When I first moved to Boca Raton, friends would tell me I needed to try this place out in western Boca Raton called Tony Dell's, and if I did I would find a place that reminded me of Little Italy in New York City. They described it as the sort of hole in the wall Italian Restaurant that opens when it wants, and has people lining up to eat there. I drove past it a couple of times and it appeared empty, which it turns out on many occasions it was. Tony Dell's had very strict and odd hours, so the place appeared closed more than it was open.

That didn't stop my friend Rob from swearing that we would have to go together and that I would have some of the best pizza in Boca Raton. Like many plans with Rob, excuses came and we never got the opportunity to go experience Tony Dell's before it was put up for sale.  Recently a new owner took over, regulated the hours and decided to take a try at producing some quality Italian Food in Western Boca Raton.

Went there with my son and friend the other night to check it out, wishing I could compare it to the old owners food. Tony Dell's is not very big inside. I believe we counted only 8 tables, so as this place gets busier it might be hard to eat during season. We started off with some ridiculously priced Garlic Bread with Cheese for $7.00, and were quite disappointed with it at this price. We have been told that they have since changed the price of this bread with garlic and cheese to a more reasonable price, but I haven't been back in to confirm it yet.

I ordered a plain pizza from the extremely nice server we had this evening. Tony Dell's was quite empty on this particular evening, but I think it is because we went at a very late hour, near closing. Needless to say we got all of the waitresses attention. When the pie came out I looked great. The top had a nice ration of sauce to cheese, and the crust looked crispy and cooked right.

My first bite revealed a very nice tasting crust. It was crisp and thing. The sauce was decent, and could have used a little sweetening, but it tasted good underneath the quality tasting cheese Tony Dell's must use. My favorite part of the pie was the crust, the recipe used here is spot on.

Although this area of west Boca Raton that Tony Dell's is located in kind of frightens me at night time, it is a place I would go back to try again. There seems to be a lot of police activity by the convenience store next to it, and a few undesirables walked in while we were eating which made me feel uneasy, but maybe that adds some flavor to the place. We also got a pasta dish but it didn't blow me away so I think I would stick with the pizza.

Tony Dell's in Boca Raton gets 6 out of 8 slices