Johnny Rad's Pizzeria Tavern

The Pizza was off the chain

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Johnny Rad’s is a cool spot in Upper Fells Point. I first discovered it during my vegan journey and appreciated their meat alternative options. I hadn’t been back in a while, but my vegetarian daughter wanted a burger, and I remembered they had a great Impossible Burger. We ordered her the burger with fries (extra charge), and my wife and I opted for the ribeye cheesesteaks.

I placed a carryout order online, paid via Apple Pay, and declined a tip. Personally, I don’t tip for carryout unless I’m dining in, so I found it odd when I arrived and was asked to sign a receipt, even though I had already paid online. It seemed like they were hoping I’d reconsider the tip, which can feel a bit awkward.

Another thing I noticed: when the bartender gave me our food, it wasn’t in a bag. Baltimore’s bag fee aside, there was no option to add a bag when ordering online, which would have been helpful.

Unfortunately, when I got home, I realized they forgot the fries. The sandwiches came with chips, but they were stale, which is fairly common around here. I decided not to call the restaurant and just made a mental note to check my order next time.

That said, the food itself was solid. My daughter loved her burger, and my wife and I enjoyed the cheesesteaks—fresh bread, good portions, though I did find a few small bones in my sandwich (understandable with ribeye).

Overall, I’d recommend Johnny Rad’s for the quality and freshness of the food. However, I’d suggest a few improvements: double-check orders to avoid missing items, give customers a heads-up about the lack of bags, and eliminate the unnecessary receipt signing for online payments—it feels like pressure to tip. Despite these minor issues, I’ll definitely return, but I’ll be sure to check my order before leaving.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Tried because it was close to where we were staying. My wife got the Cobb salad and I got the chicken cheesesteak. Cobb Salad had very good grilled chicken and crunchy bacon. Cheesesteak was very good. The mix of pepper, onions, meat and cheese was just right and very tasty. I would definitely recommend and I would like to try their pizza. Looked amazing.

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cheesesteaks

Rock solid

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Some of the best pizza around in Baltimore. Handmade crust. Nuff said...still amazing

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing restaraunt, absolutely the best pizza in Baltimore! And did I forget to mention the best drinks!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

great place for everyone - vegan or not. their marinara sauce is so good. great local bar vibe.

Vegetarian options: very clearly labeled on menu. lots of options from pizza to sandwiches to appetizers.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Vegan Cheesesteak

Super fun place to bring your kids, it is loud. They loved the skee ball machine, which does need change or dollar bills to play. Cesear salad comes with dressing on the side, next time I will see if they will mix it. It was good. Pizza was excellent and my son liked his BLT. Service was fast and friendly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pepe Martinez Pizza

Great Food! Great People! Great Atmosphere!
A true gem in Baltimore. It is a place that you can call home and feel welcome.

Kid-friendliness: Very welcoming to small children and two skeeball machines to keep them preoccupied.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Risotto Balls, Cheesesteaks, The Trainwreck

Saw Johnny Rads on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives
(Original air date 11/21/14 )
Went by and loved everything about Johnny Rads 10 years later in 2024...Best people...Best food...Best everything...Would 100% come back...

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Risotto Balls, Pepe Martinez Pizza

In town for a few days, and had to stop here twice. That good!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: The Pepe Martinez, Pepe Martinez Pizza

Really good place with a lot of vegan and vegetarian options. The atmosphere is very nice. My first time there, I didnt know where to go/to order and took a few minutes for someone to ask and help me. The server was very nice, he recommended things to me and helped me decide what to get.

The parking Is rough and annoying. You have to park on the street or parallel park which I hate doing in big cities, there's no free parking/ parking lots nearby that I'm aware of, so you have to walk somewhat depending how close amd or if you can find a spot near the restaurant.
During my first trip out here, I did witness a lot of the employees eating snacks, touching their face, etc without washing them or wearing gloves so just be mindful of that.
The food I got for the first time was the bread pudding, vegan burnt ends/ pulled pork sandwich and the vegan chicken tenders. I really liked the tenders and bread pudding. the burnt ends was kinda a dissapointment, not great but not terrible, my expectations were higher. I have never came across a vegan bread pudding before, so to have one was a surprise and was really good, also not overly sweet like a lot of vegan desserts. The chicken tenders were surprisingly good especially the Buffalo style and with the vegan ranch/blue cheese, they were a little soft, but overall really good.
My second time coming, there was a different server and he was very nice and got my food out to me quick and asked if I wanted water while I waited for my food. I got a vegan pizza, which I was hyped for since I heard good things, but it was mediocre at best in my opinion. I've definitely had better vegan pizza. I also got the vegan donut holes and the hushpuppies. Man, they were phenomenal. I have been looking for a vegan hushpuppy recipe/place that offers them and with the vegan Chipotle aoli it comes with, so good.

Dietary restrictions: They have a lot of vegan friendly options.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Never disappoints!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My husband and I went to Rad's pizza last night and the pizza, wine and salad were amazing. A perfect hidden gem. We will be back ❤️

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great local business. Went with my wife for dinner yesterday. Tony was helpful and friendly as usual. We got the BLT and the Sei Cheese with sorpressata and it was delicious. Everything cooked to perfection.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Risotto Balls, Watermelon Salad, Pepe Martinez Pizza, Primo Pizza