Johnny's Cafe

4702 S. 27th St., Omaha, NE - (402) 731-4774

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Posted By Michael Stern on 4/6/2008 10:40:00 PM

Johnny’s has been Omaha’s steak house since 1922. At the edge of the stockyards, it was once a café for cowboys and cow shippers. Now it is a grand-scale restaurant with well-upholstered chairs, broadloom carpets, and modernistic chandeliers. We love the baronial ambiance, especially because it is balanced by service that is as folksy as in any small-town café, courtesy of waitresses unafraid to scold you if you don’t finish your T-bone but then want dessert.

Beef is king in this dining room. Steaks, chops, ribs, liver, even, on occasion, tongue or ox tail are the things to order. You can splurge at dinner and eat the finest filets mignons or chateaubriands for miles around, and pay accordingly; or at lunch, for well under ten dollars, you can have yourself a superb downsized slab of prime rib.

Dessert is corny and ingratiating, including crème de menthe sundaes and clear blocks of Chuckles-colored Jell-O. Turtle pie is a weighty affair – a frozen block of the same ingredients used in Turtles candy, with the addition of ice cream: chocolate, nuts, and caramel. Johnny's serves it still fairly well frozen, so you will have all sorts of merry fun trying to fork off a piece. Once defrosted, It is as gooey and sweet as candy, but even richer.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"Well-marbled, this steak is aged on the premises. The hash browns make an excellent accompaniment, soaking up the steak's natural juices."
Dale Fine

"Crunchy-crusted with a creamy inside and a faint sweet taste, the onion rings are listed as a signature item on the Johnny's Cafe menu. This is actually only a half-order!"
Cliff Strutz

"This 9-ounce Native Filet Mignon came with a mushroom wine sauce and was cooked perfectly. Those are potatoes au gratin on the side."
Cliff Strutz

"Old-fashioned yes, but the three-scoop creme de menthe sundae is a delicious way to end the meal."
Cliff Strutz

"A stellar start to a great steak dinner."
Dale Fine

"Patrons are greeted by an unusual carpet design featuring a steer head when first entering the restaurant."
Cliff Strutz

"Home of Omaha's elite meat for 78 years"
Michael Stern