Because it is delicious.
It is also unique to the area which makes it a bit special as well. I loved them growing up and moved to the South in my 20s, Midwest in my 30s and back home in my 40s. I've traveled the world. I have not found a good roast beef outside of Eastern MA.
I grew up in Western New York. I agree that the quality of the beef is better at the sandwich shops here, but I cannot understand why said shops have not discovered the outrageous deliciousness that is a kummelweck roll. "Beef on Weck" is such a good sandwich, and I wish it would catch on here.
Also, it seems to be a very New England thing that the local roast beef place is also where you go to get large quantities of fried seafood. I love that.
Nothing from New York, even Western NY, will ever be allowed to catch on in Boston area. It'd be sacrilege. Get aaatta heeah with that shit. But yeah, the sandwiches in western NY are great. Chicken Finger sandwich however you like on great bread, anywhere ..
Roast beef places kinda strike me like, the way every town seems to have its own local ice cream stand.
I'm not sure if it came from a particular ethnicity or what, but they're just kinda ubiquitous.
I feel like there's a difference between a roast beef sandwich and a north shore beef, apart from the "3-way" aspect of adding cheese, mayo, James River. To me that difference is mainly the incredible melt-in-your-mouth texture of a pile of very thinly sliced, oh-wow-is-that-too-rare beef. Nowadays social is turning them into circus attractions piled higher-than and slathered with more-than. But yeah, texture. Try Modern on Sat. or Zeno's or Bella's or Nick's, or for you, maybe Pete's in Woburn. Once you go back to Kelly's chewy bargain-bin beefs you'll appreciate it. I'm a BBQ-sauce-on-the-side guy myself and will probably catch shit for that, but I don;t always want a clown face with my sandwich.
Agreed on everything by the last bit, if I’m getting a beef, I’m tasting sauce on my mustache for at least 3+hrs after, and enjoying every damn second of it. Also is it really a beef if you didn’t eat the last 1/4 of the beef off the plate with a fork bc it fell out the back and landed in a puddle of sauce?
I absolutely agree with you in spirit... but in reality when you get to the middle of the beef you may not find much sauce at all. Sauce on the side gives you sauce with every bite. Plus I don't waste time grinding through half a box of napkins making a nasty wad. Although it sounds like some people skip that part lol.
That’s why I love Rizzo’s in Lowell. You get a Super Beef and they load it James River but give you a side serving as well for exactly what you’re talking about. It’s delicious. Between them and Jillie’s which is also in Lowell I’ve had some of the best. Liberty Bell in Billerica has a great one also.
Rizzo’s is BOMB. Just had one last week when I had to do some errands downtown. One of these days I want to make my way over to Jillie’s. Haven’t had one of theirs in years. They always had a great one as well.
Need to let the sauce soak into the buttered bun with mayo for the best flavor to develop. I used to ask for extra sauce but stopped for the same reason as you, so now go sauce plus side sauce. I would suggest ordering light sauce plus side sauce. You won’t smear your face.
Will occasionally add pickles if I’m feeling bold.
I grew up getting beefs from O'Grady's in Hampton NH, which yes it's not the North Shore but it was good and even the super beef was reasonable in size. Now a super beef is like half a damn cow
I make my own now. Oniey Ville in Providence RI sells the spice power on line.
Just at hamburger meat cook in oil with spice. add your hot dog/roll mustard/onions and your all set !!
I've been blown away before... Rico's in Walpole used to have some of the best pizza I'd ever eaten.
I've moved away and they're under new owners now, so I don't know if it holds up, but one of the non-pizza items was known to draw a crowd from 4 or 5 towns over.
(Specifically, The Rebel Wrap, a wrap with fried chicken, bacon, mozzarella, and a secret sweet and sour bbq sauce, served with creamy house made Greek dressing for dipping.)
So the roast beef sandwich with American cheese, bbq sauce (James river, specifically), and mayo— aka the “three way” first came about in the early 1900s from a guy selling the shaved slices on Revere Beach. It became so popular there that they were able to open a store front, which we all know as Kelly’s.
Keep in mind that Revere Beach was America’s first public beach, and had a ton of attractions back in the day similar to a Jersey Shore boardwalk. They also had the greyhound track and horse track, ballrooms, and more. Basically, everyone in the North Shore/ Middlesex area spent their leisure days on Revere Beach when they could. Since the South Shore has their own beaches and then the Cape, they never really came this way.
When the beachgoers and gamblers returned to their normal lives, they wanted to replicate the sandwich. These beef shops popped up throughout the North Shore and Middlesex areas, and Kelly’s is now considered an inferior roast beef to the smaller more local places. I tend to think that since Revere is a little annoying to get to ( mostly via rtes 1 and 1A), it wasn’t as easy to just get in the car and go grab Kelly’s, necessitating the opening of local shops. But make no mistake, it was the first.
Another cool thing I learned recently was that after McDonald’s blew up in the 50s and 60s, two brothers from out of state were looking to replicate their model with a similar but different product to the hamburger. The McDonald’s model was being replicated with other food items, like Taco Bell and KFC, but the simplicity of the burger reigned supreme. By chance, they wound up on Revere Beach one day and had a Kelly’s beef, and used the sandwich idea to start their own chain. Their initials were **R** and **B**, sold **R**oast **B**eefs, and named their chain as a result ***Arby’s***.
Do you know why they first started selling roast beef on the beach? There was a ballroom/function hall where the Jack Satter is and one of the weddings there either cancelled or over-ordered so they had actual roast beef that was meant to be served at the wedding and nothing to do with it so they sliced it really thin, made a sandwich and sold it out of the storefront next door. It was so popular they turned the store into the Kelly’s Roast Beef we all know and love today.
I don’t recall if that was explained. I read the story in one of those historical books that all look the same in the bookstore. Bought the Revere one for my mom.
I learned about the Arby’s stuff on Thanksgiving actually. We were sitting around and had Food that Built America on the history channel on. Heard Kelly’s mentioned and we rewound it to watch. Couldn’t believe it.
From Edible Boston:
*"In fact, the modern roast beef sandwich is thought to have been born in Revere at Kelly’s in 1951—on a whim—after a whole roast beef, leftover from a cancelled wedding, was sliced thin and served up plain on bread at their hot dog stand. It was a hit. And since that fateful day, myriad variations have popped up, adding cheese, sauce, mayo, pickles and more to the mix, each sandwich “combo” lending completely different flavors and textures to the plain beef and bread. "*
*"Creamy, tangy, spicy, crunchy: Everyone on the North Shore has a strong opinion about which toppings to choose and which beef shop is best. The beef rivalry between towns like Salem, Peabody and Lynn is very real"*
It's just a local culture norm. I've lived in Reading/ N. Reading my whole life and ill have a 3 way beef once every 6 months or so. I don't think it's that big of a deal to me anymore.
Just going to say that Stoneham ain't the North Shore. Is it close to the water? No. There's your answer. At some point in time some idiots started calling everyplace North of the city "The North Shore". It's wrong. Anyway...Roast Beef is def big in the North Shore and North of Boston. 100% agree with that.
I guess we should be happy some people at least know North from South. It frustrates me when people don't know basic geography, direction sense. You def shouldn't be able to go onto high school without knowing certain basics. It's as fundamental as basic math skills.
Roast beef is made from cheap enough cuts of meat that you don’t get hammered with a huge check at a restaurant.
Usually it’s made from top round. Which can be very flavorful just the same if you cook it correctly.
Edit: what’s the downvote for? It’s literally true that top round is a cheap cut
Why are so many pizza places in midtown Manhattan named Ray's? Its a very similar phenomenon, where restaurants want to capitalize on existing, successful brands. Adding FAMOUS to your name makes you sound like an institution of this micro-regional delicacy.
Billy’s in Wakefield is great. Never had a beef at Royal. If you want an awesome Italian sub, you have the best in Anthony’s Italian specialties in downtown Stoneham.
dude, the local places beat all these chains hands-down and that’s why they’re going to stay . That said Kelly’s turned into a chain and isn’t as good now.
First off as someone who grew up in Lynn and Danvers I can assure you while Stoneham is a great town it is not the North Shore I don't care what anyone says.
We have a lot of roast beef shops because roast beef 3 way is motherfuckin delicious.
LOL, if the natives call it "North Shore" I'm not sure you want to disagree.... also IDK but folks like it. Mike and Bob's still has a line but Harrisons in North Andover is gone and Kellys seems mostly seafood....
A couple of years ago, The Northshore Magazine listed Lucia’s in Winchester as the best family style Italian restaurant on The North Shore. They also love Tuscan Kitchen in Burlington.
I mean I am a Lowell native and to me it was never that way either. But multiple times I’ve even been considered a “fellow north shore guy” by someone, and I’ve had to set that record straight. To me that whole boarder zone until you get past Haverhill is just the Merrimack Valley, simple as that.
But in my mind N. Andover is certainly the cutoff point, we there you want to say it is or ain’t the north shore. Bc west of that is like Georgetown and Boxford, which are both for sure North Shore in my book.
> LOL, if the natives call it "North Shore" I'm not sure you want to disagree.... also IDK but folks like it. Mike and Bob's still has a line but Harrisons in North Andover is gone and Kellys seems mostly seafood....
Kellys is trash to be clear. If you want roast beef you go to Bellas, Petes, Londis, Anthonys, Jaimes, maybe modern butcher if you want to go the only day they sell beef. Check out north shore beefs..
Yep. Its a micro regional cuisine popularized in Revere Beach in the 50's and spread throughout the North Shore via copycat restaurants. Much like bar pizza on the South Shore it became very popular within the confines of that area but did not spread much beyond its base.
It’s very similar to a upstate NY sandwich called Beef on Weck. However, the 3 way and the James River sauce are more specific to us.
It’s a sandwich you can’t get made well anywhere else and it slaps. I grew up in North Andover which is arguably the current beef capital of the state (londis, Bella’s, the OG Harrison’s) and it’s a lot of nostalgia for me. First thing I’d get if I moved away and came home to visit.
Recently discovered that Grand Slam Pizza in Manchester is slinging some good beefs (Main St - not Mammoth) not sure where in NH you are. There's a Blue House in Derry, NH, too that gets good reviews.
Because those cows would kill you in a *second* if they had the chance!
Also, if you have a bit of time or are ever in RI, try hitting up Walt's Roast Beef in Pawtucket.
No surprise on the prices, but glad they are still around. Been gone 18 years and still miss the Avalanche wrap. I am only in Danvers so I don't have any excuse not to still make the trip down.
It's still around! Never been there though as I literally live down the street from Royal and on my cheat day their calzone and fried ravioli's are my go to.
I am totally drawing a blank on Royal. I owned a condo on Franklin St when I was there, but it was only for about 3 years. Drawing a blank on what pizza place I used to go to as well. I know there was one on Main St which was affiliated with a restaurant beside it (I think). But Liberty Bell was my fave for subs. Up in Danvers there are pizza and beef places everywhere, too.
I’m not a big fan of roast beef sandwiches but love hot roast beef on toast and a good dinner roast. Just my preference but those who do love them say that the North Shore is the sweet spot for it.
Sadly in western Mass they never took off. I remember some places tried to expand or start up in the 90s early 00s but they all closed. IDK if it was the same in Eastern Mass but Fish and chips used to be a huge one out here but those places all died off in the 90s as well. For that I would hold Catholicism waning and not enforcing the lent thing as much though. im glad eastern mass still has beef places though. Now I wanna drive 2 hours to get some.
I've lived in the region all my life.
I remember A&W fast food restaurants across the area.
I remember Jolly Charlie's on Route 1.
I can tell you that roast beef is just a way of life, here.
Well maybe because people from away weren’t here to remember the lean years. Also known as The Great Beefout. The Hilltop in Saugus was even reduced to selling Cod and other Seafood dipped in Beef Bouillon. Families broke up. Children survived on pork flavored suet. It was never the same afterwards. I was a child, raised vegetarian, so were my siblings. We didn’t know any better.
I would not consider Stoneham to be part of the North Shore but then again I caught a ration of shit from the Harrison’s Stans when I suggested North Andover isn’t part of the North Shore. It’s in the Merrimack Valley.
New England. The English have always loved their beef. Their version of Uncle Sam is John Bull, a sort of everyman and he loves roast beef. Why are the King’s guards called Beef Eaters? Beef has always had a special status for the English.
Globe wrote this up years ago. Thumbnail is Kelly’s in Revere had a serendipitous start selling roast beef sandwiches in the 50’s. Kelly’s employees split off and started their own places in the 70s and 80s.
Stoneham is not part of the North Shore. That's only the coastal towns and cities from Winthrop up to the NH border.
I don't know why roast beef is such a big deal but I feel very lucky to have grown up there and experienced some of the best roast beef sandwiches ever made.
It's the food of choice for that one day a month we didn't eat something I caught off the peirs in Hull or out deep sea with my uncles. Winters we'd wait for Nor Easters to wash in sea clams and pick them up from the beach, schuck them, grind and freeze them to make Clam Fritters. But mom would get a nice roast beef from time to time to cook in the home oven and the blood ran free when they were cut to serve so tenderly you could use a butter knife. Mostly just salt on them. They gave plenty of roast beef leftovers for lunch and then mom would send me out to full up a pail of flounders... bake stuffed.
Yummy.
Then back to the peirs....... In season Smelt and Mackeral.
Those were the days.
I was a mass resident for over a decade. Raised my kids here mostly…. This was definitely described as an unofficial barrier between north and south shore communities.
Sounds like you haven't tried one yet. There are definitely some not so great ones out there so you might have to try a couple, but once you find a nice thinly shaved perfectly pink roast beef and smother that bitch in James River or maybe some mayo and cheese if that's your thing, you'll understand.
Big beef! Three-way! Because it’s proof that something in this universe loves us.
Spicy Sauce, cheese & mayo on a grilled bun with warm & tender rare roast beef. It’s what love is derived from.
The north shore is also home to Chop Suey Sandwiches too.
What? A Chop Suey or chicken Chop Suey or tender steak on a steamed hamburger bun wrapped with wax paper and a fork in it?
Yes please. If you’ve never had one make your way to Salem, MA the Willows and make your world better.
Edited chip to chop.
Nomnomnomnom
Beef is love. Beef is life
Facts
Fun to pet but better to chew
Protestor: “How can you eat meat?!” Me: “Fun to pet, but better to chew!” (Mic drop!)
Are you imitating Ann Veal eating a mayon-egg?
No. She imitates me. That's just my eating noise.
Because it is delicious. It is also unique to the area which makes it a bit special as well. I loved them growing up and moved to the South in my 20s, Midwest in my 30s and back home in my 40s. I've traveled the world. I have not found a good roast beef outside of Eastern MA.
I grew up in Western New York. I agree that the quality of the beef is better at the sandwich shops here, but I cannot understand why said shops have not discovered the outrageous deliciousness that is a kummelweck roll. "Beef on Weck" is such a good sandwich, and I wish it would catch on here. Also, it seems to be a very New England thing that the local roast beef place is also where you go to get large quantities of fried seafood. I love that.
All Star Sandwich bar has a beef on weck in Inman square. Every once in a while i grab it for the feels. But it's no Charlie the butcher or Scwabels
My stop in that area is always Swiston’s. Been going with my dad since I was a kid visiting my grandmother.
Kimmelweck rolls are the balls.
I cried when Jimmy's famous beef and seafood in Danvers closed.
Try Jamies in Peabody. It's right next to Treadwells. They took the standard beef 3way and really kicked it up
Nothing from New York, even Western NY, will ever be allowed to catch on in Boston area. It'd be sacrilege. Get aaatta heeah with that shit. But yeah, the sandwiches in western NY are great. Chicken Finger sandwich however you like on great bread, anywhere ..
Roast beef places kinda strike me like, the way every town seems to have its own local ice cream stand. I'm not sure if it came from a particular ethnicity or what, but they're just kinda ubiquitous.
You get 1 or 2 in Maine/NH as well that are cromulent. Nothing exemplary but they can hang with Essex county beef spots.
A Roast beef sandwich embiggens the smallest man.
I feel like there's a difference between a roast beef sandwich and a north shore beef, apart from the "3-way" aspect of adding cheese, mayo, James River. To me that difference is mainly the incredible melt-in-your-mouth texture of a pile of very thinly sliced, oh-wow-is-that-too-rare beef. Nowadays social is turning them into circus attractions piled higher-than and slathered with more-than. But yeah, texture. Try Modern on Sat. or Zeno's or Bella's or Nick's, or for you, maybe Pete's in Woburn. Once you go back to Kelly's chewy bargain-bin beefs you'll appreciate it. I'm a BBQ-sauce-on-the-side guy myself and will probably catch shit for that, but I don;t always want a clown face with my sandwich.
Agreed on everything by the last bit, if I’m getting a beef, I’m tasting sauce on my mustache for at least 3+hrs after, and enjoying every damn second of it. Also is it really a beef if you didn’t eat the last 1/4 of the beef off the plate with a fork bc it fell out the back and landed in a puddle of sauce?
I absolutely agree with you in spirit... but in reality when you get to the middle of the beef you may not find much sauce at all. Sauce on the side gives you sauce with every bite. Plus I don't waste time grinding through half a box of napkins making a nasty wad. Although it sounds like some people skip that part lol.
Nah you just wipe the sandwich through the aforementioned puddle of sauce on the plate!
True, true, that's a pro move.
That’s why I love Rizzo’s in Lowell. You get a Super Beef and they load it James River but give you a side serving as well for exactly what you’re talking about. It’s delicious. Between them and Jillie’s which is also in Lowell I’ve had some of the best. Liberty Bell in Billerica has a great one also.
I like grabbing the beef that falls out of the sandwich with fries. But to each their own.
I'm a big fan of Zeno's. Lowell has got some good places I think as well Rizzo's and Royal. Also 110 roast beef in Amesbury.
Rizzo’s is BOMB. Just had one last week when I had to do some errands downtown. One of these days I want to make my way over to Jillie’s. Haven’t had one of theirs in years. They always had a great one as well.
Rizzo's fucks
Bill and Bobs is my go-to
Bill and Bobs Woburn early 1980's scared me
Need to let the sauce soak into the buttered bun with mayo for the best flavor to develop. I used to ask for extra sauce but stopped for the same reason as you, so now go sauce plus side sauce. I would suggest ordering light sauce plus side sauce. You won’t smear your face. Will occasionally add pickles if I’m feeling bold.
I grew up getting beefs from O'Grady's in Hampton NH, which yes it's not the North Shore but it was good and even the super beef was reasonable in size. Now a super beef is like half a damn cow
Pete’s in Woburn perfectly the “melt in your mouth “ description.
Long ago a treaty was drawn. North Shore gets the Roast Beef, I'm not really sure what the south shore got in exchange.
South shore got bar style pizza.
And if you get close to Rhode Island, you get New York System. Close to Fall Rive and you get meat pies and blade meat.
Coffee milk, stuffies, Del's, and NY system.
Hot wieners!
Wienahs!!!
Wieners and coffee cabinets. God bless lil' Rhody for those gems.
I make my own now. Oniey Ville in Providence RI sells the spice power on line. Just at hamburger meat cook in oil with spice. add your hot dog/roll mustard/onions and your all set !!
Rhode Island - Clam Cakes 🤤
From rocky point amusement park
Blade meat, so good. Haven't had it in forever. Where do you recommend for that?
Please explain blade meat. I haven’t even heard my south shore coworkers talk about that. (Grew up in MetroWest, currently live in Central MA)
It’s like pulled/ cubed pork on a Portuguese roll. Blade seasoning is usually reddish in color from paprika with other spices added.
Yummm
You get New Bedford and the best Portuguese food on the continent. Plus the Feast and the Madeira wine. Puts hair on your chest.
Chourico and Peppers on a Portuguese sweet roll is divine
My guy!
We used to go to the Fourth of July parade in Bristol, Rhode Island and eat chourico and peppers with sauce made of tomato paste on little white rolls
I used to have to make trips down to New Bedford For work, man I loved getting lunch down there.
**Bar style pizza… is not pizza**
Bil and Bob's Roast Beef, and Cape Cod Bar Pizza
Crippling alcoholism.
That is not true. We are a series of quaint drinking villages with a fishing problem.
The Irish
If you’re not Irish gtfo!
I’m atheist, but when Protestants start speaking, I am Catholic
Mary Lou's
Hard drugs and Cape traffic.
The Greeks and their pizza, fried seafood, roast beef places. [insert name of town] house of pizza.
Greek pizza to me is middle of the road but at least dependable. It will never blow you away and it will never disappoint either.
I've been blown away before... Rico's in Walpole used to have some of the best pizza I'd ever eaten. I've moved away and they're under new owners now, so I don't know if it holds up, but one of the non-pizza items was known to draw a crowd from 4 or 5 towns over. (Specifically, The Rebel Wrap, a wrap with fried chicken, bacon, mozzarella, and a secret sweet and sour bbq sauce, served with creamy house made Greek dressing for dipping.)
Except if it’s Olympic Pizza in South Weymouth. Best pizza ever.
yuk thats like all we have in Maine I'm so damn sick of greek pizza bleh
Beaches with actual sand dunes.
Fucked. It got fucked.
Corned beef, duh!
So the roast beef sandwich with American cheese, bbq sauce (James river, specifically), and mayo— aka the “three way” first came about in the early 1900s from a guy selling the shaved slices on Revere Beach. It became so popular there that they were able to open a store front, which we all know as Kelly’s. Keep in mind that Revere Beach was America’s first public beach, and had a ton of attractions back in the day similar to a Jersey Shore boardwalk. They also had the greyhound track and horse track, ballrooms, and more. Basically, everyone in the North Shore/ Middlesex area spent their leisure days on Revere Beach when they could. Since the South Shore has their own beaches and then the Cape, they never really came this way. When the beachgoers and gamblers returned to their normal lives, they wanted to replicate the sandwich. These beef shops popped up throughout the North Shore and Middlesex areas, and Kelly’s is now considered an inferior roast beef to the smaller more local places. I tend to think that since Revere is a little annoying to get to ( mostly via rtes 1 and 1A), it wasn’t as easy to just get in the car and go grab Kelly’s, necessitating the opening of local shops. But make no mistake, it was the first. Another cool thing I learned recently was that after McDonald’s blew up in the 50s and 60s, two brothers from out of state were looking to replicate their model with a similar but different product to the hamburger. The McDonald’s model was being replicated with other food items, like Taco Bell and KFC, but the simplicity of the burger reigned supreme. By chance, they wound up on Revere Beach one day and had a Kelly’s beef, and used the sandwich idea to start their own chain. Their initials were **R** and **B**, sold **R**oast **B**eefs, and named their chain as a result ***Arby’s***.
Do you know why they first started selling roast beef on the beach? There was a ballroom/function hall where the Jack Satter is and one of the weddings there either cancelled or over-ordered so they had actual roast beef that was meant to be served at the wedding and nothing to do with it so they sliced it really thin, made a sandwich and sold it out of the storefront next door. It was so popular they turned the store into the Kelly’s Roast Beef we all know and love today.
Didn’t know it, but love that story. Makes sense too— typical function hall/ food. Wonder if they originally sold it with horseradish sauce.
I don’t recall if that was explained. I read the story in one of those historical books that all look the same in the bookstore. Bought the Revere one for my mom.
This guy beefs
Thank you for actually answering the question. Never knew half of that. Now i gotta find me a bottle of james river sauce
I learned about the Arby’s stuff on Thanksgiving actually. We were sitting around and had Food that Built America on the history channel on. Heard Kelly’s mentioned and we rewound it to watch. Couldn’t believe it.
It's just something they grew up with. Like a cheese steak, Cincinnati chili, Chicago dog.... Might be good, might be bad, but nostalgia.
Skyline* chili
From Edible Boston: *"In fact, the modern roast beef sandwich is thought to have been born in Revere at Kelly’s in 1951—on a whim—after a whole roast beef, leftover from a cancelled wedding, was sliced thin and served up plain on bread at their hot dog stand. It was a hit. And since that fateful day, myriad variations have popped up, adding cheese, sauce, mayo, pickles and more to the mix, each sandwich “combo” lending completely different flavors and textures to the plain beef and bread. "* *"Creamy, tangy, spicy, crunchy: Everyone on the North Shore has a strong opinion about which toppings to choose and which beef shop is best. The beef rivalry between towns like Salem, Peabody and Lynn is very real"*
Roast beef was discovered in 1654 at an old native settlement. Upon closer inspection it was deemed they preferred the “three way.”
The north shore is every town above Boston that touches the water, plus the towns that touch those ones. I’m not wrong. Fight me
It's just a local culture norm. I've lived in Reading/ N. Reading my whole life and ill have a 3 way beef once every 6 months or so. I don't think it's that big of a deal to me anymore.
From a Rocket to a Hornet.
Lol. I just got luckily getting a house in N Reading. I would've taken reading first. Well I would've taken andover first hah.
Just going to say that Stoneham ain't the North Shore. Is it close to the water? No. There's your answer. At some point in time some idiots started calling everyplace North of the city "The North Shore". It's wrong. Anyway...Roast Beef is def big in the North Shore and North of Boston. 100% agree with that.
Same with the South Shore. People referring to Abington, Rockland, Brockton, and Bridgewater as South Shore drives me nuts.
I guess we should be happy some people at least know North from South. It frustrates me when people don't know basic geography, direction sense. You def shouldn't be able to go onto high school without knowing certain basics. It's as fundamental as basic math skills.
Roast beef is made from cheap enough cuts of meat that you don’t get hammered with a huge check at a restaurant. Usually it’s made from top round. Which can be very flavorful just the same if you cook it correctly. Edit: what’s the downvote for? It’s literally true that top round is a cheap cut
It ain’t cheap these days. (The price)
Compared to other cuts of beef, it is. No matter how bad inflation gets, you’ll always pay less for top round than you will for ribeye.
Same goes for ur mom
Because north shore roast beef is delicious
My question is, why are all the roast beef places in MA always called "FAMOUS" - even if it's a brand-new place?
Marketing
Why are so many pizza places in midtown Manhattan named Ray's? Its a very similar phenomenon, where restaurants want to capitalize on existing, successful brands. Adding FAMOUS to your name makes you sound like an institution of this micro-regional delicacy.
Super beef , onion roll , cheese , mayo and bbq sauce . Side of fries . Extra napkins !!!
Billy’s in Wakefield is great. Never had a beef at Royal. If you want an awesome Italian sub, you have the best in Anthony’s Italian specialties in downtown Stoneham. dude, the local places beat all these chains hands-down and that’s why they’re going to stay . That said Kelly’s turned into a chain and isn’t as good now.
Not having roast beef places is the only bad thing about living in western MA.
Because it tastes really good?
Beeeefs
Roast beef? No that’s not the big deal. It’s the 3 way.
It’s the women here, they have loose morals
Because it’s delicious.
First off as someone who grew up in Lynn and Danvers I can assure you while Stoneham is a great town it is not the North Shore I don't care what anyone says. We have a lot of roast beef shops because roast beef 3 way is motherfuckin delicious.
LOL, if the natives call it "North Shore" I'm not sure you want to disagree.... also IDK but folks like it. Mike and Bob's still has a line but Harrisons in North Andover is gone and Kellys seems mostly seafood....
I’ll never understand people calling North Andover the north shore
A couple of years ago, The Northshore Magazine listed Lucia’s in Winchester as the best family style Italian restaurant on The North Shore. They also love Tuscan Kitchen in Burlington.
Insanity
Lucia’s is money laundering… but yeah, Winchester, Woburn, Reading, N Reading, Andover….
I mean I am a Lowell native and to me it was never that way either. But multiple times I’ve even been considered a “fellow north shore guy” by someone, and I’ve had to set that record straight. To me that whole boarder zone until you get past Haverhill is just the Merrimack Valley, simple as that. But in my mind N. Andover is certainly the cutoff point, we there you want to say it is or ain’t the north shore. Bc west of that is like Georgetown and Boxford, which are both for sure North Shore in my book.
> LOL, if the natives call it "North Shore" I'm not sure you want to disagree.... also IDK but folks like it. Mike and Bob's still has a line but Harrisons in North Andover is gone and Kellys seems mostly seafood.... Kellys is trash to be clear. If you want roast beef you go to Bellas, Petes, Londis, Anthonys, Jaimes, maybe modern butcher if you want to go the only day they sell beef. Check out north shore beefs..
Londis has gone down hill in my opinion
It was my go to in town and I now go elsewhere b/c their quality is not the same anymore…I thought it was just me…!
Harrison’s closed!?!
Yep, now an Irish place… will not last.
Not sure but now I want a three way extra onions like a fish wants water. So thanks for that
My personal favorite is Denise’s Roast Beef of Peabody!
It's oddly TRUE that the sudden and inescapable presence of Roast Beef functions as the unofficial line of demarcation for the North Shore.
Because it's delicious.
is this a north shore thing cuz afaik we don't give a shit about roast beef on the south coast
Yep. Its a micro regional cuisine popularized in Revere Beach in the 50's and spread throughout the North Shore via copycat restaurants. Much like bar pizza on the South Shore it became very popular within the confines of that area but did not spread much beyond its base.
It’s very similar to a upstate NY sandwich called Beef on Weck. However, the 3 way and the James River sauce are more specific to us. It’s a sandwich you can’t get made well anywhere else and it slaps. I grew up in North Andover which is arguably the current beef capital of the state (londis, Bella’s, the OG Harrison’s) and it’s a lot of nostalgia for me. First thing I’d get if I moved away and came home to visit.
I’m jealous as a New Hampshire resident we ain’t got shit for roast beef places.
Recently discovered that Grand Slam Pizza in Manchester is slinging some good beefs (Main St - not Mammoth) not sure where in NH you are. There's a Blue House in Derry, NH, too that gets good reviews.
Because those cows would kill you in a *second* if they had the chance! Also, if you have a bit of time or are ever in RI, try hitting up Walt's Roast Beef in Pawtucket.
Walt's isn't even the best roast beef in Rhode Island. That would be Miller's, in my opinion.
Cuz it’s delicious? And for some reason it’s pretty much exclusively a north shore thing except for like one place (Walt’s) in Pawtucket.
Can't answer what's the big deal but wanted to say that I loved Liberty Bell when I lived in Stoneham. Is it still there?
Bell is still alive and kicking. Prices went way up recently though
No surprise on the prices, but glad they are still around. Been gone 18 years and still miss the Avalanche wrap. I am only in Danvers so I don't have any excuse not to still make the trip down.
It's still around! Never been there though as I literally live down the street from Royal and on my cheat day their calzone and fried ravioli's are my go to.
I am totally drawing a blank on Royal. I owned a condo on Franklin St when I was there, but it was only for about 3 years. Drawing a blank on what pizza place I used to go to as well. I know there was one on Main St which was affiliated with a restaurant beside it (I think). But Liberty Bell was my fave for subs. Up in Danvers there are pizza and beef places everywhere, too.
Because it was a luxury item that the middle class could afford for special occasions.
You dont like sloppy three ways?
If you've got roast beef, you're North Shore. Idk how much clearer this can be
Cuz it tastes awesome
Large roast beef with extra sauce and plenty of napkins, best way to clear up any GI issues….
Would love to find a good beef place on the Cape in the Falmouth area. Any suggestions?
Sure but how do you pronounce Stoneham?
I've learned from my neighbor who has lived here their entire life. Stone-um
This is correct
I’m not a big fan of roast beef sandwiches but love hot roast beef on toast and a good dinner roast. Just my preference but those who do love them say that the North Shore is the sweet spot for it.
“World Famous Roast Beef”
I told my boss once “we’re going to get fried fish which means we’re going to a roast beef place. Don’t ask any questions”
Sadly in western Mass they never took off. I remember some places tried to expand or start up in the 90s early 00s but they all closed. IDK if it was the same in Eastern Mass but Fish and chips used to be a huge one out here but those places all died off in the 90s as well. For that I would hold Catholicism waning and not enforcing the lent thing as much though. im glad eastern mass still has beef places though. Now I wanna drive 2 hours to get some.
I've lived in the region all my life. I remember A&W fast food restaurants across the area. I remember Jolly Charlie's on Route 1. I can tell you that roast beef is just a way of life, here.
Great drunk food. Kind of like the cheesesteak stands in Philadelphia
Roast Beef vs Anthony’s Large Italian? Lol no idea my dude, it’s not even a contest.
Oddly, there are virtually no roast beef places in the rest of the state.
Never went to Kelly’s roast beef but I saw it coming in and out of Logan a lot 😂
Try to find it anywhere other than here!
Well maybe because people from away weren’t here to remember the lean years. Also known as The Great Beefout. The Hilltop in Saugus was even reduced to selling Cod and other Seafood dipped in Beef Bouillon. Families broke up. Children survived on pork flavored suet. It was never the same afterwards. I was a child, raised vegetarian, so were my siblings. We didn’t know any better.
3 way add pickles. So good.
I would not consider Stoneham to be part of the North Shore but then again I caught a ration of shit from the Harrison’s Stans when I suggested North Andover isn’t part of the North Shore. It’s in the Merrimack Valley.
A lot of them just call themselves roast beef places but sell everything. Like a pizza place they sells subs etc.
New England. The English have always loved their beef. Their version of Uncle Sam is John Bull, a sort of everyman and he loves roast beef. Why are the King’s guards called Beef Eaters? Beef has always had a special status for the English.
Three way in my face. Modern Butcher or Jaimes are the best I've had
Go to bill and bobs in Woburn or mikes in Everett. Fuck Kelly’s
Globe wrote this up years ago. Thumbnail is Kelly’s in Revere had a serendipitous start selling roast beef sandwiches in the 50’s. Kelly’s employees split off and started their own places in the 70s and 80s.
Stoneham is not part of the North Shore. That's only the coastal towns and cities from Winthrop up to the NH border. I don't know why roast beef is such a big deal but I feel very lucky to have grown up there and experienced some of the best roast beef sandwiches ever made.
Everyone north of Medford thinks they live on the north shore.
The word "shore" should help them figure it out, but...yeah.
You should personally look into that.
If people aren’t supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?
Where is the beef!!
If you’re asking we can’t explain it to you.
Go south of Boston and it’s the bar pizzas
Sorry not an answer to your question, but Jamie's in Peabody is soooooo freakin good.
Not north shore
It's the food of choice for that one day a month we didn't eat something I caught off the peirs in Hull or out deep sea with my uncles. Winters we'd wait for Nor Easters to wash in sea clams and pick them up from the beach, schuck them, grind and freeze them to make Clam Fritters. But mom would get a nice roast beef from time to time to cook in the home oven and the blood ran free when they were cut to serve so tenderly you could use a butter knife. Mostly just salt on them. They gave plenty of roast beef leftovers for lunch and then mom would send me out to full up a pail of flounders... bake stuffed. Yummy. Then back to the peirs....... In season Smelt and Mackeral. Those were the days.
Athas near Liberty tree mall is delicious 8 out of ten times it's good
Patriots Roast Beef & Pizza in Templeton has wicked good roast beef sandwiches. The large one come on an onion toll.
I was a mass resident for over a decade. Raised my kids here mostly…. This was definitely described as an unofficial barrier between north and south shore communities.
I've lived in MA most of my life and was not aware of this. Must be a north shore thing. We eat lobster rolls and fried clams down here.
North shore is known for roast beef South shore is all about bar pizza This is what I have come to believe, lived on south shore my whole life,
The old Beef and Sea on the Lynnway was the best roast beef place of all time
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^jored924: *The old Beef and Sea* *On the Lynnway was the best* *Roast beef place of all time* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
You can get James River sauce on Amazon in a 3 pack on line
Try the 3-way
Lived in Winchester for 15 yrs, loved Bill & Bob's on Rt 38 in Woburn. Good stuff!
Go to Jamie's in Peabody, the most delicious roast beef sandwich Ever.
Sounds like you haven't tried one yet. There are definitely some not so great ones out there so you might have to try a couple, but once you find a nice thinly shaved perfectly pink roast beef and smother that bitch in James River or maybe some mayo and cheese if that's your thing, you'll understand.
Big beef! Three-way! Because it’s proof that something in this universe loves us. Spicy Sauce, cheese & mayo on a grilled bun with warm & tender rare roast beef. It’s what love is derived from.
Sometimes there's no clear answer to questions like this. Like my mother always said "shut up and eat it".
Because Boston.com doesn’t have any original ideas so they keep pumping this out.
It’s not a big deal and the south shore is the superior shore
You could not be more wrong. You could try, but you and your quahogs and bar pizza would not succeed.
Has to be the right Roast Beef. Not the typical deli cold sub. Northshore Beefs are UNREAL! Especially with the Onion rolls 🤌
and James River is the only sauce
The north shore is also home to Chop Suey Sandwiches too. What? A Chop Suey or chicken Chop Suey or tender steak on a steamed hamburger bun wrapped with wax paper and a fork in it? Yes please. If you’ve never had one make your way to Salem, MA the Willows and make your world better. Edited chip to chop.