Jonathan's Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

I’ll admit, Long Island isn’t one of my favorite places in the world. However, I recently found myself venturing out to the Farmingdale area to watch my dad cash in on a LivingSocial deal for flight lessons. A lunch stop was of course a must, and we decided on a place I’d previously been with Hailey and her grandmother, Jonathan’s.

Atmosphere

Jonathan’s is a big place. There is a large, main dining area with tables scattered about and booths lining one wall as well as partially separated areas which are often used for private events. The tables are all covered in white table cloths and, while you can get away wearing jeans and going more casual, it feels as if Jonathan’s tries to class itself up as much as possible.

We arrived at the restaurant for a late lunch (around 2 p.m.). Aside from our group of 7, there were only five other tables in the place, as well as a larger party (I think bridal shower) in one of the partially separated dining areas.

Food

The first piece of food that draws your attention is the bread placed on each table. Who doesn’t love a good bread basket? This one had a bunch of different varieties but the winners were the onion rolls. These were loaded with an incredible amount of onion pieces that coated the entire undersides of the rolls. The result was a heavily oniony flavor.

I was trying to be a little bit healthy this afternoon (after consuming four or five rolls of course) so I opted for a salad. I ordered:

Chicken Savannah Salad: grilled chicken breast with candied pecans, granny smith apples, crisp Applewood bacon and mixed greens, tossed in a country mustard honey dressing

A sliced grilled chicken breast as well as green apples were placed on top of the salad and sprinkled with candied pecans and the dressing. The highlights of the salad were the large amount of grilled chicken (major plus) that was very moist and seasoned to give it a nice flavor, as well as the candied pecans. (I’m convinced you can candy anything and it will be delicious.) Unfortunately, one of the major downsides of the salad were the mixed greens. I know is wasn’t eating a spinach salad but I would have preferred some more color from the lettuce. A great majority of the greens were practically white. Additionally, the green apples weren’t as green as I was hoping and this detracted from their overall flavor. I’m not sure exactly how healthy this salad was with the candied pecans and honey mustard dressing, but it tasted pretty good and did the job filling me up.

Service

The service at Jonathan’s was terrible. Our waiter, Caesar, disappeared for long periods of time and was the opposite of attentive. It took us forever to order our food and drinks. When we received the wine menu to try and order another bottle of wine before our meals came out, Caesar was nowhere to be found. He did return to see if we wanted another bottle, but it was well after everyone had finished eating. Sorry, Caesar but you missed your opportunity. We then had to flag another waiter in order to clear our dishes after our waiter disappeared once again. It turns out, our waiter was also staffing the private party being held in one of the partially separated rooms. This is all good and fine, but when the place is practically empty and a large waitstaff is roaming the floor, someone needs to pick up the slack or specific waiters need to be dedicated to the dining room so they’re not pulling double duty.

Value

Jonathan’s is priced around what I would classify as high-mid range. Entrees were in the low to mid $20s and my salad was in the high teens. The value is there though, with everyone at the table saying how happy they were with the quality and taste of their lunch options.

The Verdict

I’m not going out of my way to visit Jonathan’s. Yes, the food and atmosphere are good, but the service disappointed me and we weren’t happy about that. There are lots of options in the vicinity and next time I’m in the area I will be giving a new...

We went to the restaurant on a Wednesday night and found parking was limited even though they had a large parking lot. I have a handicap card so we found one space. It is a very large place and th4ey had multiple parties going on and it very noisy.

The waitress came over four times before our party had come to ask us to purchase drinks which we wouldn't do as our group usually orders a bottle of wine.

Our group asked for separate checks which seemed to be a problem for the waitress who asked the manager who allowed it but cautioned it wouldn't accommodate it the future. We were a party of six and ordered drinks separately.

I ordered a black Russian on the sweet side (kalua and vodka) and was brought a white Russian which is vodka, Kahlua and cream and I sent it back. I was brought the drink again which was mostly vodka and sent it back for more kalua. The third time was the charm and I enjoyed the drink. I thought that the restaurant should've left the wrong drink on the table for anyone else who would want it as they have to dump it anyway....

I ordered a pork schnitzel (cutlet which had not enough sauce on it but was very good. My wife ordered the pot roast which was very dry (overcooked) and didn't have enough gravy with it.

Another member ordered a steak medium rare but got a medium/well cooked steak but didn't complain or return it.

We ordered from a prix fixed menu so dessert and coffee was included and I got a waffle Sunday with strawberry ice cream. I wanted the chocolate mousse but they only had strawberry! I love strawberry but the idea of it being a mousse is an anathema to me! Our bill came out to be a little over $140.00 for the two of us they asked that the tips be given in cash! they did have a handicapped bathroom and ramp but I used the stairs as the ramp was on the opposite side of the building.

For my wife and self it was the first time we went here and it'll be a while before we all go back because the group felt it was not given the "respect they deserved". The waitress was not rude but not warm and we don't believe in holding back tips for ill prepared food. Her pot roast was competent.....just...

I recently went to Jonathan's for a communion party. I had heard good things about the food and service but I knew there would be a pre fixe menu. Since I have celiac disease, I called ahead to make sure they had something I could eat and to let the chef know one meal would need to be gluten free. They were very nice on the phone and assured me I would have plenty of options to choose from. I was told to just let my server know I was gluten free. When I got there, I pulled my waiter aside to discuss my restrictions and he said I could have any entree except for the pasta. I asked for the salmon and asked for it to be prepared plain, no seasoning just to be safe. When it arrived, it was heavily seasoned and I asked several times if it was definitely gluten free. It looked like everyone else's and I was skeptical. I was assured all of the salmon was prepared without gluten ingredients. I took two bites and got violently ill, forcing me to leave the party early. I then continued to be sick for 4 days after. It's the worst instance of being 'glutened' I've ever experienced. If I hadn't called ahead and then spoken to the waiter, I wouldn't have been so upset. I know they don't specialize in GF food and wasn't expecting much in the first place. I would've been happy with a plain side salad if that's all they could make GF. It was the false sense of security they gave me and the total disregard for my dietary restrictions that really got to me. My daughter examined the salmon after I got sick and it had a light coating of flour on it. They might as well have dusted it with rat poison - that's how sick I got. The rest of the people at my table were less than impressed with the food. The general consensus was it was all just 'meh'. It's not terrible, but it's not good either. Outside of my experience of getting sick, I was pretty underwhelmed with everything. The service and atmosphere were just ok. I would've loved that opportunity to have a proper dinner there. However, armed with the knowledge that the staff is unsympathetic to food allergies and dietary restrictions, I'll be steering clear of Jonathan's. Others with restricted diets should...