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March 2024 by Michael White
Great old school Italian!!!
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February 2024 by Chesireé Balogh
Amazing Italian date spot especially if someone’s vegan! They have two whole menus one with tradition Italian and one entirely dedicated for vegan options. And trust me they definitely didn’t cut any corners when it comes to flavor! My family and I came here and everyone ordered vegan, even my non vegan parents who love Italian cuisine. They couldn’t believe it was vegan it was so great. My dad kept asking are you sure it’s vegan?? Haha. No doubt every dish has been thoroughly thought out! The restaurant offers amazing food, great service and a little bit of cool history (ask about the giant candle in the back dinning room).
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February 2024 by Shannon Elliott
This Carbonara was the saddest excuse for a Carbonara I’ve ever eaten. It was just pasta tossed in olive oil and parmesan with bacon strips on top.
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February 2024 by Kathryn Meyer
Discovered John’s of 12th Street in one of the gluten free NYC groups that I’m in and added it to my “must visit” because someone mentioned that they have gluten free and vegan cannolis. On my last trip to NYC, we stopped in several locations in Little Italy to ask if they had gluten and dairy free cannolis and while we were able to find gluten free shells, the vegan or dairy free filling proved impossible to find. Thus, you can imagine my surprise/excitement to read that John’s of 12th Street was offering this and had a separate vegan menu as well!I arrived on a Saturday evening without a reservation and they were kind enough to fit me in because I was by myself (I don’t recommend coming without a reservation; the restaurant was super busy!). The waitstaff was extremely friendly and welcoming and knowledgeable about gluten free and vegan options. I was ready to order the gluten free pasta with marinara when it occurred to me to ask what was in the marinara. Surprisingly, there is butter. I’m dairy free in addition to gluten free, so the server guided me to the vegan option which does not contain butter. The pasta arrived very quickly, and with it a container of Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan which I felt was a very thoughtful touch as I can’t remember the last time I was able to have parmesan with my pasta at a restaurant (also shows how vegan friendly this restaurant is!). The sauce itself was not what I had envisioned with marinara sauce, it was really heavy on the garlic and had green onions in it. It was okay, but I would probably try a different sauce if I went back again.Then the time came for the gluten free, vegan cannoli. Relatively pricey at ~10/cannoli, it arrived and I immediately was confused. The shell is not what I would expect for a cannoli… it was a pizzelle (a waffle cookie) rolled into the shape of a cannoli shell. The filling was also not what I expected—it wasn’t traditional, but had a mix of spices that were reminiscent of fall and pumpkin pie. It wasn’t my favorite, especially at the price point, but I have to give them major kudos for catering to a gluten free and vegan community and offering an abundance of options, including a dessert option which is so rare to find. If ever back in NYC, I would consider eating here again as it felt like a safe place to eat for someone who is gluten and dairy free like myself.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free options; separate vegan menu
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February 2024 by David DeConinck
I first came here in 1995 recently came back and it's still tremendous great service always by Johnny and Brett.i highly recommend the sausage and peppers tremendous recipe best in the city Rene great chef I love the veal also and clams arregannatta we will be back 2x a month and I'll stop in for takeout whenever in the east village Great place Booth4
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February 2024 by Mr. Menu man
1- Food 3/5. Been going to restaurant for almost 20 years now. The last time I went was during Covid 19 days so I kinda expected a drop in quality a bit. Figured I give this neighborhood landmark another try, well I’m happy I did because it was the last time I will be going.2 - Service 3/5 Service was average Until we asked for our left over food to go ( We only asked for it to go because we didn’t want to be rude, but we really didn’t like the food). We were handed a couple of To-Go containers and a plastic bag lol.?. So a customer packages their own Doggy bag now? Ok. I still left a 25% tip because I’m far from cheap despite feeling cheaply valued.3 - Ambiance 5/5. Very comfortable, old school style feeling. Lots of history in this place dating back over a 100 years.4 - Reservations 3/5. Antiquated. Call for reservation.5 - Value 3/5. Prices here are definitely less expensive than other Italian restaurants in my neighborhood. But the quality of there ingredients and freshness of there food combined with there lack of top notch service makes John’s a no go for me.Will not return and no longer recommend.
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February 2024 by Lex Andra
Such an amazing experience and great date spot. It has such a nice feeling inside the restaurant and all the servers were really nice and attentive. Food----- AMAZING. The vegan food is as good as the regular food which says so much! The portions are deliciousness make every item worth every penny honestly. The tiramisu is also insane in taste and size (pictured in the sundae cup....), they even have vegan desserts like a cannolis and tiramisu. I recommend 100x.
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February 2024 by Jermaine Norris
I've been here about a decade ago and have been craving some good Italian. I tell you, nothing beats handmade pasta and johns of 12th really delivers.Their calamari is also stupendous. The service was great, quick and polite and helpful. I really appreciated how the servers and ports were quick but also careful, truly skilled people.Of course having an entire vegan menu is impressive, one of the few places a carnivore like me can have a GREAT meal with my vegan girlfriend, I ate some of her garlic bread and you would never know it was vegan!I will definitely be back, after I work off the food I ate!Vegetarian options: Actually they are vegan options not just vegetarian
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February 2024 by Jeffrey
We had a family dinner there last night. Food was amazing. The waiter was on point and helpful in guiding through the menu. Mamager was very excellent as well. Definitely worth the few month wait for the reservation.Some of our favorites wereStartersFried calamariVeal MeatballsPenne with vodka sauceMainsVeal parmigianaSausage ParmigianaEggplant ParmigianaLinguini with white clam sauceDessertsCheesecakeAll in all a most excellent from the food to the service !
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January 2024 by David Zimerman
Great tasting food and excellent service. I loved them having vegan food for my daughter and "normal" for me. Yum
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January 2024 by Jesse Mounoury
You want some sambuca with this? ?
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January 2024 by James Hopper
Get the Tuscan Ragu!
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January 2024 by Johnny & Sheila Galvan
One of the best in the city!
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January 2024 by Suto2 T
Love the vegan options in an old-school Italian restaurant. We love going here for special occasions!Vegetarian options: Vegan cannoli and seitan dishes are excellent!Dietary restrictions: Vegan menu is clearly marked.
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January 2024 by T'Arica Crawford
I visited last night with a friend. The food is AMAZING. I am allergic to dairy, so I don’t get to enjoy Italian food like I used to, and even if a restaurant claims to make 1 or 2 vegan Italian dishes, they are not comparable to the real thing (taste is off, cheese is weird and gloopy, etc.) John’s on 12th has EXCEEDED my expectations. I ordered the eggplant parmigiana and it tastes just like I remember the regular, full dairy one to taste like. I am so impressed. I already can’t wait to go back.The price for the dish is pretty reasonable. AND I had the vegan cannoli. I admit I don’t really remember what it tastes like regularly, but this vegan one is soooo very tasty.The service was a little slow, but I can’t complain much because the food was so good! The only other thing is that it’s REALLY dark in there. Literally just personal preference to have a little more light. Lol Can’t wait to try something else the next time I return. Very much worth the trek from uptown all the way down there ? ❤️
