John Henry’s

Couldn’t beat it with a big stick! 1pm on Botanic Avenue is notoriously a nightmare, you’ve got Boojum queued back up to Queens, Maggie Mays splitting at the seams and French Village were saying there was no room at the Inn. With this in mind we ambled down Botanic avenue glancing in and out of overcrowded establishments, we then came to the minimalist John Henry’s and unbelievably they were able to offer us a table!
I couldn’t believe it, it is almost like people have forgotten that this place exists!
One wee tiny thing is that it’s confusing as to what the process is on entry, one of my pet hates. Just so you know you’re supposed to order at the counter. Then they give you a wee number! Be warned though, you’ll probably end up buying a cake when you go up as they are right at eye line.
Food wise it was great. The menu is full of options but I went for the chicken goujons and a side salad. The goujons were cooked to perfection and the batter was crisp without being soggy.
The food came really quickly too! We waited around 10 minutes from order so John Henry’s is ideal if you’re on your lunch break.
I also noticed they sold booze but I managed to resist my inner George Best as it was only 1pm!
All in all a great spot for lunch around Botanic — give it a go if you’re in the area!

Just because you have a massive wood fired oven left over from when your restaurant attempted to be a pizza place, does not mean you should jump onto the barbecue bandwagon, and sadly this is how I feel about Henry’s.
The exterior and décor is great, the staff cool and friendly, but I’m sorry to say the food did not live up to the packaging. Never wanting to write somewhere off we’ve been twice now, having variations of their bourbon beef and pulled pork. Allegedly priding themselves on a Texan idea, I think Americans would be disgusted to find that good meat is being smothered in sauces that taste that they come in 10l tubs. In fact, it didn’t even really taste like good meat. I really hope they can get the food nailed soon, as it is a nice place, but if it is meat you are craving you’d be better off in Bubbacue or Meat In a Bap.