Revisiting the Good Old Days at the Mug N' Muffin

Article and Photo by Eric H.

Back in the 1970s, the Mug 'N Muffin and Pewter Pot battled it out in Massachusetts for their revolutionary ideas of serving muffins and coffee in a colonial-type restaurant setting.

Post-and-beam ceilings, wallpaper with a 1700s look and other colonial flourishes and furnishings in long, narrow, dimly-lit dining rooms made us wonder if George Washington would come back from the dead to order a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin. It never happened, although we did see former Boston Red Sox player and Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk order some muffins at the former Pewter Pot, Arlington, MA, location. All we know is that we are glad Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton didn't meet here to talk about their differences over a cup of coffee!

I frequented the Pewter Pot more because of its proximity to our home in Arlington, but also have a special place in my heart for the Mug N' Muffin. The food was actually better there, and I don't recall the restaurant making their waitresses dress up in humiliating Colonial apparel at a mere sixpence salary.

The Pewter Pot restaurants are gone from our region, while there is only one Mug N' Muffin left, located in Norwood, MA. Recently, I went back in time to the 1970s, as well as the Revolutionary Era, at the remaining Mug N' Muffin, which seemed a bit worn, but still possessing elements of the Colonial theme that I fondly remembered at this local chain.

One thing is certain, however: the food quality never slipped. Mug N' Muffin still does breakfast and lunch the right way. The scrambled eggs, grilled blueberry muffins in warm butter, club sandwiches, and clam chowder were every bit as good as in its popular past. Not a coffee drinker, the smell of coffee has always pleased me; the Mug N' Muffin still finds that special way to project the welcoming aroma throughout the restaurant.

With its faux post and beam ceilings, the out-of-date flowery wallpaper and dimly-lit candle light fixtures, the Mug 'N Muffin still has its Colonial theme intact. It's also a 1970s memory that, thankfully, is still preserved in its sole Norwood location. For old-time memory's sake, it's truly a special feeling reliving a part of my revered Massachusetts dining past.

Mug N' Muffin
716 Washington St
Norwood, MA
Tel. (781) 762-8927

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The Story of a Restaurant Hiding in a Working Class Residential Norwood, MA, Neighborhood

Article and photo by Eric H., at VisitingNewEngland.com

Driving into a working-class residential neighborhood on Savin St. in Norwood, MA, will lead you to a building that could pass as a lousy-looking home, an even lousier-looking auto body shop or perhaps a warehouse that sells boiler plant parts.

Most locals fondly know this building as the Colonial House Restaurant, but people outside the area generally have no clue about this truly hidden restaurant. For all of its homely exterior, things change quickly upon entering up a few steps into the lively bar area with a modest wide-screen television and chances to play Keno. Upon further inspection, however, the restaurant, as a whole, looks incredibly inviting. The Colonial House Restaurant is truly one cozy looking place with a fireplace that roars warmly in the winter, wall sconces by each booth, wide plank wooden floors and post-and-beam ceilings in the two back dining rooms that would make George Washington, your grandmother, parents and children with colonialist tendencies proud. It's hard to believe that you're in this type of charming atmosphere, given the cruddy building exterior and otherwise nice homes on a street that comprise a real neighborhood, not a place for a restaurant.

The Colonial House Restaurant delivers a fine dining experience to its loyal customers -- some in baseball caps and others earning 22 times what their employees make -- with large portions of reasonably-priced steak, chicken, seafood and pasta dishes. The baked stuffed chicken with stuffing, gravy and vegetable of the day is about as good as its gets for this type of dish, as well as the lobster bisque, prime rib, chicken broccoli and ziti, fried calamari and a surprisingly good Italian-style pizza. There are enough beer selections to please the most finicky Norwood drinking crowd, and there's even a list of fine wines that goes well beyond the Boone's Farm level.

People in Norwood are loyal to their town. Many never leave, which is understandable since it's a close-knit community with a terrific downtown, tree-lined neighborhoods, two classic New England town commons, an excellent hospital and other services, and watering hole/restaurants like the Old Colonial Restaurant. If I lived in Norwood, I would brag about this hidden gem of a place to people outside the area and take them there, at every opportunity. Since I don't live in Norwood, however, I consider myself lucky to know this out-of-the-way restaurant with the ugly exterior and very appealing inside atmosphere and fine, traditional foods.

Colonial House Restaurant
33 Savin Ave, Norwood, MA
Phone: (781) 762-3000

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