John’s Pizza Cafe

Saint Paul, United States

3.8

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 651-488-1922
Website:
johnspizzacafe.com
Address:
616 Como Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55103
North End
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
240 ftDale St
320 ftFront Av
350 ftComo Av
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
No
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 9:30 am – 10:30 pm
Open now
Local time (Saint Paul) 10:29 AM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday 9:30 am – 9:30 pm
Tuesday 9:30 am – 9:30 pm
Wednesday 9:30 am – 9:30 pm
Thursday 9:30 am – 9:30 pm
Friday 9:30 am – 10:30 pm
Saturday 9:30 am – 10:30 pm
Sunday 10:30 am – 9:30 pm

Description

Specialties

John’s commitment is to quality and freshness through «in house» preparation from scratch. This is not a thaw and can opening operation, we cook!

John’s offers 19 unique Specialty Pizzas, unlimited pizzabilities with your choice of 39 toppings, 18 delicious Hoagies, outrageous Calzones and Strombolis, made from scratch Sausage or Veggie Lasagna, Breadsticks with Dipping Sauce, Twice Baked Wings, Garlic Cheese Bread, Italian Fingers, Roma Cheese Bread, Pepperoni Pizza Bread, and 6 Healthy Salads and now offering that same care and quality to breakfast.

History

Established in 1987.

John’s is a real St. Paul Gem. They opened their doors August 29,1987 as a tiny Take N Bake shop just east of Como Lake. But a very steamy summer made cooking pizza at home not as much fun as just eating them. Sept. John bought ovens and for the past 25 years has grown to be this unbelievable neighborhood shop with seating now for 96. A private party room, and all handicapped accessible. it’s a must visit.

John has always had creative pizzas. His «Veggie 2000» was discovered while fly fishing in Belize. His «Spinach Pesto» was launched after meeting a small shop owner from Puget Sound near Seattle. A German chef helped him develop his «Chick-​a-​Dilly.» He created the «Potato and Artichoke» pizza after an experience in a quaint restaurant in San Francisco. Fishing in northern Minnesota inspired him to explore the possibilities of Minnesota wild rice. Besides their great Pizzas There menu includes these fabulous entries Phillys, Pastas, Calzones, Salads, Hoagies, Hamburgers and Deserts.

Meet the Business Owner

John W.

Business Owner

John is the founder, creator and manager of the little pizza shop that could. He has built a thriving business on creativity in cooking and commitment to quality and excellence in the workplace. He will great you with a smile, treat you with respect and give you the time of day if you ask.

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Vicinity

Browse nearby places:
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605 Como Ave
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968 Dale St N
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20 reviews of John’s Pizza Cafe

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Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
Fantastic find!!! I’m new to the neighborhood and this place is a gem.
Place rating: 1
Saint Paul, MN
I wish I had looked at the reviews for this place before I had placed my order, because then I would have known that their customer service is nonexistent. Ordered delivery for this place and was told the delivery driver wouldn’t get in until an hour after I placed my order. Ok, fine, I wasn’t starving so I figured I could wait for an hour. An hour came and went and still no food. When I called to ask for the status of my order I was told the delivery driver was late for work and wasn’t in even in yet! The woman on the phone was very rude and was annoyed that I was even calling asking where my order was! When I asked when the driver would get there she said she didn’t know and offered no apology. The pizza is good, but not THAT good where I would tolerate being treated like that as a customer. I will not be ordering here again.
Place rating: 3
Saint Paul, MN
This is the second time having food from Johns Pizza Café. The first time, we had a pizza delivered, and it was pretty decent pie. My fiancée didn’t like it at all, but I didn’t think it was bad at all, so I thought that I’d give it another shot. This time, I decided to go into the establishment.
On the outside, it looks like a standard restaurant with an outdoor patio. The inside is fairly small. This probably explains a lack of host and waitresses/​waiters. You order everything up front. I ordered the Bacon Bleu Burger, and thought I could get fries with that, but I was wrong! Apparently, they don’t serve fries here. They. Do. Not. Serve. Fries. Shocked, I decided to go with the tater tots for a dollar extra. In addition, when I order a burger, I’m usually asked how I like it cooked. They didn’t ask me that. Not necessarily a big deal, it’s just something I’m used to.
I didn’t wait long for my food, which is nice. However, I didn’t get many tater tots. I paid $ 13.00 for my food, and got a handful of tots. The burger was OK at best. Personally, the food was not worth the price that I paid for it. For $ 13.00, I’d get a lot more at Gabes, or even Billy’s.
Place rating: 4
Minneapolis, MN
Great pizzas and deliver to my area. Unfortunately they got off to a bad start with me the first time but the owners contacted me straightaway and more than made up for the bad experience with great subsequent service. Great neighbourhood restaurant for pizza.
Place rating: 5
South St Paul, MN
The calzone was the biggest I’ve seen and at a great price. It’s cooked with some garlic butter dough they make themselves every morning. Half of the people in our group couldn’t finish it. The toppings and cheese were loaded in it. The owner John takes great pride in making the best food possible, and chatted with us about the menu. Overall, a great lunch experience.
Place rating: 3
North End, St. Paul, MN
John’s has a great simple menu, I barely see any fried food. the tater tots which they substitute for the potato chips and have no french fries whatsoever. I really enjoyed the food as well as the quality of food.
But for the simple menu, I think the prices are a tad high…
Place rating: 4
St Paul, MN
We had ordered pizza for our employees from here. Toppings and crust were good and fresh and overall had great flavor. I would order from this place again.
Place rating: 5
St Paul, MN
We were first time diners, today. Two orders of Chicken Wings and a large pizza, plus a strawberry malt and drinks. The wings were great, service was prompt and friendly. and the pizza was terrific (beef, black olives and pineapple). John, himself, visited our table and made sure we were more than satisfied. We will visit often, and bring our friends.
Place rating: 4
Saint Paul, MN
I’m eating da envious turkey sandwich as I type this. This is my first time ordering here as I don’t live in the area, I’m just house sitting for a friend. But man oh man am I glad I picked this place. It was ready to pick up when I got there ten minutes after I had ordered. It’s stacked high with meat & veggies, it’s really flavorful. The tater tots are hot & crispy. I haven’t gotten to the dessert yet but the lemon bar I got is a nice size. Overall, a great experience. Only reason why I didn’t give it 5 stars is because I wasn’t given any napkins & I have to use a towel
Place rating: 5
Chandler, AZ
Man o man this pizza was amazing. The aroma of garlic & sauce & toppings hits you as soon as the door is opened. Our group of 6 wasn’t quite sure what to order to-​go since all of us had a variety of tastes/​prefs. The 2 local girls in our group made sure all prefs were taken into consideration — we got a couple of pizzas and breadsticks that covered the gamut. Upon our arrival back at one of the local girl’s house, the entire smorgasboard was gone in minutes [so it seemed]. Definitely was some of the best pizza I’ve ever had [and I’m quite picky about what I eat].
Place rating: 4
Saint Paul, MN
Actually found these guys via Unilocal while looking for a different pizza delivery within my area code. Ordered twice from them now, two different pizzas and was not disappointed in either!
Only thing I will say is that I haven’t been floored by the flavor and for the price, I would like to be wowed a little bit more. Otherwise we’ve definitely got them on pizza rotation!
Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
Finally a clean, family-​friendly restaurant in St. Paul that is affordable with a nice sized menu. Had the Hawaiian pizza and wings. No complaints!
Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
I’ve eaten here several times and have never been disappointed. The sauce is how I like it, tomatoey with plenty of garlic and basil. The crust is great too, the «Hand Tossed» is crispy enough to stand up to all the veggies on the Meatless Wonder without getting floppy.
I keep saying I’m going to try something else off of their extensive menu, lots of veggie options, but keep getting the pizza.
As for the servers I’ve only been here at lunch but everyone has been friendly. Don’t let the fact that they have a TV stop you from eating here, the side room is really a gem, with art on the walls, plants, and a fountain. Easy to converse with your friends. It’s a nice alternative to the trendier and crowded pizza chains
Place rating: 2
St Paul, MN
Don’t get me wrong. The pizza here is amazing. But the problem is you have to deal with their employees to get it.
We ordered a pizza and a salad the other night for delivery. Delivery guy forgot the salad. No big deal, unless he begs you not to make him go back and get it. But we did. Then, as he drives away, we open our pizza to figure out it is wrong. Not just a little wrong. But all ingredients are incorrect. Then we look at the receipt. It wasn’t even our pizza.
So we call them, and they sound really annoyed. They blame the weather. They blame the number of orders. They do everything but apologize for the mistake. The woman on the phone literally told my wife that she would need to ask the owner’s wife for permission to void our order.
I love their pizza. I mean, I crave the stuff. But the way they treat customers, it will be a long time until I return.
Place rating: 5
Minneapolis, MN
I consider myself a pizza connoisseur, and I love John’s pizza. I have ordered from here approximately once a week for the past year, and I’m rarely disappointed.
I have occasionally received a cold pizza, but have always found management to be very helpful in rectifying their errors. The Caesar salad is delicious, and the crust and sauce are amazing. I definitely recommend trying this place if you are in the area.
Place rating: 5
St Paul, MN
$ 35 got me a 12″ Pan «Denver» (+ bacon) and an antipasto delivered. Everything was fresh when it arrived but salad could’ve used a larger cup of dressing.
This was actually pretty amazing. Delicious sauce, cheese, crust toppings… well, pizza.
$ 35 seems like a lot to spend for a pizza and salad, but two slices and ½ a salad filled me up leaving plenty leftovers.
Bottom line is there no reason to get pizza from a chain outside of budget, in which case get a hot ‘n ready.
This was my first time and won’t be my last.
Place rating: 2
Saint Paul, MN
Finally took out a second mortgage and could afford a John’s delivery. Actually, I’ve had John’s a few times, mostly before they moved across the street. Since, they’ve screwed up an order and once delivered to my house when I ordered to pick up.
Value is important when spending money on food. This is a place in which it costs $ 27 for a 14″ pizza and bread side (that apparently comes without a cup of marinara sauce). So, for that money, it should be INCREDIBLE. It’s far from it.
I’d compare the prices here to Pizza Luce, except Luce at least has creative and interesting pies and far better ingredients. The crust at John’s is nothing special. If someone else is paying, and you just have a pepperoni and sausage, it’s not bad pizza, but for the price, it’s definitely not worth it.
The only reason this place is allowed to compete is the lack of pizza in the area. With the loss of Abetto’s, there’s few options that aren’t chains for delivery.
Also, baked wings should be banned across America.
Place rating: 4
St Paul, MN
Sometimes, you want cheap pizza. So you sacrifice part of your soul and order from Dominos.
Sometimes, you want good pizza. So you pay three times the Dominos price and get good pizza. That’s made in your neighborhood. And is a local business. So your wallet takes a bigger hit when you want good pizza, but overall, you’re a happier person for the decision. And it is in these times that you call John’s Pizza Café. (Or order online because it’s so handy and easy to do.)
There is a pizza here that has bratwurst and wild rice! Try it. It works.
The Canadian bacon is actual meat, which is not something you can say for the Canadian bacon at every pizza joint.
The olives they put on your pizza are legit olives, not those sad things you get in cans.
Now, I am a grown woman and I shouldn’t admit how happy something like a Mexican pizza can make me, but so help me the Mexican pizza at this place just makes me that happy.
So if I like it so much, why four stars? Why not five?
Because even though I understand why the prices are kinda high and even though I always find that the pizza is worth it, I’m still a thrifty vixen at heart. And because the pizza is not slap-​ya-​mama great. But it is really, really good.
Place rating: 2
Saint Paul, MN
Perhaps we should have had the pizza, because the pastas we ordered were, how shall I say this… «pedestrian». I had the «John’s Special»: sausage, green pepper, and onions on a paperdelle noodle. Noodles were cooked spot on… just right. The vegetables could have used about another minute or so in the pan. The sausage was just plain WRONG. «Italian Sausage» said the menu. No fennel, and a kind of «off» flavor. I asked John (a VERY nice guy!) and he said «I don’t like fennel». Sorry… but if you are going to call it ITALIAN sausage it’s got to have fennel in it. My wife’s ravioli special was good, nothing special… just good. Also, the menu said the dish came with garlic bread. It was plain on the plate. I asked the cashier and she said «Oh, we changed that…» Hey kids, if it’s on the menu it better be on my plate!
We went there because one of my wife’s students was playing a background music gig. The place was TOO LOUD even for a small group. If he’s going to have music, he needs some fabric on the wall to smooth things out. And speaking of the walls… they sure could use some art. BORING plane.
Probably won’t be back. Maybe if I’d had pizza I’d think differently, but with what I had, probably not.
Place rating: 2
Minneapolis, MN
After a few orders from John’s I think I’m going to officially throw in the towel.
GOOD
— Online ordering
— Diverse menu of pizza, sauce options, hoagies, pastas and salads
— They make their own crusts and breads from scratch
— Very friendly delivery drivers
MEH
— Every hoagie I have tried has been mostly bread and overcooked meat
— The ‘volcanic’ wings are an insult to volcanoes and anyone that likes spicy food
— Pizzas, while somewhat original sounding, have been consistently bland
I know and respect the fact that places like John’s, Savoy’s, Little Oven, etc. have a cult following in the Cities, they’re just not my cup of koolaid.