Great food with large servings. Service is top notch too. This is a casual restaurant that won't break the bank.

Outstanding all the way around! Food was delicious and service was excellent! Overall, we were very pleased and will definitely be back!

Met up with some people here as this is one of their favorites. It's just your regular joints to eat. But their Asian wings were actually amazing good. The rest is just eh' food in stomach n go home. read more

I mostly avoid bagels or Italian food once I get 50 miles away from the George Washington Bridge. John's Italian Restaurant is that rare exception that forces me to re-think regional assumptions. The hostesses are friendly and efficient. The waitresses are knowledgeable about the menu and helpful when ordering. The food is quite good. In Jersey, I would call the pizza high-medium quality, but it's the best I've found in the Poconos. The restaurant itself reminds me of some old diners that had been slowly expanded over the years. The layout is a little cluttered, but still manages to work. Kid Friendly Five Stars read more

Stopped in on 3/31/2026 while staying at Lake Henry, great experience! Staff/waitress were all very nice and the restaurant had some great old school vibes. Tried the award winning Spicy Asian Wings and they did not disappoint. Meals were excellent as well (Chicken Cacciatore & Chicken Breast Parmigiana), and could tell they were prepared fresh and with care. Good value and huge portions - plenty of leftovers to go that were still just as good warmed up the next day. Really enjoyed this spot! read more

When I first walked in my nostrils were blessed and the atmosphere was beautiful we were also seated very quickly and our server was very nice. And our drinks were delivered very fast as well as The bread. The bread was amazing and delivered very fast it was seriously some of the best bread I've had. I ordered the penne and cheese pizza the pizza was shared amongst our family I cannot eat two pizza pies by myself. The pizza is absolutely impeccable and the pasta was not as good but still great. read more

John's Italian Restaurant - The penne - Italian Near Me - Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania

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Terrible food and service was so insanely slow for no reason bc it was empty. Sad decor and sad servers. Just ugh

We loved this restaurant, it had great food and quick service! Our server was quick and very helpful! read more

John's Italian Restaurant - Stuffed shells - Italian Near Me - Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania

We had dinner there on May 11, 2025. The drinks were good and the service was good. However, a poor presentation of true Italian food. My husband is Italian and a great cook. I had the Shrimp scampi .It had a pool of broth in the bottom of the bowl. Scampi is not served like this . The shrimp tasted old/ freezer burn. MY husband at stuff eggplant. It It ws cut so thin he could hardly taste it. It as them to go easy on the sauce. TheThey did not listen. Also way too much cheese. The salads were a joke. 2 can olives , a piece of tomato and a slice of cucumber in each. The chief needs to read up on how to prepare true Italian food. We will not go back. BW/CS read more

We were here yet again for the Asian wings!!! We also go mozzarella sticks, the fried shrimp & a pepperoni roll!! The food is always fresh & hot! The staff is friendly. The place is like an old Italian restaurant. We will be back!!! read more

John's Italian Restaurant - Delicious Asian Wings!!! - Italian Near Me - Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania

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There servers were really nice and there food was really good and the ambiance was great

First off when I walked in I smelt a great aroma of garlic. We walked and was seated in a short amount of time. They took our drink order and handed it out promptly. Then our waitress gave out two baskets of bread and was one of the best garlic bread I had ever had (Also has normal bread). It has a great atmosphere, clean, smells good, and is just overall fancy but not too fancy. I ordered pasta with meat sauce and shared 2 pizzas for the whole table (7 people). The pasta with meat sauce was absolutely fantastic as well as the pizza. To sum it all up this is one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been to. read more

Food is always good, service is good and dining is comfortable. Great wings! Pretty much everything I have tried here is good.

So confused about how the spicy Asian wings won awards. They smelled really good but the sauce wasn't good and the chicken was flavorless. Yea so confused about it. read more

John's Italian Restaurant - Strawberry Daquiri - Italian Near Me - Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania

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Went to this restaurant last night for dinner. Yes, the restaurant is outdated, but I have been coming to this area for my whole life, so for newbies it may seem outdated but for life timers it makes it feel like home. For appetizer we tried the spicy Asian wings, which were out of this world! No wonder they have won several awards. Two entrees, spaghetti carbonara and stuffed shells. Both were very flavorful and not to mention, the portions are HUGE! Literally one pound of pasta for dinner! Our child had the kids spaghetti and meatball, and she loved it!! For all of this food the total was $49.61! Not even 50$ for 3 entrees and an appetizer with two drinks!!! You can not get that back in NY! Also the service is amazing! Please remember if you come from Ny or NJ, this is PA. Life is chill and relax here not hustle. Enjoy the service and peacefulness. read more

John's Italian Restaurant - a plate of chicken wings and celery - Italian Near Me - Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania

Went here with family while visiting in town--I no longer live in the area but grew up here. Interior is desperately in need of an update and deep clean, but that aside, our service was great and the restaurant smells great as soon as you walk in. We thought the spicy Asian wings were A+ and our mozzarella sticks were good and homemade. Everyone got traditional Italian pasta entrees. They were also all good but the portions were ridiculously huge and plating on my "Italian Baked Trio" special was very sloppy...the food was swimming in sauce and had a massive slab of melted cheese on top that wasn't appetizing. Like others have said...for the area it's good and it's a reliable pick. But it needs a streamlined menu, better presentation of the food and updated interior to be at the level of some of the traditional Italian places in Scranton. read more

I only ever have ordered pizza but it's one of my new fav pizza places. It's insane to me that not more people on the valley rave about how good the pizza is! read more

John's has one of the best Chicken Parm I've ever had. I would definitely recommend this place and the Chicken Parm.

Absolutely the BEST pizza! We are from the NYC area (husband is Italian) and we are telling all our friends to make a trip to the Poconos just to try John's pizza! read more

We were traveling from Chicago to Cape Cod, MA, and my wife remembered that we had a good meal at John's a few years back, so we decided to try it again! WOW! Was that a great choice! We had drinks... I had a Bombay martini and my wife had a beer that she liked. We had a large calamari appetizer and my wife had a large Caesar Salad. I had penne pasta with a red sauce with broccoli. All of the food and drink was fantastic. I cook a lot, but I have never made a penne pasta with red sauce that was as flavorful as what I got here. The other thing was that the food came out really hot! I loved that, because these days it seems rare that food get to the table so freshly cooked that it's still piping hot when it arrives. Our waitress was delightful, and told us she has been working there about 27 years! This was a phenomenal find. Bill including drinks.... a mere $39 plus tip. On Cape Cod, that meal would be $100.00. What a treat. Plan to stop again next time we drive to visit our Chicago family. I hope the Hamlin locals know what a joy they have in their midst!!! read more

Small place, good food, wait staff great , very helpful, our car died in the parking lot ( battery) when they knew we were stuck we were told to come in to wait for the tow truck, have a coffee..... I recommend giving them a try! read more

First the good news, the staff here is very friendly. But, that's about it. Maybe this was a decent Italian restaurant when the father John was running it, but it definitely isn't anymore. Our dinner salads were school cafeteria worthy, some shredded iceberg with a couple sliced vegies. My wife's penne ala vodka was reasonable, although that's a dish that's pretty hard to get wrong. I ordered the chicken piccata, and what I got was horrifying. The sauce was thin and had no capers (a central ingredient to the dish), and the chicken, rather than being pan-seared like it's supposed to be, was ghost white and rubbery, either boiled or microwaved. No self-respecting Italian would EVER serve this disgrace of a dish to anyone. Very disappointed as we were really looking forward to some authentic Italian food, but not here. Will not be back, ever. read more

The food was delicious and the service was great. I will be going back again. The staff were very professional and responsive to our needs.

The good: Locals rave about this place. My side pasta was cooked perfectly. Their marinara sauce is nice. The meatball was good. The hot bread was good. Our service was great and staff was pleasant. Our neighboring table's pizza looked tasty. Portions are HUGE. The bad: Eggplant Parmesan (my favorite) had an odd flavor. I was guaranteed it was made from scratch by my server before ordering, but there was something off about it. Was it freezer bag taste or maybe an odd ingredient they used? I could not pin point it, but it was not delicious. Odd menu items for an Italian restaurant (soups and American fare). The Ugly: The restaurant. Old decor. It felt dingy inside. When I walked in, the aroma of the food was pleasant, but there was a hint of mildew smell lurking beneath. This place desperately needs an update and a deep cleaning. read more

John's Italian Restaurant - Interesting soup choices for an Italian restaurant (yes, I know what Stracciatella is but egg drop is widely synonymous with Asian cuisine). - Italian Near Me - Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania

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Love their pizza ,antipasto good service selection of beers on tap. Good food for a good price

Wondering when this place will shut down? Where to begin? Visit my grandmother in-law with my wife and sister in-law on 02/03/18, and decided to come here for lunch. Been here a few times before and never really had any serious issues with the Hamlin restaurant. Completely hate the Greentown one, though. Waitress in the dining room this day, a brunette, had a serious attitude. My sister in-law asked if the beef barley had carrots, waitress said yes, so she asked for salad. Salad comes out with carrots, my sister in-law asks for a salad without carrots as she's allergic and this brunette waitress yells just a second and slams the keyboard of the P.O.S. with her fist. Wife ordered unsweetened tea, but received sweet tea, sister in-law received a glass with a hole in it so her drink was draining all over the table, she also ordered a hot open faced roast beef, but received a roast beef club, and I ordered the Four Seasons pizza and fries to share with my wife. Can someone, anyone on this planet explain to me at what point a pizza should be served in a pool of liquid on a plate? My wife and I ate a small piece and threw the food away. We pretty much boxed up the food, tried to forget it on the table, but they wouldn't let us, and got the hell out of there. Service stinks, ceiling tiles have water stains on them from leaking, decor is old and outdated, but older clientele keeps this place running I guess. They probably enjoy frozen and canned foods prepared by the master Chef Mic himself, but not us. I know they will return, but I won't. read more

We went for pizza last night and it was so yummy we went there tonight for dinner! Chicken parmigiana and Seafood mac and cheese!!! Everything is amazing!!!! Service is incredibly friendly and fast!!!! For the sit down, they didn't rush courses which made it so much more enjoyable. Highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves food!!!! read more

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Ok so is the food great? No. Is it good for the area? Yes. It's a great option for the area, and the interior is a blast from the past, it's strange to say but I love it? read more

There was barely Cheese on it and the one with Chicken really sloppy careless without any love

Family owned business that treats and cares for all patrons like they're family. Good food and good service.

We were trying to get dinner from them but we had to leave. The guys in the kitchen weren't wearing masks and the girls running the dining room wouldn't give us the time to even order. After fifteen minutes of standing around like idiots we decided to take our business elsewhere. Do not recommend. read more

80's style Italian american restaurant. Over priced and food is BASIC. Needs seasoning at the very least. Don't waste your money.

This is a hidden gem up here!! Great meal and friendly staff! Very clean and practicing distancing. We will definitely be returning!

I've been coming to this restaurant for 25 years. I can always depend on friendly service and reasonable prices. Nothing fancy but consistently good food. read more

Love everything from the employees to the atmosphere. The food is amazing. They never disappoint.

Used to be my absolute favorite restaurant but over the past year i feel like it's gone down hill. i love the food it's pretty good most of the time but one thing has really set me off. i went to lunch one day and it was particularly slow, me and my friend were sat by the kitchen and bar and watched some very unappetizing things happen and people come out of the kitchen. id just like to believe that this was an off experience or something because i do like this place, just a little off-putting seeing that stuff lol read more

Uninspired unfortunately. We vacation up here and love it, but this restaurant is one of the only choices to eat out. A little competition might help! Just not very good. Typical American Italian food with little inspiration. My Porterhouse was not cooked to temp and barely had a crust. Looked steamed. read more

Last time here was over a year ago. I had pizza and wings then and it was very good. But this time I ordered dinner. A plate of Linguine w/ clam sauce. OK but far from great. Only one whole clam. The complementary salad....iceberg lettuce w/ 2 cherry tomatoes and 2 slices of cucumber. C'mon, what's the big deal with putting in some red onion,celery and better romaine lettuce. So, really the food ain't bad ,it's average, but far from memorable. I'll capitulate and give it two and a half stars. read more

Service was amazing ! I believe her name was jene, but she made sure our needs were met. Food was sooo good I couldn't decide what to get so I got pizza and spaghetti couldn't have made any better choice. Also the smoothies are a must when ordering. I will definitely return when I'm around the area read more

John's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania

We stopped in for lunch and had a very nice meal. Very friendly staff and quick service. I had the Ziti with broccoli and it was tasty. My wife had the cod, and enjoyed it too. If we go through Hamlin again we will stop again. read more