Johnny’s Lunch

Great Place. Cheap Dogs but very tasty. Quickly ordered 30 dogs for a large group.

Perfect place for lunch. Classic Texas hots. And the best real malt milkshakes anywhere!

As a born and raised Jamestown resident, Johnny’s has always been around. They have modernized their look and made an attempt to franchise which didn’t work out and I heard sort of made the original suffer. Luckily, things seem more back to normal. They are on the opposite side of town from my family, so I don’t get here too often.
To order «correctly» if you want the Texas Hots, you get them «With Everything» which includes mustard, onions, and Texas sauce. I personally prefer the burgers over hot dogs, so I usually stick with that. I will be honest after coming here, I probably favor the flavor of the sauce at another Jamestown hots place, but that doesn’t make Johnny’s bad. I am just glad they are still around. I got a milkshake for the road recently, and it was more like drinking whole milk than a milkshake. Seems like they skimped on the ice cream for the size.
For the Texas Hots places in Jamestown, this has the most plentiful/​nicest seating so it is good to bring out of towners. They have your order ready quickly and have that old time feel with the seating and décor.

Johnny Carson and Johnny Depp own this place together, which is a real shame because you’d think they’d do a better job with it.
The food really didn’t do it for me. The burger was bland, the hot dog was okay… I think because I was stressed out about my car. Prices are even a tiny bit higher than they should be. Add to that the fact that my car broke down in the parking lot and it was an altogether bad memory. They weren’t too happy about me being stuck in the lot for awhile, either. Ah well.
I’ll go back and give it another try one of these days.

I was born and raised in Jamestown, and regrettably my last visit to Johnny’s was like 42 years ago. Having moved away from Jamestown then, I still haven’t found a dog with the sauce I remember from Johnny’s, and I’ve lived in almost every state in the union. I remember stopping at Johnny’s for a bag to go for the long walk up the hill to my gramma’s in the dead of winter, 20 below, stone drunk… but the dogs and sauce made it OK. Back then Johnny’s was under the bridge on main street. If I was on death row, my last meal would be a bag of Johnny’s dogs, extra sauce.

Back in the proper ownership, and the food is what I remember from when I was growing up!
Always have to get 2 – 3 hotdogs with everything on them. Then some fries with Johnny’s sauce on them.
Can’t go wrong here… not at all!

I grew up right down the street from Johnny’s so I was there all the time as a kid. I drive to Jamestown a few times a year to visit and always stop at Johnny’s. There hot dogs are THAT GOOD. I start salivating just thinking about their delicious secret brown sauce. The best hot dog I have ever had, and I’ve been to Ted’s. There is no comparison… I am long overdue to go back to Johnnys, and I will be back soon… absolutely delicious… ohhh and I always get the rice pudding too, quite tasty!

Johnny’s lunch is a gastronomic delight!!! Situated in West Ellicott, near Lake wood, it is an area must stop on any Jamestown restaurant tour. Hot Dogs and Hamburgers with Johnny’s secret sauce is the draw. It’s a fast food restaurant ambiance with pictures on the walls of local historical memories. Try the rice pudding and tell them Norm sent you.

While visiting town for Thanksgiving we decided to stop in to Johnny’s at the recommendation of some friends. Place is a no frills old school burger and hot dog joint. Food a really good and super cheap. I was a fan of the cheeseburger with onions and the special sauce. Loaded fries were great too.

I’ve been going to Johnny’s for years and I’ve never been disappointed. Absolutely the best chili dogs I’ve had anywhere (in the whole northeast part of the country). Very fast and very good. Also locally owned and lots of interesting local history.

Johnny’s Lunch is a 78-​year-​old regional institution whose delicious hot dogs earn every profession of admiration they get. The memory of those mild, tender dogs topped with Johnny’s spicy secret sauce, yellow mustard and chopped raw onion stays with you even longer than the fragrance of the aforementioned ingredients on your clothes (and that’s a long time) ;) My Lakewood, NY-​born wife and I returned with our son this week after a 10-​year hiatus when visiting last week for a family reunion. Her parents moved to South Carolina a long time ago and we just don’t get out that way (far western NY State). We seriously considered a trip from Boston to Jamestown just for Johnny’s more than a few times. They are that good. For the unfamiliar, they are kind of like Texas Wieners; very similar to the venerable Libby’s Lunch or the original, now dearly-​departed, Falls View, both in Paterson, NJ. But Johnny’s are an original creation; from the specially made dogs to the smooth consistency and exotic spice of the sauce. BTW, you can get that sauce on a hamburger, too.
If you live within 100 miles of Johnny’s, treat yourself to a hot dog standard bearer. They must be eaten in threes. Well, that’s not technically a requirement, but they cut you a deal on the already low price of $ 1.20/dog. And get a chocolate malt. The extra $ 0.90 for the malt is worth it.
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6÷30÷2014 On my way back to VA from my 40 year class reunion at Pine Valley Central. Just had to stop at Johnny’s get my Texas Hot fix on my way back. Used to hit Johnny’s every Saturday night either before or after the races at Stateline Speedway. Got the usual of 3 hots and 3 burgers — price has gone up a little in the last 40 years but the taste is just as good. Couldn’t eat all six in on sitting though, had three to take back to VA. Two of my friends would down 9 or 12 hots on some of those late nights. Got some sauce to bring home along with some Sahlen wieners from Tops and will make some of my own the rest of the week. This is a great place, everyone needs to eat here at least once in their life!

Growing up in Southwestern New York, Johnny’s Lunch has always been the place to go to while visiting Jamestown. I have many great memories about eating there with my parents, with our sports teams after a game etc… Hot dogs and burgers, with Johnny’s secret Texas Hot sauce is amazing. Just writing about this place makes me want to take a quick trip down I-​86. Every down and then Johnny’s offers ‘Hot Dog Soup’, which is like a minestrone with hot dogs cut up. Try their in store made rice pudding… excellent! I have to take a few for the road it’s so tasty!

I have only one complaint no Logan berry … Ice shavings are perfect esp when you add a styrofoam cup almost perfect last step would be logan berry … But man everything was very good and very clean

If you are looking for some delishly greasy food, look no further! Eat yummy food for cheap, and smell like it all day! Johnny’s Lunch is a great dive to hit when you are in Lakewood, NY. I actually prefer the hamburgers, but they are famous for their dogs. Shakes are good and so are fries!

I’ve lived in Jamestown all my life, and whenever I’m in Lakewood I always stop at Johnny’s. It’s the BEST restaurant in town and if you find yourself near Jamestown or Lakewood I urge you to stop by and order one with everything. Friendly and super fast service, great hot food. It’s always packed but they’re fast enough that you never have to wait more than 5 minutes. Their milkshakes are the bomb, and the cheese fries with johnny’s sauce aren’t half bad either. Like I said, you’ll be sorry if you don’t take 10 minutes out of your day and stop at Johnny’s lunch

Heard so much about this place. Definitely a must see. They have outstanding food. This is old school hotdogs and hamburgers at its best. I am from and live in Oklahoma and came up to visit mother-​in-​law. My wife was the one that said I had to try. I am glad I did. The service was very friendly. The place was clean and kept up. I will definately come again when I am in the area. Gotta get the 3 for $ 3.25 all the way.

If you’re within a two-​hour drive of Jamestown, NY, a meal at Johnny’s Lunch alone is worth the trip. Let me walk you through my usual, which I dream about most nights:
Chocolate milk shake.
Onion rings.
2 hot dogs with everything: Short beef franks topped with mustard, onions, and Johnny’s signature sauce, the bun soaked through with the delicious, mysterious brown goodness.
1 burger, same as the dogs.
I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. When I first moved to Jamestown, all my friends told me I had to try Johnny’s. It sounded gross. When I finally relented, the dogs looked just as gross as I imagined — these short little things smothered in this weird brown sauce. But I tried them, and I couldn’t believe that such a tasty combination could exist. The sauce is extraordinary. I don’t even know how to describe it – it’s not a meat sauce, it’s not a hot sauce, it’s not chili. It’s brown, and it’s mysterious, and the way it combines with the flavor of the dogs, the onions, and the mustard is heavenly. I could easily gobble down one of these in two bites, and I could just as easily gobble down 10 of these in one sitting.
Here’s the part I don’t get: once you try them, you’re hooked, the way one can get hooked on booze, or cigarettes, or drugs. That’s what everyone told me, and I didn’t believe it, but it was true. If enough time goes by, you start to crave it, and the craving becomes more and more unbearable until you’d crawl through the desert on your hands and knees for days without water just to reach the oasis that is Johnny’s Lunch. I don’t know what they put into the sauce, but it is incredibly addictive. Maybe they do slip something in that requires rehab to get you back to normal. Not that I’m complaining.
One thing is for sure, though — once you try Johnny’s Lunch, assuming you order everything on the dogs, you’ll never be the same again.

Johnny’s is a local institution and the best place ever to get a hot dog. I’ve been a patron of Johnny’s for over half a century, since the days when it was located in downtown Jamestown. Eek! I shudder to think I am that old but my longevity has afforded me the opportunity to indulge in many delightful hot dog dinning experiences over the years; especially at Johnny’s.
It’s the only place I know of where the rolls are fresh steamed, the hot dog tenderized and then served with the most delicious Texas style meat sauce to be found on this planet. Of course they also serve burgers, fries and other things, but the place is still all about hot dogs.
For what it is, a hot dog place, Johnny’s is number one.

I have always been a huge fan, but I stopped today to try the Chicago dog. It was inadequate at best. No neon green relish, no dill pickle, and banana instead of sports peppers. Let down. Stick with the traditional texas hot and fries.