Molly's Restaurant - Youngstown's West Side

Okay…gas is $4.00/gallon and my wallet has taken a hit. My lunch money has been rationed, and my wife wants to cook at home. OMG!!!! What’s a body to do? In Youngtown the answer is easy. Look for some of those wonderful taverns that are sprinkled around the city, and eat well for less in friendly and historic surroundings. We found one in Struthers two weeks ago. This week we found another.

Molly’s has been a lower west side standby for over 30 years. Located just a little ways past where Steel Street turns into Salt Springs Road, this place is a hoot. My son went there with some of his buddies from work…the Board of Elections knows where to find good, affordable food….and told me Molly’s was worth a visit.

So on Saturday night my wife and I decided to give it a go before going to see Forever Plaid downtown. Off we went, dressed in our business casual duds….me in an open suit…and my wife looking great as always with some big chunky jewelry. When we pulled into the parking lot, we knew we were WAAAYYY over dressed. But we went in anyway, and we had a great time.

First off, the waiter came over and looked at us and said, and this is a quote:  "You have never been here before, have you!” And then we all had a good laugh. What a great guy. He made us feel immediately at home, giving a history of the place, and some tips as to what to order off the menu. The people in the next booth chimed right in, also offering suggestions and telling us stories about the place.

We settled on a hot sausage and peppers sandwich with the sausage made on the premises, although the Saturday special stuffed pork chop looked tempting. The waiter also brought us a side dish of their spaghetti; again the sauce made on premises….and of course the obligatory peppers in oil. My son told us the wedding soup was the best he had ever eaten out…but we were a tad dressed up and the way I eat, soup was probably not a good idea.

My wife ordered a chardonnay. Well, you aren’t going to get that at Molly’s. You have a choice or Riunite white or lambrusco…and it comes the way Italians are supposed to drink wine…in a glass. My bourbon and water came with some accoutrements not usually served with bourbon and water…but handy nonetheless. Perfect!!

The hot sausage sandwich was absolutely out of this world accompanied by Idora home cut french fries and this waiter’s terrific personality. Be warned, it is a patty not a link…and just hot enough to be annoyingly delicious!!! And here is the test….don’t laugh. It didn’t make me sick, and I don’t mean that to be a pejorative statement. I love onions and peppers, but they don’t like me if not fresh, so I rarely order something like this out. Not here. I would go back for one of those in a Chinese minute. Everything was fresh, fresh, fresh, and you could actually taste the sweetness of the onions.

When we were done eating, the owner came over to chat about the food and the Kentucky Derby.  Another great guy.  He has true pride in his business, and bragged about the things he personally makes back in the kitchen. This is old school Youngstown at its best. He told us that Fridays are a big deal at Molly’s with numerous different offerings of excellently prepared fish. My son told us the same thing. So I am going to wait until I get down there on a Friday before giving Molly’s a meatball rating.

But I strongly recommend Molly’s for its friendly uber casual shot and a beer old steel town atmosphere, and some really good, good food that will help you keep this economy at bay!!! Two big thumbs up!!!!

Molly's Restaurant
1309 Salt Springs Road
Youngstown, OH 44509
Phone 330-799-0038