Johnny’s Take Out

This is a location where you can earn airline miles when using your credit card, and through that I receive a survey request with every visit. I noted on one of the surveys the sharp decline in service since the abrupt departure of their former counter person.
I received an email from chef/​owner Ann Cashion explaining that the person had quit without notice and they were very happy with his replacement. (A month into her job, the replacement still didn’t know the five items on their menu.) As it turns out, their former employee are connected through another organization, and Ann Cashion flat out lied. She slandered her former employee, and she lied.
I don’t support businesses who treat their employees unfairly or unethically. I don’t support businesses who are bad corporate citizens. And I don’t support businesses who lie to me.

It should not take 15 minutes to get what is essentially an egg and toast at breakfast. Never again.
Loved the taco place, hate this.

This is a great alternative to traditional take out. The options in this area are almost all chains and can get boring and mundane. I appreciate this alternative. Great prices and good food.

Pretty good food at a pretty good price. The shrimp po’boy is my fav for lunch and breakfast is pretty damn awesome! The quiche is to die for and seasoned pretty well!
I probably wouldn’t schlep here if it was too much out of the way, but compared to other take-​outs that are near the job this place is not bad at all.

Underwhelmed. Ate here for the first time today and was sufficiently underwhelmed. Problems are very much the same as Johnny’s Halfshell, a menu searching for an identity– just a hodge-​podge of items, with no theme. As I have always asked of Johnny’s, why fancy yourself as a purveyor of southern cuisine and then put a hotdog and lobster roll on the menu? I will say though that Take Out does have really reasonable prices, but I still won’t be rushing back. My special of the day, a chicken wrap, was small and as if wrapped by a 10 year old– fell apart in my hands.

I work in the building adjacent to this place and tend to go often-​enough as it’s so close. The food is an awful attempt to be a baby johnnys half shell. I’ve tried a few different things on the menu and have yet to even be the slightest bit impressed.
grilled cheese– Yay, a place that has grilled cheese! It’s cheap and that just what you get. regular sliced bread w ONE piece of melted cheese and some lays chips as a side. For $ 4.50, i’ll eat it but could make a better one at home.
rice, beans and sausage. They could try to make them themselves and not buy everything from a can. No flavor to these. gross.
hamburger– i’ve had 2. the first one actually impressed me more than anything. the only con was the bread was prob an inch thick on both sides. Who can eat that? So i ended up taking it off and having an extremely messy lunch w my hands. It wasn’t great but It was more gourmet than i had expected. Attempt 2– completely undercooked burger. So raw, I couldn’t eat it. FAIL.
Salad– I want grilled chicken, not fried! They only have fried as an option. So, i get no meat and the dressing on. Dijon is my go-​to but this wasn’t dijon. It was pink and creamy and gross. I couldn’t eat the salad bc of the funky taste. However, for $ 6, the salad is large. FAIL yet again.
I SOO miss taqueria nacional. it was the best. Sigh. to be a part of Johnnys and as expensive as the half shell is, its a fail IMO. They need better service and food. Just sucks its so convenient to work!

taking the place of Taqueria Nacional, Johnny’s Take Out is a mini spin off of its birth mother — Johnny’s Half Shell.
what’s the trade off?
well, you don’t have to spend a ton of money for some near-​authentic, replica of a decent Mexican taqueria anymore, but what you get in its place is a relatively inexpensive, mediocre attempt at New Orleans lunchtime staples. [side note — they do serve breakfast here, but i have yet to try that menu.]
so far, this is what i have sampled from the ‘bowl’ selection of their menu.
the catfish bowl — 3 pieces of underwhelming fried catfish, 2 pieces of bland hush puppies, and dollop of average tasting coleslaw.
the red beans and rice bowl — it’s not much different than the red beans and rice that popeye’s makes, but they do use spices in their version, and you can actually taste the spices.
the shrimp étouffée — not bad, but don’t ever take a NOLA native here, unless you are seeking to be punched in the mouth.
the gumbo — see: the shrimp étouffée bowl.
summation: fine dining, it ain’t and never was intended to be. however, the end result of Johnny’s Take Out vacillates somewhere between comfort food and volume driven, fast food. in a cost-​benefit analysis, for $ 5 and something a bowl, you do get what you pay for (especially considering the location) — some decent lunchtime grub for a decent price.
is it ‘authentic’? — hell no.
it is bad? —– nope.
is it worth the price? —- yup.
will the meal linger in your dreams long after the meal has been consumed? —- only if you like having gas.
should you try them out if you work in the area? —– stop on by.
and if you don’t work in the area? — — - wait until Taqueria Nacional opens up and go get yourself some tacos.