Went there for the first time last Sunday evening....arrived at around 6pm....hostess was very friendly....said there was a 15 minute wait....when we were brought to our table about 20 minutes later, I was surprised to see there were 3 booths and 4 empty tables...wondered why there was a wait. Popcorn was delicious....chicken sandwich was excellent. Waitress was very attentive. But they had no fries, they ran out of fries. Had the warm potato chips instead..they were ok. Will go back.

Thought it was interesting to read about Mike and Gina's connection to Manny Garcia and his starting City Fire and Honest Johns as well as his connection to Mark Wahlberg the actor.

Here is the article:
Manny Garcia Bringing Wahlburgers to Florida

Yes, Gina's dad & mom are 2 of the nicest people. They are a wonderful family.
If you like history, here is an awesome story about the Garcia family and their restaurant many years ago in YBOR City. It's very cool.
Las Novedades Spanish Restaurant History, Tampa, FL

Thanks Bonny, that is very interesting!! Having lived in Tampa, we have spent a lot of time in Ybor and at the Columbia (another great restaurant). We are planning to go to Honest John's tonight for the first time.

Enjoy ! Make sure you ask for some popcorn. Also ask for biscuits with your meal. They are awesome !!

Three of us went to dinner last night and were very impressed. Yes, we loved the popcorn (truffle butter and tupelo honey seasoning). My wife had steak tartar. Our daughter had shrimp and grits. I had the filet. We all were very happy with our selections. While my steak was not the best I have ever had, it was better than any other I have had in The Villages. The service was excellent. While, yes, it is noisy, it is just people enjoying themselves, which is OK with me. We will be back often!!!..:eclipsee_gold_cup:

Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you asked for biscuits !

Just the kind of praise that will keep me from going there. Probably wouldn't anyway cause it's owned by the same folks that own City Fire and I stopped going there after my first visit.

Honest John's
 

A number of us went to Honest John,s after golf last Sunday. First time for all of us. The only good think about Honest John.s is Jim, the bar tender, formerly of Cattle Baron. I had the fish and chips, $4's more than Orange Blossom. We will not go back.

The fact that an individual wouldn't even try a new restaurant based on one bad review among dozens of great reviews makes me want to go there all the more. I may drive the 2500 miles round trip just to eat there this month. For those that seem to have nothing positive to post, ever, I can prescribe a variety of psychotropics, tricyclics, and SSRI/SNRI combinations. Please seek help.

Lunch there last week. Really nice atmosphere. Wait service was excellent. Food somewhat pricey but not a deal breaker. Price of premium alcohol seemed very reasonable versus many other places. Sat against front windows so we weren't surrounded by others but it is noisy.

Two of us ate lunch, friend ordered fish and chips and cheeseburger. Friend a fussy eater and enjoyed the fish (cod)and chips, so that's a plus. Cheeseburger very good and cooked to perfection. Plenty of food and couldn't imagine getting biscuits in addition to what we got.

Only problem was the extensive time we had to wait for the food. Not sure what was going on but it took over a 40 minutes after ordering. They brought us come popcorn, but we aren't in to honey and truffle oil popcorn. A table of 6 near us even waited longer and we heard all the apologizes from the wait staff.

So other than the extensive wait it was pretty good.

Were the fish & chips good? If they were as good or better even 4 bucks shouldn't keep you from returning.

I'm sorry---my comment was addressed " to those that....", not anyone specific, I cannot imagine why you would take it to mean you.

I have a better idea---let's just forget these posts, shake (virtual) hands and be friends. The moderator will be taking them down anyway. I think we both should realize that hiding behind an anonymous keyboard has its pitfalls. I'm just trying to maintain a positive attitude in a stressful time, and have reacted to negative posts in a negative way. So yes, I truly apologize, it won't happen again

Now that's a perspective I can agree with! Keyboard anonymity does has it's pitfalls. Have a great fourth of July.