johnson's bar restaurant

they now have a new bar, as the old bar and the hotel is being refurbished. they had a live band and the place was rockin https://photos.app.goo.gl/qgwfz5nerjk8vayw5

this place is actually a lodge/hotel with their own cafe/bar. their chefs special trout is amazing. superb place to enjoy your meal in central manali area. classic interiors and the best food.  what we ordered:
1 ratatouille (4./5)  2 fresh apple juice (4.5/5) 
i loved the place.

nice cozy place with chic interiors.....spacious which kind of enhances your comfort and leisurely feeling. food was fine, staff was courteous. they have an extensive drink menu.... service was ok and desserts were delicious.
but the cherry on cake was live music performance and the budding singer was more than happy to sing on your request....just loved the cafe for this treat..

delicious!
a word which describes the food perfectly! was in manali since past 3 days and was completely tired with trying different restaurants with vegetarian food but turned out that all the restaurants were just too bad!
finally took a chance on my last day in manali and visited this place “johnson’s bar restaurant” for lunch. firstly amazing set up and interiors. staff is very friendly and welcomes you with a smile. i ordered vegetarian north indian food :
starters :
1. chilly paneer dry

main course :
1. kashmiri dum aloo
2. tandoori roti
3. steam rice
4. dal tadka
5. roasted papad

the food was so delicious and completely satisfying! they have beautiful rooms and cottages for the stay as well! 5/5 and a must visit place when in manali!

what a lovely place! the closest to an ideal english pub that i have experienced in india. but pricey but totally worth it! the food is absolutely fresh and perfect and so is the ambience and the warm service. please do give this place a try!
in picture: super spicy hell burger (trust me it’s waaaayy better than it looks)

we were at johnson’s for around 3 hours. ordered a chilli chicken, a burger and liquor. it was christmas eve with a live artist and a entry charge of 500 per person.

things we loved -
1) the ambience - there is an option to sit indoors or outdoor. just the right lighting and very comfy seating
2) the place would just pass the vibe check . a very mixed crowd.

things we were mad at-
1) entry charge for what? they give preference to guests staying with them and give them better seating. the artist played for 1 hour and then nothing. impromptu guests get to sit near the doors.
2) there was in inflated pricing menu for christmas eve. it’s understandable to have a changed menu, but 500 rupees for old monk 60 ml inflated ? a mediocre burger for 600 bucks ?
3) hospitality is terrible- they were always in the rush to take away our plates.(even the chairs when we went for a fag).
4) the cocktails - they cost 650 bucks and are served in a glass where someone would serve bournvita. the toddy and mulled wine smelled stale.


overall, we went to the place because it is very hyped about (and we didn’t get a table last year) but, it is not worth it. bill for 2 was over 5k for a very mediocre experience .

this is easily one of the best places in manali to dine at. the burger is to die for and the ambience is better than any place. it's perfect for an intimate family outing or a romantic dinner. do visit!

this restaurant has the most amazing trout fish.both of the trouts are magnificent my favorite is bbq trout it’s with delicious lemon sauce.even the service is great. and i really loved the mutton rogan josh.one thing about johnson’s bar is that the moment you pass it you go back and go inside!




i think this place is the best place to have trout and trust me it’s awesome!

ordered food from this supposedly top rated manali restaurant and this was how it was received. the curry had leaked in the whole bag as well as the dessert ordered along. even after calling the restaurant, their manager suresh was rude and not ready to respond to our complaint. very poor experience overall.

one of my favourite cafes in manali. johnson's offers the perfect location and ambience to enjoy a lazy afternoon or party the night away with the live band and dj night. great food and selection of beverages. my personal favourite is the korean fried chicken and blt.

most important, please update the menu on zomato, it has become much smaller and varied. we came here for lunch seeing the very high rating on zomato. but the food was only meh. at best with quite small portions. but they charged some of the hugest prices in manali, but you can get so much better food, way cheaper in manali. the service was very slow, and very unattentive. we had fish tacos, lamb burger and a trout, while all good quality, nothing was impressive, but they priced very high, also none of it was filling. very unimpressed and over expensive.

throughout our dining nobody asked even for water. we had to keep looking out for waiters because they weren’t aware most of the time. and it took us extremely long to get simple things like bowls, bills, etc.
apart from the service, the food was also pretty average making the restaurant quite over-priced.
hence this is an over-rated place. not even close to the expectations.

one thing that i liked was a packed beverage and the credit for that too should go to the brewery. this place has a rating of 4.5, about which i'm really shocked to see. multiple reasons. no zeal to give the patrons, at least, a good experience, let alone an excellent one. serving the food on the table as if the waiter had a grudge against me. they couldn't do a simple hummus and pita right. people rating it highly either haven't experienced excellent hospitality or have really low standards they seek from a bar/restaurant/cafe. my hummus was bitter, potato wedges gave half burnt taste, pizza was just plain cheese on maida. i'm not working out off a personal vendetta against this place but i was looking for good food and i was just served pathetic all over experience instead.

first thing first! zomato, correct the menu, the menu has significantly changed (for the worst).
1. food was worst (garlic bread was like a bark of a tree. pizza was like a 50rs pizza you get in a local shop)
2. service was as bad as the food. team was more occupied in their own gossip then in service
3. can't stress this enough but food was the worst.

avoid at all cost.

made my sunday! what an absolute delight it was and that staff was very polite and friendly. pomodoro pasta and veg burger sever with potato wedges was exactly what we needed on a lazy sunday afternoon.