Dear John’s

We tried this place for the first time and loved it! Food was great and the place has a really chill atmosphere. Our favorite items were the NY steak and bread pudding dessert. Zimmy was playing the tunes and he was so fun!

I was in the area and looking for a good burger. I found Dear John on Unilocal and based on the reviews decided to give it a try. I had a cheeseburger which was delicious, but what made it even better was the customer service. I absolutely loved the service. Definitely coming back.

Very nice hole in the wall. One of the best burgers I’ve had in a long while. Definitely going back when I’m in the area.

Came here during lunch. Unfortunately fried items were not available for some reason. Don’t forget to ask for the steak menu! Stuffed portobello mushroom was good albeit very salty. Whitefish ceviche was above average. Steak was alright, chicken sandwich was a little dry. Atmosphere is quiet and relaxing and filled with an older crowd. Is okay for a simple steak restaurant although I would not voluntarily come back.

Cool old school type restaurant. Solid food, good cocktails. We had the New York steak and short ribs. The house salad with house made gorgonzola dressing was awesome! The mashed potatoes were delicious, buttery and chunky. The NY steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and flavorful. The asparagus came with a garlicky butter and were great.
Dinner for 2 with 2 cocktails = $ 70. Easy parking, fast service. Great for a mid-​week, easy night out.

This is the kind of steakhouse Ron Swanson would proudly frequent. Charming, old school atmosphere combined with quality cuisine from a bygone era. This ain’t Mastro’s or CUT, but if you wanna feel like Don Draper enjoying a juicy prime rib to the sounds of a live piano player, you owe it to yourself to pay this place a visit.

Dear John’s is the Dresden meets Lawry’s. A prime rib house that’s been around since the 60’s and lost non of its charm.
Go on a Sunday night with friends, sink into a comfy red booth and listen to the smooth sound of Zimmy ticketing the ivory to top off the weekend. The burger looks great but you’ll have the prime rib.

Dear John,
I’m writing to tell you that I think I’m falling for you.
I know it’s only been one evening, but between your intimately-​lit ambiance, drinks and some of the best fish and chips & steak I’ve ever eaten, I think we may have something.
I must say, I was a bit taken aback by your fully-​booked nature on a Monday, but I understand after having been through the experience with you. And of course, all the holiday parties.
Jimmy Brewster even serenaded us during our meal with some Sinatra favorites. Oh, you know how to really knock a gal off her feet.
Xoxo

One of our favorite hang outs. Great food, affordable stiff drinks (which are hard to find these days), and a great atmosphere. Love the old school, classic vibe in this place. They also have a great brunch on Sat’s and Sun’s…$ 6 endless Mimosas… who can beat that!

The owner Maria and her son had a do over by a TV show and just can’t hold the place together! Has potential but the owners just don’t seem to care about quality food for their customers.
Food is awful!

Drinks here get you drunk. Food here gets you full. Fun and nostalgic like atmosphere.
Goodish service but this place doesn’t demand or need schmancy type service.

Me and my husband were looking to try a new spot for a good meal. We found this place on Unilocal.It was amazing from the time we got in the door until we left. The manager greeted is at the door, everyone checked on us. Food was great and the atmosphere was the best.

Came here on one saturday night. It was rather empty, but that’s probably because we came a little early. We shared a prime rib dinner with a stuffed portabello mushroom appetizer. The mushroom was to die for! The sauce has a nice mellow taste and it’s perfect to dip the complimentary bread in. Yvonne, our server was such a professional and was perfect. She even had our steak served on 2 plates so we can share it without fighting over the perfectly-​cooked steak. We left the music-​filled packed house with happy feelings and a happy stomach.

Had a great time here on a Monday night! Zimmy is awesome on the piano! Great music and atmosphere. He played great music that I haven’t heard in along time :) love it! Definitely Recommend it!

What more can you ask for. If you want the $$$-$$$$ diner, go somewhere else. If you want a good steak and a laid back look at an old school joint, this is the place. Come ready to enjoy the kitsch, complete with a lounge Larry on keys (very good BTW), and have a good time.

Had dinner last night. Arrived to a lovely, clubby spot — it looked exactly how I pictured it. As my friend and I sat, we were immediately approached by the busboy who told us we had to be out by 8:30 because of the second seating… OK, welcome!!! FYI we were two women and I noticed the subsequent tables who were seated were not told the same, couples and groups… hmmm. Suggestion — tell everyone the new seating scenario while they are making their reservations (which we had) to avoid ruining someone’s evening! So, perhaps the food will make up for the unsettling greeting. Nope. My friend was craving lobster so, we both ordered the lobster tails. I had to ask for a steak knife to cut the tail, it was so tough. Yuck! The potato was just cooked. Really? How do you mess up a baked potato? Our server was nice and prompt with our lackluster meal.
The only saving grace of this restaurant is the Frank Sinatra-​like singer, Jimmy, and his guest singer. They were awesome!!! He worked the room, we chatted, and he made us feel at home.
Unfortunately, l don’t think I will be returning.

This was my kind of place. It looks like just another neighborhood bar inside and out, but the food is gourmet level. I wanted to have a meal while visiting LA, and made reservations here because the proximity was perfect for my string of evening plans.
Dear John’s gives you that family owned feel, complete with cooking you would travel to eat again. The food was delicious, as if someone’s mom made it especially for us. The highlight was the bread pudding. It was addicting! I felt like I could eat it forever. You know the food is good when all conversation stops. (Mind you, I hadn’t seen my friend in years). All we talked about after that was the food… just the food.

3.5 stars, but definitely not a 4. Just rounding it up.
It’s a very cozy and interesting place once you get past the questionable exterior. (You know, solid brick walls with an always-​closed front door, absolutely no windows, strange location right next to a smog check place. So uninviting looking that we almost didn’t want to enter.) Anyway, we did and it’s actually quite cozy.
The place must have had a recent face lift cuz it looked fresh, and like I said, cozy. Dimly lit, very few tables, and a bit on the old school side. It seems that most people we saw were regulars.
The menu is small, and based on several reviews, I got the prime rib and hubby got the short ribs. The prime was fine, but not great. The short ribs were better, but not excellent. The bread pudding was very good, but the tiramisu was not. Service was fine, but not great either. Don’t know if we experienced an off night or not.
If anything, I would go back for the live music since there are so few dinner places with live music here now.
The parking lot is small and a little weird, but it is free, so keep that in mind. 3 stars for the food, 4 for the ambiance and music.

Dear John’s is an excellent, old skool steakhouse. Their website claims that Sinatra used to hang out and drink here back in the day. Who knows whether that is actually true, but I could certainly imagine that. This place is of that flavor… an old Rat Pack martini and steak type place. The drinks are excellent, my girl had one of the house drink specials and I had a martini. Both were prepared exceptionally well. I had the prime rib. Extremely tasty hunk of dead cow, perfect medium-​rare. My only complaint is that they did not have any of the chunky, spicy horseradish, only the creamy style. This is not acceptable, given that the prime rib is their house speciality.
Our only primary complaint is that the service was spotty. We sat at the bar, and the bartender was aloof, totally unhelpful, and unfriendly. We had to ask for dinner menus and flag him down when we were ready to order. Perhaps he was having a bad night. But we will be back regardless.

My mom lives right down the street and we go there every Christmas eve for dinner.
This is and OLD school steak house, with an attempt at a new flair uplift, but they still have some work to do.
The bar, is absolutely fantastic. The new look is modern but doesn’t give up any of that old school flair.
The piano bar is much smaller but still as campy as before but entertaining.
Service is good (we had the manager).
So here is the falldown. The food… It really needs updating.
The prime rib, awesome, but loose the fake horseradish sauce and stick to the real stuff (which can be requested with no issue).
The vegetables, come on guys, those are canned… Lose those, go fresh.
Who serves mashed potatoes with an ice cream scoop? They still do… Novelty maybe but reeks «mass production».
Other than that, this place has GREAT potential. The manager is on the ball, and there are small things that can be done to improve the ambiance (like not having the ceiling dome lights shine in your face). The food, can be WAY better, but again, its tradition, and the prime rib is awesome.
Take the same energy you spent with the renovations, and have a meeting with your food staff and you can easily compete with the Mastro’s /​Ruth’s on the prime rib alone.
Well be back.