Johnny Mango

My wife and I ventured to taste the Mango today for brunch. We had a mixed experience of nice and not so great… here’s how things unfolded:
First, if you try and find Johnny Mango in the HyVee Barlow plaza, please note that it is between the army navy area and the HyVee but has no large sign to alert you to its location. There was a small sign that is viewable if you are standing or driving very nearby and look carefully.
Once you enter the place, you’ll see there is a stage on the far side, a small bar area, and then for this morning’s brunch buffet a buffet table series was presented. The atmosphere was somewhat unfinished but had a good start. The walls are nicely colored at the top and the tables are nicely done but clash with the paper napkins and the slightly spotted silverware.
The food was again a mix of very nice such as the second round of bacon (the first round was far too fatty and not crispy), the pineapple, the onion potato hash (I think its a hash, but it certainly didn’t seem to have any beef in it). This, why don’t we say, «not so hash» hash was by far our favorite item. The french toast, which you will have to wait for, was too eggy for our tastes, and the pancakes and waffles were slow to serve and just okay. The orange juice was good and was self service which is nice, but there were no cups when we went to the table the first time.
While we were eating there was a small three person jazz band that was setting up and did eventually play a couple songs. This was a nice touch, but I think lack of coordinated attire, the bags on the stage, and the delay to starting didn’t accent what is really the most unique feature of the experience. If done right the band and the food together could be worth the price and be worth talking about in Rochester, but right now its almost like a high school fundraiser with a few higher end flares.
Finally, the whole thing is priced at $ 15.00 which is fine if you end up wanting all the foods offered but if you are going to only eat certain items and if the band isn’t ready to play right away its noticeably over priced. This is roughly how much the buffet at Pescara ($ 17) is which is accompanied by a broader array of high end foods, valet parking, and frequent and attentive customer service with not just a nice table spread but also cloth napkins. The Green Mill has a big brunch buffet spread which is priced actually cheaper at $ 13 most weekends and slightly higher for holidays. All in all, the price is disproportionately high.
In summary, this place is a mix of too many different styles to make sense for the price. If committed to a high end brunch experience a few simple things could transform this to that level and be worthy of the price, else it should be priced lower and it would also be a great experience.
In the end, it is unlikely we will come back here without some new information to suggest it has improved.