Charlestown’s latest restaurant is a product of the pandemic. Johnny Pomodoro, an Italian counter-service spot that started as a pandemic takeout idea from fine dining alum Johnny Burke, is now open at 297 Main Street, at Sullivan Street, on a sunny corner spot in the neighborhood.
Detroit-style pizzas — identified by their rectangular shape, thick, spongy dough, and sauce splattered on after toppings — are a big draw here. At Johnny Pomodoro, Burke cooks the pies in seasoned iron pans and then tops them with ingredients like chicken cutlets, crispy pepperoni cups, and, in one case, all the fixings of a Caesar salad. Customers can buy the pizza by the slice during lunchtime (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) or by the whole tray — and it passes the all-important cold test, according to Burke. “I haven’t met too many pizzas that I don’t like but there are a lot of pizzas that I wouldn’t eat cold,” Burke says. “This [pizza] is just as delicious when it has spent the night in the refrigerator.”
Aside from the pizzas, the menu includes everything from meatballs and mozzarella sticks to wings, subs, and salads. Each item on the menu was designed with takeout in mind, according to Burke. The restaurant itself is only doing takeout and delivery; there’s no sit-down service available. But diners can still poke their heads in, and the restaurant exterior is marked by gigantic front windows intentionally designed to allow hungry customers to peer into the space.
Johnny Pomodoro is one of many takeout concepts that Burke tried out when his full-time catering business came to a standstill during the pandemic. “Johnny’s Smokehouse, Johnny’s Cantina, Johnny Pomodoro — we had different ones,” Burke says. “This was the one that we continuously had the most fun doing and saw the best turnout from. We were like, we’ve got to find a home for this place.”
This isn’t the first time that Burke has launched a takeout-only restaurant: Prior to the pandemic, he started Johnny’s Takeaway at his catering headquarters in West Roxbury. Johnny’s Takeaway has since closed, but the catering business is back in full swing and still based in West Roxbury. Before running his own catering company, Burke and his core catering team worked for fine dining stars in the city including Barbara Lynch.
As for Johnny Pomodoro, Burke has been heartened to see the local turnout for the shop — especially given the two-year slog that it took to open the restaurant — and there are already plans in the works to expand the idea elsewhere in Boston. (Burke declined to share more details until those plans are finalized.)
The chef sees the takeout-only shop as a pretty pandemic-proof business model — and an opportunity to better support staff within the company. “When we got the 200-something events that were on our calendar canceled almost overnight for our catering company, it was like, you know, what do we do?” Burke says. “I really opened this so that my team always has a place to go.”
Johnny Pomodoro is open six days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Mondays (for now). The restaurant will be open seven days a week starting January 23. Order online here.
The lunch and dinner menu:
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STARTERS
GARLIC KNOTS $9
2 Garlic knots, herbs, cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella,
olive oil, and served with pomodoro sauce
FRIED MOZZARRELLA STICKS $9
4 Fried mozzarella with choice of pesto or pomodoro
GLUTEN FREE MOZZARRELLA STICKS $9
4 Fried mozzarella with choice of pesto or pomodoro
BEST BAKED WINGS - GLUTEN FREE $13
8 Dry rubbed wings baked in the oven & served with
hot sauce on the side
3 MEATBALLS $12
3 meatballs served in pomodoro sauce & topped with
parmesan
SALADS
PIZZA SHOP SALAD - GF OPTION $10
Shaved romaine, cherry tomatoes, red onion, smoked
ham, pepperoncini, croutons & Italian vinaigrette
CLASSIC CAESAR - GF OPTION $10
Romaine, baby kale, croutons, parmesan & caesar
dressing
add anchovy +$4
FARRO & ARUGULA $11
Farro, baby arugula, shaved brussel sprouts, red
grapes, parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette
GRECO - GF $12
Cucumber, tomato, red onion, feta, nicoise olive,
oregano, red wine viniagrette
SALAD PROTEIN OPTIONS
LEMON POACHED CHICKEN BREAST - GF $9
CHICKEN CUTLET $11
KIDS
RIGATONI & CHEESE - GF $8
RIGATONI & POMODORO - GF $7
CHICKEN CUTLET FINGERS $11
TRAY PIZZA
POMODORO $16/24
our house baked crust with just pomodor sauce
UNCLE JOHNNY $16/24
caramelized onion, chicken cutlet, pomodoro, cheese
THE CAESAR $16/24
pomodoro pie with a shaved caesar salad on top
CRISPY PEPPERONI CUP $16/24
pepperoni cups, mozzarella, parmesan, honey
BRICKHOUSE $16/24
house bolognese, parmesan, parsley
GLUTEN FREE PIZZA $12+
EXTRA SAUCE
1 CUP OF POMODORO SAUCE $4
ITALIAN CHILI CRISP $2
PESTO $2
CAESAR $2
RANCH $2
SUBS
KAZ'S CUTLET $14
chicken cutlet, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers
VEGGIE ANTIPASTO - GF OPTION $12
marinated tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, artichoke, Italian Vin,
basil
JOHNNY'S ITALIAN - GF OPTION $15
mortadella, salami, prosciutto, provolone, lettuce, hots,
tomato, Italian chili crisp, oil & vinegar
MEATBALL POMODORO $16
6 meatballs, provolone, pomodoro, basil, crispy baguette
ENTREE
Served on top of pasta
BEST DARN CHICKEN PARM $20
Chicken cutlet, pomodoro, mozzarella, parmesan, basil
PASTA
ALL PASTA AT JP IS GLUTEN FREE
BOLOGNESE - GLUTEN FREE $12
beef, onions, carrots, garlic, tomato, parmesan, basil
PESTO PASTA - GLUTEN FREE $11
marinated tomato, herbs
DESSERT
JUMBO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE $3
GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE $3
JOHNNY POMODORO KEEPS
1 FRYER COMPLETELY GLUTEN
FREE & 1 PIZZA OVEN GLUTEN
FREE
SWAG & MERCH
HATS... $20
GTA SHIRT...$28
HOODIE...$40
BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER, PLEASE INFORM YOUR SERVER IF A PERSON IN YOUR PARTY HAS A FOOD ALLERGY.
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