Johnny Ad’s Drive-In

We have been here several times… but tonight. Not so good. Nothing worse than an expensive lobster roll that was soggy and frozen leftover meat. So disappointed…

typical shoreline joint. Prices are sky high and they still only accept cash. Come on, cash only? What is it, 1953? Get with the times.
Food– All the usual fried stuff. Soup was bland. My iced tea tasted like water.

I love this place .
Food tastes great and service is fast.
Gracious staff.
Definitely coming back again.

Staff was nice and attentive. Did not care for the clam chowder. Fish and chips loved the cornmeal. Chips are sad crinkle fries. Very expensive lunch for one. Disappointing!

We did a trip up on the shoreline yesterday for my partner’s birthday and this was our lunch stop. We got chili and cheese dogs and one order of onion rings. We enjoyed them both. The chili is mild just like I like it. We sat outside under the umbrellas but noticed at the end of the parking lot there are tables under the trees and maybe next time we will sit there. There is also a sitting area inside that was air conditioned.

Very busy place. Got the chili cheese got dog. Very got. Chili coil have used a little more spice, but had lots of meat.

After a beautiful day on the Connecticut River riding the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat we were looking for a place to get some seafood. So we headed to Johnny Ad’s. The order taker was friendly although a little flustered so we ordered our food and went out to the picnic tables outside to wait. I ordered the Softshell Crab platter and Toni ordered the fish sandwich. I received a crab cake sandwich, but was too hungry and not picky enough to go back inside and complain. The crab cake had a lot of crab in it, but was seasoned in such a way that you could not tell. Not bad, just not like I like a crab cake. I expect to taste crab. Toni’s fish sandwich was large. That is about all it had going for it. The fish was very thin and tasteless. The steak fries were crispy, but nothing special. All in all not fantastic, but not horrible. If you are passing though Old Saybrook, and looking for an old school drive in seafood experience, Johnny Ad’s might be for you. We won’t be back. Sorry.

***SOS***SOS, this ship is sinking. Had not been to Johnny Ads in a couple years and heard that it had suffered at the hands of well intentioned but out of their depth new ownership that took over about when we moved. Having been a regular for several summers, the memories of what used to be the best whole belly clams on the shoreline brought us back. The décor and ambiance hadn’t changed an iota, nor had the menu in general (see other reviews) but the first sign that something was amiss was upon ordering the whole belly clams, the cashier paused, told me they were $ 37 and shared that other customers had been upset at the price so she wanted to be upfront about it. $ 37 for clams!!! I did a double take, were these magical clams? I took the plunge and stuck to my order. I could not have been more disappointed. The order consisted of perhaps 5 – 6 real whole bellies, all of which were small. The rest were essentially strips and the whole thing was fried just a little too long so the crunch was hard and clams had lost their hallmark succulence. I felt like some direct feedback was in order but given the sparse crowd on a lovely summer Saturday evening, I sensed that the public had already spoken. On the way home, we stopped at Lenny & Joe’s in Mad for soft serve and I took it upon myself to check on the MP for whole bellies. A whole platter, which includes fries and slaw was $ 18.99. JA’s was essentially double. Any whiff of nostalgia is obliterated by the stink of a rip off. Not sure how long they have been operating in this fashion, but can’t imagine its sustainable. Hopefully a new captain comes aboard soon because the good ship Johnny Ad’s is listing badly.

Overpriced for what it is. Good clam strips and hit-​or-​miss lobster rolls. Sometimes you get a great lobster roll other times you get a soggy one with a pathetic amount of meat.

For $ 17 and change I guess I expected more. Had a lobster roll.

I would recommend coming here during the summer or warmer months because in the winter the vibe just seems off and the experience isn’t the same. You’ll also end up noticing how pricey the menu is ($ 18 for a hot dog size lobster roll) with no real savory dishes.

I have been going to Johnny Ads for years. There is NOTHING like a beach day and Johnny Ads.
Pricey but delicious — stick with the classics. Fried scallops piled high with fries and a diet coke make the perfect meal. I love their tartar sauce.
Place is small but outside seating adds to it. Can’t wait for summer to go back!

The food here is fairly consistent and is served year-​round. They have a pretty big menu, but the healthy choices are very limited.
FIVE caveats — 1. most of the food is fried, 2. the portions are small, 3. almost no broiled or baked options, 4. the food is pricey for what you get, and like Bill’s Seafood — 5. CASH ONLY (but they do have an ATM on site).
Overall this place is a safe bet for fried seafood, has the best fish taco I’ve had in a while, is pretty consistent and is very clean.

Came here after seeing all the great reviews on Unilocal and we were excited for some good fresh seafood. Ordered the hot lobster roll and Johnny ads platter which came with cod, calamari, clams, etc. Cost was about $ 55 which isn’t cheap for this type of order at the counter place. When we got the food we were pretty disappointed to find that everything in the platter was fried and nothing was fresh. The hot lobster roll was ok but it was pretty bland and nothing special. Would not come back here

Ask for the hot lobster roll without the bun. 16 ounce container of claws and big lumps! Cole Slaw has great flavor that stays with you the next morning. clam chowder is brothey, and simple — clams and potatoes. don’t get the whole belly fried clams to go — such deliciousness should be eaten as soon as it’s handed to you when it’s hot and crispy. jalopena poppers had a great cheese blend! if your kid is cute they get free refills of birch beer while you wait for your order!

Going the short and sweet route on this one:
1) Not inexpensive. Example: average size hot lobster roll on a nicely grilled bun w claw meat was $ 18
2) Get the WHOLE BELLY CLAMS — not the strips.
3) Slow. So don’t be in any kind of hurry.
4) Sit outside at the picnic tables under the trees (many regulars bring their own coolers w beverages, utensils & table cloths).
5) Definitely try the house-​made hot relish and their crunchy slightly-​dilly pickle slices– both are excellent & addictive!
Over all it’s an above average seafood (they serve other things too like burgers & dogs, chicken etc) spot. Clean, not fancy, large menu.

This is a great place to get your Lobster-​Roll fix on.
A tad pricey; and they really play off the whole oldies theme; but seriously this is a great place to grab a roll.
Giving this a ³⁄₅ solely bc I’m a huge fan of the Lenny/​Joes lobster roll; I think they use more claw meat and is more delicious honestly. But the debate shall ensue for years to come which is better…

Came here for lunch while cruising the shoreline. Typical seafood shack with a variety of items. Open kitchen looked very clean and organized.
Half dozen clam cakes. Burger, hotdog and cheese fries. All hot and fresh. Very tasty.
Under $ 20 for all.
Will return!

Sun 11÷3÷13 2:30PM
1 Hot Lobster Roll 16.50
1 Soft Crab Plate 14.50
1 Clam Strip Plate 13.25
6 Fritters 5.95
4 cans of domestic beer 16.00
The beer was in the 45 – 50 degree range, which is too warm for American macrobrews. I wished they were in the 35 – 40 range to wash down all the fried foods we ordered :(
The lobster roll was the smallest I’ve had in the New England region; which made it a bit disappointing. Overall, it was an okay experience.

After landing in Hartford, we headed straight to the shore for some seafood. The Unilocal reviews and prices seemed right so I chose Johnny Ad’s.
As always, Mom got her lobster roll. She chose the hot one with butter, which she seemed to like, but I could tell it didn’t blow her out of the water. I opted for a fried clam strip roll. I got a New England hot dog roll that was absolutely overloaded with fried strips. They could have been hotter in temperature, but they tasted very crispy and tender. I added a little tartar sauce, that added an extra layer of flavor. Their crinkle cut fries were good too. I also like the condiment bar and that I could take all the pickles I wanted!
There was a mix-​up with our drinks. I ordered two sodas and the owner charged us for them but I noticed we didn’t get them with our food. I went back to the order window, and asked for them, and she said we never then said she didn’t. We kind of went back and forth on that issue before they realized they did charge us for them. Everything was friendly, it was just kind of a confusing situation.
It’s a pretty good local spot, not sure I’d return though.