Johnny D's Market & Bistro — Restaurant in Vero Beach

This was the review I gave from six years ago - A hidden gem! Great Italian food. The risotto is what I always get! I've tried many dishes on the menu and it's all good! My kids enjoy their gelato, especially the salter caramel.

This is my updated review from this week - Our recent visit to Johnny D's mirrored the disappointing experiences shared by other reviewers. To start, the wait for our food was excessively long; after enduring 1 hour and 10 minutes without a meal, frustration and hunger set in - Our waiter told at least three time that our food was being plated but alas, no food materialized.

Astonishingly, when we inquired about the delay, the manager casually mentioned that wait times typically ranged from 1.5 to 2 hours. However, our dismay grew when we noticed a table of 2, seated after us, finish their dinner, enjoy dessert, pay, and leave, all while we remained foodless at our table of 5. This stark contrast in service left us baffled and dissatisfied, especially considering we had ordered simple salads and pasta dishes on a Monday evening at 5:20 PM.

Adding insult to injury, the staff's behavior was shockingly dismissive and rude. Instead of addressing our valid concerns, the manager attempted to discredit our experience, insinuating that we were exaggerating and lying about the wait time. This dismissive attitude only exacerbated our frustration.

The combination of long wait times and disrespectful treatment made for an utterly unpleasant dining outing. So we simply left the restaurant. If you value your time and expect even basic courtesy from the staff, I strongly recommend avoiding this restaurant altogether.

While I'm a staunch advocate for supporting local businesses and have been a long time customer of Johnny D's and enjoy their food, it's disheartening that they dont' reciprocate the support for its...

Thursday night, 2 ppl, 2nd table seated after 5PM opening. Waited 10 minutes before our server Alec appeared, that was no problem. No appetizers were ordered, just 2 entrees. Took 50 minutes to receive the pri fixe Penne Bolognese and the Shrimp Scampi. We watched others around us eating and completing their meals before ours was delivered. During this time my husband had to get up 2x to walk around. The small dining chairs are hard as rock, soooo uncomfortable, no padding. When our food was finally delivered we unhappily asked our server Alec if the kitchen forgot us, he said no, we asked why it took so long for 2 simple meals to be served, he said he is at the mercy of the kitchen when it comes to the order that the food comes out...hmm, really? We wondered if our order was sent to the kitchen within a few minutes of being taken or did something happen to delay the order and put others ahead of us? We'll never know. Did our server even prompt the kitchen when he saw us waiting and waiting and waiting? My husbands Scampi was warmish, not hot, and barely tasted of any garlic, had no depth of any flavor of any kind, bland to the max, and watery, he only ate the shrimp. My Bolognese was Meh, hot, but no real flavor, and with my appetite gone because we filled up on bread and salad, I ate very little. Our server never returned to complete the bill payment process, and sent over a different server instead. Not cool. Food not that good....

Everything about this place is SPECTACULAR! The location, space, food, drink, service, and deli. I would give it 10 stars if I could. We met some friends there for dinner and drinks. They offer specials, in addition to, regular menu item’s. I say that because my choice was off the specials menu. With your meal, you get salad and bread. The ingredients to every single dish were fresh, where every bite was packed with savory deliciousness! Our friend does not eat pasta and the kitchen accommodated their dish swapping out pasta with a bed of spinach. Food is made fresh not sitting in a drawer or under a heat lamp like some restaurants. The atmosphere was comforting. Reminded me of having dinner at my childhood friends Italian home. Service was exceptional! The servers are knowledgeable about every dish, and provided fantastic recommendations when choosing our meals. We never had to wait for a drink, the servers were very attentive. We ended the night shopping in the deli. There are premade dishes you can take home, heat up and serve. Lasagna, chicken cutlets, meatballs, etc. They have subs and pizza as well. Desserts too! Cannolis anyone? We topped the night off with fresh scoops of gelato! Unbelievable! We sat outside at the deli table and ate these, enjoying the beautiful weather, and conversation. I highly recommend Johnny D’s. In my opinion, this is the best...