On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte 

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

That was one of the phrases Johnny used to use when it was closing time at the Embassy Lounge at 524 Somerville Ave. “Drink ‘em up! Come on. Let’s go. I don’t care where ya go but ya can’t stay here, you follow me?” I am going to mention as many old bars and lounges as I can recall, with the help of my friends. This will not be an all inclusive list, just as many as we can recall. I am not including some current bars because they already get enough publicity but you know where they are. This is by no means a complete list. I wish I knew what all the old bar names were, but we have done our best. I am going on memory and hearsay!

If you think there are a lot of busy bars/restaurants in Somerville now, you should have been around in their heyday! Just for starters, Redbones on Chester Street used to be known as Barnaby’s. Before that it was the Coronet. The old fashioned Somerville barroom had a special feel. The cast of regulars were the stuff sitcoms are made of. There were many characters and lots of distinct personalities. All smoking was done inside so when you left one of those joints, your clothes were saturated with a potpourri of aromas . One might have said that you smelled like an ashtray. You reeked of Lucky Strikes, Camels, Pall Malls, and booze and it was hard to deny that you had been in a “gin mill.” That was what my dad called Pat Connolly’s in Davis Square. I can still hear him saying, that he was going down the gin mill. Pat’s became Mahoney’s and then Sligo. I remember 25-cent draft beers in the Rosebud. We would hit it near closing. The aforementioned Embassy Lounge on Somerville Ave is now China Delight. Before it was The Embassy it was Smitty’s. It became Sky Bar for a while also. Down the street near Union Square where Choices is now was a rock club known as Jasper’s. Rock and Roll had come to the ‘Ville!

To be a real joint in Somerville, there had to be a big jar of pickled eggs behind the bar. I never actually saw anyone eat one. Rudy’s in Teele Square used to be Art and Bob’s and The Jumbo (with Brothers Four) was on the side where Amelia’s Kitchen and that new Indian Restaurant are now. The Genoa was near the corner of North Street and Broadway and there are condos there now. Markys was near there also. To be honest, I thought Markys was the Genoa because, as I said, who can remember? A lot of my memories are fuzzy. Feel free to correct me. The Railside, Pine Tree,Venice, Johnny D’s, and The Gaslight were on Holland Street.

The bartenders ruled the roost. They were behind the bar and could shut off patrons whenever they seemed fit. I fondly remember, The Skipper, Uncle Paul, Paul H, Ricky S, Sweet Lou, Koo Koo Charlie, Franny D, and Uncle Louie, to name a few. I saw one bartender holding an unruly patron over his head like he was wrestling star Bruno Sammartino getting ready to toss and opponent out of the ring. No names! One bartender/manager used to keep a Louislville slugger behind the bar. If any clientele got unruly he would grab the bat and sternly ask if they would like to “go a few innings?” We had a variety of lovely barmaid/waitresses too. There was Jo Anne, Gail, Marie, Grace, and Gale just to name a few.

Daley’s Bucket of Blood was where The Somerville Holiday Inn is now. Across from The Hess Station on Washington St. was Parker Tavern and The Royal Café on the Somerville Charlestown line. The Shady Tree Pub was on Washington Street near Lincoln Park Community School. The Abbyfield Café was on Beacon St. and Marshal Hall was at the corner of Marshall and Broadway. The 318 Lounge became Pal Joey’s, (Crusher Casey’s) and El Cid’s. There was The Continental on Somerville Ave, the Town House, The Glendore in Union Sq, and Pareses (spelling?) on Washington St. Ball Square had Deco’s, Obrien’s and the Willow. The Shady Hill was on Washington St.

Anyone who frequented any of those joints will have tons of unbelievable stories. Sit down with them and let them tell you about the days when a bar was a bar. There weren’t 100 different fancy “brews” but there were hundreds of colorful characters. Those of us who were there are lucky. It was a golden age to be sure. There may be a lot of bars in the ‘Ville now, but the flavor and atmosphere of those days of high balls and boilermakers will never return. They will live on forever in the “ginmills” of our minds.