The whole atmosphere is truly welcoming & beautiful ! I'm glad we had a reservation . By 6:30 the entire restaurant & bar were full ! It was a show night at proctors featuring The Four Tops & The Temptations so the whole restaurant quickly filled up with reservations Or server was Sarah. The girl along with her was an Excellent busser named Angel . Both were absolutely amazing ! They took care of All their many tables with Personality & Personal Service I was shocked by the Efficiency ! Now Our food was Delicious ! Appetizers were :: Fried Calamari served with Marinara sauce & Garlic Aioli , Greens & Beans served with sausage and Aranchini which were crispy fried rice balls With ground beef , peas & melted mozzarella ......... And For dinner we both had Shrimp Scampi Served over Tagliatelle Pasta And For dessert we had Homemade Cheesecake with Strawberries ! I did have a chance to meet James , Who is the G.M. I watched him go around to all the tables making sure everything was fine & if he could get anyone anything . You Know. when I'm out to dinner I become Very Picky and Expect things to be done in a Certain Way I have been in this industry for many years But have now retired .......It's A Lot Of Work... But Is Definitely A Great Experience read more

Johnny's was great. Both of our entrees were outstanding. My wife's was Chicken Cacciatore, mine was Chicken Parmesan. Dessert was a delicious layer cake. Service was attentive and the atmosphere relaxing. We'll be back! read more

Pre-show "dinner" across from Proctors. Lobster Bisque was inedible. Salty, thin and no hint of lobster. Caesar salad- soggy romaine, barely passable dressing. Bar could not handle things when busy. Noisy, crowded and very unfriendly. Luckily, my dinner guest was perfect. read more

Pricey, food was okay my preference was not their style of food presentations. Been two times it can be noisy

The place is really good and the atmosphere was cosy, but I have to say food was great, service was incredible, Julie L. was the best...made our night, thanks. read more

Covid update: They have outdoor dining and indoor dining as well but tables are spaced out and staff all wear masks. This is the place to go if you want Italian food near the capital region. I come and always end up getting the same things: Fried Calamari, greens and beans, Veal marsala, Eggplant farm and the strawberry cheesecake. Everything is delicious, fresh, tasty and homemade. They have a large bar area (if you just want to grab a drink and a small bite) that leads to a large dining room. Overall, a great spot for good food! read more

Always a good meal. Reasonable prices. Love the bolognese. Large portion. I brought half home. We decided to go last minute therefore we took a spot at the bar. The only downside of this decision was that the stools aren't quite high enough to eat comfortably. read more

Johnny's - Bolognese entree. - Italian Near Me - Schenectady, New York

We are here on vacation and this restaurant was recommended to us. WOW!!!!! If you are here you better come to this restaurant. I can't stress enough how delicious the food is. The best fried calamari l have ever had at any restaurant.. °The meals were plentiful and delicious. Everyone at the table was so satisfied. .The staff is amazing.. Didn't have to wait or ask for anything. Dirty dishes were removed as soon as we were done eating. We will be back next year. Can't wait.... read more

After Mexican radio wouldn't seat us we went over to Johnny's and they had two seats at the bar that we gratefully took rather the. Waiting a half hour for a table. The food was delicious and the wine was good' We will be back read more

The big advantage of this restaurant is that they are right across the street from Proctor's. Unfortunately, I think that means that they no longer try very hard. The dinner we had was average at best. Nothing for me to really talk about. But, the service was painfully slow. We told them when we made the reservation and again when we arrived that we had tickets to a show. We allotted two hours for dinner. We barely made it. I will not come here again. read more

As always, a great Italian meal! We did take-out and the order was 100% accurate and well prepared. Everything stayed warm for the trip home and there was plenty there for leftovers the next day. Probably one of the best Italian restaurants in the area! read more

We make it a point to eat at Johnny's any time we are in Schenectady. We were going to Schenectady to see a show at Proctor's. We were supposed to attend on a Sunday afternoon, but changed the date we would attend when we found out that Johnny's wasn't open on Sunday. As always, the food was incredible and the portions were generous. The staff was very friendly and our server, Bobby, was excellent, attentive but not overbearing. read more

I've frequented this joint many times when I come to visit my hometown. And it's one of the places that I always want to get back to when I'm in the 518. The homemade pasta and sauce combinations are amazing. I could get after that white clam sauce time and time again. So damn good. The service is always top notch. I love going here for a quality meal, great portions, and friendly peeps. Can't wait for my next visit home! read more

Little necks were not so little , a little chewy Market seafood red snapper was good but pricey Oil and garlic with bread is good Service was excelent except it took a long time to get meals But if you want water the guy was filling after every sip read more

The BEST!! All of their food is cooked to perfection, lots of great specials as well. Shout out to Johnnys just a great restaurant and the bartenders are friendly and alert. Our fav place in Schenectady by far read more

Very good! We took our chances before a show at Proctors as we had not made a reservation, very busy! We were unable to get a table but found 2 seats at the bar, they were slammed but the bartender acknowledged our presence to let us know they would get to us as soon as they were able to and he did! (I wish I got his name, he was so pleasant in spite of the fact he was moving in a million directions!) we told we him we had tickets to the show, no problem! He got our drinks for us and put our order right in, we had plenty of time to enjoy our dinner and get to our seats with a little time to spare. We were served warm bread with dipping oil, delicious!! We shared a large dinner salad and both chose the chicken cacciatore, it was great!! Looking forward to going back again! read more

Johnny's - Chicken cacciatore - Italian Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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I always like to find something negative and something positive when writing a review. No matter how good a place is there is usually something they can improve on. To be honest I'm really hard pressed to find something to criticize here. The hosts and the takeout service have always been great. The manager is always attentive and happy to help. The quality of the food is always outstanding. The only negative thing I can find is one time I went there and the sever forgot the appetizers entirely. Although, come to think of it, since then I haven't seen him in the place once (and I am a frequent patron). Also once on the takeout they forgot to include the 3 soups I ordered but when I called the manager got on the phone within 2 minutes refunded the cost and offered to comp them next time or if I came back. That's more than enough, in my mind, to rectify a mistake. They were crazy busy and you can't expect absolute perfection every time. However, when it comes to perfect this is probably as close as you're going to get. As far as the quality of the food goes. I've never had anything that disappointed me. All the pasta is house made so I definitely would recommend that. The bolognese is also on point. As someone who is very capable in an Italian kitchen I am very well equipped to say bolognese is very time consuming and not easy to make as epic as Johnny's does. Same owners as villa italia around the corner so make sure you save room for dessert. read more

The atmosphere at the bar is delightful. Service was prompt and friendly. Had the greens and beans appetizer which was delicious. Tiramisu was bland. Definitely be back to try more dishes. read more

I guess you pay for location as well as the food because I found this to be decent Italian food at a premium price. There were three in my party and we called a day ahead for reservations asking for a quite table for three. We arrived and were seated right next to the door going into the kitchen on one side and s long table that sat 6 on the other. Now what are the odds that a party of 6 is going to be quiet? And the waiters constantly rushing back and forth through the door? Well so much for them completely ignoring our request. The entrees were single items with no sides except for a couple of chicken dishes that included a few potatoes and your voice of a couple of other vegetables. I had lasagna for $20, my wife had Alfredo sauce over pasta for $15 along with a small salad for $3.25 and a friend had chicken cognac for $20. We all had tap water to drink, then split a delicious Slice of Chocolate Black Out cake that was $6.50. The Chicken came with a get potatoes and about 3 spears of asparagus. The other two came with nothing but a couple of slices of cold Italian bread. There are no complaints about the taste or quality of the food and the service was very good. But the dinner with a $12 tip and tax came to $83.00. It was about $20 higher than a chain like Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill that offers the entree plus soup or salad and hot garlic breadsticks and in my opinion the food was not worth the increase in price coupled with the absence of any sides. If value isn't important you will enjoy the food. If you want to get your money's worth, you might want to look elsewhere. read more

Had reservations for 4:45. Wanted reservations for 5:15. When we got there are table was not ready and we were told that we could sit at the bar and we would be called. Waited at least 5 minutes for a drink. We were seated about 5:20. Interesting! Wait staff was very polite and accommodating. I was not pleased with my eggplant rollatini. The ricotta was wonderful. Very fluffy and delicious. The eggplant however was extremely tough. I ate one piece and had enough. Was very disappointed. read more

I sat sat at the bar and a friendly bartender came right over. I ordered a beer and the chicken Parmesan. She brought out some really good bread with olive oil and balsamic, which was really good. The chicken part came out and it was really great. read more

Johnny's - Italian Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Johnny's used to be our favorite restaurant. They have significantly gone downhill. Ordered takeout for a special occasion and waited an hour with a plethora of excuses. Finally received the order, which was supposed to be vegetarian (eggplant) and our meal was chicken. No apology or refund. Horrible customer service. Ruined our whole evening and they just don't care. Our entire extended family will no longer be going here for any special events or weekly dinners. Also, both hostesses were coughing up a storm with no masks. read more

My fiancé and I are traveling and decided to do takeout. I ordered the Italian nachos, they were so unique and delicious, I nachos were made with fried pasta which was a nice change from chips They went out of their way to pack all the fixings in separate containers so everything wouldn't get soggy My favorite was the cheese sauce made with real cheese and creamy Hope to go back when we are in the area again read more

I've been to Johnny's a few times in my upstate residency, and it's always just ok. I have an Italian grandmother who cooks amazing Italian food so my review might be slightly biased. We most recently went during restaurant week and it was good. I had the carbonara which was tasty and a salad prior to that. The party I was with all enjoyed their food. Nothing bad but nothing to rave about. read more

Night started off with social distancing at bar. There was 6 ft between groups and no chairs in between. then when waiting for food, staff continued to add stools to bar till point if was shoulder to shoulder with another customer. Pic attached. Left without eating our food and took it to go once it came out. Younger bar hop at bar also shaking hands and giving hi fives to what I assume where friends or regulars the proceed to serve food and drinks to people without washing hands. We are in a pandemic and it appears ownership/management is turning a blind eye this. read more

Had a private party here ! Great food, Great service, fun environment, Great location, decent prices !

a large party for a birthday dinner, we were seated in the bar area, which may be why our service was very poor. usually for a party of 12, you would have two waiters, but we had one who came over every 20 minutes. drinks sat empty for a long time and when they were ordered, it took awhile. ok but service aside, the food was fantastic, delicious, large portions. i had the seafood panna and it was absolutely fantastic. highly recommended. the pasta is home made in house daily and you can tell. the seafood was plump and fresh. i also tasted the calamari, very good. the chicken parm was very good as well. For chicken parm, panna, wine, it was $90 for two people, not too bad. if the service was even mediocre i would have given it a 5 stars but our waitress really didn't care about our table. read more

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Johnny's is a great Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Schenectady. My cousin recommended Johnny's to me, and my boyfriend LOVES Italian food so I figured we would give it a try! We made reservations for Friday at 7:45pm. We arrived a few minutes early and we we're greeted by the hostess, who looked up our reservation and sat us right away. The dining room and bar were both packed. Our waitress came over very fast and got our drink orders (they have a entire cocktail menu and a full bar) I opted for a house red wine and my boyfriend got a beer. The busboy came over shortly after with bread and a balsamic/oil mixture on the side. I wasn't super hungry so I ordered a shrimp appetizer (shrimp oregano) and a side Caesar salad. Both were very big portions, and very flavorful. The shrimp was delicious, I would come back JUST for the shrimp! My BF ordered Veal Sorrentino which comes with a side of ziti. I took away one star because the food took super long to come out, about 45 minutes. Other than that everything was great from the food, to the service and everything in between. He said the food was excellent, and the sauce was great. I wish I had room for dessert because they have GELATO OREO CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE!!! I have to go back to try it! Overall, dinner was excellent and I highly recommend Johnny's!! They also have a great lunch menu I want to try one of these days. read more

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It's always always always busy here... Especially before shows at Proctors & located right across the street. Tried to get a resi but no such luck so we ate elsewhere and came here for just a cocktail before the show "Once" at Proctors. Sat at the bar and was waited on right away... nice bartender, nice cocktails fun night! read more

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This place is SO GOOD. I have not once been disappointed by them. Johnny's Signature Pizza is a recent favorite of mine. Yes, I ate the whole thing myself, and I have zero regret. read more

Johnny's - Johnnys Signature Pizza - Italian Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Every time we have been in here past 8 pm, it is always loud annoying groups of aggressive men. yelling about Bethlehem volleyball or youth soccer. These guys yell across the bar. make it super uncomfortable for a date to bring you there. read more

Excellent food with friendly, great service. Best Italian restaurant in downtown Schenectady.

Food was so-so traditional Italian but service was super friendly. They were able to handle a large crowd.

Another work dinner at Johnny's after another has left me pleased with this place. I've been here a handful of times and always enjoyed the experience but there have been a few times they knocked it out of the park! Appetizer favorites include a common special of the day - Caprese salad with oh-so-fresh Mozzarella, bruschetta, and the Italian Antipasto Plate [a favorite we enjoy each visit to this place!] Skipping ahead to dessert, we often take part of the specials of the day with a changes daily flavor of Gelato Cake (i LOVE the Pistachio! WOAH!) and other seasonal deliciousness, such as Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spiced Gelato and Almond Brittle. Canoli's are also a nice classic choice amongst our group. The star of the show has been my dinner choice each time I've ordered dinner since first trying it- the Chicken Scarpariello. This is BY FAR the best dish I've had at Johnny's and I don't know if I'll ever be able to order a different dish from the dinner menu again. The boneless chicken medallions are sautéed with sweet Italian sausage, onions, spicy cherry peppers, potatoes, and garlic in a white wine and lemon sauce. I was so thrilled the portions were huge so that I could have leftovers for lunch the next day. OUT OF THIS WORLD. A waitress recently suggested I sub made fresh daily pasta for the potatoes, which was also lovely. This place has a great private room for groups. We've gone about ordering multiple ways over the past year or so... straight off the regular dinner menu or ordering off a preset shortened dinner menu always work well. The staff is wonderful about catering to our groups requests and customizing for us when needed. Cassidy and Cheryl are two wait staff we will recommend again and again for our events. They are wonderful enough to take note and request them after the first time they both worked with us! read more

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Zena, Goddess of Fire, has a confession to make: I'm addicted to pasta. I've sought help - I've tried everything!!! Counseling, Myrica*, the whole wheat stuff, rice, even my family intervened, but nothing worked. So in the famous words of Homer Simpson: "Son, if you can't do it, don't try." The homemade rigatoni at Johnny's is substantial, al dente, delicious, and hard to stop eating. I recently enjoyed a huge serving of their pasta special, Spicy Barese, with chorizo and garlic in a sherry butter sauce. OK OK yes, I'd have liked more sauce, and the broccoli rabe wasn't rabe, but the whole dish came together nicely, including a substantial amount of tender sausage. Cookie tried their Greens & Beans, Allesio Style, with Italian Sausage ($10.95). This was a brothy concoction, the greens just a bit tough but the bitter greens played nicely with the sausage - a little more garlic would have been nice. This is a BIG dish, definitely main course material. A perfect meal sopped up with their yeasty light crusty bread dipped in olive oil with a drizzle of balsamic (though I preferred the Glenview Farms butter....). A bottle of Vicolo Pinot Grigio, settled into it's wine cooler, made for a wonderful dinner out on the front patio with a view of State Street on a warm summer night. The service was absolutely professional at every level. Dinner for two was $70 plus tip, and worth every noodle. Zena, Goddess of Ziti *I made this up. (: read more

Johnny's - Spicy Barese with homemade rigatoni - Italian Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Traveling through Schenectady today and discovered this gem! It seems to be a very popular local place and the food is delicious. Good prices and absolutely terrific service! Be sure to save room for dessert. They have tons of options and it was hard to choose which one. read more

I don't get the appeal of this place. So many good Italian places in Schenectady and unfortunately this isn't one of them. Supremely overrated. It's like an olive garden premium packages. Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks with better drinks. Avoid everything else. ‍ read more

Andres is an wonderful waiter ! Food was amazing ! I've been here several times and always good ! Thank you and Merry Christmas !

We've been here about 5 times. It's always been good until tonight. It was very disappointing. The Moscow Mules had no mint and made with ginger ale. Hubby asked for a dark and stormy and got another crappy Moscow Mule. I asked for Chambord and seltzer with lemon. I got Grand Marnier with an apple slice and cinnamon. The calamari appetizer was good but not as good as it was in years past. When dinners came out, 5 of 6 were served. Oops, they forgot one. Ten minutes later it arrives with a "sorry". Hubby's shrimp tasted like sanitizer. Hubby ordered Sambuca up for dessert. Holy crap, there was a tiny bit in the bottom of a snifter. He had to order 2. All this for $300+ bill. COVID has hit this place hard. They do not have the top notch employees they once had. Next year it's Cafe Italia for my birthday. Sorry Johnny's, you won't see me again. read more

Basically this is one of the best restaurants in Schenectady. They know their Italian food. It is always super busy so definitely get a reservation in especially if there is a play happening at Proctors Theatre. This ambiance does not get any better. There is hustle and bustle happening ... you just look around and you see everyone enjoying their meals. It's a wonderful time. We frequent this establishment and have always had delicious meals and excellent service. You can sit and eat at the bar but again it's always super busy. We have even been to a small wedding reception there and it's just absolutely delicious. My favorites: The Italian chips! A crunchy, Spicy party in your mouth. And then anything with sausage! Really, I have always been 100% satisfied with whatever I ordered during each visit. read more