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Today I am going to profile John’s Pizza Works & Outlaw Saloon, located at 3499 Main Street in Mammoth Lakes. John’s is part restaurant, part sports bar, part takeout, part kids’ arcade, and 100% awesome. Whether it is to catch a game, share a pizza, entertain your kids, or play shuffleboard, John’s is a great spot.
The Quick Details
Hours: Open daily 11:30 am to 11:00 pm; Sunday ticket NFL games open at 10:00 am.
Kid Friendliness Level: Very welcoming with highchairs, a kid’s menu (with Kraft mac and cheese for your picky eaters), a video game arcade, and an ice cream station.
Dog Friendliness Level: Dogs on the outdoor patio, open in the summer.
Vegetarian options: There are vegetarian options.
Gluten Free options: Gluten free crust is available.
Drinks: Full bar with a cocktail menu.
Price point: Pizzas range from $10 to $34; Entrees are $15 to $25.
Parking: There is a lot with some parking in the back, but does get full.
Reservations: None.
Ability to accommodate large parties: There is a lot of seating, but it is first come first served.
Take out available.
The Experience
It was quite by accident that I discovered the charms that make John’s Pizza Works & Outlaw Saloon stand out. If you have read any of my blog at all, you know that I am a pizza fiend. I took up running as a means of supporting my habit, that is the level we are talking about here. I first came to John’s for the simple purpose of eating pizza.
What I have discovered is that they have huge TV’s that play every sports game, they have an arcade for kids to play games while they wait for pizza, they have an ice cream bar for dessert, they have shuffleboard for bar games, and they have amazing skiers and snowboarders on staff who are awesome people. Seriously, what a plus to good pizza.
Our last visit to John’s was during the World Series and with another couple and their toddler. We sat on the Outlaw Saloon side. When you walk into John’s you can sit to the left, by the arcade, and you order at the takeout counter and get a number. If you go to the right, you are in Outlaw Saloon, where there are essentially two rooms of tables with full service and a bar. We grabbed a high-top booth. Both my son and our friend’s daughter loved the experience of being out of a highchair, sitting like the big folks, sitting high up, and of course being able to watch TV.
John’s has a well rounded list of beers and cocktails, and we ordered beers. We started with an order of onion rings, a wedge salad, and a Caesar salad. The wedge salad was decent sized with a generous portion of dressing, bacon bits, and bleu cheese. We ordered a large Caesar, and my husband and I shared it while our toddler ate the croutons. The salad was very fresh and not at all wilted, it had a very satisfying crunch to it. The onion rings were surprisingly good and were not overly greasy, soggy, or hard.
While we waited for our pizzas, the kids went to the arcade. It’s a lovely age where they don’t need quarters to be entertained by the games. My son sits in the car race game and watches the screen and moves the steering wheel. I’ll relish this while I still can. They also have the big buck hunting game, a stacker game, and two claw games. Other kids were there playing as well while their parents relaxed at a table nearby.
We ordered a cheese pizza for the kids and the Pizza Picante for the adults. One thing about John’s is you cannot switch up a pizza sauce, you have to be consistent if you are going to split a pizza’s toppings. You can't get half tomato sauce half pesto, which I like to do. So we just got whole pies with the same topping. The cheese pizza is always good and a hit with the littles, and I always order a large so that we have leftovers for lunch the next day. The Pizza Picante is spicy but delicious, with heaps of toppings. My husband separately ordered the ribeye steak sandwich, which is his John’s go to order. I would never make this for him at home, so I get it.
I appreciated that John’s was able to fit our families in a hightop booth, which afforded us some privacy while still being part of the bar atmosphere. With the big table we were able to share all the good stuff we ordered. Our kids were entertained and happy. Overall, we had a great time.
John's is a great pick for families, pizza night, après ski or adventure, or for a sports bar experience. As always, please comment with any questions, thoughts, or your own experiences.
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