Test Driving Johnny Boy's, where LA diner food makes a big impression in Stoke Newington

Inside Johnny Boy's - get one of those booth tables if you can. 

What can you tell us about Johnny Boy's?

This is the new restaurant from the man behind Facing Heaven in Hackney, Julian Denis. But where that was all about vegan Chinese food, this has taken a completely new direction, being inspired by the LA diner scene and, in particular, the immigrant communities that contribute to it. So it's a neighbourhood diner with a very American feel. 

Where is it?

Taking over the space that was once Thai Cafe, you'll find it just off the top end of Stoke Newington High Street, with Stoke Newington Overground the closest station (although if you're in North London, hopping onto a bus is probably the better bet). 

The old school signage makes this one an easy one to spot.

Where can we meet for a drink first?

Your best bet is to head down to Stoke Newington Church Street, where you'll find a few great pubs, from The Clarence to The Auld Shillelagh. And if you're in the mood to try something new, there's also brand new pub The Mary Wollstonecraft, with a massive beer garden out the back.

Where should we sit?

You've got a few options, including the bar and a counter by the window but the best seats are definitely the booths, for two or four people along the length of the restaurant. Grab one of those if you can. 

So what's on the menu?

It's all presented in classic diner form, with a laminated menu. It's pleasingly short, meaning that if there are four of you, it may be possible to get through the entire menu. There are appetizers and snacks to start, a section for sandwiches and burgers and larger plates if you're hungry enough after all that. Here's what we went for:

Crab tostada, crispy tortilla, crab, jalapeño, onion, coriander, lime (£13) - Although a very large tostada (nice and crisp too), this is easily the lightest dish on the menu, and they were very generous with the crab.

Fried zucchini - crispy courgette, buttermilk ranch, herbs (£9) - you can get chips covered in cheese sauce and chilli, but for us, this is a much better option. Great seasoning, nice and crunchy, perfectly matched dip. 

Patty Melt on milk bread, 1/4lb patty, caramelised onions, Swiss and American cheese (£14) - a must-have, with the use of milk bread making this a next-level patty melt. The patty was very good, and we're hearing great things about the cheeseburger here too.

Pastrami sandwich - telera, pastrami, mustard, pickles (£15) - This was served originally as a roll with dip, but they've now gone a little more traditional. The key thing is that the pastrami itself just falls apart.

Chicken Dinner, fried leg & thigh, mac salad, dinner roll (£17) - the crunchiest fried chicken we've had in a while, and the mac salad (essentially macaroni and mayo) works really well. You can get the salad as a side on its own, too. 

Anything else to mention?

Although it's a short menu, everything on there is generously served, so the above is all we had room for. Other notable dishes include their carna asada steak plate with rice, beans and tortillas (£19), and there's also an all-day breakfast plate if you fancy bacon, eggs, home fries and maple sausage for dinner (£16).

Breakfast and lunchtime have them adding burritos to the mix. It's a bit of a shame not to get them on the dinner menu too (maybe they'll be added later).

What about dessert?

At dinner when we visited, there's just one option - a root beer float, but as we're really not fans of root beer, we gave that a swerve. During the day, they have French toast with fruit and maple syrup - that (or a version of) would actually make for a great dessert in the evening, too 

And drinks?

Again, it's a short list - led by cocktails, beer that includes the very American Pabst Blue Ribbon lager, and one white, red or orange wine (£7 a glass). But it's really the cocktails you should aim for - the ones we had were both excellent and really well balanced. 

Their Paloma (£12) and Margarita (£11) - both extremely well made

Overall thoughts

Johnny Boy's succeeds in bringing something very different to Stoke Newington. It's not really a place to linger, but diners aren't that type of restaurant anyway. Only a few days in, it was already doing very well (even on a very hot day, but they do have good aircon), and it's easy to see why. With next-level diner food, good portions and pretty decent prices all in a great-looking space, this will do very well in Stokey.