John's Place

BREAKFAST. After burgers, breakfast is my next great love. Specifically, a great eggs benedict always has a place in my heart (stomach?).

We saw this place on The Food Network, and thought we'd give it a try the next time we were in Victoria. We were definitely not disappointed! Technically it's not just a breakfast place but on the weekends they serve brunch only until the afternoon, skipping lunch service altogether. We didn't get to try their other menus so I will be reviewing as such.

The restaurant is set up like one of those little small-town diners, very simple with lots of sports and hollywood memorabilia all over the walls. Some of them signed! Either the owners are collectors or they have some very famous fans. There was a big (modern) jukebox in the corner and they happened to be playing a pretty sweet selection of blues, which is always cool. As it was easter weekend, some of the servers were wearing bunny ears, adding an extra fun touch.

The wait was about 20 minutes when we got there around 11:30 or noon, but got shorter for subsequent customers as the morning rush died down. The service was very polite and friendly, and we were quickly seated once it was our turn. One thing I noticed was that they were on first-name basis with a lot of their customers. Lots of regulars=good restaurant!

Now on to the good stuff, the food! I ordered the Blackstone Eggs Benedict (bacon and grilled tomato), while my date had the special berry waffles and a side of corned beef hash. Both were excellent, and the portions were huge. Everything was excellent and tasted home-made, their menu touts real hollandaise and it definitely was not a lie. I discovered I'm personally not a fan of grilled tomatoes on eggs benedict, but that was no fault of theirs, and the bacon was satisfyingly crispy even drowned under all that hollandaise. I do like my english muffins a bit more toasted than that, but what was cool is they give you a choice of different breads you can have. The home fries on the side were huge, well-seasoned, and perfectly crispy. As for the waffle, it was heaven. Light and fluffy, just barely crispy on the outside, with real fruit on top, delicious whipped cream, and a choice of standard or cream cheese syrup. Try the cream cheese syrup. With all this food there was hardly any room for the corned beef hash, but my date was pretty happy that they used the canned corned beef she loves so much.

I also had a ceasar (on special $5.75 I think) and coffee. The (bottomless) coffee was standard diner fare, maybe a little tastier. The caesar was decent and I could tell they didn't skimp on the vodka, but it could've used more flavor. The giant sprig of celery was cool though. My date had a mimosa. I don't know anything about mimosas, but it tasted pretty good and they used fresh-squeezed juice.

If you're an adventurous person, I suggest trying one of their more creative menu items. There are a lot of choices and they seem to lean towards slightly more off-the-wall ideas, so there could be some very interesting breakfast experiences. I definitely want to come back and try something new.

I give it 4 stars because while the food was very satisfying, I've had more flavorful breakfasts which wowed me more. John's place was just good, well-made, quality food, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'll certainly be back. :)

First time in Victoria BC and I had the best brunch experience at John's! I can't explain how amazing their eggs bennys were. The roasted tomatoes on the sides I love so much! Don't miss it when you go on your trip to Victoria!

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=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE
So John's may not have the top food quality of other establishments, but it's not competing on that front. As far as greasy spoons go: this is one of the joints that was featured on TV (Food Network) and it does not disappoint with value and decor!

=== 2. FOOD
"Bat Out of Hell" Meatloaf & Eggs ($20):
Beef and pork meatloaf covered with mushroom sauce with two eggs your way and a choice of starch - great option!

Blueberry Lemon Zinger Pancakes ($18):
Only available during special or holiday weekends - you get two of these with cream cheese or maple syrup - a delight!

Vlady's Frittata ($19):
It looks more like a personal-sized thin crust pizza: eggs, tomatoes, onions, sausage, and cheese, along with a choice of starch - not bad!

Coffee seemed to be included (or they missed billing us).

=== 3. SERVICE
A lady who seemed to be in charge served us and she was great. We could tell she was pressed for time to get tables (including ours) turned over for a the many waiting guests; however, she was always patient with us and our little one, answering all of our questions (including the history of the place - look for John in some of the pictures!).

=== 4. ENVIRONMENT
It's older, a little dimmer, and really meant to feel like an old cozy spot to enjoy heart-warming (or heart-stopping?! ;) ) meals - the walls are adorned with sports memorabilia / photos. Groups of 4 or less are ideal; you could get a larger group up to 6 perhaps. Not sure I would want to bring Mom in her wheelchair or our baby stroller in here - not much space. Parking is also a crap shoot - it's either metered street parking or a parking garage nearby for your chariot!

We decided to try John's Place for brunch. It's a few doors down from Nubo Japanese Tapas and ENe Raw Food and Sake Bar.

We dropped in on a packed Monday (11:00am). Go inside to put your name on the waitlist. We waited about 25 minutes for a table. Service was terrible; we had the unfortunate luck of getting a server in trainee. We waited 20 minutes to order and another 30 minutes to pay, after asking for the bill twice. The servers don't work together, instead ignoring customers that aren't part of their section.

We were given the lunch menu (on weekdays, the brunch menu switches out at 11:30am). We had to ask if we could order off the brunch menu.

- Bread - they brought out a basket on the house for the wait.
- Café latte ($5.50 double) - at least they don't charge extra for oat milk. Standard latte.
- Catch 22 ($18.00) - B opted for the gluten free waffle and half classic benny. She subbed for a gluten free bun ($1.50). They charged full price for the bun, even though it was a half order. Waffle was excellent; fluffy inside, crispy outside. The house made cheese syrup was okay. Benny was standard.
- Cloudy with a chance of meatloaf ($19.00) - carrots weren't cooked enough. Grilled onions didn't have any flavour. Mashed potatoes were bland. Meatloaf was tasty and the sauce wasn't too rich.

Can't get over how brutal the service was at JP. Never coming back.

We always come back here every visit and it's always delicious! The classic Benny, pancake, and home fries. My husband had the corned beef hash. Recommend everything as we've never had a bad meal. So glad to see the servers and crew. They always take great care of us!

I came to John's in the morning for breakfast while visiting Victoria for a couple of days, since it was only a short walk from our hotel. Man, the french toast blew my mind! Glad the serving portion was well-sized. Luckily we chose a good time of day too, since it seemed like it could get pretty busy. I didn't mind the wait for the food, as it wasn't terribly long. If I could, I would love to eat here again :]

John's Place is as wonderful as ever! The gluten free selections are great and the Eggs benedict especially so. Wonderful staff, John and his son still run it, and run it well! Expect a wait to get in, but it's well worth the wait to experience eating here and a food haven for the gluten free!

great casual diner for breakfast/brunch. we put our name on the waitlist for a party of four, around 11:55 am on tuesday and was told it was going to take about half an hour, so we checked out the thrift stores. nearby. john's place is covered with photos of sport teams, banners, celebrities, and caricatures.

we ordered and enjoyed the southwest tofu hash for vegans, john's free run traditional breakfast, belgian waffles and half an order of the eggs veggie benny with grilled tomato, avocado and savoury potato pancake. the hollandaise sauce was rich and creamy, and the seasoned home fries were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast and felt satiated.

After a 5.15am ferry ride our first stop was John's place for an early breakfast. Almost every inch of the walls are covered with photos flags and other memorabilia. The staff is very friendly. When asked about the ingredients in the veggie patty we were also shown a book written by hand which had all the ingredients listed out!
I got the classic eggs benny and swapped english muffin for potato pancakes. Love that there was plenty of side salad. Got the lavender latte good taste but temperature wasn't as hot and it got cold pretty quick.
The show stealer of the day was the cream cheese sauce that came with the waffles. We spent a good amount of time trying to figure out the ingredients!

I don't think I could say enough good things about John's Place. Awesome atmosphere with all the photos on the walls, fantastic service and somehow the very nice lady knew exactly what we wanted! Food was wonderful and I won't need to eat again until tomorrow!!! If you are in Victoria, hungry, give John's place a try, you will not be sorry

A disappointing breakfast, with chipper service and mediocre food/ coffee. The decor is fun, though.