This is definitely an authentic, traditional, and very thorough Italian restaurant. Also, seemingly, the only vegan Italian restaurant in NYC. Their plates are delicious. However, that having been said, I did not have a good experience and their cost is not worth the plate. When my party of 2 arrived at the restaurant, there was one other table who had already ordered. In the first 10 minutes we were at our table, we had 3 different waiters check up on us about once a minute. However, after we ordered out food, we didn't see another waiter except when they dropped off our appetizer and meal. They did not refill our water at either time. By the time we were finally brought out our dinner, the other party already had their check and we were still the only table in the restaurant. We finished eating in less than 10 minutes and it still took 15-20 minutes before a someone finally came by to take our plates and refill our water, at which point we asked for the check. The price of the restaurant is not on par with their vegan portions. We ordered a vegan Cesar salad for an appetizer, which was delicious, but the size of a side salad. I ordered the vegan ravioli, once again, absolutely amazing, except the price. A $23.95 plate got me 7 ravioli, which is absolutely not worth the price. Perhaps service will be different for others, but for us it was not anything I want to endure again. I will not be visiting again and I would not recommend this restaurant based on the experience I had and the price I paid. As another small side note, be aware that the prices on the website differ from that of the menu, in both higher and lower costs.

Cozy place. Our dinners were all Vegan. I’m not vegan but my daughter ( I was visiting )and friends are, so I went with the flow. Can’t believe it , my chicken parm was delicious. Vegan or not …. John’s is a must try when your in NY.

Great spot for old school red sauce Italian in a space that exudes tons of charm and history. Service was friendly and the food tasty. I went with the veal parm and it came out a generous cutlet pounded thin with a nice layer of melted cheese. The garlic bread is also awesome - I nearly finished the entire basket myself. I’d skip the dessert - they weren’t the best - but with everything else you definitely won’t leave hungry! I’d return.

Lovely experience. Love being in a space where you can feel the history, while also being accommodated with so many vegan options. Go hungry or have some self control to stop and take some food home. Portions are big the menu all looks so good. Don’t miss the vegan cannoli.

An absolute joy to have spent time at this establishment. Every server (except, understandably, the new ones) had a very welcoming and warm approach to showcasing what the restaurant has to offer. As an individual on a vegan diet, they made sure to offer as much help as possible to cater to my needs. I came to try their famed Vegan Meatball, and it was everything a Vegan Meatball should have. Cashews, breading, vegan butter, seasoning - a delight to consume. Ilir and Leo complemented the restaurant’s energy, as they actively sought to check on what I needed. I have no doubts about this restaurant and their ability to serve the vegan community - they’ve been at it for 13 years! Will definitely be coming back. And take a chance on their homemade buttermilk pecan vegan ice cream. Although it has an icy texture, the taste is very much present. Will be coming back soon!

It’s a neighborhood staple and visiting is like stepping back in time. You may have seen this restaurant in movies & shows and not even realized it (think Soprano’s & Boardwalk Empire to name a few). The great thing about this spot (other than the fact it opened in 1908) is that vegans and non vegans can both enjoy satisfying food! We tried the vegan dishes & favorites were the stuffed mushrooms & eggplant parm. Some good wines to be had as well. Make sure to be very clear when ordering bc even tho we order off the vegan the eggplant parm arrived and after a fee bites we realized it wasn’t the vegan one! Yikes! is it the best pasta in nyc? no. but it’s an experienced that’s worth having & it’s a red sauce crowd pleaser!

Yummy classic Italian. Large vegan menu alongside the classics. Everything about the place felt nostalgic. It’s worth going just for the garlic bread though everyone in our large party of 10 loved their food. Service was swift even though the place is full. Never let a water glass go empty, that’s for sure!! They fill it it like the air in the glass come out of their pay or somethin’.

John’s is a great place for dining with vegans and non-vegans where neither has to sacrifice on quality of food or options—needless to say I’ll be coming back! I ordered the eggplant Parmesan with a meatball on the side and canolli for dessert. I’m usually not a fan of non-dairy cheese because of its sweet taste, but it paired very well with the more acidic tomato sauce 🙂 the service was great, and my waiter,John, recommended vegan canolli which I really enjoyed,but be forewarned that it is very cinnamon-y!

I usually wait to write a review after I've visited the place at least twice but this place has been on my list to visit since forever and I finally got to eat it today and they did not disappoint! I got the seitan parm and my boyfriend got the chicken parm and then we got the vegan tiramisu. SO yummy! Really happy with the seitan option, as a vegan athlete I try to get at least 20-30 g of protein per meal and that can be hard when eating out at most other vegan spots. The seitan was very good and the pasta and sauce were delicious. I'm not a fan of the vegan cheese but that's across the board. I feel like it detracts from the overall dish but I know it's more time consuming to make a homemade vegan cheese. The vegan tiramisu is very delicious - love the cream, love the moist mushy cake crumbles - I love chocolate but they put chocolate chips which is atypical but I didn't hate it. We'll definitely return to try some other dishes!

Pasta portions are very small and beer selection is limited to four choices which we didn't like. The meatballs had a very odd taste which we could not figure out. I ordered baked lasagna which was good. The service was excellent and I would recommend you make a reservation because they have a large costumer base.

Second time coming here. The food is amazing, I come from a big Italian family and their gravy doesn't disappoint. Portions are very satisfying too and the prices can't be beat for the area and quality of the food. The service is excellent, the staff is attentive, humorous and familial. Will be coming back a third time for sure. The restaurant is a little dim but that's hardly much of a negative.

Amazing Italian date spot especially if someone’s vegan! They have two whole menus one with tradition Italian and one entirely dedicated for vegan options. And trust me they definitely didn’t cut any corners when it comes to flavor! My family and I came here and everyone ordered vegan, even my non vegan parents who love Italian cuisine. They couldn’t believe it was vegan it was so great. My dad kept asking are you sure it’s vegan?? Haha. No doubt every dish has been thoroughly thought out! The restaurant offers amazing food, great service and a little bit of cool history (ask about the giant candle in the back dinning room).

Discovered John’s of 12th Street in one of the gluten free NYC groups that I’m in and added it to my “must visit” because someone mentioned that they have gluten free and vegan cannolis. On my last trip to NYC, we stopped in several locations in Little Italy to ask if they had gluten and dairy free cannolis and while we were able to find gluten free shells, the vegan or dairy free filling proved impossible to find. Thus, you can imagine my surprise/excitement to read that John’s of 12th Street was offering this and had a separate vegan menu as well! I arrived on a Saturday evening without a reservation and they were kind enough to fit me in because I was by myself (I don’t recommend coming without a reservation; the restaurant was super busy!). The waitstaff was extremely friendly and welcoming and knowledgeable about gluten free and vegan options. I was ready to order the gluten free pasta with marinara when it occurred to me to ask what was in the marinara. Surprisingly, there is butter. I’m dairy free in addition to gluten free, so the server guided me to the vegan option which does not contain butter. The pasta arrived very quickly, and with it a container of Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan which I felt was a very thoughtful touch as I can’t remember the last time I was able to have parmesan with my pasta at a restaurant (also shows how vegan friendly this restaurant is!). The sauce itself was not what I had envisioned with marinara sauce, it was really heavy on the garlic and had green onions in it. It was okay, but I would probably try a different sauce if I went back again. Then the time came for the gluten free, vegan cannoli. Relatively pricey at ~10/cannoli, it arrived and I immediately was confused. The shell is not what I would expect for a cannoli… it was a pizzelle (a waffle cookie) rolled into the shape of a cannoli shell. The filling was also not what I expected—it wasn’t traditional, but had a mix of spices that were reminiscent of fall and pumpkin pie. It wasn’t my favorite, especially at the price point, but I have to give them major kudos for catering to a gluten free and vegan community and offering an abundance of options, including a dessert option which is so rare to find. If ever back in NYC, I would consider eating here again as it felt like a safe place to eat for someone who is gluten and dairy free like myself.

Phenomenal. The staff was so friendly and accommodating, the Vegas options were great, and the vibes were on point. It was a great 2 hour Italian dinner with good food and wine. We got the candle table and it was so fun! I only with they filled up the water glasses more.

If you want the classic Italian restaurant experience in New York look no further than John’s! For over 100 years they’ve been making some of the best Italian food in the city in this same place. You can feel the history walking in the door, and if you want to see more, go watch “The Sopranos” or “Boardwalk Empire”. Was lucky enough to have my wedding dinner here and the service was amazing!

1- Food 3/5. Been going to restaurant for almost 20 years now. The last time I went was during Covid 19 days so I kinda expected a drop in quality a bit. Figured I give this neighborhood landmark another try, well I’m happy I did because it was the last time I will be going. 2 - Service 3/5 Service was average Until we asked for our left over food to go ( We only asked for it to go because we didn’t want to be rude, but we really didn’t like the food). We were handed a couple of To-Go containers and a plastic bag lol.😂. So a customer packages their own Doggy bag now? Ok. I still left a 25% tip because I’m far from cheap despite feeling cheaply valued. 3 - Ambiance 5/5. Very comfortable, old school style feeling. Lots of history in this place dating back over a 100 years. 4 - Reservations 3/5. Antiquated. Call for reservation. 5 - Value 3/5. Prices here are definitely less expensive than other Italian restaurants in my neighborhood. But the quality of there ingredients and freshness of there food combined with there lack of top notch service makes John’s a no go for me. Will not return and no longer recommend.

Fantastic! Offer vegan, gluten free and dairy free pasta with delicious sauces. Serves were super conscious of making sure food was right for my gluten free/ dairy free friend. She even ordered dessert - a vegan chocolate canoli - which she said was the best thing she had the entire time we were in NYC!!! Staff was lovely. Considerate and attentive. I'm not vegan or gluten free, and my traditional pasta was wonderful!

I've been here about a decade ago and have been craving some good Italian. I tell you, nothing beats handmade pasta and johns of 12th really delivers. Their calamari is also stupendous. The service was great, quick and polite and helpful. I really appreciated how the servers and ports were quick but also careful, truly skilled people. Of course having an entire vegan menu is impressive, one of the few places a carnivore like me can have a GREAT meal with my vegan girlfriend, I ate some of her garlic bread and you would never know it was vegan! I will definitely be back, after I work off the food I ate!

It was amazing the staff was so nice! Right when you walk in you can tell how authentic it is! The food is amazing im so happy I’ve been craving real Italian for so long but I’m vegan so it normally always tastes off, yet this place got it perfect!

Incredible dinner experience. The service was excellent. Leo was so kind and chatted to us while helping us get a table before the reservation rush later in the night. The chicken parm was excellent. Huge portion. 2 different pieces of chicken with spaghetti. Excellent old school atmosphere in an eatery from the early 1900s. Highly recommend it

Such an amazing experience and great date spot. It has such a nice feeling inside the restaurant and all the servers were really nice and attentive. Food----- AMAZING. The vegan food is as good as the regular food which says so much! The portions are deliciousness make every item worth every penny honestly. The tiramisu is also insane in taste and size (pictured in the sundae cup....), they even have vegan desserts like a cannolis and tiramisu. I recommend 100x.

This Carbonara was the saddest excuse for a Carbonara I’ve ever eaten. It was just pasta tossed in olive oil and parmesan with bacon strips on top.

Amazing amazing food. My dad and I are both vegan and love old school Italian places like this but are usually limited to spaghetti marinara at most restaurants. John’s however has an entire VEGAN menu with ravioli, seitan parm, spaghetti and meatballs, etc… we were so happy and tried appetizers, entrees, and dessert. The food was incredible and it was great to have so many options. Super nice and friendly staff too, I’ll definitely come back here next time I’m in NYC.

Pretty much only reason we went to this restaurant was for the vegan options. The vegan meatball (Seitan & Nuts) did not disappoint. The pasta (vegan) was amazing as well. The vegan mushroom appetiser was kinda meh. Just felt like marinara sauce was stuffed inside the mushroom.. it’s kind of expensive but that was expected. Each vegan pasta is 22$ or more. Service was slow but maybe because it was a weekend. Will come again just for the pasta & the vegan meatball. Oh the garlic bread on the menu is not worth it.

We went for dinner last Saturday and were a group of 10 celebrating my Daughter's Engagement and Birthday. From the time we arrived to the time we left, we had a fabulous dining experience, I only wish I remembered the name of our waiter who was superb and very personal. I live 2 hours away and cannot wait to go back. If you have not been here before, I would say it is a must to try. Thank you for making a special night perfect!

This is some great Italian food that is at a decent price. Thought the food was a bit cold when it came out but it was delicious nonetheless! Can’t wait to come back because there are definitely other options that I would love to try out. Located in a popular area so you can’t miss it!

was brought a non vegan bolognese at first, and luckily reconfirmed before digging in. vegan bolognese was pretty good, a little on the sweeter side. i’ll give them another try

Amazing place! Excellent food and ambiance. A little bit of a longer wait for food, but totally worth it! Vegan options are hard to find when it's Italian and it was absolutely excellent!

Classy and delicious. Plentiful vegan options that were superb! Best Italian I’ve had period. The service was excellent and atmosphere quaint. Overall a lovely dining experience.

Johns of 12th Street, is a "not so hidden gem"! If you haven't been to Johns head right over... Started with a ice cold Italian peroni beer, couple mixed drinks ordered Spedino Mozzarella Romana what a pleasant surprise! The triple D Polpetto di Vitello (Veal Meatballs), Delish! Bottle of chianti from Tuscany is just what the dr. ordered... Veal Cutlet Parmigiana, Veal Scallopina al Limone, are great choices, Tuscan Ragu over Homemade Pappardelle was superb! A must go to, must try all of these, you will love them all. Johns has been around since 1908, that is proof in itself!

Great little Italian spot with a separate vegan menu in addition to a classic menu. Food is flavorful and fresh. It's a chill place in a classically New York space, not too many frills. The wine list could use a Sancerre by the glass, but eh. Nothing bad to say about this place.

I rarely try new things, and I don't like anything with mushrooms. I have to say,,, I could have never been so wrong. The vegan meatballs made partially with mushrooms were Great and tasty. I'm still in shock I ate everything. My date had the egg plant and she loved it. I took a miniscule piece of her eggplant. I don't eat eggplant but, the way The chef and staff made it, it was good. I'm leaning toward vegetarianism so, this menu worked for me. The decor is quaint and the place has been around since 1908. When you go to the bathroom, you may think of the God father movie and look behind the toilet. Lol. John's is a very good restaurant.

The massive wax candle stalagmites alone earn five stars.

Fantastic, old school NYC Italian food! I’m addicted to their spaghetti & meatballs, and when I took my vegan friends here, they raved about the portobello mushrooms. Great food, great atmosphere and great service! Lovely place for a date, or to take your parents. I’ve gone multiple times over the past years and never had anything but a delicious meal! Highly recommended!

This place has fantastic food at incredible prices. The quality of the service and food for the price that you are getting is something that you do not see much anymore. The portion sizes are incredible and the fact that this place also caters to vegans and has an incredible vegan menu as well as an incredible standard old school Italian menu is phenomenal! Highly recommend!

Came here as part of a historical walking tour of Little Italy. We were served one meatball and noodles: personally, the noodles and sauce are very good — but the meatball texture and flavor could be improved upon. Ample serving of water by the staff, but our table location seemed quite dim compared to the rest of the restaurant. This location has both indoor and outdoor dining available and can accommodate large parties.