Westchester has no shortage of restaurants. Very few of them have fed the same neighborhood for generations without ever rebranding, moving, or closing the kitchen. Roma in Tuckahoe, Johnny's in Mount Vernon, and Sam's in Dobbs Ferry add up to well over 230 years of combined history between them, and all three are open for business right now.
Roma, Tuckahoe — Open Since 1931
George Tavolilla founded Roma Restaurant in May 1931. His son John grew up in the business and helped expand it, and today John's two sons, Michael and John, run Roma as the third generation of the same family. The thin-crust, brick-oven pizza is still the reason people keep coming back. According to the restaurant itself, some customers love it enough to have it shipped to family members across the country, which is a strange thing to hear about a pizza until you've had it.
Johnny's, Mount Vernon — Open Since 1942
Joseph Piscopo opened Johnny's Pizzeria on July 4, 1942, and named it after his oldest son. Over 80 years later, it's still family-operated, still uses coal ovens, and still holds to one rule. No slices. Only whole pies. The tradition is working. In 2023, Johnny's won the Best of Westchester award for Best Pizza, and generations of the same families keep coming back for exactly the reason that award exists.
Sam's, Dobbs Ferry — Serving for Over 60 Years
Sam's Italian Restaurant has been a Rivertowns fixture for over 60 years, serving old-fashioned, cooked-to-order Italian classics. It's the kind of place where regulars have been ordering the same dish for decades, and the restaurant has made a point of keeping that consistency even as everything around it kept changing.
Three Towns, One Throughline
Roma, Johnny's, and Sam's sit in three different Westchester towns, opened decades apart, and none of them have ever rebranded or turned into something else. All three are still serving the exact neighborhoods that watched them open in the first place.
Next time you're deciding where to eat in Westchester, consider one of these three. You'd be sitting down at a table with a lot more history behind it than the menu lets on.
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