The stromboli at Tony DiMaggio’s Pizza on Monterey Road is a real San Jose gem. So it was heartbreaking — and hunger-inducing — when the restaurant was shut down for nearly a year for repairs following a devastating roof fire in July 2024.
Fans checked in on the progress regularly on social media, noticing when the new sign when up last May and hoping for good news. That came in June of this year when Tony DiMaggio’s reopened its doors exactly 11 months after the fire. The regulars showed up in droves.
“We actually had to close early all three days that first weekend because we kept running out of food,” said Jack DiMaggio, who runs the restaurant on Monterey Road that his parents, Anna and Tony DiMaggio, opened on Dec. 31, 1977.
Dave Lujan, a board member of the Monterey Corridor Business Association, was one of the people lined up that first day. “This is a very special place to me and my family,” he said. “This pizzeria has been so much more than a restaurant. It’s been a gathering place, a local landmark and a true testament to the power of a family’s dream. The dedication, hard work and passion that the DiMaggio family poured into this business are what made it an institution in this town.”
That reopening got a proper celebration Thursday with San Jose City Councilmember Bien Doan presented the family with a commendation for its 48 years in business and called the restaurant an “icon in San Jose.” Tony DiMaggio Sr. died in 2012, but at 80 years-old Anna DiMaggio still comes in to help out, working alongside Jack’s wife, Dimitra, and his brother, Tom.
Longtime customers know that the only “change” at DiMaggio’s is what you get back in coins. Jack DiMaggio says his dad even fought adding pineapple to pizza for years, so they try not to mess with any of the recipes. Tony’s Stromboli, the signature dish, is still stuffed with ham, sausage, salami, American cheese, mozzarella and mustard, served with marinara sauce to top.
“When we first opened no one here had ever heard of stromboli,” Jack DiMaggio said. “My parents introduced it to San Jose.”
Anna DiMaggio said when customers who have moved — even out of state — come back to visit San Jose, Tony DiMaggio’s and its stromboli is a must for them. “It’s their first stop,” she said.
Jack DiMaggio said the day of the fire he thought for sure his parents’ legacy had come to an end. “After the fire, I considered moving locations, but places I looked at just did not feel right,” he said. “I knew that this place was way too important to just let go.”
HISTORY SHINES BRIGHT: History Park’s neon signs were brightly lit — along with its majestic electric light tower — Thursday night as History San Jose honored three true MVPs for the city at its Valley of Heart’s Delight Fundraiser.
Carl Salas, who served a temporary stint on the San Jose City Council this year, and his wife, Marianne Salas, were presented with the nonprofit’s Valley Legends award. San Jose Jazz Executive Director Brendan Rawson, meanwhile, was honored with the History Maker award at the al fresco dinner.
Honorees normally just have to smile a lot and give a short speech, but this trio was actively involved in the evening. Rawson arranged for the San Jose Jazz High School All-Star U19 band to perform, and — before headliner Tracy Cruz took the stage — Marianne Salas provided vocals for the song, “Money.” It was a fundraiser, after all. The tune paid off, too, as the event beat its goal by raising more than $70,000 for History San Jose.
STAGE FRIGHTS: City Lights Theater in downtown San Jose is getting into the Halloween spirit with “Spooky Lights Live” on Sunday, Oct. 12. Dave Leon is directing the show, which features dynamic staged readings of six new plays by playwright and San Jose State grad Lauren Doyle, performed by City Lights regulars Alycia Adame and Gwynnevere Cristobal (who were both in “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”), along with Kyle Smith, Vanessa Alvarez and Arturo Montes.
This is the first time that “Spooky Lights” has been performed live after being an annual series of radio plays on City Lights’ “Filament” podcast. The festivities begin at 7 p.m., and on top of the eerie plays, there’ll be Halloween treats and a costume contest. Tickets start at $35, and you can get them at www.cltc.org/spooky-lights-live.
WARM GESTURE: Al and Diana Vallorz, owners of Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta on Stevens Creek Boulevard, say it’s been a tough year for the restaurant business, but they know it’s been a tougher year for California farmworkers. That’s why they were definite about bringing back their “Socktoberfest” campaign, which started Oct. 1 and runs through the rest of the month. It’s an easy way to give, too: For every extra large pizza sold during October, Tony & Alba’s will donate a pair of socks for farmworkers in the Salinas Valley.
“They do the hard work so we can produce our menu items and we need to realize what they do for us,” Al Vallorz says. Inspired? Or just hungry? You can head over to 3137 Stevens Creek Boulevard any day but Monday or order online at tonyandalbaspizza.com.
MOVIE SCARE-A-THON: One frightening perk of having an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at Westfield Valley Fair is that Silicon Valley residents can take part in a popular Halloween tradition for the movie theater chain: “Dismember the Alamo.” It’s an eight-hour marathon of horror movies starting at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 that’s aimed at true fans of the genre — the squeamish should take a pass. The movies selected aren’t revealed until they start — so like any good trick-or-treat adventure, you don’t know what you’ll get.
Tickets are $35 a piece, and you can get more information at www.drafthouse.com/sf.