Hot Johnnie's Smokehouse

Ray Alan a month ago

Meh, is the best I can do. But I also find problems when the first thing when they hand me my food they say ,sorry. Yeah sorry doesn't help when you deliver warm food cold with no flavor. Had the pastrami on sourdough, I actually did not like the flavor in my mouth when I left. I've definitely had way better pastrami with more flavor. Thanks for the five fries with the sandwich. I found this restaurant on Inkind and couldn't imagine paying full price. My biggest complaint you will see in the bathroom they put urinal cakes that disgusting smell all over. I don't know what you boys do back home, but those urinal cakes are supposed to cover up awful awful things. I don't know where in Tijuana someone thought this was a good idea for paying customers in the Castro to go in and the smell of their bathroom smells like toxic urinal cake. Disgusting! No bueno!!! Caca!! Attached is a picture of the basic sandwich, five or six fries, in a bathroom with caca cakes being used as a deodorizer. Did I say caca cakes? There is one positive, the backyard is pretty cute. But no excuse for caca cakes hanging from the walls.

Seth Bomar 3 months ago

I don't get the reviews for this place. I was excited to try it while visiting some friends in SF, reviews looked good. In reality it was really disappointing. We tried a hot chicken sandwich, and a pastrami sandwich, fries, Caesar salad. We also ordered 2 beers, which came after we finished one sandwich, but before the other one came out. The pastrami was okay, not great. The Caesar salad was weird, dressing just tasted like mayonnaise and it had mozzarella on it? Which throws off the texture for me. Basically no flavor. The spicy chicken sandwich was the most blan, dry, uninteresting sandwich I think I've ever had. It wasn't remotely spicy and just had no flavor at all. The amount of jalapeños on it was laughable. Definitely won't return.

Jean Explores & Reviews 3 months ago

Came here for lunch on a Saturday after seeing a TikTok video — definitely should have done more research beforehand. I went in expecting a pastrami sandwich on cornbread, but it turns out the yellow bread was just Texas Toast. Ended up going with the Pastrami Sandwich on Dutch Crunch with a side of Onion Rings, and we also ordered the Smoked BBQ Pork Ribs. Pastrami Sandwich on Dutch Crunch - 2/5 — the lettuce was surprisingly bitter and really threw the whole thing off. Onion Rings - 3/5 — a little over-fried, but had a decent crunch. BBQ Pork Ribs - 3/5 — solid on their own, but the chili sauce didn’t quite work with the flavor profile for me. Apple Coleslaw - 3/5 — not really my thing since I prefer mine without apples. We also ordered pickles on the side, which were oddly bitter too — not sure what was going on there. Service: Pretty minimal — you order through a kiosk and there’s a self-serve cart in the back for condiments, napkins, etc. The cart even has games on it, which was a fun touch. Best Part: The seating area in the back. Spacious and relaxed — there were only about 3 other parties when we visited. Would I Return? Probably not. The vibe was nice, but the food

Austin Ladshaw 3 months ago

Absolutely amazing food! Husband and I got porchetta nachos and pastrami fries and it was some of the best porchetta we had ever had. The homemade garlic aioli was superb as well. Definitely a must try!

Stanley Ochoa 5 months ago

Hot Johnnie's Smokehouse, April 1st 2026 at 3:40pm Me & my daughter & her best friend & her daughter we all came here to try a new place because we were here in San Francisco for the day & hopefully it was going to be a very good Pastrami on Texas Toast (totally different) & to me it was just ok but as for the Ruben On Rye it was the best! My daughter's friend had gotten that sandwich & I should have gotten that sandwich instead of the Pastrami because "OMG" It was everything that a Ruben should be the flavor & the taste it was perfect hands down! My daughter had gotten a different sandwich & her best friend's daughter got Chicken Strips + Dips & we three got the Waffle Fries but me & my daughter got Garlic Fries & they could have used a little more garlic flavor on them & her best friend got the House Chips which was very good she said so all in all everything was good & the back patio area is ok with some tables & chairs & some old bord games & a ping pong table & a couple of big portable heaters to keep you warm on cold & rainy days plus it is covered with clear plastic tarps. Thank You & ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'s