Johnny's Cafe - Steak house in Omaha - 4702 S 27th St, USA

Feels like the owners have given up. This was a first visit for both my wife and I. We're both in our 40's and walking in made us very nostalgic of childhood "fancy" steakhouses. It was very clean and a wonderful, slightly dark moody atmosphere for a friday dinner date. We were very excited as we sat down to enjoy one of Omaha's oldest steakhouses. Unfortunately, our titillation was short lived. Other than our wonderful server, the experience was lackluster at best. The most edible element was the french onion soup. It was a bit sweet for my taste, but overall pretty good. My wife's salad was drowning in dressing that tasted..ok. Then the main courses arrived. Ribeye with "cowboy" mashed potatoes and petite filet with steamed veggies. Originally from Texas, steak is a staple at home and out. I do not think I have ever encountered a worse piece of meat anywhere. The "filet" was fatty and stringy, making it difficult to cut. The ribeye looked and chewed like leather. Neither had any hint of seasoning, and I could not muster enough strength to chew more than 2 bites. I even paid extra to get some of the "cowboy butter"(billed as butter with bacon, jalepeño, and blue cheese), but even that had only the slightest hint of bacon and no cheese or jalepeño. My potatoes had the texture/flavor of instant, the tiniest bit of the "cowboy" butter made no difference on the palate. My wife's steamed veggies seemed to have come directly from a microwave steamer bag, with just as much flavor. I think the worst/most interesting part was the response when I mentioned my steak was inedible. Our server offered to replace it, and encouraged the prime rib because it would be "faster." I lost all trust, so I opted not to accept a replacement and it was removed from our bill. The notable part was that the server did not seem surprised nor concerned by my displeasure. When no manager/owner came by to verify/apologize, I arrived at the conclusion stated first in this review. I can't imagine how any manager/owner with any level of passion could sit idly by and serve food at such a shockingly low standard. It is very sad to see a place with such great history, nostalgia, and potential to be wasted. On a side note, as we arrived there was someone feeding stray cats on the sidewalk leading to the building. We could smell the wet cat food walking into the restaurant. Probably should have given us pause, or perhaps a bit of warning. 🤷

Another Fun Dinner at Johnny’s from the Wine People This visit was on a Tuesday and as always the food was great and the wine was fun. This particular night, the four of us had rather different meals. One had a sea food dish that was not only very good but unusual for Omaha’s famous steak house. One stayed with a very enjoyable stake instead of her old standard …. Prime Rib. Two of us had one of my favorites, which is the Delta Catfish. I had the soup for an appetizer while the others all stuck with the salads. As always the chef’s soup was great. Two saved room for ice cream with chocolate sauce but I was way beyond full. The waitress was very attentive as was the rest of the staff. Wine lovers love Johnny’s. Two nights a week they have Wine Specials; one allowing free corkage and the other 1/2 priced wine all night. That is not to mention twice a month Johnny’s has Wine Tastings that are not only fun but educational. On top of all this Johnny’s has a nice Wine List ranging from exquisite to affordable. As for the last few decades, we will be back soon.

Bread was fabulous. Salad was awesome and the 9oz FIlet Mignon was so tender and nice . The waitress Ivy was also very polite and very nice.

It is such a wonderful pleasure to come here for dinner when I come visit my hometown of Omaha. I come here not only for sentimental reasons but for their aged steaks that are THE BEST I've had anywhere . Everything about our dinner tonight was exceptional. Congratulations to the Kawa family for 100 years and wishing them all the best in the years to come. They have stood the test of time and it's so nice to see Johnny's Cafe is still going strong. My husband had the Porterhouse and I had the amazing New York Strip. Both were cooked perfectly to order. Their crisp onion rings have a lovely , light coating that melts in your mouth. The Cowboy Mashed potatoes were so flavorful, I found myself scraping the dish remnants out with a piece of steak! The Salted Chocolate Caramel Decadence dessert lived up to it's name. Just the right size, with an "oh so delicious" rich cocoa taste that's not super sweet like the best fudge you've ever had. Our server, Elizabeth, was attentive, friendly and had a wonderful attitude. We hope to see her again here on our next visit to Johnny's .

EXPERIENCE OVERALL Went here on our last night in Omaha and we will definitely visit again some time in the future! The atmosphere was amazing, straight out of the 70s! The restaurant itself is over 101 years old and started by the current owners grandfather, so you know they must be doing something right. FOOD The food was good overall. I loved my French onion soup that came with my steak and they have good rolls with butter they serve to the table. They also have good kid options for dinner. I will say the only reason I couldn't give them 5 stars was the actual steak itself! Very surprising I know. 😮 So my wife and I both order the Omaha Strip Steak cooked medium. Both steaks came out very rare in the middle (not just some blood, but purple and squishy), that is not what we call medium in Oklahoma. We both sent the steaks back and they both came back still under cooked. I believe they just judge the "degree of doneness" differently due to their long history, with the stockyards being literally out the back of the restaurant and going for miles back in the early 1900s. All that being said, I believe they are the pros and I will try a steak less done than I am used to next time and I can't wait to go again. 😊

Everyone working seemed really happy to be there. It was the kind of feeling you get when you go to a friends house for dinner. Food: really good. Steaks were delicious and cooked just the way they were requested. Definitely left full! The experience of being in a 100+ year old, basically historic place is just truly one to, uhh, experience. [Allow myself to introduce myself! 10pm s to anyone that knows that quote] The saddles are fun, the dome sound is fun, and the fall Aspen tree scene (see mirror photo) makes a really unique and pleasing dinner environment. 20pts to anyone that knows what the interior support beams are meant to represent! I imagine all the cattle traders finished a long haul, then coming here for a welcome drink and dinner! They probably had their owns saddles though!

I was there for my birthday week on a Thursday eve. The steaks were done perfectly, tender & delicious. A good wine list. Our server, Wendy, was very attentive & nice. A most enjoyable experience.

Things I enjoyed were: the atmosphere/decor, the awesome house salad dressing, the cheese and chive spread, the cowboy potatoes, and the server was very quick and friendly. But there were issues: three of my friends' steaks were ordered medium rare but they came out very overcooked. The server took them back, and then their new steaks came out very rare (completely purple all the way through). One friend sent back the rare steak and on the third attempt, it was cooked correctly. A red wine and mushroom sauce was provided with the steaks but it was very bland. Our onion rings were also bland. I will say that my steak was cooked perfectly and tasted good, but I didn't consider it great, nor did my friends. I would recommend others to try a different steakhouse in Omaha.