Ottawa Foodies

Hmmm, that's too bad. I did notice a few weeks ago when I was at Fil's that a former waitress from John's is now at Fil's. No idea why the change, though. I'll mention to my wife that John's is hiring - maybe she'll be interested in a shift a week if they'd do that.

John's has had a "Help Wanted!" sign in their window for probably close to two months now, and their operations seems to be incredibly sporadic on weekends: Two weekends ago they weren't open at all, whereas last weekend they were opened and packed.

It leaves me to wonder if there's some sort of scheduling that I am missing because I'm not a regular...anyone?

Had breakfast here last weekend. Was very impressed with the fast service. They had a non-stop stream of patrons so they must get you in and out fast.

They only take cash (which we rarely carry anymore) so had to make a quick dash to the downstairs generic ATM to pay the bill (a bit inconvenient).

As stated in other reviews, it has a nice neighborhood feel to it and friendly servers. Food was pretty good (I like my bacon fatty so I enjoyed that part) and real (not deep fried) homefried potatoes. The only real disappointment was the beans. I thought they were canned. I love beans for breakfast but unfortunately I compare all to my mom's awesome homemade jobbers. Can't be beat.

We will definitely return...

We were regulars here at least twice a month before our kids were born. We ended up getting out of the habit mainly because we went for a long stretch when the boys were just too wild to take anywhere. John's son Tony is a heck of a nice guy as well, and he recognises us even still the odd time we go in, even though it's often months between visits.

My wife told me recently that they stopped serving pizza, which is too bad because they had a good one which we used to get for take-out. Their daily specials are generally extremely good, and have a very home-cooked-meal feel to them. They rotate a few dozen of them so go often - they are all good!

We're from Nova Scotia and this is one of the real gems in town for Fish and Chips as far as we are concerned.

This is a gem of a place... John is a friendly guy and the waitress is an absolute joy. It has a nicer, more cozy feeling interior than most diners. In true neighbourhood diner style, they don't bring you a bill -- you go up the cash register to find out the damage.

We weren't overwhelmed with the quality of our breakfast, but we do want to return and try their famous club sandwich.

I'm in love with this restaurant. It has a really nice "family" feel to it. The food is GREAT - good quality ingredients, classic diner fare - what could be better? The classic club sandwich may just be the best in the city - they use good quality bacon and real roasted turkey (they roast it themselves, good quality tomatoes...YUM! They also have some variations on the club, such as a chicken salad club and a "Johnny Club" which is made with roast beef instead of turkey - really something for everyone.

I love love love that the milkshakes come to the table in the old fashioned metal container. The milkshakes themselves are VERY good - particularly chocolate. It has a nice, slightly malty taste to it that I find very appealing and comforting. Boyfriend is so addicted to chocolate milkshakes that he'll even get one with breakfast.

Breakfast is awesome - nice big portions, good quality food, lots to choose from (see "Bacon and Egg Breakfast below). Omelettes are great - real cheese, not processed!

Service is friendly and very quick. There is only one waitress, but is she ever good at her job - she's always on top of it.

Vegetarian Options: As with most diners, there's not a TON of veg options, but there is a nice selection of meatless omelettes and breakfast sandwiches available. For lunch fare, you're pretty much stuck with egg salad, or grilled cheese variations. Or pizza (never had the pizza, so can't comment).

The best thing on the menu at John's is their three cheese omelet. Actually, it's not on the menu. It appears as a special from time to time. And if you ask Suzie (one of the waitresses) if they have all the ingredients, she'll convince Peter (the chef) to whip one up, even if it's not the special of the day. Yu-um! It's gently melted cheddar, mozza and jack cheese wrapped in a fluffy tortilla of eggs, accompanied by the usual - beans, potatoes and toast. I always preferred it with rye toast, personally.

Wifey had the "Combination," which is identical to the "Gigantic" but without pancakes. Well, not really identical because it seems like they gave her more beans and hash browns to fill the plate. She agreed that Ralph's makes a better breakfast.

We also agreed that if we lived in Westboro (walking distance from John's) instead of where we are now (walking distance from Ralph's), then we'd probably come back for breakfast. Something without streaky bacon though. :-)

Here's my "Gigantic" meal:

Eggs - okay
Toast - okay
Hash browns - good taste but kind of dry
Beans - good but very small portion
Ham - good quality but a bit sweet
Sausage - good
Bacon - awful (so fatty that I had to leave a piece untouched, and I never do that! You can see the piece with lots of white in the photo...)
Pancakes - excellent!

Eggs, toast, bacon, and hash browns (the staples for me) weren't quite as good as my gold standard (Ralph's Diner Ralph and Sons). Pancakes were possibly the best I've had at an Ottawa restaurant.

I LOVE breakfast at John's, best I've found in the city so far! Boyfriend and I wandered into this place one day and have become regulars - it is our fave for breakfast.

Breakfast platters come with hashbrowns AND beans AND thick-sliced toast (gotta love a place that adds the beans!).

Eggs are always cooked perfectly, (not too runny, not too hard for over easy, not too dry, not too wet for scrambled)

Bacon very good quality also cooked perfectly (crisp, but not too overdone).

Hashbrowns are real potatoes chunks, not deep-fried nuggets.

Peameal bacon breakfast platter available - 3 big slices on the platter!

Will post pic ASAP.

John is from Lebanon if I am not mistaken. One thing I am most certainly not mistaken about is that his falafel is extremely yummy!

Wow, it's been a couple of years since I've been here (now live in Toronto) but I loved, LOVED the club sandwich at John's. Real, cooked turkey, fresh tomatoes, mayo mmmmmmmmm. Fries were decent too.