our presence for roughly 3-5 minutes, and people behind us were helped and seated before us. Once we were seated, it took a while before we were given menus & longer before we were asked for drinks. When ordering food, it’s necessary to have everything put in at once—not a problem but frustrating—also not a problem but frustrating, is the fact that no substitutions can be made without any indication of that fact on the menu. We were informed of this fact when my husband asked if the linguine on his veal Parmesan could be swapped for angel hair pasta as it was made in-house, and he wanted to try it. Not possible. We waited forever for everything—drinks, water refills, requested bread with our escargot, etc. We are not picky or easily frustrated people, and we don’t mind waiting for food, but waiting for requested items repeatedly with no explanation or apology does not justify the prices charged and the apparent esteem in which this place seems to hold itself. I also understand if a place is short staffed, this was not the case. It seems as if you are only paying for the building in which you sit. If you have a night out in Cleveland, do yourself a favor and pick another spot.

My recent experience at Johnny’s Downtown was incredibly disheartening and offensive. From the moment we walked in, it was clear that we were treated differently because of the color of our skin. As it was our first time visiting, we were excited to enjoy a nice meal, but it quickly became one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. Our initial server was loud, unprofessional, and dismissive. She constantly yelled about how the restaurant didn’t have certain items and seemed irritated by our presence. She even suggested we’d be better off going somewhere else. Feeling uncomfortable, we spoke to the host and requested a change of server. Unfortunately, things only got worse. The second server assigned to our table had visibly dirty sleeves and a complete lack of professionalism. He repeatedly touched our food without gloves or proper hygiene and was exceptionally rude, refusing to say “excuse me” or acknowledge us in a respectful manner. His attitude made the entire experience even more awkward and uncomfortable. The underlying tone of the entire evening was one of blatant disrespect. We felt marginalized and excluded simply because of who we are. I’ve dined at some of the finest establishments, and never in my life have I been treated as poorly as I was here. Despite the appalling service, I still left a tip because I believe in kindness even when it’s not reciprocated. However, I will never return to Johnny’s Downtown, and I’ll be advising all my friends and family to avoid this place as well. Dining out should be a welcoming experience for everyone, and Johnny’s completely failed in providing even the bare minimum of respect and decency. If you value great service and an inclusive environment, look elsewhere. Johnny’s Downtown has lost my trust and my business for good.

I would not recommend. The food was not very good. Very heavy on all the sauces. Portions were very big. My friend had the potato crusted grouper and it was horrible. Very oily crust. I had the linguine with clam sauce and it was not very good. I had to send it back. We had jumbo shrimp cocktail and the shrimp seemed not fresh. Seemed like they were previously frozen shrimp. Add to that the pricing of the dishes, I was extremely disappointed. I will not return or recommend. I hate leaving negative comments but I had to share my disappointment. Service was below average as well. Hopefully they can make changes and do better. Plus the place was empty for a Friday night. Hmmmmm??

Our expectations were high going out for a high end/fine dining birthday dinner but we left devastated and disappointed. We haven’t even talked out it since because for a once a year occasion it feels like a huge mistake. The empty host stand upon arriving unknowingly set the tone for the evening. There was no aspect of the service that justified the price point. It became clear in quick manner that our servers main goal was to turn the table. We planned on having wine with our meal but that menu/discussion was removed quickly. The service would be considered bad at any restaurant. Bread is a small gesture that tells you a lot about attention to detail…we got hunks that were cool, smashed white loaf bread with rock hard butter. The room overall felt uninviting and cold to the point a diner at a different table put their outdoor coat on. The garlic risotto was good. In fact it was the only thing I’d say was good through out the whole evening. I will not return. I’m not even willing to suggest someone else give them a second chance.

4 of us had dinner on Friday, January 23, at 7:45. The restaurant was empty. We were the only ones in the bar. The service was mediocre bordering on bad. The waitress kept pushing us to order our entrees. We just ordered drinks and appetizers. It was getting very annoying. She finally cleared our plates from the appetizers (which were lackluster). "Ready to order your entrees?" No not yet. Can you believe she said she wanted to go home? I guess the tips weren't gonna be that good for her. We ordered our entrees. No finesse or plating skills more like a dinner. The short ribs tasted like they were leftovers and microwaved. My friend's $72.00 veal chop was so tough that he didn't finish it. I ordered the pike dinner the fish tasted like it was frozen burned. The cappuccino coffee maker was broken. The waitress read off the desserts. 2 of the 3 they were out of. Why tell us if you didn't have them. All in all, our bill came to $500.00, including tip. We obviously won't go back. We should have read the latest reviews first. Horrible, overpriced, and small portions. RIP OFF !!!

From the start, the staff acted like we were inconveniencing them by showing up. The woman who greeted us at the door, specially. Our server barely made eye contact, sighed through our questions, and vanished for long stretches. When they did return, their shirt was stained and their apron looked like it hadn’t been washed in days — not exactly the image of “fine dining.” The food matched the attitude. The Baked Escargot was tough and oily, the Caesar Salad limp and sour. My Veal Scallopini & Shrimp was a salty, overcooked mess, and my partner’s Pasta Puttanesca tasted like plain noodles in tomato water. We waited nearly an hour between courses with no apology, no updates — just silence. By the time dessert was offered, we were ready to leave and never look back. Johnny’s might still live off its old reputation, but that’s all it has left. Between the rude staff, dirty uniforms, and forgettable food, it’s a Cleveland classic that’s completely lost its class.