Takeout restaurant Johnny Pomodoro opens in Charlestown

Food

The homestyle menu contains consolation meals like pizzas, meatballs, and subs, together with seasonal salads and tons of gluten-free choices.

Chef Johnny Burke not too long ago opened Johnny Pomodoro, a takeaway homestyle Italian spot in Charlestown. The restaurant takes over the previous New Speedy Chen’s location at 297 Major St.

Burke additionally owns and operates Johnny Burke Catering & Events, which used to run Johnny’s Takeaway in West Roxbury.

The homestyle menu contains consolation meals like tray pizzas, meatballs, and subs, together with seasonal salads and tons of gluten-free choices.

After working within the Boston fine-dining scene for over a decade for famend cooks like Barbara Lynch, Burke formally launched his personal full-service catering firm in 2017. Johnny’s Takeaway operated out of their West Roxbury spot from 2018 till not too long ago, getting artistic to remain open throughout COVID-19 shutdowns.

They’d the benefit of the takeout growth throughout these indoor months of 2020. However “we had been pondering, ‘How can we get everybody to eat with us weekly?’” mentioned Burke. “So each week we modified the menu.”

Johnny’s Catering launched new pop-up ideas each week—Johnny’s Smokehouse, Johnny’s Cantina, and Johnny Pomodoro amongst them.

“Johnny Pomodoro was the one we cherished doing essentially the most,” mentioned Burke. “It introduced out essentially the most purchasers and we cherished cooking it,” he mentioned, so that they began in search of a everlasting spot for the operation.

When the group discovered concerning the accessible area in Charlestown, “It simply felt proper,” mentioned Burke, noting that the neighborhood’s small restaurant scene means they are often a part of a group of consumers whom they get to serve usually.

Their Major Avenue nook location with hovering home windows makes for a brilliant and alluring area—and so they even added a 3rd window on the nook of the constructing that wasn’t traditionally there.

“If you happen to’re not stopping in, we hope we get a wave,” mentioned Burke.

“We do what I name grandma’s-style tray pizzas,” mentioned Burke. They serve a type of thick, rectangular Sicilian pizza, crunchy on the skin and fluffy on the within. Burke’s different favorites embrace their salads, that are giant and seasonally impressed, and their tacky garlic knots.

Their menu isn’t large, but it surely hits all of the candy spots—starters like meatballs, a number of subs and pasta dishes, a handful of children’ choices, and cookies for dessert.

They’ve a powerful gluten-free lineup, together with mozzarella sticks, sandwich bread, and, in fact, pizza. All of their pasta is gluten-free, and so they maintain one fryer and one pizza oven utterly gluten-free to keep away from cross-contamination.

Johnny Pomodoro is takeout solely, with a bench inside for ready however no formal seating. They’re open for lunch and dinner day by day, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week. 

Burke says they plan to open up different takeout spots sooner or later, doubtless alongside the strains of Johnny’s Cantina or Johnny’s Smokehouse, so their group members have higher job stability, mentioned Burke, citing the craziness of the meals service business through the early COVID-19 days. Johnny’s Takeaway was lucky to remain in enterprise these days, added Burke, and much more lucky to rent some new workers who had been out of labor on the time.

He encourages people to cease in and say whats up in the event that they’re within the space. 

“Charlestown’s a very cool neighborhood and we’re simply excited to be part of it,” mentioned Burke.