Definitely a cute addition to Andersonville but I'm just not sure it's quite got what it takes to compete.
It's small and has a cute and casual atmosphere. The stools were a little too wobbly but I liked the big counter/bar. Our server wasn't the greatest either although I can't quite put my finger on the why. Just lacking. Somehow.
Food was good. Not great and the best part of the meal was the potatoes (and my dining companion's fries). Definitely hit the spot and was tasty but again somewhat lacking in...something.
I've heard they're waiting on a liquor license which might improve things a bit but honestly I don't think I'd come here again of my own accord (except maybe to get an order of fries. to go.).
Had another fantastic night at Johnny Brown Bag! The food is always fantastic, the service is always great and you can't go wrong with BYOB. It is very affordable for how fantastic the food is. Easy street parking. I love the casual vibe, makes it a comfortable place to come after a long days work. Make sure you save room for the dessert... Â the Gelato is amazing and even better when they poor a cappuccino over it.
GO!!! I promise you won't be disappointed. UHG I WANT TO GO BACK TONIGHT!!!!!
I have to be honest. Â My knowledge of Johnny Brown Bag is pretty limited. Â I went there once in December and got take out there last week. Â The menu is extensively Italian, but when I got the meatball sandwich the first time I fell in love and will probably never be able to move on to other things.
The meatballs themselves were relentlessly juicy and the sauce was exactly what you want from a sandwich marinara. I got the sandwich with cheese, and it was a good balance with the rest of the sandwich. Â The bun was fresh and a little chewy, just like basically everyone likes it.
The fries on the side were lovely. Â They were very crispy and well seasoned. Â I suspect that they were not crafted in house, but were purchased in bulk, but this does not change the fact that they were perfectly fried and a lovely side kick to the meatball sandwich.
I would say that this is the best meatball sandwich on the Northside, but I'm open to trying any competitors. It's got competition from Ferro's on south 31st for best meatball sandwich in the city, but Ferro's sauce is not so bright and tomato-y. I'll have to give it more thought, but if I'm craving meatballs and I'm on the northside, I'm going to Johnny Brown bag. Â Maybe, eventually, I'll be challenged to eat something else there, but for me right now it's all meatball all the time.
Small, cute place.
Service was right on and kind.
Clean.
Lots of street parking in the area (Wednesday about noon).
"Italian": the food maybe (pasta, Italian sausage & pizza on the menu), but nothing about the atmosphere said "Italian" to me (not even the styles of the menus).
It was also a bit loud (most Italian places seem to have a quiet atmosphere).
I got a breaded pork sandwich (I couldn't pronounce its name) with cheese & carmalized onions. Tasted "Interesting", (best description I thought of when the girl asked me). Nothing like "wow", but not really bad, either. Â But it was missing something...like a sauce of some sort. Â It gave me a lot of gas later, too.
Cost: Each sandwich is at least $9 bucks (understandable for the area of town, but not totally worth it in my opinion).
Would I go there again? Maybe, like for their organic tea or an appetizer. Â But it probably wouldn't be something I'd call out and say, "Hey, let's go there!"
My partner and I could not - not eat here; too many people have said.. you gotta go!. So two days ago we went... and loved it. Â It a small restaurant, designed for take-out/delivery but there is seating for about 8 - 10 small parties. Great staff, wonderful food. Â I can't wait to try it again. Â Don't let the odd name fool you... it's creative and delicious Italian food.
Review Source:Delicious!
Johnny Brown Bag is a great addition to the Edgewater food scene. Â Wonderful Italian dishes in a relaxed cafe atmosphere. Â I enjoyed Johnny's Philly Steak Panini at the recommendation of our server. Â Wow! Â The skirt steak was cooked perfectly, the bread was wonderful, and the peppers made it pop. Â Overall, a solid sandwich! Â
Service was pretty good, but there were a few "communication" issues with my wife's order. Â
Note: Â They deliver!
Ordered based on a close friend's reco and was happy with the recommendation. Food came about 30 minutes early, but was missing one item that was supposed to be included in my pasta. I ordered the pasta arrabiata an with meatballs (didn't include the meatballs) along with the beat and spinach salad, and of course a cannoli. Beat salad was good, but a little bland- beats might have needed more roasting or a different dressing might have helped. Pasta was delicious and probably the spiciest I've ever had- spicy but still edible. And the initial taste of the cannoli was also delicious; will be enjoying that later. Looking forward to trying more dishes.
Review Source:Good place for some appetizers and pasta -- skip the pizza.
My favorite small plate was the Grilled Mini Sausage which is sautéed with onions, garlic, mushrooms & served on a small french roll.  This has to be the most tasty sandwich I have ever had!  I must come back for more next time!
Grilled calamari was good, but kind of expensive ($9) for a tiny little saucer plate of grilled octopus. Â
Cheese ravioli with the spicy Arrabiata sauce was very tasty and had a good kick.
The pizza was thin, crispy, but the sauce and cheese was mediocre. Â When I eat pizza, I want the cheese to stay on my slice, but the cheese slides off the pizza when I try to pull a slice. Â Pizza accross the street at Calo's is much better.
JBB is a great place to grab carryout or a quick bite to eat if you're in the neighborhood, but there is nothing on the menu that would make me trek all the way out to JBB in andersonville/edgewater for a meal here. Â But since I live practically around the corner, I will be a returning customer.
Via my review on the Edgeville Buzz (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edgevillebuzz.com&s=5fd3b5156d66a7c27ed02d08560afd5a56f1d8a12d298c5be485af74dd7d9ce2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.edgevillebuzz…</a>):
Hello, Johnny Brown Bag - you have earned a place in my heart! Though I don't have an ounce of Italian blood in me, my stomach sure boats otherwise. Shortly after Johnny Brown Bag made his debut in Andersonville, a friend and I decided we would go see what it was all about. Upon arriving we were warmly greeted by the staff and asked if we were dining in or taking out. Of course, we decided to stay!
The atmosphere is warm and inviting with the undertone of fresh, new construction. Their kitchen is in plain view of anyone sitting at the bar seating area, which provides an excellent backdrop should you be curious to see how your food is prepared.
The concept is really intriguing and provides well for the neighborhood. Should you want to dine in, take out, or order via their website or Grub Hub, JBB has seems to cater to every mode of food delivery. In addition to dining in, I ordered via Grub Hub and had just as good of experience as one would have in the restaurant.
Now, the food! For my dine-in experience I had the "Panino di Pollo e Peperonata" ($9.00) which included delicious pan sautéed fries along with a San Pellegrino Limonata ($3.00). It arrived in a reasonable amount of time and boasted a fresh and flavorful experience which left my plate "licked clean" at the end of my meal.
When ordering via Grub Hub I decided to build my own pasta creation of  penne pasta and Bolognese sauce ($9.00) along with a side of Ciabatta Veneziana flatbread ($8.00). Being as I live in Edgewater, my food arrived piping hot in a respectable amount of time. Just a heads up, for those who might be ordering in for date night, the flatbread is very garlicy (which I equate to very delicious).
Overall, I would give JBB a very warm welcome to the neighborhood and my food critic nod of approval. Be sure if you are dining in to ask about their coffee creations to top off your night!
Cheers!
All the taste of a good Italian restaurant, much lower price. Smoked salmon salad had excellent presentation for half the price I would expect to pay. Prosciutto panini he a good portion of prosciutto, and came on fresh but crusty bread. Even the fries were good, with a crisp exterior.
Allegedly byob too.
The food here is quite tasty! Â I recommend the croquettes and the Rustica pizza, which consists of igs, caramelized onions and Gorgonzola cheese...yum! Â This place seems to get some points docked for customer service, but I have never had an issue with my service and my food has always arrived in a timely fashion. Â I think this place is a great addition to Andersonville, either for a sit down lunch or takeout/delivery.
Review Source:First time eating their food and my husband and I were very happy with our delivery. We meant to try Johnny Brown Bag when they first moved in the neighborhood, but we finally got around to it :). Delivery was fast and the food was still hot when it got here....always a plus. The sandwiches were hearty and fresh. Salad was also very fresh. Great Tomatoes!! All in all a very good meal and we will definitely order from them again.
Review Source:I've tried Johnny Brown Bag twice and both times I've had issues. The first time I ordered and paid on-line but when I got to the store to pick up my order they said they didn't receive it. Later I was told the kitchen forgot to do it and I had to wait 20 minutes. The second time I placed an order at the counter, paid and waited at a table for it. 15 to 20 minutes later when the only two tables with orders in the restaurant, who came in after me, received food, I asked how much longer? The response, the kitchen forgot to start it, it'll be 20 minutes. What?
So two separate orders, placed two different ways and the kitchen forgot it both times. That's an hour total I waited while they were almost empty to get two sandwiches. Not acceptable.
The sandwiches I ordered, the Parmigiana di Melanzana twice and the Panino di Pollo e Peperonata and the Turkey BLT once each. All were good but I expected the Turkey to be on a Brioche bun as listed on the menu not the whole grain toast I was given.
So the food is good, but not good enough to deal with the long wait time, forgotten orders or the price.
I checked out this place tonight by ordering the salmon of the day. I honestly expected something pretty "blah" for $13 at a mainly Italian place (not a seafood restaurant). I am glad to say that I was completely wrong. The salmon was well cooked and it was incredibly flavorful. I could totally see paying $25 for the same dish somewhere else. The best is that I could get this amazing dish as a take out order. I will definitely be back to try the sandwiches and pizzas.
Review Source:All the food was prepared as described and was enjoyed by all, and everything was ready for me in brown bags. I suggest giving this place a try if you're in the mood for some tasty Italian to-go. Folks in my office enjoyed the salad, pizza and sandwiches we ordered, no complaints. The gourmet ortolana pizza had a generous amount of vegetables.
There is a bit of cognitive dissonance going on here (is that the right term?). Johnny Brown Bag eschews the archetypes of a place that offers Italian fare (Lots of red and checkers, a mustachioed chef, a pizza with heat lines over it, etc) and instead pushes an image of convenience for takeout and such with their logo and color scheme. At first glance, you'd think the place is all about sandwiches or possibly a green, vegetarian atmosphere, but they have a nicely sized menu of tasty Italian food.
The dissonance continued with my first phone order for my office before the noon rush. I ordered straight off the menu, Insalata di Bietole, and instead of repeating it back, the order-taker said, "One beet salad." Of course what I ordered is a beet salad, but that's not the name of the item on the menu. I also ordered Parmigana di Melanzana, and she responded, "One eggplant sandwich." Yes, technically that is what I ordered, but it's not the name of the item on the menu. I'm not sure if it was intentional or just a shorthand for the order-taker. But it actually slowed me up because I was ordering other people's food and I double-checked the menu.
That's just me griping, but again, the food is worth a try if you're in the mood for Italian.
Looking for a quick yet good Italian dinner, a friend and I swung by JBB. He got the cheese ravioli ala Vodka and I got the eggplant Parmesan sandwich (with fries?! Wtf.). He said his ravioli was good, my sandwich was alright, not something I would get again. It was extremely messy, so I would've appreciated it being cut in half or something beforehand. And it was also extremely hot, so those two factors combined made for a painful experience when I took my first bite and a glob of scorching marinara and mozzarella fell on my hand. Regardless, it was an okay experience. The place was relatively new when we stopped by so the waitstaff were still trying to figure out their schtick, so hopefully that's better now. I'd give this place another shot....if other places were closed/no one can agree on anything else.
Review Source:We got delivery from here last night. It was just OK for the price. The two pastas were really good, and the sauces great and tasted super fresh. But, the love for this place stopped there. The salad we ordered might have been in a bag with the hot pasta and was completely wilted. They also didn't include the dressing we ordered extra of and paid extra for. The lasagna had on the site that it comes with a side of potatoes and broccoli. This didn't' show up and when I called they said it was  menu misprint and not right on the site. Well, how about you include it until you fix your mistake? The arincini were my least favorite ones I have had before. They should be gooey and creamy in the middle, not dry and boring. The calimari was a little soggy, but that is probably our fault for thinking getting calamari delivered is a good idea.
Overall, a let down for $55 bucks for delivery of a salad, two appetizers and two entrees. I think I will give it one shot for their pizza and pannini's or to drop in and BYO and check it out if you eat there, and for that delicious ravioli.
Overall, I'm glad this place opened up. Â It's nice to have a restaurant that caters to the takeout crowd. Â There is also limited seating in the restaurant and it's BYOB!
We enjoyed our food, both off the specials menu. Â I had the chicken oreganato (I think, it had a kind of red sauce with herbs) topped with prosciutto and served with potatoes and broccoli (not penne as the waitress had promised, sad face) and it was tasty but could have used a little more zip. Â My friend had the shrimp pesto penne. Â Unfortunately the tails were left on the shrimp, making it difficult to eat and was really over-pesto'd but he said it tasted good. Â My favorite was the Ciabatta Romana (tomatoes, provolone and basil) which we ordered because the table next to us had it and it looked good! Â The hazelnut gelato which was WAY overpriced at $6. Â It was good, but I had just gotten back from Italy and it's way cheaper and tastier there.
I can see the issues people have with it - the service was inconsistent and, while she was nice to us, the waitress was a bit brash. Â Personally I think the food is overpriced, you can pay almost the same for yummier food at Calo. Â Also, it was REALLY smoky (kitchen smoke, not cigarettes) in the restaurant. Â We laughed about it, but seriously, why is it so smoky?!
Overall, it's a neighborhood joint so I will likely be back for takeout. Â If I'm looking for seated Italian, though, I'd rather head to Calo just down the street.
Boyfriend and I went for lunch the other day while we were in the Andersonville area. Very friendly man behind the counter greeted us when we walked in. Two girls were working - one serving the tables and one working behind the counter  - both were smiling and friendly the whole time. Boyfriend had the fried calamari appetizer followed by their version of a philly cheese steak sandwich. I don't eat bodies, so I can't attest to the tastiness of his food but he said he was pretty impressed. I had cheese ravioli with fresh tomato vodka sauce and when I was done eating, I was pretty sure I would never want to eat anything else ever again. SO. DELICIOUS. Lots of people are complaining about the service/beginner kinks and yeah, you can tell they're new. But why is that such a bad thing? My boyfriend and I have both worked in the restaurant industry for years and it's always a little shaky when you first break out of the gates. Patience is a virtue. Bottom line: JBB is cute, clean, reasonably priced, with friendly service, and amazing food. What more could you ask for?
Review Source:Check this place out- it fills such a need in the neighborhood as a place you can run in anytime and get quick food. Â Its great! Â My household has been about 4 times now. Â What is great is that we have been with a group and had dinner and 3 times one of us has just grabbed something quickly and loved it! Â I really like everything about the place and the best part is that it will not take business from other places in the hood just keep me there more! Â Very happy to have this option!
Review Source:We wanted to like this place. Ordered the caprese salad which has three ingredients. Knew we ordered wrong when we saw it delivered to another table. Tomatoes were so unripe they were almost white. Also ordered the grilled ciabatta bread which again had no flavor. More like dry, warm french bread with flavorless, plastic cheese and another unripe tomato. Not good. A friend made a good point when he said that the place does not smell like food when you walk in. Seems a little like a slightly more Italian take on a Subway. Only difference being the only thing that is $5 is the bubble water. Crazy.
Review Source:
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