Arriving on a cold winter evening, immediately appreciated the coziness. I loved the seafood pasta - too often the seafood is overcooked. And sometimes the sauce overwhelms the delicate seafood flavors, but this dish got the balance just right. I appreciate that Johns café does something very well and doesn't try to be something it is not - we will be back! read more

Met former neighbors for lunch. If you haven't guessed, this is one of our favorite dining venues. Sorry no pics this time. Menu included 'luncheon specials' as well as their separate menu.. Gretchen , our server , is always wonderful. I chose a grilled calamari over greenswith a slightly sweet balsamic dressing.. perfect fir the dish. My husband had one of his favorites ..old-fashioned fish & chips. A delightful visit at our favorite dining spots in Woodbury, CT. Chef/owner Dennis DeBellis never disappoints.... read more

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This is a cute place. It's pretty small so it can get busy. We checked out the website for reservation options but there was no mention of reservations anywhere so we assumed they don't take them. We show up and the first thing the hostess asks was if we had a reservation. Grrrrr... Anyway she was able to seat us in the bar area which consisted of a few seats at the bar and 3 small tables. We had one of the tables and it was fine. The menu isn't huge but they did have specials and I admit I had a hard time choosing because there were several appealing options. Wine list isn't huge either but enough decent choices. App of tomato and mozzarella on crostini was really good. I had a calamari pasta meal that was also good. Our server was the bartender and she was excellent. Prices were reasonable for what you get. Overall if you're in the area it's a good option and I expect we'll be back! read more

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Excellent service and lunch the food is always delicious . If you are going for lunch get there early place gets full quickly. There is seating out side and the ambiance is cute read more

John's Cafe - Chicken Piccata with scalloped potatoes: express lunch - New American Near Me - Woodbury, Connecticut

Food quality / price (value) rating 10. The atmosphere is upscale Italian. A well designed and decorated dining area with a small bar and a large outdoor seating area that fills up quickly daily so make reservations if you want to be assured of getting a table. This is what fine dining is supposed to be. There is also a large catering area on the second floor. Perfectly prepared and presented dishes, served hot! The spices and flavors are generously dealt from Chef Dennis, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, that knows how food is supposed to taste! Our meal began with two types of fresh baked bread, a sweet tomato dipping sauce and a housemade hummus. Incredible, as most places don't even serve one kind of bread anymore. I had the very well trimmed Grilled Pork Chop with broiled & chopped Brussels Sprouts and Scalloped Potatoes. The chop was large and well trimmed and charred to perfection and incredibly flavorful. Also on the plate I received a well balanced choice of mustard and puree sauces - fantastic! The wife had a special of Bay Scallops (very hard to find) with homemade shell pasta and shrimp fra Diavolo. The pasta was cooked to perfection, the sauce was extremely flavorful, and the food was very hot even as we were packing up our leftovers. Our server was friendly, attentive and fast. We split a Chocolate Souffle that came with hot fudge, a small brownie, a cookie, ice cream and whipped cream. A total surprise as the menu completely undersells this dessert. The dining area is spotlessly clean, and the restrooms were clean and fresh. The restaurant appeared to be wheelchair accessible. I'm going to give this restaurant a rare "rave review"! We can't wait to come back. read more

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Very impressed with the food and service. Very nice atmosphere.The staff we met were friendly and accommodating. Will definitely return.

Nice atmosphere and terrific food. Good location on Rt 6, Main St Woodbury. Decent parking.

Our go-to spot in Woodbury. Food and service is always on point. Always look forward to their specials and outdoor dining. read more

John's Cafe - Dirty martini and mesclun salad. - New American Near Me - Woodbury, Connecticut

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I have always been a fan of John's Cafe. After a fabulous dinner this week it really struck me that one of the reasons there is so much appeal is due to the waitstaff. These are some very experienced professionals, who work to make certain that you enjoy your experience. The staff go out of their way to assure that you enjoying yourself, the meal and your drinks. I never feel rushed, nor do I ever feel that I am waiting too long. While the food is good I really feel that the waitstaff are the star of the show. Thank you. read more

I love this place. I like the atmosphere. I like the food. I like the people. I've been coming here for the past 7 years. My girls grew up coming to John's. This is the kind of place where you come in and they make you the drink that you like without me saying anything (apple martini). Gretchen and the other waitstaff are phenomenal. They are what makes me coming back. The restaurant is smallish but they have a large patio and a upstairs private party area that is also available on busy days. They do have a pretty good menu that changes daily and a pretty extensive drink specials. Also the prefixe is back on certain days which is a real bargain. Now on for the food. I'll list the three items that I love. 1. Pork Chop. It might be the best out there period. I need to have it at least once a month. I've had pork chops all around and even at some of the celebrity chef places. None comes close to John's. 2. Any pasta dish. Dennis makes it fresh. Always cooked perfectly. Can't go wrong. 3. Calamari. Perfectly crispy. We order it all the time. Come try. It might just end up being your favorite spot. read more

Had a birthday party set up on Sunday. Place is so cute and cozy. Great place for a gathering of family! Easy to move around and chat on the first floor. We ordered off a set menu and everything sounded SO good! From apps, to lunch, down to the dessert was delicious. The girls were working so hard catering to a big party. Great place! read more

Again, food is high quality and prepared freshly daily (assuming). Menu doesn't change and special are repetitive. Again, I know this walking in so I'm good with this. Unfortunately it keeps me from going weekly, which I definitely would with a more creative menu. Now for the not so good: obviously a regular bar customer there is constantly on phone (videos, taking phone calls) and volume is loud as is his voice when talking on phone. Bar person/server allow the behavior as if it's a fast food joint. read more

I love this place! Not because it's 5 mins away from me but because the food is amazing and I love the easy going, non-stuffy ambiance. So far I've tried the calamari, chickpea fries, fig & prosciutto pizza, Sunday gravy pasta, steak frites, The Burger, roasted chicken, and chocolate soufflé. All super delicious but this review is for the lunch burger "Italian Stallion Burger". This is in the top 3 best burgers I've ever had. I can't wait to have it again honestly! Also 5 stars for the service. Food is always served fast & attentively. read more

Ambiance and great food. I really love their offerings. And the host is a superb chef

Very solid restaurant with reliable staples and a few stand out dishes. I especially love their pork chop, homemade pasta, and duck. The clientele skews older. The ambience is great for good friends or a day. Take advantage of no corkage fees on Mondays, it's a great excuse to open a finer bottle with people you love. read more

The best restaurant in Woodbury. Nice cozy atmosphere with attentive service and GREAT food. What more to ask? The amazing selection of appetizers are all so wonderful I wanted to order one of each! Truffle fries, calamari, hot Italian peppers with provolone, steamed mussels, chickpea fries, duck pate, etc....the grilled pork chop as well as the steak and fries were both delicious. All portions were very generous. I found nothing here that warrants criticism or complaint and for that this is a 4 1/2 star restaurant! read more

Visited John's Cafe on a Thursday evening, was able to make a reservation fairly easily! To start, we ordered a bottle of Rosé & were delivered Pinot Grigio.. we did not send it back since it was already opened & changed our drink order prior. Our appetizers were interesting - tomato basil pizza was a hit, mussels were a miss. Completely fishy & unable to eat, server graciously took them off the bill & off the table. We had the chickpea fries which were crisp & yummy, aioli was a great pairing. For my entree I had the gnocchi ala vodka, great flavor & texture of pasta - homemade! My sister & mom had the porkchop that was perfect, they ordered double starch & received veggies which was confusing but we took it. The salmon piccata tasted fishy as well. My recommendation to you - go for the pizzas, chickpea fries, pasta or meat entrees, avoid the seafood. read more

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Ordered our Thanksgiving dinner from them. The amount of food was overwhelming. We ordered for 4 but could easily have fed more. The turkey was very flavorful and moist. All the sides were great as well. The food tasted homemade. This could be the start of a new tradition. Their normal restaurant fare is incredible as well. Do not hesitate to eat here. Will definitely return! read more

After living in Woodbury for several years, I finally decided to give John's Cafe a try based upon the wonderfully prepared Website. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. Service was good but my dish was awful. I tried the salmon. The salmon was dry and overcooked. It was served with 4 pieces of asparagus that were 95% chewy stalk. It was complemented with 4 small potato wedges. I can cook so my standards are high but this was an extreme disappointment. There are few restaurants that I will visit regularly and this will certainly not be one that gets my repeat business. read more

This was a great meal. From the attentive service, to very good food, to the ambiance - even with dining in the parking lot the outdoor carpet and cloth napkin table settings, well it just worked Let's start with the wine. Nice choices and standard prices, but not a short pour. A good glass to enjoy pre ordering and through the appetizer. Food, from an excellent red (slightly spicey) red sauce for the mussels and just outstanding tomatoes with a 25 year old balsamic and house made ricotta. We lived it. Potato gnocchi was great with the roasted tomatoes and basil and the swordfish was tender and not over grilled. Lastly a light cheescake ( hint of lemon?) and our friend just enjoyed the profiterols with coffee ice cream...was it homemade? It was rich and tasty ( I may have tasted it..) We are going back..its a long drive but worth it!! read more

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Excellent choice for an impromptu date night! Sat at a high top in the cozy bar and enjoyed the complementary bread and dipping options (hummus and an infused oil- both scrumptious!) for our meals, I had the bucatini with peas, pancetta and a Parmesan cream sauce. It arrived piping hot and was delectable. My husband opted for the hangar steak (cooked rare to his Neanderthal delight). We are planning to return and look forward to trying other options. There were excellent specials offered and also a prix fixe option (soup or salad, choice of one of four entrees, and a dessert for around $33). I highly recommend John's Cafe. read more

John's Cafe - Hangar steak (cooked rare) with truffle flies- he cleaned the plate! - New American Near Me - Woodbury, Connecticut

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Everything was wonderful from the welcoming atmosphere, great service and of course, excellent food!

This was our 2nd visit. The food is okay. I can't recommend it for a relaxing night out because the staff is quite focused on delivering speedy service and turning over the table. My wife and I both recognized it and commented on it before dinner was over. Not pleasant. They seem to get a lot of business tho so if that sort of thing doesn't ruffle you - enjoy. read more

Ordered steak med/rare, more to rare and it came med. The grilled potatoes were black, over grilled and looked like coal. Everyone on the group who ordered the steak had burnt potatoes. The Brule was the only part that was really good. I won't be back. Service person was good as was ambience. read more

Excellent service - nice cocktail menu - I had gemelli pasta in a pistachio lemon sauce - the sauce was tasty but the pasta was a bit too mushy -my husband had bucatini with meat sauce - meh - the Caesar salad was excellent. The prix fixe menu looked interesting and definitely a value read more

Excellent service and great food! We came on a Sunday for a private party, the service was awesome! Everything came out together and the servers did a great job handling 20+ people in the party. A great cocktail menu as well. The Kobe beef burger was excellent! read more

The food was good, and the service was excellent but I felt the price was too high for the type and quality of the dishes that we ordered. The ambiance and decor were nice but I was hoping for more from the food at the price. read more

Had a wonderful lunch here! Friendly and helpful service! Food was amazing! Highly recommend ending your meal with a cappuccino! Restaurant is small so be sure to make reservations in advance. Perfect for date night dinners and small groups! read more

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Stopped in blind as we were just passing through and wanted lunch. My wife ordered the Fish & Chips, I went with a John's Cafe Burger. She also had the New England Clam Chowder to start off. Bread that came to the table was fresh & tasty, as well as the dips ( I preferred the tomato-based one over the white hummus). But my wife's clam chowder was weak & watery, not good. Meals were better, my burger was decent and my wife liked her Fish & Chips. Batter on the fish was good, and the fish itself was not greasy at all. Coleslaw was excellent, slightly sweet-tasting. The best was saved for last, my wife opted for dessert and ordered the Bittersweet Chocolate 'Soufflé' Style Cake with Pistachio Ice Cream. Ice cream was Out-of-this-World delicious, and the 'soufflé' was melt in your mouth awesome. One of the best desserts we've shared in a long time, well worth the 10 bucks. We don't get down in the Woodbury area often, but we'd certainly drop into John's Cafe again if in the area. It's a solid 4 Star Rating, our only complaint was the clam chowder. read more

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I gave it 4 stars because I usually love it, but when you get a beet salad with no beets and only cabbage, it wasn't great. I wish I had ordered a different salad. I couldn't tell if it had any dressing.The waitress did bring me beets. read more

If you're a hungry masochist or just looking to waste your time waiting for utterly meh food, then John's Cafe should be on your short list. I don't know what all the 4 and 5 star reviews are for, maybe the owner has a lot of relatives and friends who are used to terrible service but, last I looked, my cash was as green as all the people's money around me. Yet, the service I was offered had all the speed of a arthritic tortoise on barbiturates. We had a 5:45p reservation and arrived about 5 minutes early. The dining room had 7 patrons and us. I ordered fried calamari and a Caesar salad, my wife ordered mussel marinara and duck pate' for her entree. The apps took over 45 minutes to appear while the other 7 (two tables) got their orders, ate and were getting ready to leave. A table of 3 came in, sat down and got bread and salads in about 10 minutes. Our entrees never even hit the table as we waited for another 45 minutes, they only showed up *after* I asked our "waitress" to pack them up to go. No explanations or apologies, just plopped a bag next to me with a check $77!! What is wrong with these people??? So, as I said, if you don't like your dinner date or are into self abuse and self loathing by all means, hurry down to John's Cafe. Because that's all the hurry you'll experience while you slowly burn and starve while you wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait... DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. read more

We went for my husband's birthday for the first time today. We were greeted and brought a lovely bread basket with a hummus and tomato spread. We ordered the meatballs and fig and prosciutto pizza as appetizers. Both were delicious. For dinner we got the chicken and the salmon. I ordered the salmon medium rare. The chicken was good. Clearly made from scratch and the potatoes and cranberries were a refreshing addition. My salmon on the other hand... (ordered medium rare) was burnt and very well. I never send food back, but this was so bad I felt bad for the server. I'm not sure how they let it out of the kitchen. They remade it and it was perfect. They gave me an additional glass of wine while I waited. Overall a 3 star, they have the potential to be four, but they need to be made re careful about looking at what leaves the kitchen. It's understandable that when it's busy, mistakes are made...but don't serve clearly burnt food. read more

Very nice restaurant . Chef is top notch. Everything that comes out of his kitchen is perfectly cooked and spiced .. great service and cozy atmosphere. Outside dining is nice read more

Loved the food and the staff. Salad was just ok but my husband had the price fix menu and his food was amazing!! You can bring your own wine on Mondays. read more

Food. 5 stars. Service. 3 stars. It was my birthday and my wife took us here for dinner. Monday night but the place was EXTREMELY busy. One waitress for the inside seating. One for the outside. We got a pair of delicious adult beverages. I ordered a classic Captain 'n Coke. My wife ordered a drink special; coconuts strawberry cooler. Both drinks were very good. The bread was served with a corn purée of some sort and marinara. Both were very good. Would be better if the sauce was not and not cold. The bread seemed fresh. We ordered mussels for an appetizer. They were great. And the serving was huge. Very clean. The sauce was delicious. Perfect for soaking up with bread after we finished. For dinner I ordered a special. Linguini in a cream sauce with crab. It was filled with flavor. The pasta was cooked to perfection; slightly al dente. Big serving. My wife ordered their style of eggplant Parmesan. The way they prepare this fish is great. It's not your traditional dish as you'd expect. It was topped with a tomato, cheese in the middle of two eggplant pieces. Served over a bed of marinara sauce. Very good The service was very slow. We were there for an hour and 40 minutes. But the waitress did her best as it was crazy busy and she was basically alone. We will definitely eat here again. read more

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Always great food in a slightly quieter atmosphere. Service is excellent. Convenient location in Woodbury

I love the overall experience at John's Cafe. I started going there last fall and it has become my go to for outstanding food, casual atmosphere, and super friendly staff. The long hots are so good and so spicy! I recommend the Sunday Gravy, grilled pork chop, and any of the salads. Also, Gretchen's Negroni is a great starter. read more

John's Cafe has been one of our 'go to' dining places since Dennis DeBellis took ownership. The food is great, never disappoints . Dennis is very creative and uses social media to promote the business. John's was a lifesaver during the Pandemic! He & his wonderful staff worked very hard to provide a 'take-out' menu ... and holiday take-out meals . We love John'sCafe. read more

John's Cafe - New American Near Me - Woodbury, Connecticut

Always delicious. Servers are sweet. Love seeing same regulars there often especially Friday nights.

My last visit was a year ago, during Woodbury Restaurant Week. I was not very impressed, and John's fell off my radar (Read my prior review for details). Zoom ahead to this year's Woodbury Restaurant Week, and John's was participating. Bestie had never been here, and convinced me to give the venue another try. I'm glad I did. Again, got there early enough where we were the first table. I parked my car in the approved orientation, and went in. Instead of being shoved in the back corner, we were given a table near the windows. Our server, Gretchen, was prompt to take drink orders, and gave us some space while we looked over the menu. Besides the regular lunch menu, they had a prix fixe special menu for Restaurant Week - $17 for three courses. A salad was added to the appetizer choices (yay!) and the soup choices were, while not seasonal, more season neutral (Clam Chowder or White Bean Minestrone). Entrees included the grilled chicken sandwich and crab cakes from last year's specials, and added a Bucatini Bolognese and a gluten-free flatbread with garlic, spinach, and ricotta cheese, drizzled with a 25yr-old balsamic. Bestie and I both picked the pasta, and I selected the salad, while she chose the Minestrone. Yes, we received the bucket of bread, but this time, it was warm. The tomato emulsion and white bean hummus, which were both flavorless last time, had just enough seasoning to compliment the bread instead of overpowering it. When our starters came out, I was impressed by the size. I expected a couple of leaves of lettuce with a sad, lonely cherry tomato drenched in dressing. Instead, a large bowl of greens, with plenty of tomatoes, cucumber, and onion, with just enough of the house balsamic dressing to moisten everything without drowning. Gretchen also brought out a lagniappe for us - a taste of their chickpea fries with a nice, garlicky aioli and a hot pepper chutney (which is about my favorite condiment!) Bestie's soup was in a deep bowl, with a generous drizzle of olive oil on top. The restaurant started filling up fast, and, SURPRISE!, a couple came in about our age. It happened to be one of the principle organizers of WOW and the person who set up Restaurant Week. I'm glad to have seen her there. Anyway, the pasta came out. Large WARM bowls with pasta and steaming sauce. Gretchen brought another bucket o' bread and we dug in. The Bolognese contained a lot of meat and just a hint of bay (I learned how to make Bolognese from my mentor, a 2-star Michelin chef who was very heavy-handed with bay leaves, and this was the first time I've ordered it out in about 20 years). Bestie gave up about half-way through her serving, saving room for dessert, but I perceived and finished everything, grabbing the last of the bread to sop up the sauce from the bowl. It was delicious! It was time for dessert, and the choices were ice cream with a Pizzelle, or a Chocolate Panna Cotta with Hazelnut Praline. As is our usual custom, we ordered one of each to share. Bestie heard the ice cream flavor choices and selected ginger - she wanted something refreshing. We also ordered coffee and an after-dinner drink - their homemade arancello and crancello. As it turned out, they were out of the crancello, but offered a strawberrycello instead. If you only need one reason to go to John's, these liqueurs are it. So, why the difference? I think it's because the owner was in the kitchen, making sure that everything was perfect. I also like to think that he pays attention to the reviews of his restaurant, and when someone points out a problem, he fixes it. My biggest regret was that it took me a year to give John's a second chance. We'll see if the improvements carry through to my next visit, which won't be as long coming. read more

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