Johnny's Tavern

I like Johnny's Tavern. It is great for large groups, but can be pretty noisy. Standard pub fare, though the pizzas are what you should come for! The barbeque chicken pizza is really good!

I came here once while they were having a crawfish boil special. They were dry and disgusting! I know that Lawrence isn't the place for crawfish (like say Louisiana - YUM!!!), so I can't knock them toooo much, but still, they were pretty bad.

If you come here, come here for the pizza and beer.

Johnny's (all of them) are regular haunts for us. The one in Lawrence especially is an institution. On this particular occasion the Hubs & I were out for a motorcycle ride with a friend and stopped in.  We were greeted warmly by the owner (also an institution!) and seated. He took our drink orders and went in search of sweetener for my friend's tea but apparently got distracted because he never made it back.

A server popped by and took an app order and brought the requested sweetener.  Still another server took our entree order and the remainer of our service was with her.  She was very sweet but a little forgettful (a couple of items had to be requested twice).  

The food is predictably good although the Lawrence Johnny's doesn't serve the fish & chips with the hush puppies the other locations do (disappointing!). The service is a little uneven but it's so friendly and the food is so good you tend to overlook it

The local Lawrence writers have become something of regulars at Johnny's (and Johnny's West), and while I have nothing against either of these places I can't rave about them either.

The burgers and other menu items are typical bar fare. It's good, possibly better than average. But nothing about the food stands out. The Popper Burger (with Jalapeño chipotle cream) is probably the best burger on their menu.

As a hangout, it's pretty good but can get a little too loud for conversation (especially on the weekends). If you're looking for a place to hang out with friends, though, you can do far worse.