John's of 12th Street — Restaurant in New York

Just went there for my birthday. Inside and outside we are being glared at with negativity by (white customers which is predominantly the people in this restaurant) and looked up and down at with judgement. Im dressed nice enough for the restaurant. That wasn't the problem. We Had to wait outside for my friends who came late to be seated. Understood. Service was okay. The person organizing the tables and reservations was kind. Don the server tried to give me the best suggestions since they "weren't serving pizza" which is what I really wanted. The water which is what I only drink was horrible. I had to request for a line for it to taste drinkable. My group and I were the only other minorities there other than I believe to be a group of middle eastern looking men in suits and business casual attire in the table next to us who we're celebrating a birthday just as myself. We all order our food. We got many servers assigned to our table. It was quite confusing. Two people ask us what we wanted to drink okay.....I was getting a weird vibe at this point. We put in our food. Our food comes back and I tell you. THIS IS NOT WORTH GOING TO AT ALL. Although, the scenery is beautiful. The service is okay but not GOOD OR GREAT. A waiter giving water saw my empty cup assume I was drinking sparkling cuz some at my table were and I had to ask him for water. He went to the back to get a different jug of water then served me. ( maybe cuz the other was empty I'm unsure. But he could've asked. He apologized tho) the FOOD looked good not great but good. BUT IT WAS TASTELESS. I couldn't even eat it, I only took about five bites. I love Italian it is my favorite I am also Vegan. However, the food was Disgusting and disappointing. I'm unsure if our food was even cooked properly or maybe it was just microwaved. My eggplant parmesan tasted microwaved and soggy. My Spaghetti was on the hard side and my garlic was straight garlic on burnt pieces of bread. I had to add salt but that didn't even help. Our bill for 5 people was almost $220 NOT WORTH ANY PENNY. Yet we still paid. And the manager and my fiancé almost got into an argument because he wanted us to tip. My apologies but we don't tip for horrible food or service that wasn't even more than okay. Also the only people who were kind to us and really helped us the most Left early. I don't know what this was all about. The positive things people were saying leaving the place that the food was great gave us hope on finding an amazing spot. Led us to Such a disappointment. I got great photos out of it on the outside...

"John’s Has Jumped the Shark (and Fell Into the Pasta Pot)"

Once upon a time, John’s was an institution. The kind of place you forgave for uneven tables and outdated décor because the food spoke fluent Italian to your soul. The waitstaff -- vintage NY servers. The owner/manager, sharply dressed, moved about the place reminding you that you were somewhere special. Sadly, I would say the new vibe is more like a 50 year old Spaghetti Factory, but that would be insulting Spaghetti Factory. The manager/owner wore vintage I've-just-been-mowing-my-lawn.

The ragu over pappardelle was more sugary than savory. The pappardelle itself? Momma Mia. Overcooked and oversaturated — like it had been soaking in our neighborhood Russian Bathhouse saunas for days.

The pasta in Alfredo sauce was… let’s say, an interpretive dance piece about glue. Thick, pasty, and clumps of something we initially thought might be chicken? Inadvertently added by the kitchen? (Plot twist: it was pasta clumps)

And the service ... a tall young man delivered bread by palming the top of the loaf like Patrick Mahomes in overtime. (It was in a dish that could have easily been served by holding it from beneath). Our entrées were thunked onto the table by the same person with the enthusiasm of a teenager asked to set the table. No polite offer of red pepper flakes or to grate parm or better Parm Reggiano onto your plate (side note: it is a glass shaker of tasteless pizza cheese powder).

Our actual waiter didn't follow-up to ask if the dishes were ok and offer these touches either - he could have saved the day. He was as non-existent as water refills -- something you really need given the amount of salt used.

The staff walked by repeatedly without being considerate enough to check in on their tables as they passed by. To cap it off, the owner and two waiters gave us the ol’ invisibility cloak even as we gently tried to flag them down. Eventually, I got up and served myself water, which at least made me feel part of the family business.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get more tragic: the menu proudly highlighted its pappardelle as “As Seen on Guy Fieri’s Diner Show” — (in bright yellow office highlighter). Reader, if Guy Fieri is your north star for fine pasta, you may want to recalibrate your compass. Burgers, yes! Fried Chicken, sure!

At $26–$39 a dish, we expected food and service worthy of the institution we have been to repeatedly for over 25 years.

NY is filled with amazing Italian eateries. I'm sad to say, John's isn't one of them...

Discovered John’s of 12th Street in one of the gluten free NYC groups that I’m in and added it to my “must visit” because someone mentioned that they have gluten free and vegan cannolis. On my last trip to NYC, we stopped in several locations in Little Italy to ask if they had gluten and dairy free cannolis and while we were able to find gluten free shells, the vegan or dairy free filling proved impossible to find. Thus, you can imagine my surprise/excitement to read that John’s of 12th Street was offering this and had a separate vegan menu as well!

I arrived on a Saturday evening without a reservation and they were kind enough to fit me in because I was by myself (I don’t recommend coming without a reservation; the restaurant was super busy!). The waitstaff was extremely friendly and welcoming and knowledgeable about gluten free and vegan options. I was ready to order the gluten free pasta with marinara when it occurred to me to ask what was in the marinara. Surprisingly, there is butter. I’m dairy free in addition to gluten free, so the server guided me to the vegan option which does not contain butter. The pasta arrived very quickly, and with it a container of Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan which I felt was a very thoughtful touch as I can’t remember the last time I was able to have parmesan with my pasta at a restaurant (also shows how vegan friendly this restaurant is!). The sauce itself was not what I had envisioned with marinara sauce, it was really heavy on the garlic and had green onions in it. It was okay, but I would probably try a different sauce if I went back again.

Then the time came for the gluten free, vegan cannoli. Relatively pricey at ~10/cannoli, it arrived and I immediately was confused. The shell is not what I would expect for a cannoli… it was a pizzelle (a waffle cookie) rolled into the shape of a cannoli shell. The filling was also not what I expected—it wasn’t traditional, but had a mix of spices that were reminiscent of fall and pumpkin pie. It wasn’t my favorite, especially at the price point, but I have to give them major kudos for catering to a gluten free and vegan community and offering an abundance of options, including a dessert option which is so rare to find. If ever back in NYC, I would consider eating here again as it felt like a safe place to eat for someone who is gluten and dairy free...