John’s Lunch
Restaurant: John’s Lunch
Address: 352 Pleasant Street, Dartmouth
Date: May 1, 2010
Fish: Haddock
Cost: $7.25
Pretty well everybody who is into fish and chips has heard of John’s Lunch, located beside the Woodside Ferry Terminal parking lot. It has been a fixture on the local dining scene for over 40 years.
However, first timers must be aware that looks can be deceiving when it comes to John’s Lunch. What appears to be an old, slightly run down house with a Pizza sign hanging out front is actually a tiny, well-worn but clean seafood diner (they serve pizzas, but about 99.9% of people who dine here come for the fish and/or clams).
Eating at John’s Lunch feels a bit like being in a tiny restaurant in New York City, where you’re sitting in a small area (5 tiny booths and a handful of seats at a counter) watching food being cooked in front of you while the staff shout out instructions to each in other in a foreign language (in this case, Greek), all the while crowds of people are waiting for take-out orders. But don’t be afraid of seeing a lineup of people outside, as the line moves quickly.
John’s Lunch regularly comes in third place in the Coast’s readers poll for the best fish and chips, but we think that has more to do with geography than it does the quality and quantity being offered.
If you’re looking for an old fashioned dining experience, with a friendly staff, good quality food and great portions… there’s nothing quite like John’s Lunch.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Fish and Chips Score: 79
FCP Review Crew
Rachel’s Thoughts
One of my favorite places to eat. A very old-school, tiny restaurant with vintage decor and friendly staff.
When I come I always get the haddock tips, but we were here for the fish and chips today.
The batter was crispy and tasty but retained quite a bit of grease. The fries were just ok, but I think that’s because no one comes here for the fries.
The fish itself was thick, fresh and yummy. The tartar sauce was Kraft but no coleslaw was included.
This place is always fun, and the fish and chips was a nice treat.
Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments
Rachel’s Final Score: 77
Poochie’s Thoughts
To be totally upfront I have to tell you I eat at John’s Lunch more than any other restaurant in Halifax. It is my favorite place to dine out. However, in the several years I have been dining there I have NEVER ordered the fish and chips… which seems odd considering I love fish and chips enough to be a part of this review site. For me, the most amazing fish experience in the city is the haddock tips at John’s. Simply. The. Best. Fish Ever.
However, for the first time I found myself ordering a two piece fish and chips while worrying that it might not measure up. But I should have known better than to worry because the fish and chips was above average in quality, and waaaaay above average in value.
The pieces of fish were large, thick and coated in a nice crispy batter. It was a bit greasy (especially since the haddock tips don’t seem to have any grease on them at all), but if you’ve ever been to John’s before or after a rush time you’ve probably seen them changing the oil. I’ve yet to see a restaurant as fanatical about keeping fresh, clean oil in the fryers as they are here.
The fries are certainly not the highlight of eating at John’s. They give you plenty of them, but they are of the frozen variety which isn’t going to earn them extra marks. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised with the batch that came with my fish, and gave them a higher mark than I expected.
The tartar sauce is Kraft, and sadly no coleslaw comes with the meal, which is too bad because John’s has some great, oil/vinegar based coleslaw. I was surprised none comes with the fish and chips because a healthy serving of coleslaw accompanies the haddock tips, clams, hot hamburger sandwich (freakin’ ginormous BTW), and pretty well everything else I’ve ordered here over the years.
All in all, their two piece fish and chips is an excellent value – a pile of excellent food for only $7.25. I can honestly say their fish and chips is certainly above average, but please, when you go there, DON’T order the fish and chips. Order the haddock tips with no fries instead (they hold the fries and actually give you more fish!!!), and you can thank me later.
Simply the best tasting fish you will eat in this (or any other) city.
Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments
Poochie’s Final Score: 79
Minnie’s Thoughts
John’s Lunch is great value for the price with two large pieces of white fish in batter for only $7.25.
The batter was crispy on the outside but I thought it was a bit greasy and the inside was a little too moist/doughy.
The tartar sauce was those little Kraft packets and, unfortunately, no coleslaw accompanied the meal.
I love John’s Lunch, but I always get the haddock tips, which, if I were scoring, would get a score of 100 based on the quality and quantity of the fish alone. The fish and chips were above average, which makes this experience very good, especially when you consider the $7.25 price.
Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments
Minnie’s Final Score: 78
Skippy’s Thoughts
I had concerns about reviewing John’s Lunch, only because I’ve eaten here many times and I love, love, LOVE the clams and/or the haddock tips (sans fries), but I’ve never tried the F&C. My overall review? Pleasantly surprised. Here’s why.
The batter. Oh, the batter. I loved it. Crunchy, yet not overcooked. And the fish got high marks because of the amount inside and the great taste.
The fries were better than I expected, which brought them up to slightly above average for me. Their specialty seems to be the seafood, so why waste time getting fancy with the fries?
Everything was just a little greasier than I’d prefer. But your food arrives fast, fresh, and hot; no sitting on the counter, because things move pretty fast at John’s. And you’ll have a hard time getting a bigger serving for the price. A great deal.
Old school diner feel, and even if it’s your first visit, the staff make you feel like you’ve been eating here for years.
Popular opinion seems to be correct – this is a great spot for F&C.
Fish
Batter
Fries
Grease
Portion/Value
Condiments
Skippy’s Final Score: 82
Always great food and the staff is fantastic. Have been going there for 30 plus years and never disappointed. Don’t change anything…!!!!!
My family have been going to John’s lunch for 30+ years and our girls have grown up with wanting to have their treat from pizza, to chicken fingers and fries with gravy to fish. Now that they are adults and realize fish really is good food they understand why we love all the varities of fish they offer. As for the fries, by the time you eat the fish you are too full for fries anyway..love the coleslaw..Don’t change a thing guys!! All the staff make you feel like part of the family!!
Best F & C ever. Seriously. I’ve always found the fries to be great and they are still crispy by the time we get home. They aren’t fancy but still good.
And the service! Most impressive. I remember I once had a long 30 minute wait at Michael’s crafts one night (yet again!!!) and yet when I get to John’s Lunch, they are lined up to the door and still manage to get me in and out in 5-10 mins…with a smile! They are always happy, pleasant, and friendly and you know, I like that just as much!
Yes I agree Annie, The chips (frozen french fries) are not what I want when I eat fish and chips, but I am glad to suffer the fries in order to be rewarded with the fish.
I still maintain that we’ll talking about fish AND chips. While John’s fish is terrific, frozen french fries are a pure insult to the meal. If we were just judging fish, sure, but this is a fish AND chip site and I say their fries are lousy.
All I can say is, if you want to know what I think about John’s Lunch, read my comment on their placemats. Great F&Cs. Good bang for your buck.
After reading the comments about John’s Lunch having such great haddock tips I had a strong hankering to give them a try, until I read that they used the clam coating in the batter. Thank you to Poochie for that because I am highly allergic to clams and would have had a reaction without knowing why. If you’re ever in Coldbrook I recommend the haddock tips at Vickie’s, but the fries are inedible. Keep up the good work!
Annie… you’re funny.
For what it’s worth I have never encountered limp fries at John’s. While they may be of the frozen variety… they are always cooked well and slightly crunchy. Never limp.
But regardless… early on in my experience of eating at John’s I stopped ordering the fries. I just gorge on a huge plate of delicious haddock tips. Have you tried their haddock tips or just their fish and chips?
Limp frozen anemic fries kind of spoil it for me – even the picture you posted shows just how crummy they look – it just ain’t fish n chips without great fries – I guess it all boils down to preference.
Annie Pants… I have to agree and disagree with you.
I agree that John’s fries are less than spectacular… but I totally disagree when you say that it makes dining at John’s not worth a trip from Halifax.
The haddock tips are the best deep fried fish I’ve eaten in the city so far… and I regularly drive from further away than Halifax to order a plateful without fries.
While I do agree their fish is delightful, their frozen fries are not. How can a place have such good fish and such horrible, anemic fries? Certainly not worth the trip from Halifax.
Brenda… their coleslaw is amazing. We love eating it! We were disappointed when it didn’t come with the fish and chips because we’re so used to getting it with the haddock tips.
Their gravy had a slight touch of an unusual spice in it… I would have to taste it again to remind myself what it is. It’s certainly not traditional gravy.
Speaking of gravy though, if you’re really hungry I think the biggest meal and best value at John’s is the Hot Hamburger Sandwich. Freakin’ huge plate full of food. To make it extra special ask Stephen to put some fried onions on it for you.
John’s Lunch is a bit greasy but it is the best place to go when you want a good fed of fish and chips. Clams and haddock tips are fantastic too. Also, best colslaw in town. I think they changed their gravy. John don’t change anything!! We love you guys!!