Great atmosphere, service, and food. Tye steak& eggs with potatoes and chimichurri tasted great. I also tried the creme brulle French toast, wow!!!! Thank you, Cameron for great service. read more

Cute little restraunt with great decor the ambiance of the place was definitely a vibe, fresh cut flowers at each table, decor was pleasing to the eye a very charming little restaurant. Food was ok, service ok, I really think this restaurant could work very well and turn into a gem, just a couple of kinks they need to work out but I would definitely give them a try! I would say probably go during a week day I am not to sure how they would handle a weekend rush the place is pretty small I could imagine it getting pretty loud and hectic in there on a high traffic weekend. Nice to see another breakfast spot in town! read more

Had a delicious short rib Benedict. And had crème brûlée french toast for the table. The fresh whipped cream was delicious. The crispy potatoes served with the Benedict were perfect. read more

Great lively brunch or breakfast atmosphere on the weekend. Food came out super fast and was very high-quality. I would highly recommend this place for any family or friend gathering. read more

What an incredible place , service is top notch food is amazing and the place is adorable , my first time there. 9am Saturday a good crowd but no wait which is nice read more

Johnny’s - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Mateo, California

Good coffee, lots of smiling faces, food came out cold and after an extended wait. 1x coffee, 1 single Belgian waffle, side of ham, and original eggs Benny for 60$ good place to take your worst friend read more

This is my first time going and I think this is now my favorite breakfast place in San Mateo. The Lemon Ricotta pancakes were AMAZING. The inside of the restaurant is well designed and felt like a classic dinner with an elegant high end twist to it. I want to thank Riley for the amazing service. The way she took care of us needs to be acknowledged. Shoutout to her. read more

See all

Excellent. Those lemon pancakes are amazing. The staff / service is excellent too. I wish they had a bigger place!

Super good food here. From the Mac and cheese to any of the smoked meat. Tacos are great, paella is an amazing option as well. Keep up the good work. read more

It's so nice to have Johnny's here in San Mateo, so we don't have to drive to Half Moon Bay. Inside, the decor is beautiful, with its updated 1950's diner look...a black and white checkerboard floor, yellow stool chairs, and teal leather booths. It's beautiful, cheery and the staff is very attentive. I had the Short rib Benny and my husband had the Chilaquiles. Both were very good with generous portion sizes. Since we went on a weekday, it wasn't too crowded and had got to speak with the owner. He's friendly, interesting, and gave our first dining experience at this Johnny's restaurant a personal touch. We'll be back. read more

Love the lemon pancake with blueberry compote ! Will definitely be back to Johnny's to try their other specialties.

Very disappointing experience. I ordered a Caesar Chicken Wrap with onion rings, and instead they brought me fries. On top of that, the food took forever. We waited about 30 minutes just to order, and then another 45 minutes for the food to arrive. When the food finally came, it was wrong, so I had to send it back. My family basically had to eat without me because they were almost done by the time everything was being fixed. In the end, I had to leave without eating. I honestly will not be coming back. Very poor service and an extremely frustrating experience. read more

Johnny's was a great experience. I stopped off for breakfast on my way to HMB and Johnny's did not disappoint. The ambiance was amazing. The sound system was jammin oldies that I bopped to as I perused the menu and awed at the lovely decor. The wallpaper had lemons and hummingbirds and the booths had these cute carved wood bunny toppers(or hare toppers as my kid pointed out). The booth seats were a lovely teal color that matched the server's aprons. Such a nice touch that did not go unnoticed by me. Very whimsical. The check even came in a Peter Rabbit book. I couldn't help but smile. They even had an Insta-worthy back corner with cute framed quotes. It was pretty busy but we didn't have to wait long to order and our food came out quickly. I will definitely be back. Super nice staff and the food was delicious. I ordered the Short Rib Benedict and an espresso. Both delicious! The Benedict could've used just one more splash of hollandaise, but overall very tasty. The potatoes were crispy and satisfying. There are so many other things on the menu to try! read more

Food was very Fresh & delicious! The design of the restaurant is adorable & the staff was super friendly. Definitely will be going back! read more

See all

The food was delicious, wait staff was friendly food came out quick, and it's absolutely adorable! read more

See all

Delicious food. Had the cobb salad and reuben sandwich. Great for breakfast or brunch.

After having many pleasant experiences at the Johnny's in Half Moon Bay, I was excited to eat at the San Mateo location with my family. The four of us arrived and we put our names in and waited about 20 minutes. This was expected as it is a hot new spot downtown and the people want to try it... Once we got seated, we ordered drinks and waited to order our food. The drinks took about 20 minutes to get to us, with which 3/4 arrived. I honestly don't have a big problem with dishes not arriving all at once, but ultimately any restaurant should know it's not polite to provide drinks/food for only a portion of the table. But alas, I will digress to the more pertinent issues: First and foremost, oat milk should not be $2. There is no reason why you should be charging someone $2 for a bit of milk. It is common yes, but no place should charge more than $1 for alt. milk. Their average sized latte was already priced at $6, and let me say for everyone, save your time and get a better cup of coffee somewhere else. Three of us got lattes, and one was decaf, and I'm not kidding that sh*t came out WHITE. Not even a hint of espresso anywhere nearby. Another one of us decided to get the apple juice--$6 for a tiny Martinelli's bottle, which would normally cost you less than $3. But hey, at least they gave us a cute straw for it! Our waiter then came back to get our food order, and this wait was about 30-40 minutes to receive our food. Two orders of eggs benny, one stack of pancakes, and a fried egg sandwich. Almost everything came out well, except for the fact that one order of eggs Benedict had hard boiled eggs instead of a runny poach. Our waiter never came to check on the food to see how it was, so we waited to flag him down ourselves and told him we wanted it sent back. At first, he took the whole plate back to remake, which you SHOULD do, but then he came back with the plate and put it down for them, telling them he would just be bringing new eggs... So here's the problem. Take it all back and make it new. You seriously expect them to sit there with the toast and ham getting cold while they wait for new eggs? But the best part is, he completely forgot about the eggs for about 15 minutes. We saw plates on plates of eggs Benedict's being handed out to other tables, and so once again we had to flag him down. And still, he realized his mistake, didn't apologize, and simply walked away...is this the customer service we should expect now? Waiting patiently for overpriced drinks and food only to be given drinks and food made poorly, and you can't even apologize? Oh, but then he came back with the new eggs, no hollandaise sauce on the eggs, and he thought it would be appropriate to not remake the rest of the plate? So we can just put the hot new eggs on the plate of food that had been sitting there for 30 minutes at that point? No. So I decide to tell him, there's no hollandaise and the rest of the food is cold. He once again doesn't apologize, simply says "okay", and walks away. At this point, we decided to talk to the manager. Once he's around, we get him to come over to talk to us. Keep in mind, me and my entire family have worked in customer service. Two of us having spent years in food service. We're not the type to call this sort of stuff out unless necessary, and this was absolutely ridiculous. The manager proceeds to ask us what happened, to which we all explain everything. The lack of apologies, lack of attention, and complete lack of understanding on how to take care of your customer. While the manager apologized at first, he began to provide excuses that were not even relevant. He said the waiter's first language was not English...and so what? He spoke completely fine English, and if the manager assumes language is the problem, how can you expect him to take care of your customers? But the issue wasn't language, and frankly I found it insulting that the manager even mentioned it. The issue was lack of accountability and accommodation. The manager continued to say he could give us something on the house, but no one at this point was interested in waiting around any longer. A good manager does not provide excuses for poor service. A good manager apologizes, takes accountability for themself and their staff, end of story. They didn't charge us for the eggs Benedict and also took off one of our drinks, but this truly was not enough for the kind of buffoonery they seem to be excelling at. Maybe instead of focusing on gentrified diner aesthetics, your focus should be on training ALL of your employees on how to improve their people skills. read more

Johnnie's is a great addition to downtown San Mateo. Beautiful decor and ambiance. Has an upscale diner vibe. We tried the Short Rib Eggs Benedict and Old Town Scramble and both dishes were delicious and flavorful. We will definitely return and try lunch next time. read more

Johnny’s - Short Rib Eggs Benedict and Old Town Scramble - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Mateo, California

Food was very good, every order made fresh. Staff was ok. Ambiance was super cute. Overall food was good 8/10. If I was look for a brunch spot I would go back read more

The vibe is just so cool from the moment you walk in. The wait was a bit long on a Sunday at noon - San Mateo loves a new restaurant, but it was worth the wait. The service was warm and welcoming. Two of us got smash burgers which they liked well enough and the fries were good. One of us got the tuna melt, which we all tasted and LOVED. It was a cut above a normal tuna melt, made from fresh tuna confit - fresh tuna steaks, not the canned stuff. But let me tell you about MY dish, the Tweety Bird, It was brunch perfection. The excellent crispy potatoes, the smoky shiitake mushrooms (a delightful surprise), the perfectly poached eggs, the avocado, well-dressed greens, thinly sliced radishes, all on a base of quinoa. I felt virtuous, satisfied, and pampered. I'm not even a vegetarian or needing to eat gluten-free, but for those of you who are, you're in luck -someone put a lot of thought into this dish! We also shared the lemon ricotta pancakes. They were good, but would have been better with more fruit IMHO. We especially loved the mascarpone whipped cream. read more

Johnny’s - Tweety bird - YUM!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Mateo, California

See all

Ricotta pancakes were good. It needed more compote. Eggs Benedict had almost hard boiled eggs on it. It was Sunday we were hungry. I would have sent them back otherwise. Servers were overwhelmed. Alex did a good job for all she was doing. read more

Fresh and delicious food. service was fantastic. Really enjoyable. Rectro cafe feel

The wait for two on a busy Saturday morning wasn't bad. It only took about 20 minutes. I had the chorizo scramble and he had the French omelette with a pancake on the side. Everything was delicious. The crispy red potatoes were a perfect side! The service was quick and friendly and the diner vibe was happy and fun. We will definitely go back. read more

Met a friend here for breakfast and was informed that they had been open for a month as of today. Although located just on the edge of downtown, the area is quiet and street parking is pretty easy to find. I enjoyed the Junior breakfast with Johnny's potatoes, a tasty alternative to hashbrowns. We arrived just as they opened and were the first patrons of the day and found the staff smiling, friendly and attentive. My friend especially enjoyed the decor, music and the hot coffee. A suggestion IMHO: heat up the coffee mugs prior to pouring the first cup as the cold mug cools down the coffee almost immediately. It's another great breakfast spot to starting your day in downtown San Mateo. read more

I'm a sucker for an old fashioned diner, the kinda place where, as she's slopping down a mug of coffee, the server calls me "honey." This is quite "old-fashioned" nor the honey bit. But it's bright, cheerful, vibrant and the menu is an upscaled version of classics, e.g. tuna melt. I had it and the sandwich itself was fantastic with fresh dill. The fries, I had them substitute "regular" fries for those awful shoestrings, which should be illegal. Their version of "regular" is much thinner than I thought they'd be thick cut. The biscuits, they assured me, are how the chef cooks them--but to me the tops are burned. Is it just a me problem?Maybe. Others seemed to be eating them without complaints. I've uploaded a photo--you be the judge. The lemon ricotta pancakes are awesome, if you like your pancakes to be a tad sweet. I was hoping they'd be more custardy and moist, which they're not. Their blistered potatoes are fantastic, crunchy on the outside and savory with just the perfect amount of salt. There are no reservations. We cooled our heels for 45 minutes outside and thankfully, there are benches outside. Once inside, we waited another 30 minutes for our food. They were slammed on a Saturday late morning/early afternoon. They're ironing the kinks and I'm sure they'll hit a home run soon. The customer service was overall very sweet and friendly, they're willing to make a lot of accommodations, e.g. food substitutions, which I love. Prices and portions are right. read more

See all

The decor, the breakfast, so tasty and great service! Will be back!! 8-2 daily. San Mateo yes!

it had good reviews. The food was delicious. I had the brisket eggs, Benedict and potatoes. The coffee was delicious. The service was great and I love the atmosphere of the diner from the 50s. Definitely be back.!!! read more

Johnny’s - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Mateo, California

I really hate to leave a negative review because I truly like the location in Half Moon Bay. Unfortunately, my recent experience was disappointing. I waited over 30 mins to get my order taken & waited over 1 hour and never received the food I ordered, I only ordered pancakes. It wasn't busy when I first arrived, although it did pick up later (and this was on a weekday) But everyone around me did get their food. I eventually just had to leave. Even so, waiting that long was frustrating. I hope this was just an off day, a big waste of time on my day off, but will skip this location and stick to Half Moon Bay. read more

Loved it! Cute place with excellent and friendly service. French toast was delicious! I will go back for sure.

We've been anticipating the opening of this spot for some time, and we finally got to try it. The charming decor is notable, with French cookbooks and volumes of Winnie-the-Pooh in the waiting area. Johnnys is already a popular place, with a fairly constant stream of people dropping in before noon. We had a comfortable booth, courtesy of the owner. Our server was friendly and pleasant, and never made us feel rushed. We enjoyed Salmon Benny, Short Rib Benny, and Bruleed French Toast, with a side of Chicken-Apple Sausage. Fresh squeezed OJ and free refill coffee completed our order. Delicious, and enough left over for another meal. And Winnie-the-Pooh books used to serve the check-- nice touch! We'll probably return for smaller, early breakfast-type occasions. Very great to have this gem within walking distance from home! read more

food service in ambience was amazing. Renee is also very amazing. I've been wanting a place like this in town the nostalgic, beautiful movie music that goes with the place is special. Enjoy a good way to start your day. read more

Had lunch there with 6 ladies from our Bocce team. It was unanimous, the food was delicious and reasonably priced, very clean and the decor fun and cheerful. Service was prompt and courteous. Overall; the ladies gave it 5-stars. read more

We were greeted right away by a very friendly employee. The restaurant is so clean and brightly decorated with checkered floors and yellow accents. The menu is breakfast and lunch. We had the lemon ricotta pancakes and they were delicious! Johnnys is a great addition to downtown San Mateo. I ordered a gift certificate for a friend for a future visit. I wish I had taken pictures to show how beautiful the food is served. Johnnys is very close to the Cal-Train parking lot and across from where Trags Market (closed) used to be. read more

The avocado toast was awesome, and the fried potatoes were incredible. Really need to address the acoustics- we had to pretty much yell across the table to be heard. Awesome food and it would be perfect with some sound engineering. read more

Food is super good especially their ricotta pancake. The service was excellent and the restaurant is in a new beautiful building and nicely decorated. I cant wait to go back. read more

We've been HUGE fans of Johnnys in Half Moon Bay and are thrilled to be able to enjoy the food, service and ambiance in our home town. So excited to have a diner in San Mateo!! read more

Food was very well done. Service was fast and polite. The atmosphere was clean and well put together. We have eaten at the Half Moon Bay location and the high standard are kept. Great to have a new higher end breakfast spot in San Mateo. read more

First time visit for Father's Day brunch. We had a 1 hour wait which was to be expected on a day like Father's Day. They don't take your number down so you have to stay in the area. Wish they could automate this like many places now so we could walk around and come back once our table is almost ready. Probably only downside of this restaurant. As for the food, we had the short ribs Benedict which wasn't dry like many places and the biscuit was tasty and the egg was perfectly poached. Would definitely try another Benedict next time. We also had the lemon pancakes which also had great flavor and was moist, but surprisingly this was the only item we had any leftovers. What was a surprise for everyone was the waffle with a a side of fried chicken. They use chicken thigh which I think is much better than breast. And it was perfectly crisp and moist. Also the waffle itself was seasoned with cinnamon and it was really tasty even without any syrup. Also the restaurant itself is very tastefully decorated. Nice colors and feels very cheerful. Will definitely be coming back again with family and friends. read more

Been here twice so far. Eggs benedict was flavorless and eggs were overdone, though it looked very nice. Mom enjoyed her French toast. Ventilation in the diner is not great. Quite stuffy and hot with kitchen exhaust smell. I get it-it's a small spot. But when we asked a waiter to please turn down the heat which was at 76* as seen on the thermostat he said HE was cold on this 80* day. Being pragmatic, I recommended he put on more clothes and to think of the patrons. Then he had the audacity to run up to us on the way out and ask if it was cooler for us as we saw how he stalled to turn the thermostat down. It was not. He again told us-its cold for me when i stand at the bar under the vent. Strolled down the street to Vincent St Pauls afterwards and mom and I were amazed at the contrast of cool breathable air. Owners, some coaching needs to take place here. Otherwise very cute setup and fancy looking food. Can hopefully consider outdoor seating permits in the future to expand. read more

I have been here twice! The chicken Caesar wrap was delicious, but today I had the fried chicken sandwich and it was the best I've ever had. The ambiance is awesome and our server was very sweet! read more