Hackensack, NJ Community Message Boards

General Category => Hackensack History => Topic started by: johnny g on August 11, 2015, 08:31:29 AM

Title: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: johnny g on August 11, 2015, 08:31:29 AM
Hey gang, I was curious if anyone remembered the name of the place on the corner of Lodi St and So. State St many years ago, I think it was Daddy-O's or something like that? It changed names many times..curious if anyone remembers the name changes. Also the place on the corner of Lodi and Green St. Another "many turnover" spot. I can't help thinking that particular spot would get flooded a lot. Also there was an italian restaurant north of that corner who's name I can't remember..
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Homer Jones on August 11, 2015, 02:57:56 PM
Are you thinking of Pinto's on Greene Street?
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Top of the Hill on August 11, 2015, 04:43:54 PM
It was Pinto's on Green St, north of Lodi. They had the best muscles in marinara sauce. The place was always jumping off on a Friday or Saturday night, 45-50 years ago. The establishment on the corner of Lodi and Green was at one time named the Capital Restaurant. I believe the building was owned by the Santora family who lived upstairs and the mom ran the restaurant for many years, then leased it to other operators. The dad was a custodian with the Hackensack school system. All/many of the sons worked for the Sunshine Pickle factory that was located behind the building. I think the son I was friends with is still with Sunshine, but out in Las Vegas now.
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: johnny g on August 11, 2015, 05:16:24 PM
Pinto's sounds right! I think I was there once in the 80's....and Capital also sounds right, I don't think I was ever in there though
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Top of the Hill on August 11, 2015, 05:35:00 PM
In my 20's I used to go to the Capital on Saturday mornings and have breakfast at the counter while reading the Daily News. It was always slow there on Saturday. Decent food, cheap prices. The place on the corner of So. State and Lodi used to be a pizza place when I hung out in that neighborhood in the mid seventies. King Pizza? Pizza King?.... I never went there. There seemed like there was never any activity there, so I figured it probably wasn't good.
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Homer Jones on August 11, 2015, 07:28:15 PM
I think that everybody is right on all counts. At one point in time Daddyo's (sp) was there on South State Street. I remember eating there once. The name changed quite often.

The Capital (o) Restaurant was on the Northeast corner of Lodi and Greene. That whole area was constantly under water.

Pinto's was a great restaurant. On Sunday afternoon local families ate in the front while there was a back room where families with kids would be directed to and the kids would run around without disturbing the diners in the front room.

About twenty years ago a funeral parlor establishment wanted to purchase the property for use as a crematorium.
This was not a popular application to the Board of Adjustment and was rejected. Mussels in marinara wins out every time.
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: johnny g on August 12, 2015, 09:03:08 AM
King of Pizza was on So State by Coast Automotive, I would go there often as a kid...small place but really good pizza
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Chief Oratam on August 23, 2015, 11:18:18 AM
In the 60's & 70's it was Helen's Hut.serving the best cheese steaks.. Pat' s & Geno's  of Philly have nothing over ...Helen ' s Hut.

But later on in 80's at the top of the rt  46  hill in lodi across  from Hank's Franks in the modern propane mini mall there was a place called Philly Willy's ... oh man he had topped H.H.....that was the best cheese steaks ever.. but it was a bad location. ..he lasted  2 years or so

After  it was Helen' s Hut that location was Taste of Italia another good  place for a good meal....the owner took I'll and his wife ran it into the ground. ... then Daddy's. ... and about 7 fly by night places since...
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: johnny g on August 24, 2015, 08:58:53 AM
Taste of Italia is the name I most remember (I knew there was one specific I had forgotten)
I was a big Hanks Franks fan back in the day, I don't remember the place across the highway though. Hanks had great egg creams too. That was a regular Saturday stop for me in the 80's
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Top of the Hill on August 24, 2015, 12:31:14 PM
ah.. Helen's Hut, that is what it was, when I used to hang out in that part of town. Again, I never ate there as it always looked like empty. Looks like I missed out.

On another note, Coast Automotive was mentioned in a post and I saw online that Andrew "Andy" Salnick, who, with his family owned Coast, passed away. He was a great guy, friendly, funny and always letting us teens hang out in his store, talking cars with him, his workers and his customers. A wealth of racing knowledge passed through that place. We always purchased our speed parts from Coast. Me and my buddies kept a bunch of pretty cool cars running and upgraded through Coast. 67 Mustang, 63 Nova, 66 Chevelle, 70 Chevelle, 70 Duster, 56 BelAir. Good times. Sad to see Andy leave so early.
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: johnny g on August 24, 2015, 03:23:45 PM
Sad news, I remember him. He always answered the phone so cheerfully...."Coast auto, Andy!"
70 Barracuda, 73 Road Runner, 72 Chevelle, 73 Challenger....all driven with Coast's parts
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Chief Oratam on August 25, 2015, 10:56:16 AM
R.I.P. Andy.... You Were a Good Man...
I'm glad I had the pleasure of knowing him...
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: just watching on August 26, 2015, 12:19:42 AM
Daddy's on South State Street was great for a while, a place to buy your food, sit at a table and eat, and it was good food for a good price. Always busy in there. Then I went there one day, and it was surprisingly empty.  All of a sudden there was a waiter directing me to sit, I should have left, but I actually ordered food. And then he was hanging over me with a pepper grinder, asking if he can add some fresh ground pepper to my food.  Really ? At a blue-color burger joint ??? 

Me and all the other customers just wanted a place to get a good cheeseburger and fries and a soda for lunch, and pay normal price.  Instead, they though they could convince their lunch crowd to get the same food and pay more for it, and then even more to tip a waiter.  That was the last time I ever went there, and same for everyone else.  It went out of business. All I can say is ==== KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER BASE.
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: johnny g on August 26, 2015, 08:53:06 AM
There's that place also on Greene St that is now called Sal's. Many years ago it was a different name, I think it may have been a sit-down lunch type place at one point. Another spot that may have changed names a lot
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Chief Oratam on August 26, 2015, 08:16:17 PM
It was Club 80 .... for the longest time. ..
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Homer Jones on August 26, 2015, 08:29:44 PM
And if you ever frequented the restaurant when it was Club 80, then you knew who owned it which is why you went out of your way to go there.
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: johnny g on August 27, 2015, 08:44:41 AM
I never went there, so I cannot say I know the reason..
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Long Ago on April 23, 2016, 06:26:00 PM
It’s been interesting reading the comments on this thread.  Growing up in Hackensack during the 1940s & 1950s, I never went to very many restaurants, but I do remember two of them.  One was located on Main Street a few doors south of the Oritani Theater on the same side of the block.  I don’t recall the name of the place, but it was usually busy and the food was good.

The other place was a bar & restaurant named Cavalli’s.  It was an older establishment that was in business until the early 1950s.  The exact location escapes me, but it was near a bank on a busy commercial road.  I’m not sure if it was within Hackensack borders or in an adjacent community.  The restaurant had the tastiest pizza, and the owner/chef would make it in the kitchen on the lower level.  When the food was ready, it would be sent upstairs to the main floor via pulleys on a dumbwaiter, where a waitress would retrieve it and serve it to the customers.

The first time I ever saw a TV set was at the bar of this restaurant.  It was one of the first places to have a TV set, and I still remember a large “Television” sign that was placed in the window to attract patrons.  It was also a popular place for sailors on leave after arriving in NYC, and the owner would sometimes accept payment for drinks in foreign coins.  Then he would give a few of the coins to kids as a freebie.  I got a few coins from China and South American countries, which was the first time I had seen such currency.  For me, it was a memorable place.  :)
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: johnny g on May 24, 2016, 09:36:20 AM
There's a pizza place on Hudson St right next to the firehouse across from Hackensack Pastry shop that always changed hands. Does anyone know what some of the names were back in the late 70's/early 80's?
After my paper route sometimes I'd go in there for a slice..
Title: Re: Questions about Hackensack eateries..
Post by: Migilito on February 28, 2022, 09:00:28 AM
Daddy’s was on sour State street really good and reasonable food The owner sold and bought Bennys luncheonette tin Fair Lawn which he was bought out of by his partner a few years later. Sals good Eats  is on green street it is owned by the family who owned Rudy’s Resturaunt on Anderson ave in the late 80s They sold and opened a airline catering place when the economy filled in the early 2000s they opened Sals good eats as a way to not lay off any workers