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East Johnson Family Restaurant adds a quirky diner to the mix of eclectic small businesses on the 800 block of East Johnson Street.
Kyle Johnson and Gwen Shales opened the restaurant March 15 with a fondness for Spam, retro Rubik’s cubes and hip-hop music.
The owners of East Johnson Family Restaurant have a coffee shop and coffee-roasting background.
The canned meat adds a salty bite to a breakfast sandwich, the puzzle cubes serve as lively table décor instead of flowers, and hip-hop punched up a recent dinner on a Saturday night.
The couple, besides owning the coffee shop Johnson Public House one block east, also have Kin-Kin, a coffee-roasting business, plus an ownership stake in the upscale Mint Mark.
The cauliflower sits in a pool of Aleppo aioli and hazelnut dukkah, which tastes similar to a curry.
One of Mint Mark’s signature dishes is its roasted, deep-fried and perfectly seasoned cauliflower, and the fried cauliflower dish at East Johnson Family Restaurant is as good or better, putting the cauliflower ($9) in a pool of Aleppo aioli and hazelnut dukkah, that tasted similar to a curry.
The smoky-sweet Aleppo pepper and dukkah, a Middle Eastern condiment with nuts, sesame seeds, coriander and cumin, was a novel and delicious way to eat cauliflower.
“I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed cauliflower so much in my life,” said my friend, adding, “because they’re hiding the taste of the cauliflower.”
Truthfully, the cauliflower was sitting in the sauce instead of being bathed in it, so the customer controls how much is loaded onto each bite.
The cured trout paired trout and smoked whitefish spread, and served them with Potter's crackers, pickles and pickled onions.
Another starter, cured trout ($14) was also a success, with four thin slices of trout and smoked whitefish spread, served with Potter’s rye crackers, sweet and dill pickles and pickled onions. My friend likened it to a fish charcuterie plate. Everything worked in every combination.
The soup of the day ($5/$7), loaded baked potato, had bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onion and leeks.
The soup of the day ($5/$7), loaded baked potato, had cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onion and enough bacon to justify the price, and was almost the color of split pea soup, which Johnson later said was due to leeks.
The chili comes loaded with sour cream, shredded cheddar and onions.
The chili ($5/$8) also came loaded: sour cream, shredded cheddar and onions. There was more beef than beans, which was a plus, but it was too salty and barely above room temperature.
The kids’ section of the dinner menu features four options served with fries and soft serve ice cream for $10, a price that seemed a bit out of whack.
Octopi's Astronaut is a peanut butter chocolate imperial porter
Octopi’s Astronaut ($6 for 10-ounce glass), which leads off the beer list, and comes from the terrific Waunakee brewery, was a great discovery. A peanut butter chocolate imperial porter with 9% alcohol, it could be described as a dessert beer or at least a special occasion beer. My friend called it “almost flowery.”
The Smoky Sunrise cocktail ($9), which I tried on a brunch visit, had mezcal, tart cherry and fresh-squeezed orange juice ($9) and might have worked better with vodka, rum or even tequila. Mezcal was too strong a flavor for this drink. It’s better sipped neat.
East Johnson Family Restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
The red flannel hash ($10) had good stuff going for it: shredded beets, rutabaga, carrots and potatoes, but was excessively greasy. It had two over-easy eggs on top and a choice of toast or English muffin, which was buttered lightly, but not toasted enough.
Better, believe it or not, was the Spam and egg sandwich ($11), which maybe cost so much because the much-maligned canned meat, made from ground pork and processed ham, was sliced thick and doubled up. Strangely, the sandwich also shows up on the dinner menu.
The Spam and egg sandwich has two thick slices of the much-maligned canned meat.
The meat worked in this sandwich because it was grilled and served along with other great components: a high-quality buttered English muffin; mostarda, a condiment with candied fruit and a mustard-flavored syrup; arugula; and an over-medium egg.
The classic breakfast sandwich is the same price, but has scrambled egg, bacon and American cheese. Both sandwiches should come with a side.
A standard breakfast with everything ordered separately.
My two companions both had standard breakfasts by ordering eggs ($1.50), toast ($2) and hash browns ($4) a la carte. The hash browns, unlike the red flannel hash, weren’t oily, and were perfectly browned, something that’s rare when eating breakfast out. The well-buttered seed bread from Madison Sourdough was fantastic.
I later noticed this standard breakfast option on the kids’ menu for $10, including soft serve or soda.
The buttermilk waffle is light and attractively presented.
One of my companions also got an overpriced buttermilk waffle ($9), which was light, attractively cut into two triangles, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
The coffee ($3), unsurprisingly, was good.
Servers wear black T-shirts with the restaurant’s name and logo, and service on both of my visits was excellent.
The restaurant seats about 40 people.
In the morning, the small space is sunny, loud and bustling. From the windows, it’s fun to watch the foot traffic on the street. Across from the restaurant is The Robin Room, Little Tibet, plus tea, tattoo and vintage clothing shops.
There’s something about the simplicity of the name East Johnson Family Restaurant. There’s also something about the way Johnson and Shales have designed their space and their menu. And there’s something about Spam. You might like it more than you think you will.
Restaurant: East Johnson Family Restaurant
Location: 824 E. Johnson St.
Website: facebook.com/eastjohnsonfam
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 10 p.m., Friday 4 to 11 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eventually will open Monday for a service-workers brunch.
Brunch prices: Starters $8 to $14, entrées $9 to $15, sides $3 to $7
Dinner prices: Starters $7 to $14, soup or chili $5 to $8, salad $7 and $8, sandwiches $11 to $13, hot dogs $8 to $10, sides $4 to $6, Friday fish fry $16
Noise level: Can get loud
Accessibility: No ramp in front, but can accommodate from side or back
Outdoor dining: Coming soon
Gluten-free: Can accommodate, GF bread
Vegetarian offerings: Three or four options
Bottom line: Fun and whimsical restaurant on an active section of East Johnson street.
East Johnson Family Restaurant opened on the 800 block of East Johnson Street in mid-March.
Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery, 2827 Atwood Ave., opened in 2009 by Daryl Sisson and Kathy Brooks, did well in the warmer months by turning its parking lot into an outdoor cafe. One reason to visit the restaurant for brunch is its otherworldly smoked salmon and pesto omelet with cream cheese, which is served at all times. Another reason is its generous fish fry featuring panko-crusted cod, garlic-Parmesan potatoes, oven-roasted vegetables, homemade coleslaw and housemade tartar sauce. It's also served any day, any time. Read the full review here.
Wonderstate Coffee, 27 W. Main St., which opened a year ago on the Capitol Square, not only has wonderful coffee, but offers an inspired menu with lots of healthy choices. The mushroom sandwich on a sweet-tasting, housemade brioche bun is a standout from a menu of standouts. Inside are sautéed oyster mushrooms, kale, baby Swiss, caramelized onions, an over-easy egg and miso aioli. Wonderstate also does well by its soups. Read the full review here.
The Hilltop, 4173 County Road P, Cross Plains, was founded in 1938, and has been a restaurant ever since, undergoing expansions along the way. Its 6-ounce, center-cut filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms and onions was the best steak my friend and I had ever had. As an appetizer, the dynamite shrimp are ridiculously addictive. I agreed with my friend who called her meal at The Hilltop "freakishly good." Read the full review here.
Takara Sushi Station, 696 S. Whitney Way, brings unlimited sushi and other items direct to booths with a conveyor belt system. Almost all of it was first-rate on a recent visit. Read the full review here.
The Harvey House, 644 W. Washington Ave., which opened in July, bills itself as a modern-day supper club, and its atmosphere, prices and service elevate it into the upper echelon of Madison dining. The restaurant even landed at No. 8 on Esquire magazine’s "Best New Restaurants in America, 2021." The highlight of a recent meal was the Superior walleye that had a crisp crust made with an ingenious thin layer of buttery rye bread. Read the full review here.
Oliva, 751 High Point Road, which opened in 2008 at High Point and Old Sauk roads, is as good as ever. Chef/owner Mehmet Dayi goes heavy on the tomato sauce with fantastic results, making it hard to choose between his Mediterranean and Italian fare. It just depends on what you're in the mood for. Service in the large dining room is excellent, even on busy nights when the staff is stretched thin. Read the full review here.
Villa Tap, 2302 Packers Ave., has such a popular fish fry that owner Chris "Chico" Warren shuts down his grill on Fridays, and adds an extra fryer for the Icelandic cod, walleye, lake perch, bluegill and jumbo shrimp. The cod dinner features three thick pieces of fish, hand-cut by Warren, that are lightly and flavorfully breaded, with no greasiness. Read the full review here.
Kettle Black Kitchen, 1835 Monroe St., is an intimate, charming restaurant that opened in August in a spot that formerly housed Joon, Burgrito and Double S BBQ. Don't miss chef/owner Brian Hamilton's French onion soup, shrimp and grits cakes with bacon, and sour orange pie. Read full review here.
Marigold Kitchen, 118 S. Pinckney St., reopened in July after it was closed for 16 months due to the pandemic. With its smart, cheery, urban feel and signature breakfast potatoes, the cafe has been a Madison favorite for 20 years, and its recent change in ownership has been seamless. New owners Kristy Blossom Heine and Clark Heine, who took over the business from John Gadau and Phillip Hurley, had lots of experience as Marigold employees. Read full review here.
The International Catering Collective bus, 709 Atlas Ave., is parked in front of Gaylord Catering, offering some of the best, thickest clam chowder on Fridays. It's loaded with potatoes, carrots and tender clams. While some clam chowders derive most of their flavor from cream, this one had much more going on. The Friday haddock is also first-rate. Read the full review here.
D'Vino, 116 King St., which means "of wine," is just the type of rustic Italian restaurant and wine bar King Street needed. Chef Dino Maniaci and Jason Hoke opened the restaurant in March of 2020. The tortellini con pesto with puffy cheese tortellini, an exceptional pesto cream sauce, and roasted tomatoes and asparagus cannot be beat. Read the full review here.
The Marquette Hotel Cafe, 414 S. Baldwin St., offers one of the most reasonably priced breakfasts in town with excellent coffee and amazing pastries, through a self-ordering system. The omelets, breakfast sandwiches and fruit cups prepared by former Manna Café kitchen manager, Chris Stephens, are all must-haves. Read the full review here.
Hone, 708 1/4 E. Johnson St., in the former Forequarter space, was the most interesting new restaurant I got takeout from during the pandemic. Mike Parks, Hone's owner, discovered many of the restaurant's eclectic offerings during his nearly eight years in the United States Air Force. Don't overlook the orange scallops, five perfectly seared specimens in a winning curry yogurt sauce. Read the full review here.
Ancora Cafe + Bakery, 611 Sherman Ave., which opened in February in Maple Bluff, makes the loss of Manna Cafe easier to accept. The sundried and tomato & goat cheese scones are worth a visit on their own. Also enticing is the cafe’s egg & cheese sandwich on a tender brioche roll with pesto aioli, and its breakfast burrito with scrambled egg, sausage, cheddar, pico de gallo and salsa roja. Read the full review here.
Louisianne's Etc., 7464 Hubbard Ave., Middleton, has loyal customers that kept it going through the pandemic by getting carryout every week. The restaurant has stayed consistent over its 29 years because it has had the same head chef, Kevin Ostrand. He does great things with catfish and jambalaya. Vegetarians will be happy to discover the fettuccine with sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and black olives sautéed with mushrooms in garlic butter and finished with sherry cream. Read the full review here.
Read restaurant news at go.madison.com/restaurantnews.
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Wisconsin State Journal feature writer Samara Kalk Derby writes about the arts and brings you the latest news on the Madison area's eclectic restaurant scene. She can be reached at skalk@madison.com or 608-252-6439.
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Rule No. One Hospitality Group, which manages Merchant and Lucille off the Capitol Square, is opening a third restaurant, in August at Hilldale.
The supper club's biggest draw is its setting on Mirror Lake, on the edge of Mirror Lake State Park, 50 miles northwest of Madison.
East Johnson Family Restaurant opened on the 800 block of East Johnson Street in mid-March.
The restaurant seats about 40 people.
The Spam and egg sandwich has two thick slices of the much-maligned canned meat.
A standard breakfast with everything ordered separately.
The buttermilk waffle is light and attractively presented.
East Johnson Family Restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
The owners of East Johnson Family Restaurant have a coffee shop and coffee-roasting background.
The soup of the day ($5/$7), loaded baked potato, had bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onion and leeks.
The chili comes loaded with sour cream, shredded cheddar and onions.
The cauliflower sits in a pool of Aleppo aioli and hazelnut dukkah, which tastes similar to a curry.
The cured trout paired trout and smoked whitefish spread, and served them with Potter's crackers, pickles and pickled onions.
Octopi's Astronaut is a peanut butter chocolate imperial porter
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