Serving Since

Boston Area

Serving since

1937

89 years in Boston

Pleasant Cafe

Roslindale · Pizza

Go here for
Thin-crust pizza · Yankee pot roast · Grapenut pudding
Why go
Thin-crust pizza and weekly roast dinners under a 1949 neon sign, at the same Roslindale address since 1933.
Local character
Neighborhood regulars. In residential Roslindale. Visiting New England describes a fiercely loyal crowd of mostly locals.
Good to know
Outside the center: about 7 miles from downtown Boston.
Directions Official website

The Pleasant became a restaurant at 4515 Washington Street in 1937. BPA traces the business to the Y & D Market, a Roslindale meat shop, in 1927.

Why it matters

The Pleasant's roots go back to 1927, when Emelio Iantosca worked with his father at the Y & D Market, a Roslindale meat shop. The business moved to 4515 Washington Street in 1933, and in 1937 it became a restaurant co-owned by Iantosca and his three brothers. Its marquee-style neon sign went up in 1949 and is one of the few vintage neon signs left in the Boston area.

John Morgan later bought it from the original proprietors and owns it with his wife Joan. It is known for thin-crust pizza made with house dough and sauce, alongside Italian dinners and weekly specials such as Yankee pot roast and grapenut pudding.

The story

  1. 1927Emelio Iantosca works at the Y & D Market with his father2
  2. 1933The business moves to 4515 Washington Street2
  3. 1937Becomes a restaurant run by the Iantosca brothers2
  4. 1949The marquee-style neon sign is installed2
  5. 2025The block is listed for sale; the restaurant is to stay under a leaseback6
  6. TodayStill serving Boston

Notes on the record

  • Sources differ on when John Morgan took over. One says 1979 and another about 35 years before 2018.

Details

Address
4515 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02131
Neighborhood
Roslindale
Ownership
Not verified
Status
Open · verified Sep 2026

OldScore

A secondary, editorial measure. The founding year above is the fact that matters most. How it works.

Age25/ 35
Continuity20/ 20
Local significance10/ 20
Local food culture10/ 15
Independence—/ 10
OldScoreNot yet scored

"—" means unknown. We don't publish a total until every part is verified.

Local character: Neighborhood regulars. In residential Roslindale. Visiting New England describes a fiercely loyal crowd of mostly locals. This is separate from OldScore: a place can be popular with visitors and still belong here.

More like this

Sources

  1. The Pleasant Cafe (official site) Address, What to order, Current status
  2. Boston Preservation Alliance, "The Pleasant Cafe" (Sept 13, 2021) Founding year, History, Ownership, What to order
  3. Boston Preservation Alliance, Boston's Legacy Businesses: Restaurants & Cafes Founding year, History
  4. GBH, "Roslindale Is Preserving Its Culture Through Food" (Jan 23, 2018) Founding year, Ownership
  5. Visiting New England, "Pleasant Cafe, Roslindale" (Apr 7, 2018) Founding year, Ownership, What to order
  6. Universal Hub, "Block with iconic, venerable even, Roslindale restaurant up for sale" (Mar 27, 2025) History