News

Phantom Gourmet Visits The Pleasant Cafe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdjYSVCQoA

Pleasant Cafe Voted Boston's Best Pizza NBC10Boston!

https://www.nbcboston.com/multimedia/Vote-for-the-Best-Pizza-Shop-in-the-Boston-Area--476837843.html

Visiting New England Stops at the Pleasant Cafe

Eric Hurwitz, editor and publisher, of VisitingNewEngland.com dropped in to meet us early in March of 2018.  He ended up putting together this really great piece on our restaurant.  We are so excited to be featured on their website.  

http://www.visitingnewengland.com/pleasant-cafe-roslindale.html

Retro Roadmap Visits the Pleasant Cafe

We were so lucky to have Mod Betty from Retro Road map visit the Pleasant Cafe not once but twice. She is the best. And she wrote an article which we feels captures what the Pleasant Cafe is all about. Thank you so much Mod Betty. 

Latest review from a customer

I've been going to the Pleasant since I was 16 or so when I first got my license. I grew up in Roslindale so it was a no brainer. I still love this place because it has stayed the same after some 45 years. The food is as awesome as I remember and the memories of this place are priceless. I try to get here at least 2 or 3 times a year.

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!

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 Cafe, 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."

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!"