Finding the Best Steak and Cheese in Boston

For $7.50, I got a very tasty steak and cheese that had more steak than Charlie’s but it wasn’t quite as tasty.  The sub was hot and fresh and the cheese was very good to go along with some flavorful, mouthwatering steak.  The steak was chopped up differently than in other steak and cheeses in the Boston area but it was delicious.  Joe’s Sub Shop in Roxbury prides itself on its “famous steak and cheese” and I’d say they hit the mark with this one.  If you’re looking for a great steak and cheese definitely make a trip to Roxbury to taste this.  More details after the break.

The steak and cheese at Al’s State Street Cafe is huge.  For only $7.50, you get a 15 inch long sub that’s stuffed to the brim with steak.  I never really stood a chance of finishing this one and in retrospect I probably should’ve either ordered a small or split it with someone.  I really liked how big the sandwich was but the steak seemed a bit dry and it could’ve definitely had more flavor.  The bread was very good and it was nice and fresh but there didn’t seem to be enough cheese, which took away from the taste.  Given that, the sandwich was better than both Leone’s and Pinocchio’s but not as good as Charlie’s.  When you’re really hungry, definitely try Al’s which has two locations, one at 110 State Street, Boston, MA, in the financial district, and the other at 179 Essex St, Boston, MA, in the leather district.

Rating: 4/5

Bottom Line: You’re not going to find better value anywhere but it isn’t THE best steak and cheese in Boston.

I went to Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe in the South End today and the steak and cheese was very, very good.  This is a place that I randomly discovered on my own, and it’s much better than Leone’s and Pinocchio’s. The atmosphere at Charlie’s has a very traditional, old school diner feel to it.  I’ve been to Charlie’s a few times and the people there are really nice and the serviced is fantastic.  If you don’t let the parking (only street parking) and the hours (6 am – 2:30 pm on weekdays and 7:30 am -1 pm on weekends) bother you, then Charlie’s is a great place to have breakfast or lunch.

More after the break.

So today I tried to drive to Ma Magoo’s, which is over at Fresh Pond but the traffic was outrageous so I ended up at Pinocchio’s in Harvard Square.   Pinocchio’s is located on a side street which is nice because it’s a bit of an escape from the craziness of Harvard Square.  Located at 74 Winthrop St, it has plenty of seating in a comfortable setting.  My only complaints about the place were that the employees weren’t too friendly and it’s never easy to park in Harvard Square.

Let’s get to the steak and cheese.

On Day 1 of my quest, I went to Leone’s Sub & Pizza in Somerville located at 292 Broadway Street.  Leone’s is in Somerville and is very easy to get to, it’s right off of 93, and there’s plenty of parking on the street out front.  The portions are massive, much to my delight, and the steak and cheese was reasonably priced at $7.25 (the small was $6.50).  One of the first things that I noticed when I walked into Leone’s was that there aren’t any seats, it’s standing room only with a bunch of counters where you can eat.  Before I get to the steak and cheese, I wanted to mention that the people working at Leone’s were awesome and you’re not going to find many friendlier pizza places.

I had heard some good things about Leone’s on Yelp.com and also on some steak and cheese forums so I had pretty high expectations.  The steak and cheese was good but not great.  The portion was big and the bread was good and fresh but the steak just didn’t have quite enough flavor for my taste.  Also, I wish that their had been more cheese because it kind of got dominated by the steak to the point where I didn’t really taste it.  This definitely wasn’t the best steak and cheese in Boston but it was good.  I’m going to have to keep looking.

Rating: 3.75/5

Bottom Line: I’d go back to Leone’s if I lived in the area but the steak and cheese isn’t good enough to drive out of your way for.

Address: 292 Broadway, Somerville, MA, 02145

Delivery: No

Website: http://sub.leonessubandpizza.com/

What do you think of Leone’s? Let me know in the comments section below.

I’m trying to find the best Steak and Cheese in the  Boston-area so for the next 30 days I’m going to eat one a day until I find the best.    Every day I’m going to do a writeup about the restaurant that I went to.

The quest starts June 14th.

I’ve done a bit of research on the best Steak and Cheese places in Boston but I would love the help of my readers so if you have any places that I should visit please comment below.

My preliminary list of places that I’m going are as follows:

Joe’s Sub Shop- Roxbury

Leone’s Submarine Shop- Somerville

Al’s South Street Cafe- Financial District (Boston)

Pinocchio’s Pizza and Subs- Harvard Square (Cambridge)

Ma Magoo’s- Cambridge

Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe- South End (Boston)

Adam’s Pizza and Convenience Store- Boston

Dino’s Cafe- North End

Carl’s Steak Subs- Waltham

Boyle’s Market- Arlington

Bob’s- Medford Square

D’Angelo’s- Fenway (Boston)

Cabots- Newton

Mike’s Roast Beef- Everett

Moogy’s Sub Shop- Brighton

Ugi’s Sub’s- Roxbury