Tony's Place Offers Good, Affordable Food

One Dollar and ninety seven cents. I can eat a lunch and be full when I am done for one dollar and ninety seven cents. Tony's Place, on Jefferson in Joliet, has amazing food and it's affordable. The $1.97 meal for me is a vegetarian taco on corn tortillas. The serving is so large, I make two tacos out of the meal and still have food that I need to eat out of the little plastic basket with a fork.

My other staple at Tony's is their guacamole. The small serving is enough for two people to share. And if you ask nicely, the salsa is fantastic. It's chunky with tomatos and onions and cilantro. But it also has a sweet note to it - as though Tony used a vidalia onion.

But it's not just the food at Tony's that keeps customers going back. It's Tony himself. He remembers his customers. He says hi, asks how you are doing and is genuinely interested in the answer. He knows before I even ask now that I am going to want salsa to go with my chips and guacamole.

The only drawback to Tony's is that it takes a little pre-planning for folks like me who pay for everything with our debit cards. Tony's only takes cash. He has an ATM machine on site if you happen to forget. And there have been times that my craving for Tony's overwhelmed my desire to save the bank fee.

Tony's is at 2141 W. Jefferson in Joliet.