I'd heard of Sam LaGrassa's for years but had never managed to make it there. My first introduction…read moreended up being at a corporate event in Boston's Seaport district, where lunch arrived courtesy of one of the city's best-known sandwich shops. The catering was impressive. Before anyone even took a bite. Every half sandwich was individually wrapped and clearly labeled, with salads and sides neatly organized, making it easy for a large group to grab lunch without the usual catering chaos. The choices were wide and varied. We took our lunches upstairs to a rooftop seating area overlooking the Seaport, which made for a pretty great setting on a beautiful afternoon. I chose the Gobbler, and it lived up to the hype I've since read in other reviews. At first glance it sounds like a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, but it's much more than that. The turkey was fresh and flavorful, and it was complemented by stuffing, cranberry sauce, spinach, pepper jack cheese, and just enough chipotle mayo to add an unexpected kick, without overwhelming everything else. It's one of those combinations that sounds busy on paper but comes together remarkably well. I spoke with several others over lunch, and they were equally impressed with their choices. That's always a good sign when you're feeding a crowd. It's one thing to make a great sandwich to order; it's another to deliver dozens of them catered while maintaining that level of quality. Since this was catered, I can't really comment on the restaurant itself. The service on the catering side, however, was evident in how thoughtfully everything was prepared and packaged, and the rooftop setting where we enjoyed lunch certainly didn't hurt. Needless to say, this won't be my last Sam LaGrassa's sandwich. I fully intend to visit the restaurant one of these days, and in the meantime I'll spend some time trying to recreate that Gobbler at home (maybe with sliced roasted chicken, but also with turkey when I have it). It was that good.

You want the best sandwiches in Boston, look no further…read more You want the most expensive sandwiches in Boston, look no further. You want the worst restaurant seating in Boston, look no further. This place is fairly under the radar ... but those who know and don't mind the crazy prices and rude counter staff enjoy it. The restaurant itself is small ... and the seating is communal which absolutely is a pain in the ass. There is a back area with single seats and a ledge you can put your sandwich on but there are a lot of idiots who put their stuff on one seat and take up the other so nobody can sit next to them. There are several connected tables with 6 seats each. Unfortunately, you'll be sitting next to 4 or 5 strangers. The seating is the worst part ... if you can, it's best to grab your sandwich to go and bring it to a bench or somewhere you can eat it in a more peaceful setting. When it gets busy, this place is the definition of chaos. There is about 5 feet from the door to the ordering counter and the menu is impossible to read. Lots of backup and confusion about who is ordering, who is reading the menu and who is just standing around waiting. The sandwiches are worth the hype. Not sure if they are worth the price though at $20 - $30 per sandwich. (Pastrami is in the $30 range and something more simple, like buffalo chicken is in the $30 range.) You probably could get 2 servings out of a sandwich if you are a light eater ... sandwiches are big. This is one of those places that charges you a fortune and gives you too much. I'd be happy with a sandwich 25% smaller and 25% less expensive. The other gripe I have is that the sandwiches are the messiest I've ever had. Most have drippy Cole slaw or sauce on them and eating them is very messy. They have no napkin holders on the table and they give you only two napkins with each order. It's almost like a running joke. The counter staff is really rude and matter of fact. Given how many choices and combinations there, naturally there will be some confusion. And the place is loud when crowded, so they keep acting annoyed and saying, 'huh?'. If you have deep pockets and a big appetite this is a spot you should try. A lot of the corporate offices for big four accounting firms and high value companies use this place for catering. That's how I first found out about it. They also ship their sandwiches, which is interesting.

I came for the much heralded Italian sandwich and it did not disappoint…read more Small, 2-room shop on Salem Street, right next to Bova's Bakery, good for Italian provisions and artful Italian sandwiches. As the name "Mercato" implies, it's not a restaurant, so no place to eat, no place to "do your business" after, and if you've made it to the north end, you already know there's no place to park. -- Italian Sandwich: Long, soft bread, kinda like the kind you had in your school cafeteria, only a million times softer, a million times more crackly, and a million times better. Setting the base are oil, balsamic vinegar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, hots, and provolone. Italian sandwiches usually come flat-stacked or in a C-shape. Here, it's a fluffy stack, with the VERY-thin-sliced-to-order meats-- prosciutto, mortadella, salami-- piled generously but delicately, like tissue paper. More oil and balsamic on the other side seals the deal. It's a glorious sandwich that'll fill you up with the first half, but you'll want to keep eating the second half, because it's so good. The deep flavors of the meats comes through, and that's soft, crunchy bread is a delight. Pro tip #1: Get it with a small side of pesto. Have some bites with, some bites without. Pro tip #2 (in more ways than one): Plan your restroom visit at the nearby Boston Public Market. Pro tip #3: Plan your eating near the Paul Revere statue on Hanover Street, at the basketball court down Stillman Street, or on the Greenway down Hanover Street.

Sneaked our way into this place right before close since we didn't make dinner reservations nor…read morewanted to wait longer than an hour. However per my cousin, it was absolutely a gamble getting into Monica's due to its popularity. It's your typical Italian deli and stocked with many of yummy bites. I couldn't pass up the burrata special, holy cow, was this fresh. Every bite I wanted more. The balsamic had a lovely twang to it. Super fresh produce and fresh bread!! Can't beat it!

Classic New York Style Sandwich Shop. Great spot for a quick lunchtime sandwich…read more Order in person to see their daily specials.

Such a solid little deli spot in downtown Boston. The guys working there were really friendly and…read morepleasantly chipper. I ordered a chicken salad on a croissant with pickles, onions, and lettuce and it was really good. The best part is you can pretty much build whatever sandwich you want- breakfast or lunch. They've also got plenty of drinks, chips, and treats to choose from. Service is crazy fast too. They had my order ready in no time. There's a small bar setup with a few stools and a couple of tiny tables, so you can sit and eat quickly, but I wouldn't rely on getting a seat if it's busy or if you're with a group. My custom sandwich was $10, which felt reasonable. They've been around for 32 years, which says a lot. Definitely one of those local spots worth supporting. I'll 100% be back. Highly recommend.

Ok so let's just say FIVEFKNSTARS. ok? ok. I don't give the 5 stars often, but when I do, I mean…read moreevery red square and white star of it. kickin' it off with the queer-o-meter. yeah, uh.. ten! The staff is so nice and it's Boston, low key all around. I'd like to officially put my bid in for the seasonal Korean "Good for the Seoul" BBQ sandwich to find a home on the permanent menu. It just ended in July and I am heartbroken. My taste buds are piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissed to say the least. It was the sandwich that dreams are made of: soft (yet firm) seeded roll, thin fresh cooked chicken cutlets, cabbage slaw, pickled carrots, gochujang BBQ sauce and sriracha mayo. I stood in 85 humid sunny Boston heat for 20-25 min for it. Yes, it's that good. It's heaven on a bun! I've gotten the Drunken Parm, the Hogan, and the Caprese as well. All solid and delicious. I've never gotten one I didn't like. They are pleasant and open to customizing them as well. i.e. no lettuce, extra onion, BBQ on the side. I'm also not sure how, but Thomas the cashier remembers my name every time. That's SO impressive. I mean, I know I don't blend like most, but still, my name among all those people all week long at all the locations? I feel honoured to say the least. Seriously. I didn't get a picture of the BBQ sandwich because honestly, I had devoured it before realizing I should have. whoops. I did get a pic of the Hogan and will post that soon. The good: All of it. and I mean ALL OF IT. You can opt to get chicken, eggplant or one cutlet of each if you're feeling swanky. The location - this is good and bad. Good right by my building and bad that it moves down to Dewey Sq other days. BOO! The bad: The line. They open at 11:30am at Rowes Wharf and there is a line that starts to form at 11:15. I got there today at 11:20 and there were 8 people ahead of me. I might bring a lounge chair with me one of these days. The cost. I personally don't feel it's outrageous. It's a food truck in Boston on the Wharf and it's phenomenal. However, that said I think it's at the cap of what I would spend. I feel it's worth it for what you get. it's $15 for 1/2 and $20 for full sandwich. Pro Tip: psssst, get the full and take 1/2 home. Or eat it if you can't control yourself. I won't berate you for that. I don't consider it bad, but some do.. they cap you at 4 sandwiches per order. If you want more, get catering. And invite me over. Cheers!

Caught Thomas right at closing -- and the chicken was already gone. So I pivoted to eggplant parm…read morewith vodka sauce and whipped honey burrata... and wow, no regrets. Believe the hype on @paisanifoodtruck. Absolute

Returning to this fave spot after 25 years and it is just as delicious as it was back then. So…read moreglad this place has turned into a restaurant, I remember it as a window/counter on the side of the wall. This time I got the vegetarian and boy it was just perfect. The now medium size was just right and I love the beans -- just like how I remember it. On Fridays they have a vegan sandwich which my friend got and she loved it.

They have new chips now! Not as crunchy as before but pretty...pretty...pretty good…read more Made with 100% avocado oil - sea salt - jalapeño - purples with salt - bbq - Salt and vinegar The new One size sandwich seemed larger when they first changed it. Sometimes I feel like more chicken is there and other times it just seems like the old small version? Either way it still tastes delicious and I love it so! The empanadas are so filling & flavorful and change regularly, give it a try, you won't regret it!

The process here are simply fucking shocking ... $20 for a sandwich with a tiny amount of meat. I…read morecould almost fly to Italy and have a sandwich there if these get any more expensive. Oddly, some of the best sandwiches we had in Italy came from a gas station travel plaza on the way from Rome to Florence. We haven't found a similar sandwich in the US ... until here. The meats are sliced fresh and all the sandwiches are made by hand. You have a lot of choices ... and the menu is odd. It stretches from one end of the ordering counter to the other ... it's so long that it's difficult to read the choices at the beginning of the sign. We got the Paradiso, which is made with Mortadella (imagine a thin-sliced bologna) with pistachio cream. Thoughts on the sandwich: Size: - This is one of those places which gives you too much sandwich. I'd come back more often if the sandwiches were $10 - $12 for a single portion. Honestly, the sandwiches here could probably feed two people ... which is fine because it allowed us to split it. However, if I am getting lunch for myself, I don't want to pay double and take a half home. Ingredients: - The best part of the sandwich was the foccacia bread. It was crisp but light ... had a little bit of oil on it and it was dense enough to fill you up. Slightly salty. - The mortadella was high quality ... but at the end of the day, $20 for a bologna sandwich is tough. Also, I was a little surprised at how thin of a layer they put on for the price. - Pistachio/Cream ... Very sweet, I felt like I would have liked a little more savory to balance it out. The sandwich was very pistachio forward and that was the predominant taste. I'd have liked the mortadella to stand out more. Overall, you won't find a sandwich as similar to what you'd get in Italy anywhere else. This place is a bit over hyped in my opinion but the sandwiches are pretty authentic to what you'd find in Italy. Unique combinations and high quality ingredients but the prices are just so fucking sky high here. - The bread is the best part

Incredible - just about identical to what I had at the Florence location. It might be sad, but my…read moreday trip from Providence RI to Boston was centered around getting a sandwich here. I got the La Paradiso which has Mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio cream and pistachio ($19). The focaccia bread is out of this world, and I absolutely love the combination of creamy stracciatella with pistachio cream and mortadella. Their sandwiches are massive, and while I am able to finish one no problem, the average appetite would have two meals out of one sandwich. La Paradiso was the same sandwich I got in Italy so I gotta mix it up next time. The service is quick and friendly.

This is the most expensive Sub place in the area that I know of. 20 bucks a pop…read more I had never been here before but always seen it next to the pork bun place I frequent. I got the Steak Pizzaiola It was a bit dry tasting but had everything In it I ordered and was wider than other sandwiches I usually get, nice portion imo. Worth about 20? perhaps It was alright but not great. Maybe I should have chose something different. Upon Entering there was already a line two people before me. 1 waiting for food and the other waiting to order. The workers were busy making subs. and it took about 5 min before the 1st guy got his food, the 2nd guy ended up leaving ordering nothing. After he got his food I waited another 11 minutes just standing there, every so often an employee would look at me and one finally said they would be right with me. over 10 minutes is too long. I thought maybe they have a lot of online orders? Another person came in after me and during my wait period to order he ended up leaving as well after 7 minutes. I used to actually own a sub shop in Plymouth a few decades ago that got very busy. If there is a long line of people coming in, take the order right away so they can just wait for the food. people dont tend to wait so long as I did and you lose money. This will keep them there. One issue I had was one of the workers a female was sweating profusely while making the food. dripping from her forehead down her nose and hitting the table. Her shirt had sweat all on it. I got a different employee that made my food thankfully , but I keep thinking about this and dont want to go back, this is a food safety issue. Its disgusting to be honest. This was my first time going there and I am a local. I think the sub variety looks good on the board but it took way to long to get the food. after ordering it was another 10 minutes. so altogether around 27 or so minutes. Becketts right around the corner very fresh subs and only takes less than 5 to order and get the food out, they are also busy all the time but much more efficient and friendly. I wanted to like this place and am sure many do but its just not for me and I also dont want sweat in my food.

Don't let Figaro's limited hours deter you from stopping by. Staff is extremely nice and helpful…read more Portions are huge and you can easily share a sandwich between 2 people. The Buffalo chicken wrap is top 3 I've ever had. Right near south station, I'm going to make a habit of stopping in more regularly. Thank you!

Nice lunch option w/ seating for 20. The staff is very friendly…read more The sandwich itself was amazing. Fresh bread. Good cutlet. Would definitely visit them again.

It's summer weekend and there was a festival this day in the North End. We didn't have…read morereservations. Lines for dinner were so long. We finally got one of the few seats at Dino's. We were hot, starving and tired. My littlest loved his meatball pasta. He looked so delighted when it was set in front of him. He devoured it with the same zeal. It was the best of the pastas we tried. His Italian ancestors would have been proud.