Johnny Harris

Went tonight got there at 8:50 first thing hostess told us was that they close at 9:30. We sat down in bar 10 minutes later waitress came over and told us kitchen closes in 15 minutes I told I thought you closed at 9:30 she said the kitchen closes it 15 minutes. So finally we got up and left because they were not interested in my business. Been going there since I was kid probably was my last trip. They should just go ahead and close

Wanted to try this Savannah landmark before it closed. Décor was old and tired and so was the food. Ribs tasted like fish, sauces were past their due date as all I could taste was the vinegar, even the water had an aftertaste. On a positive note the fried asparagus was crisp and tasty. Service was attentive. Need to clean off the lids of the sauces prior to serving very sticky and unappetizing

We came here for the fried chicken and fried green tomatoes.
The moment we were seated, something happened that set the tone for the rest of our dinner. Our server dropped off our menus along with two to-​go boxes and left, and then another customer came over to our table and asked if we had requested the boxes, saying that he had requested boxes and believed that our «scatterbrained» server mistakenly dropped them off at our table.
We placed our orders, explaining that I have a severe allergy to gluten. She said she would check on the fried green tomatoes and that she would make sure to place the toast ordered by my husband on a side platter.
She came back from the kitchen saying that they were very busy and could not accomodate my request to make the fried green tomatoes gluten-​free, despite what I have read in reviews. (I’m not convinced she asked the chef/​kitchen, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt on this one.)
Our food was brought out by a runner, and there was a stack of toast on top of my fried chicken. Our server appeared right behind him. Perhaps seeing my dismayed look, she told him, «No toast!» The runner rolled his eyes and took the stack of toasts away with his bare hand and thrust the platter in my direction. My husband calmly explained to him about my allergy at this point and requesting a new plate of fried chicken, seeing that I was holding back tears. The runner, unapologetic and obviously frustrated, turned and went back to the kitchen with our food.
Before long, our plates were brought back, and I’m really unsure whether they gave me a new plate of fried chicken or just put the old fried chicken on a new plate. For times like these, I have spent the past year or two training my service dog to sniff out gluten for me. Really, she saved the night for me. My husband suggested we let her check the food for me, although she is still in training. She indicated that two of the four pieces of chicken were contaminated, and she indicated this consistently several times.
I had the two pieces that she indicated were safe, and I did not get sick. However, the fried chicken was dry and tasteless. My husband tried the two pieces that our service dog indicated were contaminated with gluten, and he felt like he was biting down on splinters. The ribs he had ordered were fine, he said, but nothing to write home about. I think the best part of dinner was the salad, although the honey mustard was too heavy on the mustard side for my taste.
We came to Johnny Harris based on reviews and on the encouragement from staff at our bed and breakfast. I have Celiac disease and have not had the fried chicken that I love at any restaurant in forever. I have deep-​fried and air-​fried chicken myself at home, but I just wanted some real fried chicken at a restaurant that had great reviews. I was terribly disappointed by this experience. Both the quality of food and service were abysmal. (I forgot to mention my husband’s ribs were cold when brought out the second time; they did not bother checking or reheating that dish. Also, we received a dish of fried asparagus ordered by another table.)
It was just a really horrible experience for us.

Don’t know about dinner, but we had an excellent lunch here! We were surprised at how reasonable the lunch prices were, and I had the best bbq lamb sandwich of my life. My portion was not huge, but plenty for me (mind you I am 110 lbs. so may be small portions for larger persons). Our server was lovely, very helpful, super quick, and even gave us a complimentary treat for it being our first time at the restaurant! So glad we tried JH, and with it being so close to home we will definitely come back.

Disappointed… We ordered the fried chicken. It was crispy and hot but bland, the mac n cheese was bland and cold, sweet potato casserole taste like plain sweet potato with almonds and coconut on top. The waitress had a smiling face but we didn’t see her but twice and it took an hour to get our food. I can’t believe I used a cheat day for this. My mouth feels like I have a cold and I can’t taste anything.

Really cool, old restaurant. We enjoyed the ribs, burgers and brisket. Service was excellent and the staff super friendly and welcoming. The coconut cream pie was outstanding. A real find

We had late lunch here Sunday afternoon. The service was excellent. There was a jazz band in the main dining room, which we avoided. That turned out to be wise as the jazz was loud, bad and came with an outrageous $ 20 cover. This band would have been appropriate free at a hotel brunch.
Once you get past the jazz problem, the restaurant is delicious. I ordered hickory smoked chicken sandwich. It was delicious. My liar of a wife said it was dry; this is false.
She had the pork signature sandwich. It was delicious. She says «don’t bother with the bun.» The cole slaw was perfect on top of the sandwich.
Unfortunately, the sides were an unmitigated fail. The Mac and cheese and red rice were tasteless. I have noticed a savannah trend that restaurants do not have acceptable sides.
Almost forgot to mention the fried green tomatoes with pimiento cheese. First time every tasting the cheese. I’m no expert, but it tasted good on the tomatoes. The tomatoes were perfect.

My family and I took my Dad here for Father’s Day. Been here several times and knew the food was good but the service usually pretty slow. It was 3:00 in the afternoon and not too crowded but it took at least 15 minutes for anyone to come to the table with menus or ask if we’d like water.
The food took 45 minutes and was just ok. I had the fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and broccoli. The others had fried shrimp and shrimp creole and seemed to enjoy.
The server offered 3 desserts but the 2 we asked for, they were out of. We came home and had ice cream.
I’m pretty sure I won’t go back.

I’m not impressed. The décor in the big dining room was interesting and gross/​dirty/​tacky at the same time. Our server was horrible (and we are both restaurant managers, past servers) For as old as she was you think she’d know what to do by now. She didn’t seem to understand any thing we were asking for or telling her. It took quite awhile to even be greeted after sitting down. She handed everything to us over our heads and we had to grab the plates. She just seemed confused by what she was doing.
We got the fried chicken. It was okay. I just prefer crusty chicken and they have a different way of doing theirs. The vegetables all came out cold, but we couldn’t send anything back because our server dropped the food on the table and never came back. We had to beg someone for more wine. Our dinners were way overpriced for food that seemed like it came off a buffet. We are new to the area and have so far been very disappointed in most restaurants we’ve tried so far. And we won’t be back to this one.

Service was good. Food took a very long time to get and the restaurant only had about 10 people total. The food was cold and very overpriced. Will not go back.

We found this restaurant right near Sisters of the New South when we decided we’d rather have a dining room experience for our last night. It was 6 on a Saturday night and we were able to get a booth immediately, in fact there were a lot of tables open in this spacious restaurant. I had the shrimp creole which was great, my husband had the 3-​meat meal and the tender ribs were falling off the bone. They had a nice kids menu and my son had a huge burger. The steak-​cut fries were some of the best I’ve ever had. Impressive tap and bottled beer selection, over 20 from Georgia. Very nice waiter and staff.

This place showed up in all the places we looked for «things to do in Savannah». It seems like a very blue-​hair kind of place. The service was fast and nice. And the ambience of the dining room is something to take in for a second. The food however was not impressive to me. I’ve had a lot better pulled pork in a lot of other places.

Little disappointed. …onion ring on the cowboy burger was all skin. My wife had signature bbq and was good but very dry. Service was extremely slow but pleasant.

One of my favorite barbecue joints in Savannah! I always bring my parents here when they visit me. Great prices, delicious food, and conveniently located. Love the sauce, which you can buy by the bottle! Definitely get the Brunswick Stew!

A Savannah classic restaurant. In it’s day this was THE place to eat and Johnny Harris Still delivers the old Savannah charm with the old enclosed booths with a «call» button for your server in each booth.
Good classic Southern food as well. I always love their chicken pecan salad plate with fresh fruit and a date bread & cream cheese sandwich.

The food was good. But not amazing. The service is what made me like this place. I come from a place known for its BBQ and the BBQ I ordered was well… The pulled pork on the toast was amazing. The bread was very flavorful and the fluffy. I decided to put their BBQ sauce on the meat, and immediately regretted my decision. It tasted awful. Too strong for me. The chicken (half) was mostly good. The white meat was a little dry; however the dark meat was delicious. So, I gave this place a three. There was no one in the restaurant but it took a long time to bring us our food. The restaurant is HUGE and family friendly with a unique theme. Definitely won’t be back for the price and the taste of the food but the roomy, «southern» ambience was nice.

I never went to this place before because I was afraid it was another Carey Hilliards (ew). My family invited me to go on a Sunday, though and I was eager to try it out.
The restaurant definitely feels dated, but it isn’t bad. The menu is full of mouth watering southern food. Of course I had to get fried chicken, I had a side too but I can’t even remember what I got because that chicken was spectacular.
The waitress was super friendly too!

Lunch around 2:30 on a Fri. on our way to Tybee. Husband loved the crab stew. Said it had a little shell which is a good sign. Then he had rib lunch, turnip greens and Brunswick stew. All was good but stew was least favorite item. I had a great salad, delicious smoked chicken (large half of chicken) and delicious mustard bbq sauce. Service was excellent. I think with tip it was between 20 and 25 dollars for the two of us.

I know things are slower down south… but this is ridiculous. Our waitress took ten minutes to visit our table after we first sat down. The food portions are pitifully small. If this place was once great, its glory days are certainly behind it.
They were out of chicken, out of blue moon, out of Sam Adams, and out of Stella. The only thing they appeared to have in stock was contempt for how to run a restaurant.

Johnny Harris was briefly mentioned in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil — since I’m not familiar with Savannah, I figured, «If it’s good enough for a snooty guy like Jim Williams, it’s good enough for me.» So, I made it my first stop when I arrived in town just around lunchtime.
Upon entering you’ll find a bar area over to your right (with plenty of seating, too) and the huge supper club area over to your left. They weren’t busy, so even though I was solo I was offered a booth in the supper club area. This dining room is amazing — you just don’t see things like it anymore. It’s huge, with the booths laid out around the perimeter and lots of table seating in the middle. It’s definitely one of those old school «see and be seen» kind of places.
But, you’re probably more interested in reading about the food than the atmosphere — well, you wont be disappointed if you go with the smoked chicken as I did. It was absolutely amazing. Go! Eat! What are you waiting for?