Johnny Sortino’s Pizza Parlor

Hands down the best pizza in Omaha! The pizza is so good that they get 5 stars despite the fact that a specialty pizza costs practically $ 30 and they don’t have a good beer selection by any means. Order the Johnny’s Surprise and see if they will substitute Italian Sausage instead of the hamburger and you will be in heaven. If they won’t substitute then I still recommend getting no hamburger and add Italian Sausage, although that will make a very pricey pizza even pricier. I just love their pizza too much to care.

It was our first visit here ever. We wanted pasta to carry out so we googled it and ordered.
We ordered, pasta meatballs, pepperoni pizza, mozzarella sticks, and hot wings.
It was all very good. Hot and fresh. I don’t know if we will ever go in and sit down since it is a bit noisy. But if you have a large group or kids I think it would be perfect for you

Johnny is the best dive I have been to. Pizza, beer n video games. Pretty standard but good pizza.

Never understood the popularity of this place. Granted, the pizza is decent, not great, but the other items on the menu should be renamed appetizers because the portions are so ridiculously small. For the price of, for instance, the spaghetti or mostaccioli, I expect more than one layer of noodles to only cover about half of the plate. You get more food at Fazollis for half the price. And, the place seems dirty to me. Stains all over the carpet and the place just has a greasy feel to it. The young gals at the counter are very friendly but the older hostess lady is kind of cranky. If you’re going there for pizza only, it’s not bad but stay away from the other items on the menu because you will get ripped off.

Ok first off i wanna start by saying I’ve came here since I was a little kid. The pizza here is good and the service seems to be ok. I love family owned restaurants and for you to be able to keep a family owned restaurant In Omaha for this many years you must be doing something right. The only little complaint that I have is they charge for every little thing extra refills of soda and shredded cheese and its pretty pricey anyways but overall great pizza

The pizza is outstanding. You’re not going to walk out of here with a full wallet though. If there is one downside to the place overall it’s the price. 2 adults and a kid and you’re well into near $ 40. It is a great example of the pizzarias of old and as far as that goes, probably the best pie of the places still alive. Saw some CWS folks from Texas come in so its still a draw. It has a big floor plan with seating divided by a game room in between. Sadly, most of the games were busted and my daughter couldn’t really enjoy that aspect of the old pizzaria experience. To recap, just about the best pie in town if not the best, very kiddo friendly and serves a decent selection of beer to go with that pizza. Definitely recommend and recommend other items on the menu other than just the pizza as well.

Growing up, my family never went on vacation or out to eat much but we did go to Sortino’s periodically. That was back when there was a location on 72^nd Street and they used to give full sized Hershey bars with almonds for dessert when you left. As a kid, that was the best part! So when I think of Sortino’s I think of family. My extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) likes to get together there a couple times a year because it’s a family tradition and great for accomodating a large group. Also, the younger kids that get bored easily can take off and play video games. My favorite is the Johnny Surprise but I haven’t had a slice of pie there I haven’t liked.
It can get pretty noisy and loud because there are usually many large groups there so not the best place for date night or a private conversation. The dinner side salads are pretty good but I remember them being better years ago (I think you have to ask for the cheese on top now otherwise it’s just plain iceberg lettuce and an olive). My family likes this place so much we all went there after my grandma’s funeral and had a party because it’s what she would have wanted.

Who knew that Johnny Sortino’s was THE place to be at 3pm on a Sunday? well. it IS. kids party or no party it was rocking out the pizzas for the hordes of us waiting for them to open at 3! it didn’t take long for me to get my pizza. the very nice owner met me and he brought the food and we had a nice talk about Sortinos history. see being a Omaha kid until I was six and then a visiting Omaha kid after that, Sortinos was one of the pizza places «we» frequented when they were at 72^nd street. I am glad I ignored the lackluster reviews and went to check them out today. the place is huge and gorgeous. seats nearly 500, and there is a large game room and plenty of space for people and their large parties to congregate and decorate. the staff was wonderful.
for those of you confused about how things are at Sortinos the hostess will sit you by saying pick your table, and was organizing the parties (watch out got creamed by a birthday present carried by a grandma) but once you look at the menu it explains that you need to go order at the sign that says ORDER HERE. Mama’s simplified things by having no menus on the tables and the Order here sign right as you come in the door. but Sortinos has multiple entrances and I can see with a huge party it would be easier for the one person to go order after everybody decided what to order that way they aren’t taking up time at the line. there is no waitpersons but there are buspeople and other staff that make sure you have what you need. so #1 figure out what you want. #2 you have to order at the counter. #3 they give you your drinks and a number and you pay there. #4 you pick up your plates silverware and etc and find your table if you haven’t already. #5 pick up your order when called.
#6 Enjoy.
I did. I ordered the cheese bread with romano which was served on so fresh Italian bread I almost bought a loaf, Rotellas, and a medium Sortinos pizza with hamburger.
it was delicious. I have leftovers. the pizza Is one of a kind and hard to describe or compare. both beef and cheese are plentiful. the crust was different than the others. its a little softer and chewier. the sauce on mine was perfect. almost sweet and there was a smoky after there that I picked up too.
I walked out with ¾ of a pizza for leftovers and a drink for under $ 20. I was also checked on by the staff even though there was tons of people and their orders too.
I like that single customers are just as important to them as groups.
since I know its really not that far and the pizza is still excellent, i’ll be back. I suggest all of you treat your kids and have their parties and memories of Sortinos so like me decades from now they can say «I used to come here as a kid when my parents threw my birthday parties here, and I love it even more now!
ps.kudos to the one year old that snagged the balloons and took off running before his mother could catch him. what a speed demon!
ps. for those of you that don’t like kids. the place is large enough and they are happy enough that I didn’t hear the crying baby that follows me around.
Excellent!

Sortino’s offers good but not great pizza. It’s one of those places that people pack for birthday parties so it can get insanely busy (think Mama’s pizza but not quite as good). I will say that the onion rings are fantastic and on par with Mama’s. If you go here, just be prepared for the crowds especially on the weekends.

This place has the best pizza. Their ingredients are top quality and they don’t skimp. I recommend this place to everyone and the prices are about the same as other places but better quality. Normally, I get Johnny’s Surprise or the Hockey player.
At other places, I have to get a large to fill my family. At Johnny’s, I order a small. They have a large dining area with beer and an arcade area for the kids if you want somewhere to hang out. Soooooo delicious and filling.

I have been here probably 20+ times over the years and I have never been impressed! I’m not sure why it’s so popular with my family. The service is slow and the food is less than mediocre. A salad is wilted iceberg lettuce, a veggie pizza is made with canned soggy ingredients, making the cheese and crust wet and doughy, the cheese sticks taste like they came out of a freezer, nothing delicious, taste frostbit and not fresh. The bar is cash only, they don’t have parmesan cheese or red pepper shakers. Yesterday in another disappointing outing to celebrate a family members birthday, I ordered the fresh cheese pizza with olive oil from the menu and it was very dry and bland. I had to order marinara to dip it in to even make it edible. I have given them a fair try and have tried multiple things, numerous times. I could go on with complaints and disappointments but I’d rather not waste any more of my time thinking about this restaurant.

We walked in to a sign that told us to wait for the hostess. 10 minutes later– no hostess and no one acknowledged us. We had never ate in here before so we weren’t sure what to do. Finally we sat ourselves and reviewed the one menu, figuring out that we order at a window.
Definitely not inviting or informative. I hope the food is worth it…

I don’t like the fact they don’t have free refills on drinks and their pitcher only can fill 4 small cups. The pizza is decent but overloaded with toppings that there is no form to crust so makes for a sloppy dinner. I would eat here again but I wouldn’t make plans to come here but if we were driving by a wanting pizza we would stop.

Pizza was great and reasonably priced. A good place to watch a game and drink a pitcher of beer if you wish. Only down thing is that there is no refills on the soda so order a large.

Been going here for years. Was my second job as a teen when Johnny was still alive. Food and service was better then. Just not flavorful like it used to be. I used to get pasta, salad and cheese garlic bread and eat it all, but now it’s so bland I refuse to go here anymore and the pizza had become so greasy. This is my personal opinion.

This is an Omaha institution and haven for large group outings (birthday parties, after team sports, etc.). It’s loud, the pizza is pretty decent, there is plenty of room and and an arcade for the kids.
There are no windows in this place and it looks like they dropped the walls around the arcade so parents could watch the rugrats better (rubber playground society we live in) making it plenty loud-​even on a Sunday evening when we were here last. Actually the place was pretty jam packed for a Sunday night. You order your food at the counter (we made three trips back to adjust for our party and their needs-​order enough right away I guess) and they call your number and you come get your food. It’s pretty quick. The best thing about Johnny Sortino’s is that they default to the party cut (square cut) for the pizza. That is the way pizza is supposed to be cut.
I end up here once a year and am usually in a large group and it works well for those situations. No real complaints-​it is what it is and will be probably long after I am gone.

If eating your pizza while immersed in pure noisy chaos is your thing, then you’ll love Johnny Sortino’s.
Here’s the problem. At any given time (especially on Friday nights and weekends) there are about a dozen large birthday parties happening in this place. I suppose that makes it fun if you’re part of one of those parties, but totally ruins the dining experience if you’re not.
Pizza is good. It’s not great pizza and there are certainly better options in the Omaha area. They make some pretty good onion rings too.
For me, the noise level and ambiance just ruin it entirely. It’s not like the pizza is so great that I am willing to tolerate everything else just for the opportunity to eat it.
It’s another one of those pizzerias that people come to out of habit and not because of the food, service, or ambiance. Their parents brought them here, so they bring their kids here, and so on. The only thing keeping this place going is that it’s a family tradition for most of their customers.

Stopped at Johnny Sortino’s for lunch while on that side of town. Large restaurant with a vast seating area inside. Appears to have been around for awhile. Inside is nothing to speak about. Simple tables and chairs with a number of TV’s mounted around the ceiling and an area with video games.
Place your order at the counter, receive a ticket and your number is called when the food is ready for you to pick up.
Daily lunch special is pretty reasonable. 6 inch personal pan pizza with one topping, a salad and a drink for $ 6.50. You can also get spaghetti with sauce or meatball, salad and drink for the same price.
I got the pizza and salad. Salad is typical. Just lettuce and a couple of black olives. Pizza came out several minutes later (not long at all). Taste was decent. Would eat here again, but not go out of my way to dine here.
Johnny’s also carries a number of other sandwiches, specialty pizzas and simple pastas.

I think a lot of folks have fond memories of coming here after baseball/​softball games as kids, which explains some of the place’s popularity.
Ordering’s oddly inefficient — you go to one window for your pizza, then stand in line to order drinks.
Pizza was okay, but nothing I’d cross the street for.
This is also the only place I’ve seen someone drench their side salad with literally one cup of salad dressing. Ranch, of course. Maybe I’m still recovering from that horrific scene. Thus, the low score.

A couple of pies to a customer lunch were the order of the day for me. A meat combo and a supreme. I like both pretty well, and really enjoyed the red sauce flavor. These were heavy pies to say the least… and I do not mind that when the ingredients are good. I thought the italian sausage was also very tasty as a topping, for example.
The only downfall was a crust that lacked crispness.