Everyone in this corner of Boston knows that behind our famous neon sign lies a tradition that burns even brighter. The Pleasant Cafe is a Parkway original. We've been serving honest, genuine food to families for over 80 years and people are still coming from miles away to discover us for the first time.
Quality is not something delivered by truck every morning. It comes from the recipes and hands of people that have worked with the same passion here for decades. Our pizza sauces and doughs are made in house each day and our toppings are cut fresh. It's not uncommon to hear some of our guests compare the quality of our lamb or prime rib with some of Boston's top restaurants. Yet this is still the place where families come after soccer practice for dinner or to watch the ball game over our legendary thin-crust pizza.
Ours is a simple recipe. Serve your food and your customers with the same integrity.
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NEWS
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| Pizza Poem by Our Biggest Fan (age 7) |
Pizza
Hot as the sun
With a crunchy crunchy crust
Cheesy as can be
With peppers and sauce
On to the table
Sliced in eight
so yummy and so great! |
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| Best Pizza, Vote For Us! |
Visit the link below for Boston Magazine for their online vote. It is a quick vote and we would love to win! |
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| Tablecritic.com Reviews the Pleasant |
See the latest review of our pizza at
tablecritic.com!
And after reading it, maybe drop in for a pizza or one of our nightly specials.
Here is a portion of the review...
"My family and I lived in New Jersey for a few years when I was growing up, and they are known for their pizza, particularly Trenton. There was a pizzeria there that had been around since the 1940s there, too, and I used to go all the time with my family. Honestly, it was my favorite pizza place until I tried the Pleasant Cafe just this past week. I was completely shocked that this Roslindale pizza joint could even contend (even gourmet pizzerias like Upper Crust haven’t held a candle to that Trenton one for me) but it actually surpassed it. So move over, Trenton! Roslindale is going to give you a run for your money!" |
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| A Pleasant Experience |
Thank you to Frank Sullivan of the Bulletin for his kind words found below about the Pleasant Cafe and our staff.... His article reads....
In New England, we are accustomed to unpredictable weather. We can handle the highs and lows that surprise, frustrate and otherwise help us face uncertainty.
Yet, these days, from Boston, to Washington, D.C. to Sacramento, Calif., there is a curious apprehensiveness.
Joblessness is on the increase. Foreclosures are at an all-time high. Interest rates are inching where we don’t want them to go.
Gas prices increase just as you begin planning a trip to the Cape or New Hampshire and Maine; perhaps drive to Camden Yards to catch the Sox against Baltimore.
A balancing act that would defy the Flying Wallendas is required to pay the rent, mortgage, tuition and taxes.
The battle rages in Iraq. Afghanistan is more dangerous than ever.
Congress is not nearly united as they should be when it comes to our active military and those who come home bewildered and betrayed.
Nevertheless, rely on faith. Have hope. We need not believe these times are so difficult. Our perspective determines the extent of our complicated lives.
As Charles Mingus said, "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity."
I have a complicated matter on my hands. You may have noticed that my column was missing for two weeks. Okay, so you didn’t notice. No offense taken. For the 15 of you (counting my family) who were wondering where I’ve been, how’s this for making things simple?
I might give up writing this column. It is not that I no longer enjoy it. The creative process is my love. However, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor suggested a wise Latina woman would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male.
That is why I was forced to take a look in the mirror. There I was, a pale white male, of American Indian and Irish heritage. How can I continue writing and reach good conclusions?
Is it mere insecurity, or should I tell my editor and publishers to place an ad seeking a female Latina columnist? It’s a stretch, but I have much in common with Sotomayor.
We were born a year apart. Neither of us, having lived in public housing, are surprised that successful people arise out of the brick jungle known as "the projects."
We both think quite highly of Latina women. We both value education. We respect diversity of opinion as well as the legal system.
To face this conundrum head on, I kept it simple. I thought about life’s blessings like Mike and Kathy Nasson recently becoming the proud and excited parents of Ava Rose Nasson.
Mike is the Centre Street, Roslindale Shell Station proprietor par excellence who, during freezing dawns or maddening muggy dusks, greets customers while wearing his varied shorts and his contagious smile.
His lovely wife, Kathy, works hard at both Blue Cross/Blue Shield and as a popular, gregarious waitress extraordinaire at the renowned Doyle’s Caf in JP, where grandpa Gerry awaits the arrival of twin grandchildren.
So, that’s how I handled my decision. I went out and enjoyed the company of my wife and children. That is where the "Pleasant" in the headline of this column comes in.
We sat in Roslindale’s famed Pleasant Caf, enjoyed the food, the service, the entire experience. The staff and the customers are diverse, not by design but by nature.
A wonderful Latina woman, a mother of two, who commutes there from East Boston and has worked there for as long as we’ve been treating ourselves to its food and atmosphere, was there again, smiling, working.
Everyone, from the owners to the waitresses, cooks and bus staff, magically makes the experience "Pleasant." Then, there is that curious occurrence of seeing so many familiar faces sharing in the "Pleasantry."
So, do you get my point? Of course not, that’s my point.
Perhaps a Latina woman would do a better job of reaching a conclusion in this space. For now, I’ll keep the complicated simple and just say, "Have a "Pleasant" day."
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| Voted #1 Pizza In Parkway |
Thank you to the readers of the West Roxbury/Roslindale Transcript for voting the Pleasant Cafe #1 Pizza in the Parkway for the 2009 Readers Choice Awards. We were honored to receive that award. Please come in and give our pizza a try if you haven't already!! |
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| Formula for Success in Roslindale |
"The pizza is what brought us into the Pleasant Cafe, and it's what will bring us back. But this neighborhood bar and grill has other draws as well.
The Pleasant is a long, narrow space, like a railroad flat, with an adjoining bar. (Besides wine and beer, the bar menu features 81 kinds of mixed drinks, everything from a 'Between the Sheets' to a 'Girl Scout Cookie'). The crowd is equally eclectic: families with children, young couples, cops, senior citizens, and a large, loud table of girlfriends in the back. The place is plain and clean, with booths lining the wood-paneled walls..."
From the Boston Globe , 2002 |
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| Warm Plates, Cold Shoulders |
"There is a place in Roslindale that time forgot, called the Pleasant Cafe. I imagine that the paneled walls and faux-walnut Formica tables look exactly as they did when the The Dick Van Dyke Show was king of the Nielsen ratings and Wonder Bread was considered health food. My waitress doesn't introduce herself, push the appetizers, or have a problem with female pattern baldness, but she's friendly and sassy. My favorite combination.
My spaghetti is excellent, and the waitress even takes time to stop by and ask if I like it. 'You're just lucky I didn't cook it," she says. "Trust me, you'd be sending it back."
Of all my wait-staff interactions, this feels the most genuine. I could be in someone's kitchen as she jokes about her culinary skills. What I realize is that the decor isn't the only thing about the Pleasant Cafe that's been frozen in time. The unforced politeness also seems like a throw-back that I enjoy almost as much as the retro neon sign outside the restaurant. I don't need a waiter to be my best friend or explain the menu, but it seems that I need a server who smiles and checks in on the food every so often..."
From the Boston Globe, 2007 |
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| Melting For Parmesan |
"Inside and out, this neighborhood bar and grill looks like it hasn't changed since it opened more than 60 years ago. The interior layout is curious - two long, narrow, attached rooms, like railroad cars.
The cafe attracts a diverse crowd, from old-timers to families to 20-somethings, and the kitchen churns out basic pub fare with an emphasis on pastas and New England specials such as boiled dinners. The chicken Parmesan sandwich ($6) is a huge cutlet pounded thin and deep-fried (and we mean deep!) until it's brown and crispy. The finishing touch is a slathering of marinara and melted cheese..."
From the Boston Globe, 2003 |
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