Next time you find yourself hungry and standing on a street corner looking around for a restaurant sign that draws you in, stop. We've got a better solution to finding the tastiest bites around: Each week, Bronxville-Eastchester Patch will pick a great restaurant either in town or nearby that we think is worth checking out.
Here's this week's choice:
When you walk around Tuckahoe, many food options can jump out at you, but if you ask most people who have lived in the village their entire life where to go for Italian food, Roma Restaurant is likely to be high on their list.
Started in 1931 at the foot of the Tuckahoe train station, where "old timers" can recall having to hold onto your glass each time an express train would come barrelling by, Roma is in its third location in the village, having spent the last 32 years at 29 Columbus Avenue.
The inside hasn't changed much since 1979, with 1970's style wood panels and tiling on the inside and many of the customers haven't changed either, being life-long fans of Roma's thin-crust pizza, pastas and all of the other entrees the restaurant offers.
"The pork chops are the best, simply the best I've ever had and I've been coming here since I was a kid," said Rocco Solano of Eastchester who lived on Lake Avenue in Tuckahoe for 30 years and would routinely have his meals at Roma.
Solano's family has a history with the restaurant, "my Uncle used to eat at Roma 60 years ago so our families go way back," recalled Solano.
Owner John Tavolilla has enjoyed watching not only his old customers continue to eat at his restaurant, but new customers as well.
"Many new families have moved to Tuckahoe and it is great to see them come in and begin hopefully a tradition of coming here," said Tavolilla who also shared that back when the restaurant first opened in the 1930s, the term "hot pies" was used instead of pizzas to describe Roma's thin-crust pizzas.
"I am sure many older customers recall our first location, which had a very popular jukebox that the customers enjoyed listening to while having a meal," said Tavolilla.
Whether it is seafood, steaks, pork chops, pastas or pizza, you can find it at Roma and the restaurant also does catering and people have even had their wedding party at Roma.
Some of their weekday specials include a Tuesday night prime rib dinner, including a house salad, potato or vegetable for $15.95 and a Wednesday night veal and shrimp parmigiana dinner for $15.95.
Joann Burrows, who now lives in Yonkers but lived in Tuckahoe most of her life says that after 25 years of eating at Roma, she has never been disapointed.
"We always start off with the incredible famous pizza, family size salad and usually try some of the specials that have never disappointed us," said Burrows.
"We truly enjoy the familiarity of the owners and the staff too. Great food and the prices are beyond reasonable. We are a family of five and usually have some extras with us!"
Roma Restaurant is open everyday except for Mondays. Their hours are Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.; and Sundays from 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.
You can contact them at 914-961-3175 or for more information about their menu or catering services, visit them at romarestaurantinc.com.
