Came here last night for an early dinner after a play- I made last minute reservations but didn't need them. There were no chicken options on the menu. Menu seemed limited and expensive. Service was fine, Piano Player Cliff was amazing. My meal Gnocchi with shrimp in a garlic cream sauce was excellent. My partner ordered veal scallopini and he felt the marina sauce had a weird sour spicy taste and regretted ordering it. We enjoyed our simple side salads and i thought those were fairly priced. Expansive wine selection. read more

Johnny's Downtown - Home-Made Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Walked here from the Jack to get a cocktail and listen to piano music in the bar. The speakeasy vibe was really nice. The bartender was very friendly and helpful! I had two old fashions and they were really good. The orange was a wedge versus a peal and rub on the rim of the glass, but it was still tasty. The piano music was very good and he even played happy birthday for us to sing you our friend that we were celebrating ! I was really surprised there weren't more people for a Saturday evening at 8-9 pm. In any case, we had a blast! read more

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Private downstairs cellar room dinner. My Italian feast pasta was ok. The mussels were stunningly fishy and had a distinctive like... fecal taste. It was bad. They might've been rancid. The linguine and scallops in the mix were okay. Everyone's veal chops and steak au poivre looked good. The bread was soft. The stuffed calamari was pretty tasty and unique with each large squid body full of veal. The large stuffed banana peppers were similar and flavorful. The peppercorn lamb appetizer was delicious with the cherry garnish. read more

So, I gotta say, I went in with the prejudice of wanting to really love this place because of the background story and the location. It has that "downtown vibe" that we all hope will catch fire in every corner of the city. The ambiance and location is really exceptional. You're walking distance to every downtown Cleveland amenity. The history of this great proud city is palpable. Now, that said, I have to agree with other reviewers, or some, that the food was good, but average and hardly worth the premium price. The service wasn't exceptional, but I'll also say it wasn't poor either. I did enjoy very much the French Onion Gratin soup as an appetizer. It was everything you expect. Loaded with onions in a broth seasoned and cooked and baked perfectly. The bread was still toasty on the top but seemed to "melt" underneath with a nice topping of bubling cheese. So delicious! I highly recommend! I had the veal picatta for my main course. It was alright. Veal picatta is a rather simple dish to prepare, and I make it occasionally at home. Very hard to screw up. They did a very credible job. The veal could be a bit, just a bit more tender. The sauce was good, very good, but not exceptional. Not sure if I would order it again. The lemon butter was good. Nothing like a good lemon butter with veal. The breading was light and "good" I'll say this, they make an excellent gin martini!!! Worth visiting for sure. The service I received was on par with what you'd expect from a good restaurant. read more

Your new favorite bar! The best of the best Piano playing in Ohio! If you're coming for a night out, especially on the weekends. You want to stop in even for a drink and a song! Mike is the pianist who is incredibly engaging, talented and gives this place a permanent star on the downtown walk in Cleveland. Their food is always yummy. I highly recommend the stuffed peppers (though they taste even yummier with 18yr Macallan! The parking can be tricky but luckily they offer Valet. The host and wait staff are attentive and quick on their feet. read more

Johnny's Downtown - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Service was horrendous. Our server spent the whole time talking to one table, ignoring our party of 6. He would have earned a large tip if he even filled water or stopped by just to see how we were doing, or even offered a dessert menu. I absolutely love french onion soup, quite the disappointment here. To top it off, 3 of us ordered the Italian feast. Scallops were very tiny bay scallops, shrimp not cleaned correctly. Needless to say, we won't be back. read more

Seriously disappointing. I used to come here all the time with my family growing up, and it always felt like such a special treat. My boyfriend and I decided to come on a Friday night, and there was only one other couple in the entire restaurant. Unfortunately, the food was terrible. I ordered the angel hair and meatballs, and the pasta was chopped into tiny pieces and undercooked. My boyfriend ordered the pasta puttanaise, and neither of us could even enjoy it. The ambiance was also completely off. The dining room had the radio playing ads the entire time, while another room had live music that honestly took away from the experience rather than adding to it. Overall, the whole night was really disappointing, especially compared to how great this place used to be. Sadly, we won't be coming back. read more

Joni's Downtown is without a doubt a must visit when in Cleveland. The service is engaging, friendly and knowledgeable. She helped us with both food and wine selections. We started with muscles. Very good choice. We then shared the mushroom salad which is reminiscent of a salad I used to get in various cities in restaurants owned by a Seattle based company. The blend of walnuts with mixed greens cheese and roasted mushrooms is incredible. I had the steak with mushrooms. Perfectly prepared and flavorful. We finished off the evening with carrot cake. Plenty to share. The feel of the restaurant takes you back to a traditional steakhouse. We love our experience. read more

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The best time and best piano man! A great stop for a quick or long stay. Looking forward to seeing if the food is like past experiences. read more

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Personally, I probably won't dine here again. Nothing remarkable other than a nice ambience, veal meatballs, and the piano guy in the bar area. I was so looking forward to this being a special night out but It fell short in so many ways throughout the evening. But, it was what it was and we still enjoyed the company and environment. I had a booking here for months to celebrate my partners birthday. It came highly recommended and and It was just ok. Not exceptional, and everyone there just went through the motions. Upon walking in we waited forever as no one was at the hostess/host stand and speaking of Birthdays, most places will toss in a gratis desert for the birthday person if you order dinner, etc. Not here, they give you two candles and charge you for the desert. Not a big deal but I remember these things and it leaves an impression. For an appetizer we order the Soft Shell Crab Sautéed and finished with Meuniere Butter ($18.95). The Meuniere Butter is like a curry. It was by far the most disgusting dish I have tried to eat in years. It was a miss and would recommend you go with the veal stuffed peppers. Our server wasn't too concerned about my disdain of the the dish but it was worth a shot to try it. It could have been the best thing ever, it just wasn't. My partner ordered the Veal Scallopini & Shrimp sautéed with Marinara Sauce served over Linguini ($36.95). He said the linguini tasted like it came from a box rather than home made but the dish was good. I hade the Angel Hair Pasta with Marinara Sauce & Veal Meatballs ($31.95). It was definitely home made and like the marinara and veal meatballs a lot. The Carmel Apple Cheesecake ($12.95) was for dessert and it was the best (next to the veal meatballs). For beverages we ordered a Benziger Cabernet ($38), a bottle of Ferrarelle Mineral Water ($10) and a bottle of Evan still water ($10). Tap water would have been fine over the Evan but wasn't a big deal. Overall, service was friendly and personable, but so slow and it wasn't that busy. We had a good time, the main dishes were ok, veal meatballs were perfect. It's worth a try they just missed the mark for me. There are so many options in Cleveland, and as a visitor, I think I would just go back to Little Italy. Another pro is it is walking distance to a bunch of downtown hotels. TIP Restrooms - this is fun to find, use door 17 in the foyer, go downstairs, left at the bottom of the stairs (not right), then left in the hall, then right & on the right. read more

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Disgusting,!!!! I will never ever give my business there and I will advise the many surgeons I work for to never to there again!!! I tried to make reservations for my oldest son's graduation with family. I do have an son autistic who only eats certain foods. Asked in 5 days could accomadate was hung up on told could have buttered noodles. Now In 5 days the chef could not make or order chicken fingers? Then the man claiming to be the manager hung up on me twice. I will tell all the surgeons I work for to not be aware of the business they are supporting. You are the worst business I have come across in years. Absolutly horrified that that is the person you have making reservations and anwering your phones. My reach will go far!! read more

Completely underwhelming experience, both the food and service. I had the veal parmigiana. It was not hot, and basically flavorless. Side salad was an extra charge. Service was slow on a Tuesday night. I won't be back. read more

I had heard the legends about Johnny's Downtown -- the "iconic" Cleveland spot where old-school charm supposedly meets fine dining. What I actually got was a three-hour test of patience and indigestion, masquerading as a meal. From the moment we sat down, things started going downhill. The waiter disappeared for 20 minutes before even bringing water -- perhaps he was off trying to find the lemons for the "lemon butter" they later drowned the Potato Crusted Grouper in. When it finally arrived, the fish was soggy, not crisp; the potato crust tasted like wet cardboard seasoned with regret. I've had better texture control microwaving frozen fish sticks. The French Onion Soup, supposedly a house classic, came lukewarm -- like someone had described the concept of "heat" to it once, long ago. The cheese was rubbery enough to double as a bungee cord, and the broth had the complexity of a bouillon cube melted in tap water. My companion's Veal Parmesan was a crime scene. The veal was hammered thinner than a parking ticket, the mozzarella slouched over it like it had given up, and the marinara sauce was somehow both bland and acidic. Even Olive Garden would've called this a bad day. Then came the Homemade Gnocchi -- doughy little stress balls floating in a sauce so heavy it could anchor a freighter. The shrimp were overcooked into chewy pink marbles, the broccoli limp and lifeless, and the Romano cream tasted like curdled ambition. We tried to find redemption in dessert, but the only thing served swiftly was the bill -- a cruel joke, given that we'd waited over 45 minutes between courses. Even the Soup du Jour took so long I started to wonder if they were waiting for the next day to arrive. The atmosphere? Somewhere between "dimly lit nostalgia" and "funeral home with candles." The once-elegant charm feels stale, as though the restaurant's glory days are as distant as their sense of urgency. If Johnny himself still roams this kitchen, I suggest he take a long, hard look at his Filet Mignon ($60.95) and ask: "Why does it taste like despair?" In short: Service: slower than a glacier. Food: uninspired, overcooked, and overpriced. Ambience: dated to the point of parody. Save your evening -- and your digestive tract -- and head literally anywhere else downtown. Johnny's might once have been a Cleveland institution, but now it's just a museum exhibit of mediocrity. read more

Let me just say that I am very disappointed with my experience at this restaurant. I am so disappointed that this experience makes me never want to go out a Valentine's Day again. First, it started with our terrible waitress. When she gave us the menus she let us know that the wine bottle list was at another table. When she came back with waters I asked her if she could tell me how much the bottle of Pinot Noir would be (since she still did not bring the wine list). She told me she did not know and to take the price of the one glass shown on the normal menu and quadruple it. Second, she wanted us to order all the food at once since it was "so busy". We ordered our wine, appetizer, and entree as she requested. She brought the appetizer out before the bottle of wine and ensured us that she will bring the wine. We finished the appetizer. She came back to take our empty plates (still without the wine) and asked if we wanted bread. We said yes & the bottle of wine we ordered. She brought the bread (you guessed it.. no wine). Again, said she would bring it. We ate the bread and still did not have the bottle of wine. When she came to take our empty plates of the bread, she finally brought the bottle of wine. This took 35 minutes. Third, the restaurant has food runners so another worker brought our entrees. We ordered the filet of beef and lobster wrapped in a puff pastry. No knife. We had to wait to eat and asked another waiter for knives because our waitress was no where to be found. Fourth, she gave us the bill, we paid by credit card. She came back after running the card and said "it's so busy I forgot to tell you there is a 4% service charge on credit cards". Fifth, the bathrooms were atrocious. They were located in the basement. Very hard to find. No labeling on where to find it either. For paying $250 for a meal when you have terrible service is ridiculous. When I plan to pay for an expensive meal I at least expect my wine to come out before my food!! Do not waste your money at this place. I will never be back. For reference the waitress was a middle aged woman with black hair and an accent. If you get her, I would request someone else! read more

Classic downtown Cleveland, steakhouse and staple for business meetings, and conventioneers. The menu is a little light on salads... And I was a little disappointed that one of them -- the one I wanted -- wasn't available, but in this day and age that is bound to happen. The veal stuffed banana peppers are one of the specialties of the house... And I recommend them very highly. In fact, I have had just a salad and those as a meal more than once. The main menu is what you would expect from an Italian style steakhouse... Pastas, some fish, and a variety of different types of grilled meat. All of the ones that I have tried have been delicious. For me, the real gem of this place is the bar side, where a gentleman plays the piano and sings... And it evolves into sing-along by the end of the evening. A favorite of mine whenever I visit Cleveland... Which I do often. read more

Very recently, my husband and I had a late anniversary dinner at Johnnys. We've been there a zillion times. I ordered a petite filet and scampi. The filet wasn't medium well as I requested so she brought it back into the kitchen. 5 minutes later it was back, looking browner but It wasn't warm to the touch. Once I cut it I realized they had added a browning sauce to the sauté pan (like Kitchen Bouquet) to try and fool me. The interior was still bright pink. I didn't complain again, per my husband's request, but I was disappointed and annoyed. We buy many gift certificates there and enjoy the location before a game or show. I hope they read this!! read more

They very kindly let us have a table without a reservation even though it was packed. The pianist was awesome, Cliff Habian. The food and drinks were excellent, our waiter was good, but a bit overworked. Love the ambiance, this is a retro/old school restaurant, and we loved it, part of the issue was our waiter was dealing with a large, loud and demanding group near by, once they left, everything was great, not their fault read more

Given how few choices downtown Cleveland has today, this is one of the few ok choices. Very expensive for what you get. I've had several dishes over a couple visits. Fairly average. Cocktails however are very good. Would definitely recommend for cocktails and appetizers. read more

I'll start by saying my wife and my dinner was good, however it did not live up to our expectations or the hype of this restaurant. The other couple we came with had an extremely disappointing experience. The gentleman had ordered the lamb chops and they basically came out looking like overcooked, Kentucky Fried chicken, very thin, very greasy, and not at all edible. He left them on his plate, barely touched, and no attempt was made to compensate. With regard to his wife, she happens to be gluten-free and ask for gluten-free alternatives. How a restaurant in this day and age cannot serve at least one gluten-free pasta dish is a mystery to me. This isn't some bizarre ailment. This isn't new, yet this restaurant does not even offer an option. When she ordered her entrée, the waiter made absolutely no attempt to work around her dietary needs. Maybe suggesting that they pan fry the walleye instead of bread it before bringing it out. Needless to say she didn't have any meal because of the lack of attention of the waiter or the willingness perhaps of the kitchen staff to accommodate somebody with a special dietary need. The overall experience, not great. I doubt we will ever visit this place again. Thank you. read more

Perfect until David Flowers the manager ruined our evening. An extremely price gouged NYE menu and my older children enjoyed the helium balloons that so cheaply decorated the dining room. Will never return. Too bad the piano player and evening itself were beautiful. Management is trash. read more

Food great, service great! New Year's was seriously disappointing! The piano player and his amazing singer were truly epic ! I was so sadden that the drunk idiots from the bar completely took over the evening with their requests. Wtf? Not ok!!!!! Reign those idiots in!!!!!! I will probably never go there again. read more

We recently held a private group of 18 for lunch and everything was picture perfect! From the communication in the days leading up to the service from the moment we arrived. And, not to mention the food which was truly amazing. Dave and his team here are phenomenal and we are already planning our next trip back! read more

Surprised this place has less than a 4 star average. Big birthday night for me, family took me downtown for a little meal. Strap in for a 3 hour meal, the servers slow play the meal which to me is a positive. Most places try to flip tables these days, Johnnie's does not. Great interior ambiance, definitely old school. Interesting spread on the menu, had a little trouble deciding but ended choosing a steak. Nothing special but cooked as I wanted and very filling. This place isn't too far from a 5 but I think the pricing vs quality is slightly off. 366 after tip for 3 people, wine, cocktails, 2 apps and entrees. Not a bad value. read more

20 years ago this place was great! I don't know what happened but it looked dirty and beat up. I never would have known I was eating calamari, it was terrible. The duck was no better and the asparagus was thin and over cooked. No espresso coffee and the tiramisu was soggy. They were out of the bottle of wine I ordered and the service was not up to par. Men's bathroom was disgusting. read more

We have had three visits to Johnny's Downtown in the last 6 months. The best word to describe our experience is inconsistent. At the first visit, the food was good and the server was awful. It was my birthday and rather than bring out something with a candle, the server says " You have a choice, carrot cake or cheese cake. We don't have candles". He brought out the cheese cake and charged me for it. Why didn't he say to order dessert since I was going to pay for it anyway?. The service was slow but the veal Parm was good and a mushroom salad was excellent. Vist #2 went well. Our server was an older experienced individual and the food was excellent. Now comes visit #3, which took place this week. I looked at the menu on line and had decided what I wanted. When I got to the restaurant they didn't have any of the items I wanted to select. I was told that there was a fire in the kitchen a while back and they had a limited menu. Why didn't they tell us when we made the reservation? We were visiting with friends and when we wanted tea and coffee we were told they didn't have any cups and should go next door to Starbucks. Again the food was good but sabitaged by the waitstaff. Very disappointed and deceived. read more

Where's the lobster!!! On August 10 we had a reservation for seven. Most meals were good but there is much to be said about the Filet of Beef and Lobster entree. I asked if it could be prepared sans puffed pastry and sauce (no problem). The beef was overcooked (black) on the sides and where was the lobster? Oh, here ... tiny pieces in a tiny ramikin (no butter). Ridiculous! One reviewer mentioned the delicious fresh bread (we were not served any). Our server was either new or simply didn't care. It took three requests for lemon for our water. Our food took forever to be served. We mentioned that one of the guests was celebrating a birthday. At most upscale restaurants there is a complimentary dessert for that guest but there was simple a "happy birthday" as we left. Not too excited about Johnny's. Danny Smith read more

Reserved special graduation dinner for 9. Was harassed by being 13 minutes late at restaurant and with phone call. Restaurant only had 3 tables occupied. When ordering drinks was informed that both bottles were unavailable then waiter shared another 5 unavailable. Selected a white wine that was available but not chilled. Requested to order appetizers but was told not until drink order was complete so entire table had to wait for wine to chill. One drink was never delivered. Can you imagine that customer was denied appetizers! With a bill of $1000, we were treated this way? While food was good, service was unacceptable. Very arrogant Would never recommend nor return. Final comment, we ordered a final bottle of wine and took 20 minutes to receive. Sent it back as it was no longer needed. Night was over. So disappointed. read more

From the appetizers to the Italian seafood feast., can you say OMG !! So fresh and flavorful. The chef is very talented. I was only in town on a layover and the atmosphere was like old friends and family. karaoke.was so much fun and the room was full of talent. read more

We took some friends to have dinner with us and it was truly mortifying. It was super slow for a weekend-evening which does not really give a great vibe in the first place and then we ordered our food. Our sever was not great and either inexperienced or just did not care. She was not unfriendly to us but inattentive (not bringing the right cutlery for steak for example) and when the friend's filet came out she said "Oh and the cook said the filet is really tough today." Not going back anytime soon for dinner although we do love the bar especially when they have their piano player read more

First we typically love you but this Christmas eve was horrible! There are so many families that plan their night around this. Service at bar was not good, and not friendly. I get it's Christmas eve but plenty would love a tip from a $409 bar tab. Second if you plan an employee dinner the same night then post on your website closing early. We've come 6yrs in a row and have never been kicked out at 8pm. Just awful experience. Do better we do love you. So disappointed this year. read more

Tonight we went went to Johnny's for a holiday dinner. My friend raved about this place so she set up our reservations. While the food was ok we had the Most bizarre experience. Only half of us would get served water at a time. We'd order drinks and get the wrong ones or served 30 minutes later. We received our food at different times. My friend and her husband had food spilled them. The food took forever to arrive and the wrong entrees and salads were delivered twice! Really it became humorous by the end of the night. Someone did complain to the manager, but no one came to the table to apologize for experience. I definitely will not be back at this restaurant. The service and the lack of excellence for what we were paying it's not worth the trip. I have never left a review like this, but felt like I needed to share. At one time this place might have been great. Tonight wasn't! read more

I was really looking forward to this dinner. But it just didn't work out, and I wouldn't add it to my rotation of nicer restaurants. Pros: - Nice outside patio. Very spacious with table cloths and an overhead cover. - The house salad was refreshing. I liked the dressed a lot. Not overbearing but good flavors. - I also appreciated the individual plates of bread. Cons: - Rigatoni pasta with meatballs was nothing to write home about. It was also almost cold. I was a glass of wine deep, so I could live with it. Meatballs were fine, but the pasta disappointed overall. Wouldn't recommend. - "no substitutions" if you don't like risotto (per the wait staff). So that made the short ribs a "no go" for me. I would have paid the price difference for literally any other side option. I mean I get it, it's your restaurant. You can say no, but its going to make me think twice about coming back. Also maybe put "no substitutions" on the menu. - The bachelorette party that turned the piano player into Karaoke night. I wanted a relaxing evening, not to eat at Dive Bar. Overall, I probably won't be back. Parking is normal city Cleveland parking. I recommend taking an Uber. read more

Joined a few coworkers for lunch. They all ordered burgers and I had the Caesar salad with chicken. My coworkers all enjoyed their burgers and they all looked to be a nice size. The salad was good and I liked the consistency of the dressing. I also like the fact that there's a real chicken on the salad and I could taste that it had been grilled Service was a bit slow but a lot of places are under staffed because of the pandemic. read more

Haven't tried the food yet but I ordered a house Cabernet and it's great. the food looks really good but I have not tasted it yet I'm ordering it to go. Love the piano bar atmosphere. Will def be back again. Bartender very personalizable. read more

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Went for lunch with co-workers for a meeting. We went to the basement and it was pretty cool. We sat in the wine cellar and the decor was old but interesting. The wait staff seemed ok nothing special, the food was ok. I had the house salad that seemed a bit limp, with cheese crumbles a few nuts and balsamic. The main course was Veal Marsala and it was very rich, but was OVER loaded with garlic, you could literally see little pieces of garlic in every bit. The beans must of been bathed in butter but the scallop potatoes are on point. Very cheesy and cooked perfectly. I will be back for a regular dinner and update my review based on that experience eventually. Overall it was just "good" read more

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Went for an early dinner over the weekend when the place was empty. Service was slow, spilled plates on us, food was cold or subpar, nothing special for a birthday dinner. Will not go back or recommend. For the price, the service should at least be half way decent read more

There is a creepy guy who hangs out in the lobby and distracts the valet. He try's to intimidate the guests and he leers at the women. He informed me "I'm not your doorman". Which was fine since I wasn't going to tip him. On the other hand the music on Friday and Saturday night is very cool except when a group of drunken women get a large table and change one of the classiest places in Cleveland into karaoke night. They dominated the piano player. They belong at Tomo around the corner. CFL read more

Came for lunch. Small menu but found something we both would enjoy. Cocktails were good. My only criticism is the fried mozzarella was not hot. We enjoyed the warm arugula and seared scallop salad and the veal meatball sandwich. Service was excellent! I would recommend. Very relaxed atmosphere. read more

Johnny's Downtown - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Very nice Italian restaurant. Decent selection of apps, meals and dessert. Maybe because of the Covid they did not have a large selection, but in light of the current situation there was a meal for anyone's tastes. Drink selection was also good. Although the tonic carbonation is not sufficient for the gin & tonic, but that is difficult for places to get right. Piano player was a nice touch. Had a tip jar, so took requests and played them well. Took Covid seriously with partitions in the bar eating area and people wearing masks with hand sanitizer available. Felt safe eating there. Would go again. read more

The food was expensive and the quality was ok. Service was good until a 6 top was seated. At that point we felt forgotten. Manager said they had to sit 6 top and it was what it was. Made us feel less valued than the service. This is supposed to be a higher end restaurant where I would expect excellent service where each guest feels important. NEVER AGAIN read more