The Story of Johnny’s

Welcome to Johnny’s —a family-owned restaurant rooted in good food, genuine hospitality, and the simple joy of bringing people together.

The story of Johnny’s began long before our family ever imagined we would be the ones carrying it forward.

In the early ’90s, the del Fierro family moved from San Mateo to Half Moon Bay. Some of our favorite memories were made around the tables at the original Johnny’s, a beloved Coastside diner run by husband-and-wife team Steve and Ilva.

Steve and his father had built the Half Moon Bay building that still houses Johnny’s today back in the 1960s. Steve cooked alongside his crew on the open line, while Ilva ran the dining room with her ladies. And if you were a well-behaved kid who finished your meal, you might even leave with an entire roll of Life Savers.

It was simple, warm, and genuine. As kids, we didn’t realize just how special it was. We were experiencing something that would stay with us for the rest of our lives: the magic that happens when good food, hospitality, and community bring people together.

Before long, our own family found its way into the restaurant business, opening It’s Italia in Half Moon Bay. Nearly three decades later, restaurants have become a true family affair. One sister leads the kitchens, another serves as General Manager, Mom—a former music teacher—builds relationships, tends to the flowers at all of our properties, and makes sure everyone is doing their job to the nth degree. Dad still keeps an eye on the financials, and our brother, an incredible musician, returned home from New York to be closer to family and help lead our newest chapter.

When Steve and Ilva’s children approached us about carrying on the Johnny’s legacy in Half Moon Bay, saying yes felt natural. Johnny’s had been part of our childhood and part of the fabric of the Coastside community we loved. We felt both a responsibility and a privilege to preserve the spirit of what Steve and Ilva had created while allowing Johnny’s to grow into something of our own.

Years later, that story has come full circle with Johnny’s San Mateo.

Our family’s roots in San Mateo go back decades—our dad opened his first tax practice literally across the street from where Johnny’s San Mateo stands today. Bringing Johnny’s here feels less like opening another restaurant and more like coming home.

Today, whether you walk through our doors in Half Moon Bay or San Mateo, our intention is the same: serve really good food, take care of people, and create a space that leaves you feeling a little brighter than when you walked in.

That idea became our mantra: Shine Your Light.

We hope Johnny’s can be the kind of place Steve and Ilva created for us all those years ago—a place for families, friends, neighbors, and strangers to gather around a table (or the counter), share a meal, and enjoy one of those simple moments that somehow stays with you.

It’s colorful, it’s busy, and it’s very much a family affair. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

We are endlessly grateful to the communities of Half Moon Bay and San Mateo for welcoming, supporting, and growing alongside our family.

Johnny’s would not be Johnny’s without you.

Welcome to Johnny’s. Come as you are, and Shine Your Light.