T.J. Scallywaggles
$ - inexpensive
American, Turkish, Deli, Soul Food, Pizza
Entirely Vegan Pizzeria
TJ's House of Pizza is a little Mecca for veg Bostonians. With a vegan menu ranging from calzones and buffalo wings to chicken soy parmesan subs and AMAZING honey-free baklava. With great food and good prices this place cannot be overlooked!
- Delivery
- Kid-Friendly
- Quiet
Added by GBS on Aug 20 04 (updated Mar 10)
Reviews
This place was amazing. I told them I only had one night in town and wanted to try everything delicious they had so they made me a "gnarly sampler platter", which doesn't exist on the menu. They just charged me for a large appetizer and gave me a little of everything--chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, meatballs, etc. The chicken fingers are the best.
I also had a small pizza and had half chicken/pineapple and half "big mac" (veggie burger, pickles, mustard, ketchup). The former was my favorite. The service was amazing.
So, I've had both calzones and pizza now, and I was really impressed with the pizza. It was only a plain "cheese" pizza, but the thin crust is excellent, and I really liked the sauce. The cheese was perfectly melted.
I like the calzones well enough, but I don't like that the Follow Your Heart cheese doesn't come melted. Not sure how to get around that, since it melts best when it's open and on top of a pizza, especially when you put it under a broiler for a minute or so.
I also had dessert there the other day. I can't remember exactly what is was called - jungle something or other. It's a "blondie" w/choc chips, macadamia nuts, etc. A bit pricey at $3.99, it was a pretty good size, and went down well with some Very Vanilla Silk soymilk.
I love how dedicated this place is to veganism, and they have been very welcoming of the Boston Vegan Association, allowing the organization to hold its first meeting there, so that's cool.
I was really pumped up to try this place, but was met with disappointment. Perhaps my bar was set too high?
I had the food delivered, which I'm hoping is the only reason the food wasn't that good. Not that the food was horrible, it just wasn't everything I wanted.
None of the cheese had even been halfway melted, it was all just shredded and packaged to go, even on the garlic cheese bread. The bread used for the garlic cheese bread is just the sub sandwich bread, and it wasn't toasted or anything. I've had garlic "cheeze" bread delivered from other places at home and the cheese is at least melted and the bread crispy or shows signs of actual toasting.
The chicken parm was ok, not great, not bad. The calzone with "bufflow chicken" was ok. The crust was great.
Overall, I felt that I could cook the same food at home and it would be waaaay tastier. I love that there is an all-vegan pizzeria, I respect what they are trying to do. I'm going to try to visit their actual restaurant for a sit-down meal and hope that the food is better then.
Ross Lichtenberg, of Ross & Ross Ind., has this to say about TJ's...
TJ's is so good that they refuse to sell Mountain Dew as a beverage. I think we all know that, considering Mountain Dew is the greatest beverage ever, the food is so ridiculously good at TJ's that if they sold Mountain Dew, there would be no reason for customers to ever leave. Sure, that could be good for business, but TJ's thrives on the ambiguity and clandestine characteristics that other Vegan restaurants of such high quality base their businesses around. Selling Mountain Dew would perhaps make this restaurant TOO good and absolutely destroy everything that this admirable and extraordinary restaurant has built its foundation upon.
Also-They don't serve food at TJ's, they serve miracles.
I have nothing but good things to say about TJ Scallywaggles. It has a huge all-vegan menu, the food is delicious, and it's cheap. Oh yeah, and they said they don't fry anything anymore. Where can you go wrong?
This former pizza and sub shop has gone all vegan. They now serve and deliver incredible vegan pizza, vegan meatball subs, vegan ravioli, vegan chicken, and everything a vegan food lover craves and can't have at a restaurant.
Real "fake" cheese, fake chicken, and fake beef, traditional sub-shop/pizza joint food without eating animals.
No disappointments here folks! These guys are serious about food.
They do deliver, but now have a "delivery charge" for every order - but beware, this money does not go to the driver, so don't forget to tip generously for the delicious food.
I was in boston for a weekend and made sure i went to TJs. If you are staying in the city it is a bit out of the way, and easily passed by, we passed by it about five times, BUT is totally worth it. They have a huge vegan selection or all kinds of pizzas, calzones and anything else you could want from a pizza place. I had the bbq chicken, it was great. I'm going back to boston in sept and can't wait to go back. Also the people who own it are insanely nice, and they are open until midnight every night. Seriously, go there.
This place is awesome. There is a huge variety of vegan foods and it's cheap. Totally rad. By the way, the vegan chicken parm sandwich is great.
TJ's rocks. I'm addicted to this place. The vegan pizza is excellent, as are the faux-chicken sandwiches like the vegan chicken parm. The vegan cheesecake they offer in three or four different flavors is also awesome. I noticed they've recently added vegan lasagna to their menu as well, so I may have to try that. The way to go for a first-timer, though, is definitely a large vegan pizza with the works. I'd warn against the calzones -- the vegan cheese does not seem to melt inside the dough, so they can be a bit strange.
Also, kudos to TJ's for taking veal off the menu and for being very receptive to comments and suggestions of vegans on ingredients and new menu items. If all non-vegan restaurant owners were so graceful and open-minded, I think they'd make more money, the world would be a better place, and vegans would have lots more options.
This place is a gem.
As much as I love the asian veggie restaurants in the Boston area, TJs provides a much needed change of pace. They have an entire vegan menu, not just one or two options. The pizza is OK, but don't get just plain cheese - it's a little boring. The calzones are great (try the BBQ chicken) and I can't wait to try the subs. This place has always been quiet when I've visited, and everything is made to order.
Definitely go to TJs if you want a tasty vegan meal that's not a stir fry!
Good food, but the place doesn't seem very professional. Last time I went in it was packed with people who didn't appear to be eating anything, and I had to fight my way to the front just to order a pizza. A staff member also scolded me because I didn't ask before using the bathroom (apparently it's no longer open to public... but how was I supposed to know?)