MARIA S. YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
City Councilman Bobby Henon (D-6th dist.) last week presented retiring Tony’s Place owner Joe Mallamaci with a City of Philadelphia citation.
Mallamaci sold Tony’s, at 6300 Frankford Ave. in Lower Mayfair. His last day was Sunday.
Tony’s remains open under new ownership.
“I accept this with a heavy heart,” Mallamaci said of the citation, speaking to his staff and customers. “I will miss you all. But I’ll be back.”
Henon held a staff meeting last Friday afternoon and surprised Mallamaci with the citation, signed by the councilman and Council President Darrell Clarke.
“Everybody comes here,” Henon said. “People who live in different parts of the Northeast come back to Tony’s. It’s safe and inviting. It’s like the Cheers of the Northeast.”
Mallamaci is a 1965 Cardinal Dougherty High School graduate. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967 and was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Unit. He served in the Vietnam War for 10 months. He was wounded and had to spend 18 months in a hospital. He was awarded the Purple Heart medal.
In 1971, he began working at Tony’s, which his dad, Dominic, and his Uncle Tony opened in 1951, moving from 10th and Jackson streets in South Philadelphia. He took over in 1976, after his dad and uncle passed away.
“God bless them. All I did was continue what they did. They found a niche up here in Mayfair. It’s the greatest neighborhood in the city,” he said.
Tony’s is most famous for its tomato pies, along with homemade meatballs. There is plenty of seating in the dining room and a separate banquet room, along with a bar. A sign above the menu reads, “Tony’s Place. A family landmark serving our Mayfair friends since 1951.”
At one time, Mallamaci served as president of the Philadelphia Tavern Owners Association.
A 1989 fire closed the place for almost seven months, but it didn’t lose its popularity when it reopened.
“Joe’s been a pillar of the Northeast,” Henon said. “He stayed here and was committed to the neighborhood.”
Mallamaci and his wife, Joanne, have been married for 43 years. They have two children and a granddaughter. A Newtown resident, he is a member of the Knights of Columbus and a Eucharistic minister at St. Andrew Catholic Church. ••
City Councilman Bobby Henon presented Mallamaci with a City of Philadelphia citation. MARIA S. YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
A Northeast cornerstone: Tony’s Place owner Joe Mallamaci recently sold the iconic Mayfair pizzeria, which has been open since 1951. His last day was Sunday. Tony’s remains open under new ownership. MARIA S. YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
