Johnny’s Place

My co-​workers and I go here every couple weeks for lunch and they have the best food. The grilled chicken salad with fries is my favorite but I also love the Club Sandwich as well as the Turkey and Cheese Hoagie. Johnny is such a nice guy and his wife cooks the best food around. Love this place!

Oh Johnny’s, how have I not reviewed you before! I am sitting here eating some Johnnys for lunch (ordered ahead and took it to go), and I see stars — 5 stars. I was a little hesitant to put that last one on there, just because this isn’t a ‘nice restaurant’, but that is also why you can feed 5 people for $ 40 and all have leftovers. I can personally suggest the teriyaki cheesesteak, tuna melt, reuben, grilled cheese, fries, taco salad, and chicken salad… which is just the long way of saying, you can’t go wrong with the food here. Johnny is a gracious host, and his wife cooks in the back. Which also means, if you come at the wrong time (lunch rush) you can be waiting a long while, and you’ll be warned of this when you sit down. But you can always order ahead, and show up for lunch, and it’ll come right out to you without any wait! The ambiance is sports bar, and the food is top notch and large plates. This is definitely my go-​to place for ‘American Food’, even though they do offer some Fried Rice and Teriyaki noodle dishes which are nice and spicy!
If you’ve always walked by this place, why not walk in. :)

I lived in Oakland for 4 years and possibly the thing I miss most about it is Johnny’s Place. This is quite possibly the best food you’ll find, at a reasonable price, in the city.
The food is so good, it’s one of those places that when you go in, you and your friends talk about the first time you went to such a great place. First of all the plates are huge, if your a true mountain of manliness, such as myself, you’ll be able to finish your meal. Unless your dating a girl who really likes her food, your girl will probably be taking stuff home with her. In addition to quantity is the quality, the food is really indescribably good.
This is the quintessential mom and pop shop, as Johnny and his wife are the only employees. They are really nice people and it’s nice to support such an establishment on principle.
The only bad part is that the hours are crappy, but from a place with literally 2 people, what do you expect?

I walked over here from my office one day for lunch. I’ve seen Johnny’s Place many times driving down Craig Street, but have never thought too much about it. The place is a small, stand-​alone building and looks very much like your local dive bar from the outside. Typically your local Pittsburgh dive is dirty, old, and «has personality», which is really the regulars’ way of saying «I know the bartender and all my drunk friends go there». So, thinking all that, I’ve never thought about going in there. Boy was I missing out!
We walked in and I was immediately proved wrong in many ways. It is clean, not old, well decorated, and really did have personality. The owner/​bartender was a very attentive server (read: refills my beverage regularly without me having to hunt him down) and, from hearing his interactions with other tables, very obviously proud of his food, and his establishment. The walls are completely covered with dedications to Pittsburgh sports — the Steelers, the Penguins, the Pitt Panthers, and lots of photos and autographs. Johnny has obviously welcomed the best of da Burgh’s athletes. If it’s good enough for them… Rather than your neighborhood dive bar, this place resembles more of your neighborhood sports bar.
Now, on to the food. I had the Teriyaki Cheese Steak and it was pretty tasty. I heard Johnny talk about his Teriyaki Buffalo Wings to someone else, and they seemed to like it. I think he does a few dishes with his Teriyaki Sauce. Instead of the typical Japanese teriyaki flavor, this homemade sauce is a little more sweet and sour tasting. It’s good. The menu is not your typical bar food menu. It has the staples, but also twists on «normal» dishes. I’m definitely going back to try different things.
One patron was walking out and said «You can order anything, you can’t go wrong.» I don’t know if he’s Unilocal elite (prob not) but it’s still a bold statement for any diner.
So, definitely try it out if you’re around the neighborhood. I’m not sure how crowded it gets in the evenings or during games, but it’s a great lunch place for sure. I bet a lot of locals love Johnny’s Place. I’m hoping I can get on a first-​name basis with Johnny soon too!