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| Cuisine : | Burgers, North American |
|---|---|
| Open for : | dinner, lunch |
| Type : | bar, restaurant, takeaway |
| Tags : | business lunch, child friendly, local produce, separate bar, suitable for large groups, wifi |
| Offers : | meal deals |
| Suitable for : | gluten free diet, vegetarians |
| Menu types : | a-la-carte |
| Reservations : | no bookings accepted |
| For families : | baby changing facilities, childrens menu, high chairs |
| Average price : | Main course £7.50. |
| Short URL : | http://iate.at/4oDP |
Please note that as of 15th October 2012, Johnny Fontane's is closed. In March 2013, this site was taken over by San Lucus, a Spanish restaurant and Tapas bar.
Johnny Fontanes is modelled on the American Diners found across the states. The menu features classic American dishes such as pulled pork and burgers.
All food is prepared in their kitchens, from scratch, using ingredients from local producers.
Drinks-wise there's a selection of award winning imported American beers, bourbons, freshly squeezed lemonade and shakes made using homemade ice cream.
There are a number of regular offers including "An offer you can't refuse" which is available all day, every day - a single burger, side and any drink (including alcoholic drinks) for £9.99.
Review left on 08/10/2012 by Hannah (1 review)
Very disappointing. Went at lunch time on a Sunday. The place wasn't that busy when we ordered but it took over an hour for our food to come. My burger was dripping in stale tasting grease and the fries were limp. Nachos were inedible, the 'cheese' was the liquid type that was solidified and tasted of chemicals. My friend had to send her burger back as it had mould on the bun. She was given a free drink when she complained, not really compensation enough. Part of her order was also missing and on asking for it, was told that they had run out, which she should have been told earlier. Pretty poor service, possibly as there weren't nearly enough staff for the size of the place. A real shame as I think the concept of a proper American style diner done well is a good one.
Review left on 08/10/2012 by Joanna (1 review)
This meal was a disaster from the minute we walked in the door. It took over 10 minutes for the drinks order to be taken. Then a further 10 minutes for the drinks order to arrive. We ordered 5 pints of Bud and each pint came and was well below the pint line - weights and measures would have a field day.
The food order was then taken by a scruffy looking gent in creased trousers and his coat - yes his coat!!! (It later transpires that this guy was a 50% owner of the place!)
The food took over 30 minutes to arrive, There were 8 off us eating and 6 of the 8 meals had something wrong with it. The first burger was brought out, the person actually ate this and then a further 6 were brought out. The 8th person's meal was completely forgotten about and he didn't receive his till after we had all finished eating - totally unacceptable when you go out for a meal together. How difficult is it to knock up 8 burgers at the same time?
After all this the 50% owner that actually looked presentable and kind of knew what he was doing said he would not charge us for the meals as it was a total screw up and we had to just pay for the drinks. But when the bill arrived he actually just took 50% off the whole menu - as we'd already been here long enough and sick of waiting about we paid it - but it was actually more expensive by about £15.
As we were leaving there was another table complaining as they had received food they hadn't ordered.
This place looks like it is going to be fantastic, the guys have obviously spent a lot of money on the building, ideas and menus etc. It's a shame the food, service and atmosphere does not live up to the initial expectations. I would never go back here and would not recommend this place to anyone.
Review left on 03/10/2012 by Storm (1 review)
Excellent service, lovely atmosphere. Had the falafel burger and it was absolutely delicious. Would definitely come here again.
Review left on 30/09/2012 by Nigel Elliott (1 review)
Average food, average service, poor atmosphere and really greasy floors!
Review left on 28/08/2012 by Josh (1 review)
Brought my girlfriend here the other night. Loved the atmosphere, loved the service and we especially loved the food. They had ribs as a special and they were out of this world! Will definitely return.
Review left on 23/08/2012 by Stuat (1 review)
I ordered the Eggsplosion the other day, it was full of flavour and cooked just right. The chilli cheese fries were fresh and a great compliment to my burger.
The only thing that could have been better would be a few more people to create a bigger atmosphere.
Other than that, I highly recommend it!
Review left on 22/08/2012 by David (2 reviews)
Went for a spur of the moment meal after a day in town. Place looks great from the outside and keeps the feel and atmosphere on the inside too. Warm greeting, without feeling at all overwhelmed. Both me and my girlfriend chose the vegi burger, being vegetarians, and were pleasantly impressed! Quite different to your average vegi burger in taste and texture, highly recommended. Onion rings and cajun fries were great, nice portion sizes and taste was fresh.
Great experience eating here, seems great for a quick meal for two and would suit a larger group meal just as well! I would recommend you give it a sample, Johnny knows what he's doing!
Review left on 06/08/2012 by Matt (1 review)
Went here over the weekend , as I have spent quite allot of time in America and love my diners, have to say I was quite disappointed.
Lets start with the positive, our waitress was great.
After sitting down I don't think the look is quite right for an American diner, I have been to quite a few in my time and it came across a bit cheap with the plastic chairs and table clothes. They really need booths installing.
I know cost is expensive, but booths with juke boxes would be great.
Also the first impressions are with the menu that is handed to you, My menu looked like it was printed on a computer at home and looked like hundreds of people before me have had their grubby mits all over it. I think when you are going for a meal you don't want to be reminded of the previous customers hence why tables are cleaned down before you sit down. So get that menu laminated, or professionally printed, or in a book format.
With staff make sure if you are going with a uniform format that everyone is dressed the same, or if you want to distinguish the manager from the staff members get them to dress smart, I'm not sure if the girl was a manager but I just thought she was walking up and down for fun.
The burgers were extremely bland, they needed some relish in, a better bun (the bun was like those cheap white ones you get from any supermarket) the salad was a bit of joke and the food was going cold quite quickly which shows that their are timing issues in the kitchen with the food coming out as my friend got a veg burger.
The Fries were limp and too greasy, I think they had the option of some chunky ones and I wish I went with those.
They did keep asking me "is everything ok" and like a polite/coward brit I kept saying "yeah its great" but I took that as I sign they are trying to work things out at the moment. But at the moment its not quite working, I think a smaller venue would have been easier for them to get the balance right as the merch that is slapped across the walls looks thinly stretched and for me is too much like Frankie and Bennies rather than trying to capture that unique American Diner experience.
I skipped on the milk shake but I will try again in a few months if they iron out the kinks, but wouldn't recommend at the moment.
Review left on 01/08/2012 by Tony (1 review)
After helping the Chin move some furniture around Leeds he treated me to a double cheese and bacon burger, chicken wings, onion rings and fries from Johnny Fontanes. We rocked up 25mins before they were supposed to close and still the service was fantastic and attentive. The food was very tasty, best burger I've had in a long while.
Review left on 29/07/2012 by Daisy F (1 review)
I had been before to Johnny Fontanes and had not been impressed, but decided to try it again and am so glad I did! The burgers were moist, crumbly and flavoursome and the buns were delicious. The chips were made out of real potatoes which you could really taste and the onion rings were just the right amount of actual onion and crispy batter. On top of all this the staff were really friendly and helpful. I will definitely be returning again!