Just Johnny's — Restaurant in Cavendish

Myself, the Mrs and our two daughters ate here in July during our vacation. The first sign of trouble was a large man, with a large plate of food, heading back into the building from the patio where we were sitting. He came back out with cash in his hand and was putting it in his wallet as he sat back down with his (I'm assuming) spouse. He hammered down both their beer and they left quickly, he did not seem happy. At this point, we had already ordered and paid, so the dread was real. I had noticed when we arrived the place was messy, and the condiments area was empty of almost all condiments.

When we got our meals, their signature Johnny's burger meal (can't remember it's exact name) a kids burger meal, calamari and a roast beef and au juis meal, the first thing that stood out was the calamari. It looked cheap, typical frozen grocery store stuff. Which was a surprise as it was about $20 for a small order of it. It was rubbery and gross, the teenager didn't know any better but the Mrs and I were unimpressed, frozen junk from Sobeys was better. The 6 year old, who has been a cheeseburger nut since she was about two, took one bite of her burger and declared it "gross". As I was having a burger also, I thought that was odd as mine was decent, seemed like local beef. Instead of using whatever ground beef was on my burger, they used some kind nasty frozen patty, and I cannot stress NASTY enough. Think budget grocery store, ultimate budget brand. Doesn't really look or taste like beef. And this is coming from a kid who has never said no to a cheese burger in her life, so it was kind of a shock. I took a bite, and immediately agreed, nasty. It tasted like ... I don't know what. It made McDonalds seem gourmet. Needless to say, no one ate it.

My burger and fries were decent. Nothing special, definitely not worth $25+ dollars, but not unappetizing, strictly acceptable though, nothing great. The Mrs's Roast Beef and Au Juis sandwich came missing the au juis. When I went back in, the one counter staff was no where to be found. Asked the cook if I could get the au juis, he stared at me blankly and asked "what's that?". When the counter staff returned, I asked her about it, she replied she thought they were "out of that", which I took to mean also not sure what it was.

Long and Short here, i can't really blame the staff. My impression was they were understaffed and definitely not properly trained, either in cooking or customer service. The whole experience screamed scam tourists out of money. The place looks good, but the food was trash, the staff were under trained and seemingly overworked. I'd say lipstick on a pig is a perfect analogy.

If your in / near Cavendish, do yourself a favour and skip this place, was a total waste of money ($110+) for 4 of us to leave highly...

Just had a really great meal at Just Johnny’s.

You know what? P.E.I. is a simple place—and I don’t mean that negatively.

That’s exactly what makes it special. It’s wholesome. It’s sea to table. Farm to table. Honest and real.

We stopped in and ordered a lobster roll and fish and chips for my daughter.

The food was great. The fries were perfect. But what really stood out was Johnny himself.

He came over to our table, took time to share stories about his father, and showed me the old photos on the wall.

We chatted about his place, my story, and everything in between. It was real conversation—the kind people don’t always make time for anymore.

After we chatted he looked over and noticed how patiently my daughter had sat while we talked.

Without saying a word, he got up, looked at her and said, “Come on up, sweetie pie.” Then he made her a beautiful big ice cream on the house.

I thanked him for making her feel special, and he said, “Well, she is special.”

And he meant it.

He saw her, and he acknowledged her for something as small but rare as being a patient little girl. She's only seven.

That’s what makes P.E.I. what it is. It’s not fancy—and they’re not trying to be.

The sign says it all: Just Johnny’s. But it’s good food, and it’s even better people.

Honestly, one of the best experiences I’ve had in Cavendish.

Thanks John. It was truly memorable...

There's a sign in Cavendish that reads "The best food in Cavendish" and on the other side of the road, not far from that sign is just that at "Just Johnny's". We happened there quite by accident because it just looked like a cool little spot and it sure is cool but it's really not so little. Two patios, a lounge, restaurant main area, clean restrooms, the atmosphere is cool and laid back and, if your lucky enough to find Johnny there you'll find the most laid back friendly fella you're ever going to meet. Talked with him at length about his place and it's history on the island and it's roots bringing organized baseball to PEI all the way from Boston by his father, also named Johnny.

Long story short, you will find the best French Fries you've ever tasted here, hand cut and put through an amazing preparation process only Johnny can tell properly but it makes for the tastiest fries I've ever had, even better than mc d's proclaimed by kids frequently. The seafood is fresh the fish is lightly battered and cooked perfectly. The staff are friendly and the service is quick.

The character of this place emanates from the character of the man himself. He's an awesome dude and really fun to talk to, do yourself a favour and stop in!I've added a selfie photo of us with him. We're going to make it a regular stop on our annual day trip to the Island.

Highly...