Hey, there! Log in / Register
Tonic for the Bostonian soul in West Roxbury
By adamg on Sun, 12/13/2015 - 8:12pm
Tonight's specials show that, when it comes to drinks, Tony's in West Roxbury is old school (right up there with the Pleasant Cafe in Roslindale, which also still offers tonic).
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Is That Tony's Village Spa?
Is that what it used to be called?
Now it's the place with the giant illuminated "TONY'S" at Grove and Spring.
Baker and Spring
Baker and Spring
Do not ask me for directions, EVER!
Yes, you're right. I should know that.
Wow, That is
WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!!!
Yes, especially compared to Arlington!
Elton's in Arlington offers two cheese slices and a can of Pepsi for $3.50, including tax! If you prefer thin crust Italian style, the new Brickstone's is $2 for an awesome cheese slice.
"thin crust Italian style"
"thin crust Italian style"
That's called pizza generally. Maybe it's different in places where transplants come from, a lot of chains out there and not as many old school places because the demographics are different.
Welcome to Boston!
Since you're obviously new to Boston, you might not realize that a lot of pizza places around here actually sell Greek pizza, which is anything but thin crust. And there are places that sell thin-crust pizza that is even thinner than traditional Italian.
Reminds me of
my first week as a freshman at Northeastern, when I inquired about available pizza places to a classmate.
He responded with "Which do you prefer, Greek sponge or Italian cardboard?"
Wrong, transplant. Greek
Wrong, transplant. Greek Pizza is no thicker than the Dominos or Pizza Hut that so many transplants ate growing up. You should probably add that Greek Pizza is found mostly North and West of Boston because so many Greek immigrants went to Lowell and the Merrimack Valley.
Also, there is no locally established "even thinner" style, barring the occasional place that just happens to make a very thin pizza.
"thin crust Italian style" is similar to how someone would order bread at a fast food sandwich shop.
Welcome to Boston.
Oh, sorry, didn't realize we were dealing with a sophisticate
You might try taking a trip into Roslindale, West Roxbury and Hyde Park sometime and count up the number of places that serve Greek pizza. Last I checked, none are west or north of "the city."
Yeah, I'm a transplant, from a city that has no end of Italian pizza. So I know the difference between basic "Italian" pizza and the thinner-crust stuff. First tried that in Framingham, probably before you were born, at a restaurant that specialized in it.
Southie, too
Plenty of Greek pizza
Huh
I could have sworn that "Greek" was the dominant pizza format in the area around where my husband grew up on the South Shore ...
"found mostly" implies that
"found mostly" implies that there will be some found elsewhere, but the trend is that many will be North and West of the city, something you might not know if you don't venture outside of 128. Count as many local places as you want, that doesn't change that Lowell had a huge Greek committee.
"sophisticate":
You felt the need to delve into the intricacies of several different styles of pizza first.
"So I know the difference between basic "Italian" pizza and the thinner-crust stuff."
There is no locally established thinner-crust style, just some occasional places that happen to make it very thin.
Well, have fun with your pizza
Sorry you didn't get a chance to try the Union House before it closed.
You tried to go into the
You tried to go into the details, don't whine when someone corrects you. Run along, then.
Pish tosh
Good day to you, sir.
Seriously
You are really being tedious here. All one needs to do to establish a successful counterargument: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=%22greek+pizz...
The South Shore seems to be terra incognita to you. That doesn't mean that the North Shore isn't so saturated as you contend, but it has no unique claim to Greek Pizza, either.
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=%22greek+pizz...
Roslindale had too much Greek pizza at one point
And a Greek gal from West Roxbury admitted to me once Italian pizza is better.
For some reason, the pizza around Perkins Square in Southie was somehow Greek, too.
I'm also willing to bet that north of Boaton Italian pizza is available.
D'Agostino's in Arlington Hts
Doesn't have pizza --- but there was still a button on the register for tonic when I worked there at the turn of the century. Pretty sure we called the kids who stocked the soda "tonic boys" too.
an entire large cheese
$5, comellas
hadn't heard of eltons before, is that where Steve's used to be?
Comellas ^
at least in W.Rox, prices have gone up - $6 still a good deal.
Elton's location
Elton's is where the bike trail crosses Mass. Ave.
Comella's, while a good deal at their new higher price of $6, still sucks IMO. But everyone else in the world seems to love their flavorless pizza and mushy pasta with sugary sauce. Bleh.
everybody else in the world
probably likes that you can get a boatload of food for $5 (although, now, it seems, $6)
Everybody else in the world...
defines what is served at Comella's as "food" in the first place. I know I'm in the minority here; that chain is spreading with dunkin-donuts speed (and quality to match).
De gustibus non est disputandam
Some of us do like them (the pasta, that is, the pizza was OK, nothing special).
Comella's
cheese pizza is cheap but boring. Tony's is a step up.
Real Deal and DeNo's for the win
As long as we're talking West Roxbury pizza here.
That is good to know! I have
That is good to know! I have only ever eaten at DeNo's, but I may try Real Deal if it's good too.
But it is good pizza? I have
But it is good pizza? I have heard it's eh and I can't be surprised for that type of $.
it is better than papa ginos
which isn't' saying much, but given it's better price, et cetera
also i would recommend asking for them to do the pizza 'well done'
Yeah but is it better than Pizza Hut?
...since we're comparing chain-restaurant pizza.
Why not support your local independent pizza joint! most of them aren't as expensive as the example in the o.p.!
comella's
has about a dozen locations, all within massachusetts. all of which are still owned by the family as far as i can tell. they're about as local as you can get . but thanks for the suggestion chief
are there better options? sure. but if you read what wrote, my suggesting them was based on value alone and no other consideration (although when I used to eat there, i admit proximity was a consideration. they were a very short walk from my office).
as a matter of routine i don't advise getting pizza anywhere, frankly
also comparing dunkin donuts and pizza hut to comella's with regards to size is really, really dumb. both dunks and pizza hut (owner: Yum! brands- the biggest restaurant group in the entire world) are international brands. comella's massive reach extends to one location outside of 128.
but it's okay for you to compare with Papa Ginos.....
....which has 200 locations in five states.
OK got it.
I'm not out to change anyone's mind about the virtues of a $6 pizza. In fact I've noticed that neighboring non-chain shops have put up similar specials, so it's actually good for competition. And a lot of the standalone pizza shops frankly aren't good either. I just like them to get a chance to survive against the chains, that's all.
i compared taste
the other guy was touting the virtues of "local and independent"
hope that helps!
Elton's is at Steve's, which is now Brickstone's
Elton's Roast Beef is where Steve's used to be, and the roast beef is good there. Pizza is OK. Subs are good. The owners of Steve's opened the new Brickstone's Pizza in Broadway Plaza at the former location of Ripples hair salon. From what I've tried so far, the pizza is the best thing.
cool.
steve's used to be a client of my family's and i remember them being pretty nice folks so i'd drag my friends there after school
thought that corner looked familiar
Anyone know if the Wash Sq Star Mkt still has a "Tonic" aisle?
Star market in Washington Sq Brookline used to have an aisle sign saying "tonic" where the...tonic was located. Anyone know if that signage remains?
tonic
this made me smile. i haven't heard somebody refer to soda as tonic since my grandfather passed probably.
if not for gin, i'd probably have forgotten about the word entirely
actually gin itself has made me forget a lot of things anyway
interesting
sort of o/t
I learned something from watching a TV show: The Knick often has little factoids before or after each episode, about whatever ghastly medical procedures were happening in the episode. In one episode this season, I learned that malaria was very common among Brits stationed in India back when it was one of their many colonies, and they devised the gin & tonic in order to make taking their quinine (which is very bitter) more palatable.
The more you know!
re: quinine
well, quinine is indeed very bitter, which is why i've never ordered a virgin gin & tonic
tonic on its own is barfo
At an old bartending job I
At an old bartending job I had, there was still a Q on the ancient soda guns.
tonic
We called soda tonic growing up because my father did. We used to have a case of Miscoe orange soda delivered every month; my father drank it with dinner, we had to drink milk.
Mahket Basket
Up through the 1990s, Market Basket stores had "tonic" on the aisle signs.
I understood this when I discovered Moxie. Many soft drinks started out as patent medicines, hence the local word.
I still call it tonic. My
I still call it tonic. My generation (I'm 44 - when the heck did that happen?!) is probably the last in Boston to do so.
I can totally tell when someone isn't from here and I ask what type of tonic they have and they look at me like I have 5 heads. Even the younger folk from here know what tonic is b/c of their older relatives. It always makes me chuckle:)
We said tonic, too
Although I now say soda, my family (and grandparents) called any type of soft drink tonic. Also, blue jeans were referred to as "dungarees". My great aunt also used to pronounce potatoes like "padaydahs". Grew up in Portsmouth, NH. It wasn't just Boston.
Pop
I'm from the midwest. I was surprised when I was a teenager and found out other people call it soda. Calling it tonic would have sent me over the edge.
It's all in how you pronounce it
If you have a sign like that, you've gotta pronounce it as
"taw nick".
how else
would you pronounce it ??