Words from a daily visitor:
In the very busy and lively bay of Spinola sitting between an old stationer and an even older shoe store there is this little old land mark called 'Tony's Bar'. As I sat on this comfy wooden bench with the hot sun warming my skin, a soft breeze buzzing by and an ice cold Heineken in my hand so relaxed I'm about to dose off. Then suddenly 'BAJD U BACON' screams Fabio al
most dropping me off the bench. He is 27 now so instead I have decided to speak to a piece of furniture there. His name is Ray, he is Tony's son. Ray explained with very few words how the bar opened in 1974. Before 'Tony's Bar' it was called OK Bar, Also run by Ray's Father Tony. While asking Ray a few questions the old time regulars started to talk about old times. One conversation was how Ray's father Tony used to park his motorbike in the bar before the 70's. One old man said the clock hanging on the wall is probably older than Ray! Tony's has been recently refurbished but they to kept the old style look of the bar. Its also decorated with old photos of the bay. One of the photos which often grabs the eye is that of a military truck that lost control and drove into his fathers bar head on. At the time the bar was called 'The Empire' and is now called saddles. The menu at Tony's bar has become very vast. Ranging from bread with anything to pies, burgers, wraps and also the homemade dish of the day freshly cooked by Tony's daughter Sera. This is normally baked rice, 'imqarrun' or lasagna. They also have range of muffins, doughnuts and croissants. As much as I love the 'bajd u bacon' my all time favorite is the 'bajd u laham', with cheese, no salad and a hint of sweet chillie sause, then dipped in mayo! A couple of orders that amuse me are 'hobz biz zejt bla zejt' and 'orange juice tat-tuffieh'. I understand the 'hobz biz zejd bla zejt' but I just can't get the 'orange juice tat-tuffieh'. You can also grab a pint in the sun while watching the football, they have 4 LCD screens and the sun shines on Tony's almost all day as it sets between a gap in the buildings just between Ryan's bar and the flats opposite. Tony's bar is a great piece of St Julian's heritage!
