Johnny’s Place

I am giving 4 stars… Mind you, I am NOT comparing Johnny’s to a fine dining restaurant, that wouldn’t be fair. Johnny’s is a privately owned eatery in Clifton Texas, so let’s be real here.
I am a «fan», and I’ll eat there again while visiting Clifton.
The service is very down home friendly. The food was good! And honestly, I wasn’t thrilled when we pulled up in the parking lot. And I wasn’t excited when we first walked inside. One trip to the buffet and my mind was changed! We chose the buffet over the menu because it had MANY of the items listed in the menu, and I like to «sample». The salad was wet, cool and crispy, the fresh selection of veggies to add to my salad were perfect… and guess what. HOME MADE Ranch for the dressing snob. (yeah, that’s me) I do NOT like to go to a restaurant to find they use bottled dressing. (I even make ALL of my own at home, I’m weird like that.)
The other buffet selections were: chicken fried steak, chicken breast bites (with jalapeño, cheese and bacon-​delish), cornmeal battered catfish, green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes, cornbread, biscuits (home made)…and so on… It really was good, so guess what. We went back for breakfast. LOL It’s true.
It is a great little joint located in a cool little town.
Outside? Not much to look at. Inside? Your belly will find mooch-​o satisfaction!
Chow!

Great hometown café! Good American food and buffet, certainly not the most healthy place but a great homy atmosphere where the locals eat.

Stopped in for desert, had the peach cobbler. Was pretty good of course it would have been better with blue bell ice cream. But they made a whole pot of coffee for us even though it was 8pm.

Buffet is always a great value. Friday night is our favorite, because of the catfish fry, and their «twisters» on the buffet. Twisters are awesome. Chicken breast wrapped around a jalepeno and mozzarella and wrapped in bacon. OMG, to die for. Breakfast is great too, ham steaks are awesome. While currently up for sale, they don’t have a liquor license, they have a long-​time solid staff and consistently good food value. Looking for a restaurant to buy? This one is a good value including real estate, a definite potential money maker.

My boss and I were passing through town and decided to stop here for lunch. At noon on a Monday, I thought it would be busier, but it was only about half full. The staff was very nice and very attentive. The prices were reasonable and the menu was extensive. There was even a buffet with the traditional southern cooked foods… fried and grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, cabbage, etc. my boss and I each ordered sandwiches, I had the BLT and he had a turkey Swiss. It didn’t come with a side, so I chose home fries from the extensive list.
The sandwiches were good, but nothing to write home about. They each came on standard white bread. I will say that my BLT was LOADED with bacon. The home fries were large and good, but nothing spectacular. What was nice was our plates came with a free serving of cobbler after. My boss had the peach and I chose the pineapple, since I’d never heard of pineapple cobbler before. The pineapple was definitely from a can, but the cobbler was warm and good.
My entire meal was under $ 8, so that was nice. I give this place a 3-​star just because it was good and filled my belly, but not someplace I would necessarily ever go back to when passing through the area. On that note, it’s not a place that I would purposefully avoid either.

The food was really good and the atmosphere and service was very friendly and on the ball. I’d definitely eat here again.
As an added note our waitress Kayla (I believe) was super awesome and made the experience from a 3 star to a 4 star. Nice work!
The only down side was that they had Fox News on the TV and I had to listen to those idiots «report».

This café is down the street from Dad’s in Clifton, TX. Surprisingly good food, usually just get a burger n fries. Their lunch is reasonably priced and they have great service. If you find yourself in Clifton and hungry they will solve your problem,

Excellent breakfast! We had the breakfast burrito and pancakes, everything was cooked perfectly. We definitely will be stopping here again when we pass through Clifton.

Johnny’s place is friendly, has a tasty buffet and is reasonably priced. We had the buffet, and the breading on the shrimp and catfish was great. Almost a sweet taste to it. Nothing like I expected, and I usually don’t like my food fried. The absolute best surprise was the ice cream and peach cobbler they offered at the end of our meal. If you are looking for some good ol’ home cookin’ in small town Texas, you’ve got to give this place a try. They seem to have earned all of their ‘best of …, in Bosque County) awards.

Good buffet. Excellent Meatloaf. Good chicken fried steak tenders. Great mashed potatoes. Decent green beans. Rest of group said chicken and dumplings were not that great. Clean restroom. Overall nice place.

To the people of Clifton it’s nothing more than a home away from home. The atmosphere reminds you the TV show Cheers. When you walk through the door, someone is bound to scream your name and it will take you 5 minutes just to sit down because you’re to busy shaking hands with everyone. Johnny’s makes you feel at home and the staff will go out of their way to make sure you come back. Buffet or off the grill, it’s a great place to meet a friend and chat or take the family. I prefer the sirloin (med rare) with veggies and a glass of ice tea.

Have you ever thought to yourself, «Man, I sure would like a baked potato that is actually just an excuse to cram 3 meals worth of goopy, delicious calories onto a single plate»?
If you’ve never had this thought, I suspect you may be doing something wrong. But there IS hope. And it’s just a little past Waco. I think.
This little olé diner served some beef soup that really tasted like it was made with love. And my stuffed potato was less like a stuffed potato and more like an explosion of chicken-​fried steak smothered in white gravy dancing around melty globs of cheddar cheese.
The menu (and the back wall of the joint) is plastered with local business ads, all featuring really kitschy clip art. It’s way small town, and awesome.
You may also have meals for the next 3 days if you take home your leftovers. Johnny’s place gives the gift of food that keeps on giving.
And what, you may ask, would I do with a to-​go box clotted with chicken fried steak, baked potato, and cheese? It’s called a frittata, and you’re welcome.

Friendly atmosphere, prompt service, small town feel, and great burgers!