Cafe John – Great service and food, upscale touches in Jomtien, Thailand

Pattaya and it’s Southern neighbor Jomtien Beach are inexpensive destinations and outside high-end hotel restaurants, most restaurants are pretty basic, too. Cafe John in Jomtien is a nice exception offering  great food, friendly service and a nice ambiance, still at very good prices. If you are looking for a dinner without bare tables and paper napkins, check out my review of Cafe John!

Cafe John doesn’t really look any different from the outside than many other street side restaurants in town. But once I stepped inside, I was surprised by the nice set up: Tables are covered in white table clothes, have a colorful runner, woven placemats and silk napkins. There are even bread plates with butter knifes – something you won’t find very often in Pattaya. 

The menu is also very different: Instead of the “a little bit of everything” approach of most restaurants in Pattaya, Cafe John offers set, three course menus with a choice of appetizer, main course and dessert, from a good selection of Western dishes. I picked a tomato salad to start and it was fresh with a surprisingly well done sauce and nicely presented. 

As the main course I selected chicken with a cream sauce, mashed potatoes and a side of vegetables (it’s true, I had vegetables & I have proof!). It was also well presented, staff offered some fresh ground pepper to go with it. The sauce was very rich and delicious – I felt guilty, but just a little bit.

But guilty enough to avoid the cake on the dessert menu and go for some plain ice cream to finish of the meal. 

The service was noticeably well trained and very attentive (no playing on the phone, while ignoring the guests here), making for a very pleasant experience. 
The three course meal with wine and water was till under $20, making this great value and a solid recommendation in Jomtien. If you need a break from Thai food or Pizza while in Pattaya, give Cafe John a try!


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