My friend Jorge posted this photo and I thought 'pink elephant'.
Only one place had one and it was in Brighton, Mass.
In college I drank in a Commonwealth Avenue establishment with a mural of a naked woman riding a pink elephant over the bar. THe El Phoenix Room offered draft 'ganseets at 25 cents and drinks for $1. You could play three pinball games for a quart and got the same amount of songs from jukebox for two-bits. The regulars were Irish trolley drivers and the girls attended BU.
The Irish owners ran a Mexican restaurant up the short step of stairs. The cook was a one-armed woman from Monterrey. I tasted my first tacos and enchiladas there. Rosa served the spiciest food in Boston for years.
It closed years ago.
There is no trace of the El Phoenix Room online.
Ah, the memories.
The owners also had a bar underneath the Forest Hills train station.
Concannon and Sennetts'
Neither dive is there anymore.
Ah, the memories.
10 comments:
I am so glad to read this. I, too, had my first taste of Mexican food there, and have never lost my love of it. I liked the bar because it was mostly locals. And the sign- "The El Phoenix". It just doesn't get much more Gringo than that. Sorry to hear it's gone.
I used to live right up the street in Allston. I ate there so many times because the food was cheap and great. I didn't even mind the roaches that ran across my table that much.
Sorry to hear it's gone now.
I worked here from 1995-1999, the memories are deeply imbedded in who I am. Descriptions above are absolutely accurate. I once read it described as the bar from Star Wars, I took that as a compliment. I miss Kay a fiery red haired waitress, Timmy and all the regular customers I can still picture perfectly. The stories. The best food even if I knew how it was prepared. I "re"met my husband serving him nachos at that bar.
I was from California and missed Mexican food. Found this whole in the wall in 1972
I frequented el Phoenix then. Does anyone recall the one-handed female cook. Rosita took over after the chef had a heart attack at the stove.
Luvved this place. Cheap drinks, served minors (me) and had a good jukebox. Also,had great Mexican food.
I don't know who wrote this but greetings this is Sean Connolly I worked there from 1969 -the early 80s with my brothers James and Tim (rip) some of the best years of my life will never forget the clan there
I ate it to Phoenix every Thursday night which was payday back between 1977 and 1980. The Chile, tortilla chips with melted Land o lakes white American cheese and pepperoncini were outstanding . The chili and cheese enchiladas were to die for. And ice Cold rolling Rock was like a dollar so you can conceivably go out of there stuffed to the brim and a little tipsy for about $10. Did you box had great songs on it but predominantly one was forced to listen to Lou Reed Walk on the wild side at least three or four times while dining. You had no choice in the matter somebody else kept on feeding the song into the jukebox. I really miss that place it was my first taste of anything approaching Mexican food. Luckily we still have El sarape on beacon Street and not too far away in Braintree we have Sol Azteca.
One of the most memorable bars in my travels
I remember the naked woman riding a pink elephant painted over the bar.
What an inspiration.
My family owned the El Phoenix Room! I have been reading your page, and all the responses bring back SO many memories! I remember EVERYBODY! I thank you, for keeping the memories alive! I am sad to relay that Tim ( my dad ) passed, in May of 2000. Shortly after, we sold. I grew up in that place, and met some wonderful people. Needless to say, with the Fidelis Way Projects, across the street, I gained my street smarts pretty quickly. Not too bad for a kid from Foxboro! 😊
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