~ Malden Musings ~ Mike’s Café Revisited

By Peter Levine

  “A Christmas Prayer (Redux).” The year, 1943 — Americans were fighting for their way of life, united against a common enemy. Maldonians are very much included. We came together as a nation with an indomitable spirit led by what would later be christened as “the greatest generation.” The free world would not bend. While the horrors of war raged, we clung to our faith in the inherent goodness of humanity. During these times, our conviction never broke. This prayer offered up by the New York Life Insurance Company in a 1943 Life Magazine full-page ad illustrates what the Christmas Season has meant to generations of Americans through the best of times — and the worst:

“Let us pray that strength and courage abundant be given to all who work for a world of reason and understanding. That the good that lies in every man’s heart may day by day be magnified. That men will come to see more clearly not that which divides them, but that which unites them. That each hour may bring us closer to a final victory, not of nation over nation, but of man over his own evils and weaknesses. That the true spirit of this Christmas Season — its joy, its beauty, its hope, and above all its abiding faith – may live among us. That the blessings of peace be ours – the peace to build and grow, to live in harmony and sympathy with others, and to plan for the future with confidence.”

Apropos even today.

I would like to send out my sincerest condolences to the Czechowski and Wishoski families on the (April 2025) passing of Lillian T. Czechowski. Lillian was a devoted lifetime daughter of Malden; her roots planted firmly in the city’s soil. Educated at Immaculate Conception Grammar School and later at Girls Catholic High School (Edgeworth), her early years were shaped by faith, tradition and community. For many years, she lent her warmth and work ethic to her family’s cherished establishment, Mike’s Café — a local landmark known for its hospitality and as a neighborhood gathering place. A woman of quiet grace and enduring faith, Lillian lent her voice to the choir of Immaculate Conception Parish, a place that remained a spiritual anchor throughout her life. She gave of herself generously through her work with the Catholic Daughters and cultivated both beauty and fellowship as a dedicated member of the Melrose Garden Club. Her life, rich in service and spirit, reflects a deep love for community and the quiet strength of a life well-lived. Rest in peace, Lillian.

“Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, brave courageous and bold. Long live his fame and long live his glory and long may his story be told.” Mike’s Café was one of the (many) legendary “old men’s bars” or “dive bars” (as the kids call them today) in Malden. Mike’s was located where the ghost of Papa’s Bar & Grille now resides; while Papa’s was an outstanding watering hole/eatery — it was not Mike’s.

Before it closed its doors, I was a semi-frequent visitor there. The late Walter Wishoski was the equally as legendary bartender when I first started having a legal draft or two — he of steady hands and stern smile — a guy who made everyone feel like they belonged (once you earned his respect, that is). I had heard rumors that on occasion underage drinkers could be found consuming large quantities of draft beer at Mike’s but — scout’s honor — I never saw one underage drinker at Mike’s my entire life. Insert holiday smiley face.

A few deep-cut Walter Wishoski memories: Digging into his high school yearbook reveals that Walter was a full-blown Connie Francis zealot — the kind of fan who probably knew her B-sides by heart. He also served on two of the era’s most spirited-sounding committees: “Swing ‘n Spring” and the legendary “Pigskin Panic.” Outside the social scene, he was reportedly an avid consumer of warfare literature — battle tactics over beach reads. Walter was unique.

I’ve known Walter’s lovely sister Diane since my youthful days at Devir Park (she still holds a top spot on my all-time “Devir Park’s Prettiest Girls” list), and his brother Steve, the long-time head honcho at the M.R.A. and sports stud at MC as well as having a wealth of Maldonia history. Come nice weather and better temps, I’ll be planting myself next to Steve with notebook in hand and a Bikeeny Caffe coffee by my side, ready to mine his memory banks for golden Malden stories.

But I digress… Before it became Papa’s Bar & Grille, it was Mike’s Café, where most of the yoots of Edgeworth had their first taste of demon alcohol. Thirty-five cent drafts! The jar of pickled eggs on the bar next to the cash register consumed only by the brave of heart. The old saw goes that a newbie to the bar asked Walter where the ashtray was. His reply: “You’re standing in it!”

My first venture into Mike’s was around 1973 as a sophomore at Malden High School (I think the drinking age was 12 at the time). We walked late night through the back door (off Richard Street) and sat in the side room away from the bar. We sent the tallest of us up for six drafts. Because he could reach the bar and his money was green, he qualified for as many draft beers as he could carry back to the old wooden booth with faux-leather covering in the back room. Such memories!

Circling back to the bartender of the unwashed masses… My take on Walter’s passing… I was shocked and deeply saddened — my heart sank when I first heard who it was with me having many fond recollections of Mike’s Café and bartender to the proletariat of Edgeworth, Walter Wishoski. His awful death in 2022 brought back a flood of childhood memories spent in Mike’s.

The Czechowskis opened their doors at 208 Highland Avenue in (I believe) the late 1940s; Mike’s was a thriving neighborhood bar for a good chunk of many of our lives. I reached out to Dickie (“The King of King Neptune”) Santo to probe his Mike’s Café memory bank cuz Dickie and his gang of mischief makers also spent much time at Mike’s. The similarities of our Mike’s experiences are almost identical.

I’ve gone to the Dickie Santo well many times in the past (just last month, actually); he has contributed pure gold (such as this story from the past) and continues to make me look good. Take it away, Robby and Barry’s big brother: “I read about the tragic accident resulting in the death of Edgeworth’s own Walter Wishoski and word quickly spread around the area. I remember back in the day when my friends and I were in our early 20’s and the Dukakis administration had just passed a law that if you were caught drinking and driving you could face jail time as well as a $1,000 fine. So, during that winter my friends and I decided that it would be best to stay local and not risk driving to the clubs up and down Route 1 or to Revere Beach. All of us, being from Edgeworth ourselves, decided to make Mike’s Café our weekend hangout for the winter.

“There was probably a dozen of us hanging out there each and every Friday and Saturday night. [Mike’s] was well known around the area and people would come from all over to grab last call which was at 2 AM! The first night we stepped into the place we were received by puzzled looks from all the hard-core old timers at the bar and legendary bartender Walter Wishoski as if to say, “what are you kids doing coming here!” At that time the price for a draft beer at Mike’s was 35 cents! One could partake from a selection of Ballantine Ale, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, Miller High Life, or Tuborg to name but a few. Walter also poured one hell of a mixed drink as well as a ‘heavy handed’ shot!

“Food offerings ranged from hard-boiled eggs, whole dill pickles, hot dogs as well as ham & cheese sandwiches, salami & cheese sandwiches, and roast beef & cheese sandwiches which Walter sliced to order and piled so high one thought it was as if you were eating a large sub from the Big A! We also had the ‘dining room’ all to ourselves which included a TV with the old Cablevision ‘remote’ box (connected to the TV by wire) with the A/B toggle switch and channel buttons as well as a Pac Man video game machine! All you needed to bring with you for a fun night was $10 which would cover 20 draft beers apiece ($7), a roast beef and cheese sandwich ($1.50), 4 games of Pac Man ($1) and a 50-cent tip for Walter!

“We drank so many drafts that it soon forced the price to go from 35 cents to 40 cents per draft for water and labor costs because of all the glasses that Walter had to run through the dishwasher at the bar! God bless Walter as he put up with so much grief from us that winter. All kidding aside, I would like to express my condolences to the Wishoski family for their loss. It is truly a shame and an awful way for him to go. RIP Walter and thanks for the memories!”

Mike’s eventually morphed into Papa’s Bar & Grille, run by a wonderful Medford family named McGovern. And while Papa’s was an excellent restaurant in every respect, it just wasn’t Mike’s (although the late Dawn Foley made it a joy each and every time we visited). Mike’s Café was one of those places — an iconic Edgeworth institution and one of the many legendary old-timers’ haunts that shaped the rhythm of the neighborhood and our early lives. I read this somewhere, which seemed so apropos: “the forced intimacy of life in a small neighborhood meant no street corner was ever truly anonymous.” Or in this case, no neighborhood bar.

As we were about to go to press, it came to my attention that an avid “Malden Musings” reader — Lillian’s son, Paul — had passed away in November. Paul was a “good kid” and was a regular at Devir Park when we were growing up. To the entire family, a warm and wonderful Malden clan — my sincere and heartfelt condolences.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — Maldonia! You didn’t think you were gonna get away without my favorite Craig Spadafora Christmas offering, did you?! One more time with feeling… Craig Spadafora, Councillor-at-Large, a very special Maldonian and a dear friend of mine (even when he’s busting my beans): “My fondest Christmas memory will always be my grandparents’ (Anthony & Alice Spadafora’s) house on Emerald St, Christmas Eve. As a child with a big extended family, I relied on this annual tradition. This night brought me and my many cousins and aunts and uncles together under one roof with love, joy, and anticipation on the eve of the most magical day of the year. Each child always received gifts from aunts and uncles chosen at random. It was a house full of laughter, food, and a tree stocked with presents. And now…the food; baked, stuffed, boiled, fried, cured – we ate it all. The Christmas season always begins with a baking marathon of delicious Italian cakes and cookies. The aroma of which fills the home for weeks on end. A few samples of pastries created for the season might include Taralli, Pizzelle, Ciambella, Mostaccioli, Biscotti, Struffoli, Panettone, Crostoli, Cannoli and so much more. And of course, the simple pasta and fish on Christmas Eve. Our family enjoyed a gourmet spread of baked, fried and sautéed aquatic delicacies, known as ‘The Seven Fishes.’ The older I got, the harder it was to leave my grandparents’ house on Christmas Eve, as I quickly realized it was this day that supplied the real holiday magic. Looking back on it now in my adult mind is like watching my favorite Christmas movie. A true classic. My grandparents’ tree couldn’t have been more perfect, my grandmother’s smile more sincere, their house even had the consummate Christmas smell! I am no longer able to create any new Christmas memories with my grandfather but now have had the responsibility bestowed upon me of fathering crucial early holiday memories in my kids’ minds. I am so thankful that I can draw upon my own blessed experiences and realize how important it has been in the development of my character. Thank you, Tony, and Alice for teaching me the real meaning of a Merry Christmas!”

Postscript 1: Merry Christmas, happy Hanukah and a blessed new year to four of the greatest human beings walking planet Earth at this very moment! My nieces Dorothy Levine, Toni and Jeri Scibelli and my nephew Anthony Scibelli. Here’s wishing 2026 is your best year evah!

Postscript 2: To my precious grandchildren Christian, Lola, Jack, Lana and Milo, once again I wish for you a magical Christmas day full of love, precious memories and all your little hearts wish for.

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at Pe*****@*ol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.