Johnston's Saltbox — Restaurant in San Carlos

Wanted to love this place so badly, but had a HORRIBLE experience with the owner, Sean Johnston himself. I never leave bad reviews (this is my first 1-star) but the way Sean treated us was awful! After we were seated and received our food staff wrote down the time we were to depart (12:15) which was 30min after we received our plates. We thought it was odd that it was in bright red letters but understood that this place gets busy and so made sure that we were done eating at that time. At the time listed on the paper we began readying ourselves for our departure, but clearly we were not moving fast enough because as soon 12:18 hit, Sean came rudely through and stuck himself between me and my friend and reached past our significant others, angrily clearing our table. After he grabbed our stuff he said " done right?" And that was it. The guy didn't even have the social skill/manners needed to say "hello" or "thanks for stopping by" or "great to have you. It's getting busy so if you're done I'll go ahead and clear your table." Nada.

Now for context, no one at our table was loud. No one was rude. No one was drinking or making a scene. There were just 4 of us who wanted to check out our local restaurant. We all ordered our own plates and all tipped. We also were super low maintenance. We didn't bother our server once between when we received our food and when we were rudely ushered out. We hadn't even gone 3 minutes over our time!

It's such a shame that the owner himself is so rude. All of the other staff went out of their way to make sure we had a good experience, so this is not at all a reflection on them.

As for the food, the chicken and french toast are a crowd pleaser here. Everything else we ordered was meh but admittedly, we didn't try much (just four entrees from the menu and 4 non alcoholic beverages). I got the frittata. It looks pretty so I'd give it a 5/5 for presentation, but unfortunately the taste does not match its looks. No one at the table liked it. So would avoid it.

If you don't interact with the owner you may actually enjoy this place. Has a lot of outdoor space and seems friendly for dogs and children. Was thinking of leaving it a 4 star review but after my interaction with the owner, I'm steering clear of this place.

Kindness and respect are important

Johnston's saltbox, looks like you're my first 1-star review :-/ the long wait for this place was so not worth it....

Appearances are deceiving: a killer restaurant with a unassuming outside appearance but opens up to a truly special experience with an abundant indoor and outdoor backyard space. This is absolutely worth the trip to San Carlos to try this tucked away gem of a restaurant near downtown San Carlos. What’s truly special about this place is that it feels like a luxury experience but is surrounded by homes in a peaceful little neighborhood.

This restaurant has a high quality rotating selection of breakfast and lunch styled American dishes with a limited selection of craft cocktails to pair with. What really benefits this restaurant is its vibe. The food was great, but on a warm summer or spring day - this place is unbeatable.

The restaurant is hidden within in a beautiful San Carlos neighborhood within steps of downtown. The restaurant looks small from the outside, but once you walk in it opens up to a sprawling backyard with plenty of covered tables and dining space. We felt right at home.

The food was excellent here. Everything tasted like it was carefully prepared by hand and the flavor was indicative of of restaurant manager who cares about the quality of their food. The menu is seasonal, so I’ll avoid recommending certain dishes. However, we tried 4 separate plates and each was impressive.

Highly recommended as one of the best places to eat...

I have lived and worked in San Carlos for over 30 years and in all the restaurants in San Carlos - I can confirm this is where you will still be discriminated against in 2024.

My wife and I came here last night to enjoy the warm evening and waited over an hour (estimated 20-25 minutes) while watching 5 tables seated before us. These tables which varied from 2-6 people were obviously friends of the owner and without a doubt, immediately favored over us.

Though we don’t know the owners personally, we are great friends with various staff members and so we enjoy coming here, either alone or with our group of friends. We do not order lightly and of course tip generously, but because we don’t know the owner personally, we got left on the back burner for an 1.15 hours. The first 2 times we spoke up about wait we were “confirmed” 10 more minutes each time. The last time we went directly to the owner and he showed NO remorse, blamed the hostess over and over and then asked her to seat us in the inside back corner of the restaurant.

The food is usually great, but the lack of empathy and responsibility on behalf of the owner, makes it an establishment I would never return to. Like I told him upon leaving, there are many other places that are just as delicious where we can...