Johnny Boy’s
3 Northwold Road, N16
Meal for two about £100
https://www.eatatjohnnyboys.com/
As a southern Californian, if there’s one thing that’s going to light me up, it’s American diner food with Mexican flare.
With news of Sonora Taquería’s impending closure (pour one out for the dolls, I’m still grieving), the idea that good carne asada was merely minutes down the road saved me from myself. Julian Denis’s latest restaurant venture, Johnny Boy’s, was a beacon of light.
It’s the illuminated Coca-Cola signage at the end of the tunnel.
I kept reading the words “LA-inspired” repeatedly; it felt dizzying in sun drenched Californian romanticism, in the truest form of LA self-mythologising fashion. I manifest, therefore I am.
If scent is connected to memory, then Johnny Boy’s has taken that sentiment and dialled it up to 100. The intoxicating smell of fryers and carne asada on the grill wafts through the air.
But it’s the smooth, cold surface of the Formica table tops, the rough grooves in the amber, plastic water cups and Funky Little Beat by Connie blasting through the stereo which is taking me back to my hometown of El Centro, where restaurants like Johnny Boy’s are not novelty, but a way of life.
The specificity of these details is not lost on someone like me. In fact, it makes me feel like this is not the project of someone who is projecting an aesthetic for aesthetic’s sake, but someone who has lived a life among the soft, worn leather of booths these new ones yearn to one day be.
“There are components of this restaurant that simply don’t add up”
But soon I feel like this rich, incredibly considered sensory experience doesn’t make up for the lack of flavour.
There are components of this restaurant that simply don’t add up. The usual ease that comes with diner culture is lacking: if you’re having lunch at the weekend, you can’t get the chilli cheese fries or a cheeseburger — that’s for dinner only.
On my first visit, I have a breakfast burrito, made with sausage gravy, pico de gallo, scrambled eggs and tater tots. Weirdly, it’s on the sweet side, although the salsa is spicy and balances it out nicely. And it’s beautifully girthy, how a breakfast burrito, and most cylindrical things of this nature, should be.
The service is sparse, not very warm, but I think… teething issues. My second visit is for dinner with a friend. The hope is for a fuller, more settled experience.
I don’t think English people can really appreciate the beauty of a chilli cheese fry until you experience one in California. I can’t recommend these ones as a starting point.
The beef chilli is of a great texture and generous, but bland in flavour. The cheese is a creamy sauce, neither here nor there, and not plentiful enough. As for the chips, they’re undercooked and firm in the middle (a crime in any country).
Then comes the carne asada plate, grilled bavette steak with Mexican red rice, refried pinto beans and soft corn tortillas, served with the classic pepper, onion and carrot pickles you receive gratis with any meal at a Mexican restaurant in SoCal (a nice touch). The carne is tough and chewy and not seasoned well enough.
I love a simple red rice and bean side, but these need work, too. We order the potato and chorizo taquitos, which also lack seasoning. The texture of the crispy rolled tortillas is spot on, but at £17 I’m just not convinced it’s worth the money.
The highlight of the meal is crab tostada: white crab, generous and seasoned to perfection; it’s creamy and light, with julienned radishes adding a nice crunch alongside a perfectly fried corn tostada it sits upon. And the buttery club cracker is perfectly observed — and much appreciated because there’s so much crab you need more crunch to finish it all.
It’s a mixed experience. Much like during my first visit, service needs a lift; music choices are brilliant (When I Hear Music by Debbie Deb and Two of Hearts by Stacie Q?! Certified bangers).
What Denis is trying to do here is commendable, but it’s missing crucial elements. Right now, the food doesn’t live up to the “immigrant-run” (what they really mean to say is Mexican) establishments it is modelling itself on. Johnny Boy’s has a way to go before it sparkles with the sun-drenched ease of its predecessors and inspirations.
What you say
Austin Davenport Grier
“Really great legit diner-esque food. I feel like there’s nothing else like this in London. Definitely a taste of home.”
Lance Chalabi
“I was underwhelmed but it was nice. Not nice enough to revisit but it hit the spot there and then. Lovely interior.”
Stephen
“Chilli cheeseburger and fries, what a life. Great food and great service, handsome manager.”
