It is a Sudbury secret with only 13 tables post-pandemic.
This dimly lit basement restaurant in the South End of the city gets rave reviews. And while it is mostly a spot for couples, corporate guests and very intimate occasions, it runs itself on a family model in more ways than one.
Tommy’s Not Here is 25 years old this year.
The restaurant was named after Tommy Boyuk, also known for Boyuk’s Towing, with a premise that Tommy would buy it with his life partner, Lynn, in 1997 and they would sail into the sunset of retirement and let others run it.
It was originally a pub called Tommy Knockers so the Tommy in the name had a two-fold purpose.
Tommy’s son, Casey Boyuk, took over the management of the restaurant in 2006.
“My dad still has a special pass to come in. He comes for coffee or dinner. We toss around ideas. He is happy he was able to run the restaurant with me for a couple of years as it allowed us an opportunity to spend more time together,” he said.
While the restaurant is close to Casey’s heart, he said the pandemic really opened his eyes to spending more time with his family, too.
“I could have easily gone back to 20 tables now, but I don’t see the point in stressing out the staff or hiring more people who are new to the field. So we are sticking to 13 tables and making our hours family friendly to our staff,” he said.
Boyuk has a son at home, and his wife, Michela Marino, is the bookkeeper, so he said they are doing what they do best and honing in on dinner hours.
“We operate as a family and also want to make time for our family.”
Boyuk likes to consider the ambiance of the space a modern day speakeasy, which is a private space where the staff are loyal and have open arms for anyone.
“We don’t care which fork you use. We go with the flow and we are not snooty. Our music is a little louder than background music,” Boyuk said.
Boyuk said his favourite meals are the crêpe escargot, which features jumbo escargot bathed in a cream sauce of cashews, basil and sundried tomato and wrapped with love in a crêpe.
He also loves the wild mushroom ravioli tossed with arugula, prosciutto ham crisps and white wine.
Boyuk has created an ode to the last 25 years with a greatest hits portion of the menu that plays like a cassette collection of gems.
He said customer reviews are strong when it comes to the ravioli, the Village Greek Salad and the prosciutto-wrapped bocconcini balls drizzled with basil oil and raspberry balsamic coulis.
The supreme chicken marsala with asparagus, white wine and cremini mushrooms is also a fine feature that brings people back.
The good news is that you will likely leave with leftovers because portion size is something that has never been an issue when you are at Tommy’s.
Tommy’s Not Here is located at 1889 Regent Street in the South End of the city. It’s open for dinner service from 5 - 8:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
Visit the website at TommysNotHere.com or on Facebook.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
