Little hole in the wall sub shop with friendly staff and much more than just subs! The onion rings were amazing! After reading some reviews, I decided to pay for extra cheese because I saw that their cheesesteaks may not be up to par on my preferred cheese level. I'm so glad I did! I don't think the cheesesteak without the extra cheese would've been as good. DEFINITELY A LOT OF MEAT AND DEFINITELY GREAT FOR THE PRICE! read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Onion Rings - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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Carl's is the definition of a true hole-in-the-wall--and I mean that literally. If you're waiting to order or pick up, you're basically standing against the wall. No seating, no lingering, no fluff. This place is all about the food, and honestly... respect. They're best known for their cheesesteaks (for good reason), but the menu goes beyond that with subs, quesadillas, burritos, and salads. Pro tip: order ahead. Space is tight, especially in the winter, and while I've heard there may be outdoor tables in warmer months, this is very much a grab-and-go operation. Now let's talk portions--because WOW. I picked up a bag with five subs (cheesesteaks and chicken parm), and I almost dropped it. That thing was HEAVY. Full arm workout included. And here's the real tip: the small is pretty big. Like, plenty big. You absolutely do not need the large unless you're feeding an entire second person. The chicken parm was double-layered with chicken, not overly breaded, and absolutely hit the spot. As my boyfriend says, you usually don't think much about rating chicken parm unless it's bad... and this was very much not bad. The cheesesteak was excellent--tons of flavor, generous portions, and I loved that the peppers and onions were finely chopped and mixed right into the meat. Every bite delivered. Next time, I've got my eye on the nacho cheesesteak, because clearly I like to live my life with intention. No frills, big flavors, and serious bang for your buck. If you're craving a cheesesteak and don't need a place to sit, Carl's absolutely delivers. Would order again--and definitely recommend. read more

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This is the large steak special from carls. The best steak sub in entire Boston by far. Just amazing! Carl's Steak Special Steak, Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Sausage, Provolone & American Cheese Service was quick and friendly. Ambiance is your hole in the wall sub shop but don't let it fool you, it's been there for decades and the food never disappoints! read more

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I want to start by saying that the portion sizes here are very generous -- the large sub is packed with meat and definitely a great value for the price. I came mainly for the cheesesteak, and while the size impressed me, I found the meat a bit on the dry side. On the other hand, the Greco chicken was delicious and something I would definitely recommend. Unfortunately, my experience with the service was not as smooth. I had placed an online order, and when I arrived, the cashier announced that their online system was down and they hadn't received any orders, but they would be honoring all online orders. However, when it was my turn, I was told they couldn't take my order after all and was asked to leave my name and number for a refund (he did take the orders for the person who was in front AND behind me). A few minutes after I left, I got a call saying that my food had actually been ready the whole time -- they just hadn't checked. It was a frustrating experience, but I'm hoping it was just an unlucky one-off. read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Greco Chicken sub and Giambotta cheesesteak sub - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

If you're looking for that old school cheesesteak, get your butt over to Carl's in Waltham. A most flavorful sub. Plenty of cheese and steak was the star. Tender and cooked to perfection. read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Mushroom cheese steak (small) - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

We ordered online and went to pick up the sandwiches but the guy at the counter said there was an issues with the online ordering system. They went to offer refunds which would be delayed to get back on our cards and wouldn't take our order even though they were taking other people's orders that were having this issue. While we were on our way back to our home they called and they said they made our order on accident so we went to get it. Overall, the beef itself was dry. The chicken in the Greco chicken steak sub order was the best part and it was still juicy. I've heard people say the market basket subs are better and I would have to say I agree. read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Greco Chicken and Cheese Steak. Hand for scale. - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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The cheese steak I had was pretty good. I would describe it as solidly Average - Above Average. The service was prompt and helpful. The ambiance was adequate for a fast food type of restaurant... read more

Not your typical Philly cheesesteak sub, but it's really still a solid sub. They give you a very generous portion. The beef is chopped up well and the toppings are mixed in generously. I had the STK Special and it was filled with yummy goodness. I also ordered the spicy fries which seemed typical of cajun seasoning. The bread is a bit soft compared to a Philly bread, but overall the sandwich was filling and delicious. I was only able to eat half, but at least I can make it into 2 meals! read more

Very solid place to grab a variety of options such as subs, nachos or a quesadilla like I did. I liked the Chipotle sub the most, the quesadilla was solid too and nachos. Will try more in future. read more

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food was good. place was not very cleanly though. cashier w/ curly hair was the best part, very handsome

In town for a Bruins game so we had to stop at carls for lunch. Carls is a small hole in the wall place with nothing but on street parking, no tables and no bathrooms. What carls does have is amazing cheesesteaks, large portions and super soft rolls. The most difficult thing is trying to decide which amazing cheesesteaks, salad, burrito to order. If you're in the area give them a try and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. read more

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I was visiting Waltham, Massachusetts for work. While perusing yelp I found Carls. I decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did. A fantastic cheesesteak. They did an amazing job with order notes. I ordered the spicy fries. They have an amazing Cajun flavor. If I go back I'm going to try their nacho cheesesteak. 5/5. I hope I'm back in the area to try again. Highly recommend read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Large Cheese Steak with lettuce tomato and pickles. Amazing, soft, bread. - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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After watching The Bear, we needed a steak sandwich. The steak special did not disappoint. The large is EASILY two meals. The small isn't small at all. It's perfect for lunch when you want to give yourself a little bit more. Not a ton of parking (street only). No dine in space. read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Special steak sub - includes cheese and mushrooms - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

Truly enjoyed the steak and cheese! The perfect ratio of cheese to veggies to meat! A small sub was the perfect size

9/10. The only thing that would make it better is if they had an oven to make my steak and cheese sub crispy. I live in newton and I have been searching between newton wellesley and waltham for a really good steak and cheese. This is the place! read more

Hole in the wall restaurant with great food! 4 tables for outside seating. Super busy during lunch time, so you know it's a good food! Awesome customer service and fast! Cheesesteak was perfect, large portions too! Definitely highly recommended! read more

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I've been in waltham for so many years and I often forget about some hidden gems in the city. The problem with Carl's is that they have no parking at all. Its a hole in the wall sub joint and one would easily missed it if not looking for it. There are some limited street parking outside, but its very hit or miss. I've been going here on and off for the better of 20 years and the food has remained consistently good. Great even. Tonight, after a long while since I've been there, I got the Carl's Special Steak sub with no onions (don't judge!). It was phenomenal! I'm glad to see they still offer arm-length large subs. They don't skimp on the meat and toppings either. There was cheese all over! I forget to get salt and pepper but really it was not needed. I really should've only ate half of it for my dinner but could not resist the other half. Its so damn good! This place is tiny and there are a couple of outdoor seats only, maybe 4 small tables tops. The inside of the place can fit no more than 5 customers, comfortably. The staff were very friendly. The sub prices have gone up in prices over the years, but its inline with other places that give you far less. My large sub was $16 all in. Do yourself a favor and find a way to get to Carls! They sell hot subs, cold subs, fries and many more things. read more

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Food is awesome! So good I forgot to take a picture of the large steak and cheese. No indoor seating it's a grab and go. Staff is always super friendly and consistent. read more

Ordered food to be ready at 6:30 waited in the building for 20 minutes after 6:30 when they finally began to prepare the simple and small order. If you're in a rush look elsewhere read more

First timer, and I really like this place. I am in the area for work about 1-2x a month and needed to grab something for lunch and wanted to try something new. A quick yelp search and found Carl's. Decided to go in vs. online order and its a tight squeeze, holding maybe 6-8 customers indoors. This place is a no frills, hole-in-the-wall, knows-what-they-are-good-at kind of establishment. The type of place that has a line of working class folks on their lunch break standing out the door. I absolutely seek out exactly these kinds of places when I am traveling over high-end, kitschy places where you are paying for their decor and brand rather than good, tried and true food. Eric who took my order was to the point but friendly and chatted with me between taking new orders and handing out ready ones. I got the large Carl's Special and it was delicious. Steak, sausage, peppers, mushrooms, onions, American and provolone cheeses. Soft, fresh bread, hot, perfectly blended on the grill meats and veggies, where the cheese is melted throughout. I especially enjoy the last part, because I hate when the cheese is just melted on one side and not mixed in. The flavors were great, not too salty, and a good size portion without being too greasy and heavy. Carl's is getting short listed for me and I look forward to coming back soon. Keys for first timers 1. Street parking only so it may be hit or miss finding a spot depending on day/time. I got lucky and found one pretty close. 2. There is no dining area. 4 metal tables out front when the weather is warmer, but if its cold or there is inclement weather, you pretty much have to take out or eat in your car. read more

I got the chicken parm sub and Budster and it was SO GOOD. Honestly one of the best subs I've ever had! Definitely recommend.

Great food. Really love the monsoon salad.. only downside is it so filling. Tends to be my only meal of the day!

I made the mistake of getting a chicken based sub. I expected a fresh breaded chicken cutlet... but sadly it's a frozen tender. Not even a high quality one. A chicken cutlet would have made the sub a 5 star affair. This place probably makes a great steak and cheese. Unfortunately I went the chicken route. The ingredients were good, except the chicken. I have to go 3 stars because the chicken tender was really bad. However, I'll revisit for the steak and cheese which I think is their signature item. The staff is really nice. Parking is tough in that area because it's a road that sees alot of cars. Street parking is available though if you can find a spot read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Greco chicken - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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I haven't been here is many years but due to relocation had a chance to try it again. So mixed it up and got spicy chipotle mayo and pickles with extra cheese and it did not disappoint!! The food is prices but a large is more than enough food to make you feel like you overate. If you like steak and cheese this is a must try! read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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Delicious subs since the 80's! I'm not too sure about this new burrito thing they are doing but they have always had the best steak and cheese subs around! read more

The best as always! We got the "chicken Moab Bowl" and the "Mistake" Cheesesteak combo sub. So good!

Many tasty things combined just right. They are fast, no nonsense and easy to deal with. Need to eat immediately or gets mushy

Not a fan. $24 for sub clke and chips. The steak was more like ground beef..it was a weird texture and kind of chewy. Flavor wasn't bad but just ok..probably won't be back. read more

Overrated Phantom Gourmet tourist trap. No flavor...overpriced. quality is missing incredibly badly

Listen! I don't even eat nor like steak! But this was fire!! My mother in law recommended them to me and I was extremely skeptical but I checked here and the reviews looked decent. I tried a small steak and cheese and it was plenty. The chicken fingers were for my niece and my daughter and they tore them up. Definitely recommend. We ordered ahead and they were ready upon arrival read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Cheese Steak - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

It was a solid steak and cheese sub. The cheese was nice and melty, I thought the roll was just okay. It could have been toasted. I also got the onion rings and they were outstanding. I loved the flavor. really great. read more

Amazing food and huge portions! One of the best quick meals we had while visiting the area!

This is a fast casual spot that's easy to miss if you don't pass by this area often. There's some seating outdoors there but it's mostly takeout. Portions are huge here. Definitely get one of the cheese steaks on the menu. One large sub was plenty to fill two people. We also ordered nachos for the heck of it and that was not worth it. They make their signature dish well and that it. read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

My experience is limited to the Mediterranean Quesadilla I ordered today as part of an office group order, so take it with a grain of salt. What was advertised was a tasty mix of grilled chicken, spinach, feta cheese, tomato and "Mediterranean Sauce" all served in a grilled flour tortilla. The quesadilla I actually received contained only grilled chicken and melted cheddar cheese - no feta, no spinach, no tomato, and no Mediterranean Sauce - i.e., basically, a chicken quesadilla, which is NOT what I ordered. And even as a chicken quesadilla, it was nothing special. read more

Was excited to try but was so disappointed in the quality for the price. Inedible, chewy and plastic taste. It's mostly ground beef , like a hamburger. I even left a tip, my mistake. There's so much fat you can't even swallow the meat. There's no customer service either. Be scammed by their huge amount of hamburger mixed with steak subs. read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Huge chewy chunks of meat and soggy bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

The Perfect Steak sandwich! My wife and I went to Carls for the first time today. Best hands down! The steak is real and chopped perfectly. The cooks melted the cheese in with the mushrooms and onions. Not just placed on the bread like some other places do....we loved our sandwiches and will recommend to our friends and family!!! read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Steak, mushroom, onion and cheese - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

The steak and cheese sub is out of this world , they are fast and friendly. There is no seating but it b doesn't matter. I have been there for years and they never disappoint read more

Subs are huge. Nice selections to add on to the subs. In and out usually quickly as they can cook it. Haven't been there in a while but friends have and it's still good read more

Carl's steak bombs are da BOMB. Huge-a$$ subs loaded with all the goods! They really don't skimp on the meat m. Me and the hubs got the large Cherry Bomb to share and it was plenty for the two of us. The Cherry Bomb was packed with super fresh and hot off the grill steak, pepperoni, Cherry peppers, cheese, tomato and bbq sauce. It was delicious! It's a small shop with some outdoor seats but most diners seem to call ahead for pick-up. We did have to wait a bit so next time we'll probably call ahead too. There are many options from chicken subs, steak subs, quesadillas and even salad if you need those vegs. I'm excited to come back and try their other items! read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Cherry Bomb - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

No flavor. Cheese "steak" has the texture of fine ground beef. Sub was not toasted as requested. Hardly any cheese or buffalo flavor. I asked for 2 kinds of cheese. Requested it be cut into 1/3 and it was not. Ordered online an hour prior to pickup and it was not ready when promised. People who walked in and ordered left with their food before they even started cooking mine.1 star for huge portions of inedible food. Can't understand why it was so busy. Just awful all around. Not worth $29 for a sub and quesadilla. Will never go back. read more

Carl's Steak Subs - Buffalo "Cheese" (or lack thereof) "steak" sub, large. Missing cheese and buffalo flavor. Requested to be cut in 1/3. - Sandwiches Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts