It's hard to believe it's been just four months since that tragic, albeit fluke, gang shooting and stabbing cast a cloud over one of Centre Street's oldest eateries. But in the months since that senseless violence grabbed so much media attention, Same Old Place has remained, well, the same old place. 

The family-run pizzeria has been around since the the seventies, and, beyond an oversized flatscreen in one of the two seating areas, there's likely little to distinguish it now from its inception—there's still the sensible formica-topped tables, the faux-brick interior walls and the dated, cheery billboard menus. (And if you close your eyes and concentrate, you can pick up the aroma of stale smoke—this joint, at one time, was surely a haven for chain-smokers.)

Opening at 7 a.m. daily, Same Old Place offers every incarnation of greasy breakfast delights (from-the-griddle eggs, pork, pancakes, etc.) plus all the usual "sports food"—subs, wings, pasta plates and burgers. They also serve beer (by the pitcher!) and Italian wines. But the real draw here is the pizza—both beloved and revered by faithful patrons—offered by the slice or by the pie. A rotating pizza oven cranks them out all day and there's almost always a line at the counter, or at least a couple of locals standing around, shooting the breeze about the latest local sports news while waiting on take-out orders. Same Old Place delivers too. 

There are a couple of upscale pizza options in JP, and there'll always be those pizza snobs who'll claim there's no such thing as a good slice of pizza to be found in Boston. But if your preferred "style" of pizza leans toward the New York model—a hot, mammoth slice with a foldable thin crust, sparse sauce and gooey mozzarella—you'll happily find it at this place. 

Whole pizzas: $11-$17, by the slice: $2.20-$2.40. Daily special (2 huge slices of cheese and a small soda): $4.75.