Let me put it right out there before I go any further- this little restaurant is a place I have frequented throughout my high school and college years. I have spent so many hours debating politics, sports, religion, and local issues with friends that I could write a book simply based on those conversations.
This restaurant, Tony's Lunch, is what turned me into a "foodie", and as a result, really the reason this Blog exists.
The last time I ate at Tony's was on a Monday night in December, 2011. A close friend of mine by the name of Larry and I went there, as we had many times in days past, and we ordered our "usuals."
For me, that's two "quick cheese" burgers, a Hot Dog with sauce, fries, and two chocolate milks.
I should be glad I don't eat here more often, because if I did, I'd probably have died five years ago. Not for the caloric-minded, that's for sure.
Let me get down to the meal. Tony's burgers are homemade, obviously tended to with a lot of care. The same can be said for their sauce, which you can order with pretty much anything on the menu- the burgers, the hot dogs, the cheesesteaks.
It's not a big menu, but they have done it for years and they do it well.
The sauce is the stuff of legends. Very hot and spicy, it has a texture all its own, and enhances the burger to the point of perfection. I should also say that for years, coal region locals have debated exactly what is in that sauce. You'll get no answers from the restaurant, so don't ask; they have even been offered money for it in the past and have turned it down. There's definitely some sort of tomato and red pepper, and perhaps some ground meat, but how much and what else goes in there is unknown. You'll notice that I ordered chocolate milk with a burger, which might sound strange, but it works- plus, the milk manages to coat your stomach from all that spice that the sauce provides.
I noted up above that I ordered a "quick cheese" burger. That means that you simply get an unmelted slice of american cheese on your burger. You can get melted if you prefer, but I would rather let the cheese melt with the butter (yes, there's butter on the burger as a topping) and sauce and enjoy the newly-created concoction as it teases my taste buds.
Their fries are the fresh-cut style, which I enjoy. I do wish that they would spend a few more seconds in the fryer, as sometimes they're not as crispy as you can get elsewhere, but they are very good. Again, not for those of us with heart issues.
Tony's Lunch has strange hours, so be warned- it opens at 8 PM and closes around 2 AM, or whenever the crowd stops, whichever comes first. Also, they will be closed around the holidays for days on end and when Notre Dame is playing. Sometimes it seems like it's a crapshoot whether it will be open or not, which I have to say is frustrating.
Their prices have gone up substantially in the years since I've been eating there, and I have to wonder if part of it is that they aren't open as much as they used to be, and have increased prices to maintain the same income. I don't know if that's the case, but still, what was a $9 meal five years ago is now $15.
You will meet all kinds of characters and legendary folklike Coal Region people while eating here. The clientele is sometimes very, very interesting, simply because of the late hours and varying levels of inebriation displayed by the customers. You can avoid this if you eat earlier on in the night.
I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. Everytime I eat at Tony's Lunch I feel like I have come home again, and it is very, very easy to become addicted to their fresh burgers and delicious sauce.
Tony's Lunch
no phone number
Girardville, PA
