Ne-Yo’s Brunch-Driven Johnny’s Chicken & Waffles Takes Off in Dallas

R&B singer Ne-Yo and celeb chef Crystal Smith opened the first Johnny’s Chicken & Waffles in College Park, Georgia, in 2020. Three months ago, they unveiled their third national location right here in Dallas.

On Botham Jean Boulevard (across the street from Poor David’s Pub and in the shadows of DPD headquarters), Johnny’s focuses on brunch — all day, every day. Appetizers like wings, loaded fries, mac and cheese (that you can top with fried shrimp or fried lobster tail) and buffalo chicken egg rolls will get you started. Platters include fried shrimp baskets, grits in Cajun cream sauce with various topping options and entrees of pan-roasted salmon and Cajun penne pasta.

Head chef Crystal Smith, who is married to Ne-Yo, is the culinary force behind the Johnny’s franchise and has been featured on TV more times than we can count (Smith was on E! Network’s Platinum Life and BET’s About the Business, to name a couple). She’s also a philanthropist, serving on the board of The Smith Family Foundation (founded by Ne-Yo), which supports children in foster care. The Jenesse Center for Domestic Violence Prevention in Los Angeles and ProjectflyLA (serving underprivileged youth) are also organizations that Smith actively supports.

The sandwich lineup here is stacked — among them are Nashville hot chicken sandwich on toasted brioche bun, blackened salmon BLT, bacon-loaded egg sandwich and “The Mac Attack,” crispy chicken tenders, mac and cheese and bacon on a buttered brioche bun.
Top billing, though, belongs to the chicken and waffles. At Johnny’s, you have three choices to make: pick your chicken (whole wings, buttermilk tenders, Buffalo wings or fried chicken), a waffle (buttermilk, red velvet, pecan or strawberry) and your preferred sauce (honey mustard, ranch, blue cheese, Buffalo or lemon pepper).

We chose the two-piece fried chicken, a strawberry waffle and a side of lemon pepper sauce. The chicken was on the smaller side but well cooked and seasoned nicely. The waffle was fluffy with a dollop of cream and strawberry sauce on top. Maple syrup comes on the side. This dish was worth the $16.95 price tag.

It was around 2-ish p.m. in the middle of the week but the place was close to full. (We hear wait times are the norm on weekends.) A full-service bar fixes specialty cocktails like Ne-Yo’s strawberry lemonade of cognac and strawberry puree. The playlist is R&B and hip-hop.
Another dish we tried was the cream cheese-stuffed brioche French toast ($21.95). It's drizzled with caramel and served with bacon strips, scrambled eggs and crispy breakfast potatoes. It's hard to go wrong with melted cream cheese between two thick slabs of French toast, and it’s as delightful as it sounds.

Johnny’s Chicken & Waffles, 1326 Botham Jean Blvd. Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.