J. Pace & Sons

This location of J. Pace & Sons is officially closed. Closed on Oct 4^th 2014.

First stop on the Little Italy food tour. They had a delicious platter of cured meats and cheeses for us to sample. We split a Big Dig sandwich. Fresh Italian bread, mozzarella, Italian meats and roasted red peppers. One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.
Bought a bunch of specialty Italian market items. Glad I brought an extra big suitcase!
Just like our visit to Maria’s we came back the next day for another Big Dig. Absolute deliciousness!

Located adjacent to Matias Bakery on Cross Street. This location is a far cry from the amazing one on Route 1. The thing I loved the most about the Route 1 location was their outstanding bakery. They make the BEST cheesecakes. especially the pumpkin flavored one and their regular cakes are great too. Both locations have a sub station which is another plus but in terms of content. This one isn’t as great or as clean looking at the other one.

This is a find, at least for me. I like a good sandwich and I try to find them on the road. This is a nice sandwich unit!!! Go peppers, turkey, roll, tomatoes, mayo and a bit of oil and vinegar. Niiiiiice!
All the other sandwiches looked great, I would try the meatball or sausage next. looked amazing.
Good service and great easy parking right before you hop on the interstate.
Thanks J Pace, I’ll be back!

I would give J. Pace a ⁴⁄₅ for their grocery selection and a ³⁄₅ for their sandwiches. They have a great selection of different pastas, deli meat, fresh bread and other specialty items. However, the sandwiches that I had last week were nothing special. The rolls were not very flavorful and didn’t taste the freshest. My husband and I tried the big dig and Italian sandwiches. Both were just ok. They use pre-​sliced meat and cheese for the sandwiches. I would go to Bova’s or Dino’s for a sandwich in the North End instead.

Came across this while doing the Freedom Trail. It’s a little bit off the red brick road. The sandwiches are done right and I saw mainly local working people come in so it’s gotta be pretty good. And it was. You can’t go wrong with any of the sandwiches they have and the prices are not bad at all. I think they definitely have a lot of regulars. I would come back if I was ever in the area.

Love, thy name is the Big Dig. Ironically, I discovered this place by taking a wrong turn while trying to find a Quiznos. (Don’t judge me – I was naïve and new to Boston). This sandwich is so good, it almost convinced one of my friends from PA to up and move here. Quality prosciutto, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, aged balsamic and olive oil, on freshly baked bread. I always mean only to eat half. Oops.

The place has the BEST Prosciutto And Mozzarella sandwich in the city. It is a must!

I’m terribly disappointed by the lack of meat in my Italian sub. I posted a photo. Serious step backwards from the old pace’s

I used to live very close to Pace’s, so I would visit there often, especially after getting off at Haymarket T stop.
J. Pace’s sandwiches are awesome. I hesitate to call them best, since I think it’s a tie with Dino’s at the corner of Salem and Prince. So I will go with «one of the best.»:)
The people are there are so awesome and friendly — my kids love thinly sliced salami and the deli workers go out of their way to slice it paper thin just for them.
The store also has a surprising amount of groceries — olive oil, vinegars, tons of dried pastas, some cheeses, and some canned/​jarred Italian-​specialty items. You can get single servings of lasagna, individual salads, and oh the meatballs. THE MEATBALLS ARE TO DIE FOR.
It’s a rare thing in the North End — a huge space with lots of variety and stuff to choose from. Put this on your list of places to visit frequently!

Sure there’s only three ingredients in a caprese sub, but J. Pace (& Sons – the sons are important) gets them right on the money. The tomato, the mozzarella, and the oil and vinegar came together in a delectable whirlwind of flavor that swept my mouth off its feet. I was itching for an eggplant parmesan sub, but you have to arrive pretty early to cop one of those puppies – they go fast, I guess. I’ll be back!

This is my most favorite sandwich place in the North End. The ingredients are fresh, and the prices are cheap! They have a spicy olive oil that they make themselves which you can not find anywhere else. So… why the 3 star rating? The service is hit or miss. I am in there once a week (at least) so the service is not enough to deter me from frequenting, although at times it has been so bad I have stopped going for a few months. Its a shame they do not have consistently good customer service, but hey the sandwiches are amazing so what can you do?

Place was recommended by another restaurant owner in Quincy Market. Said they grab lunch from Pace all the time. I had a Eggplant Parm there… it was excellent. The Eggplant was super thin with lots of layers (how it should be done). The cheese they use, top notch. Next time I’m by Hanover… going to try the Chicken Parm… that looked awesome too.

I will add my positive two cent review along with the others… this place is yummy. When I stop by at Pace I always pick up items to go to have for dinner since I am such an amazing cook…
Pace meatballs in the pasta dishes have to be the best around. Just like mom’s…er…BETTER than mom’s! Their meat lasagna is good too — albeit a bit on the dry side. In the future, I am going to ask them for some extra sauce on the side. I also always get two rolls of bread to go with my order. At prices ranging from about $ 7 — $ 9 and with portions big enough to last me at least 2 nights — this is a great option for homemade cooking you never had to make!
They are not open on Sundays which bummed me out for a time. Plan ahead and pick up something on Saturday if you want to enjoy their food on a lazy Sunday. Also wish they stayed open past 7pm. Can be tough if you have to work late.

Ahhhh… J Pace. You are a God among men. Your vision for an Italian products grocery/​deli has kept me well fed and yearning for more.
Walk into any of the Joe Pace groceries, and you can pick up a generously portioned sub or hot meal with very little chance of being disappointed in the quality. Everything is reasonably priced. On average, with a sub, chips and a drink, you’ll probably spend $ 9.50. Keep in mind, the food is good and big.
So why did I give the Cross Street store 4 stars and not 5?
Well, Unilocal describes 5 stars, «as good as it gets.» I’m sorry Pace, but your service time and price are not as good as it gets. The staff is super friendly and nice, but they’re not quick at all.
First we wait at the sub/​hot meal order line. If we get there at 12:15, then it’s about 7 – 10 people deep. Then once we get our food, we walk to the other line at the cash register. This is where you could spend another 5 – 10 minutes waiting, depending if they have one or two registers working.
There are other sub shops in the area that get me in and out with more customers and in much less time. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll keep coming back to Joe Pace, but if there’s one area Pace can improve upon, it would be the time a customer spends waiting in lines.
Also, I took one star away because the price prevents me from coming back everyday. I could easily spend over $ 10 on a lunch that includes a sub, chips and a drink. The price gets a little out of hand, but again, the quality of the food makes up for it.
Maybe they should have some sort of lunch special that gets you the sandwich, chips & drink combo for $ 8. I would be a huge fan of that and come back more often.
Great options here would be:
PARMESEAN Sandwiches on plain or sesame seeded, braided sub rolls. Eggplant, chicken or a combo available.
BIG DIG sandwich: Prosciutto, mozzarella, basil, tomato, olive oil,…throw on some roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes and call it a day. Fantastic.
MEATBALL SUB: It’s been mentioned a couple times by other reviewers, but their meatballs are wonderful. So meaty, so tasty, so good. Sprinkle on some parmesean grated cheese for an explosion of happiness in your mouth.
Pasta specials: It is true, sometimes the pasta dishes they create, especially those with sausage, can be a bit too oily or greasy. Then again, when you’re having sausage, why are you worrying about the oil? ENJOY it and then go run it off.
All their pasta dishes are tasty treats. They come in small and larger containers.
As far as I can tell, Pace does not bother with offering pizza. Don’t worry, if you’re jones-​in’ for pizza, you won’t have to walk far to reach a decent pizza joint in the Northend.

Two Words: Roast Pork. Call ahead or your lunch pangs will be met with chagrin and disappointment, kinda like how your mom feels about the way you’ve turned out. All that college and look at you. Guh.
You must call ahead. YOU. MUST.CALL. AHEAD. If you want to taste the savory delights of slow cooked pork on a house-​made braided roll dripping with porky goodness, topped with «hots» then you must call ahead. You have been warned.

Laura K Funfact: I love meatballs. A lot. A whole lot. I know; gross.
As I’ve mentioned 1,000 times before, I’m really not that picky about anything. «Oh, there’re mushrooms in this buffalo chicken calzone; I see what you did there. Cool.» Therefore, I don’t think it’s unreasonable that my #1 factor in meatball quality rating is suspected percentage of actual beef.
When I moved to the North End, I thought I was relocating to what MUST be a meatball Mecca. However, over the last year and a half, I have been sorely disappointed. Hey Al, your tiny, mushy ground fatballs are gross. Your only consolation in the suckage of your «meatballs» is that they’re slightly less white and pasty than Nick Varano’s – by the narrowest of margins.
For a while, I was all-​Going-​Bananas-​all-​the-​time; until I found J. Pace & Son last week. Since I frequent the next-​door Maria’s (which has the best cannolis in the North End fo sho), it blows my mind that I never wandered into J. Pace before.
One week and three meatball subs later (believe me, I wish I was kidding) I am finally in meatball hea-​ben. REAL MEAT balls available here. And, as if that weren’t enough to make my heart happy (and my arteries sad), these meatballs are served on a soft, delicious braided sesame roll with some kind of parmesan/​oregano/​crack powder sprinkled on top.
Time to break out the elastic-​waistband scrub pants; it’s fall and I’m making room for J. Pace and Son meatballs!

My friend and I go here when we can meet for lunch. The location is great since you can get a sandwich and the sit out on the greenway to enjoy your break from your cube.
Their sandwiches/​subs are great. My favorite, and I think most fitting, is the Big Dig. The Big Dig is prosciutto, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, basil, and oil and vinegar. All of that on a seeded roll. The bread is fresh, the meat is salty, the sun dried tomatoes add a bit of tang, while the oil and vinegar join the party to enrich the bread and tie it all together
What I really love about this place is how fresh everything is. Really fresh. I ordered a sandwich the other day and requested salami. There was nothing sliced at that moment so he went and sliced some for me. Additionally, their mozzarella are little balls that they slice for you.
Their attention to detail and fresh ingredients are reasons to come here for lunch.

I have been working just across the Greenway from the North End for about two years now and the only place that has stood the test of time as a reliable and delicious lunch spot is Pace. Their sandwiches just cannot be beat as they are made with the freshest ingredients while their deli counter provides fresh cold cuts to take home and attempt to make your Pace sandwich (it just can’t be done!). My favorite sandwich is the tomato, basil, mozzarella on a braided roll with oil, oregano and extra balsamic vinegar. Nothing satisfies the prolonged hunger of taking a 3pm lunch like this sandwich!
Pace is really an Italian grocer which makes them a great source for olive oils, specialty pickled and canned goods, pastas, imported cookies and oh so many more delicious things that remind me of home and trips to the Bronx. I find myself coming here more and more for cooking ingredients, pasta and their amazing selection of imported anchovies. This store is directly managed by a Pace and together with his army of red-​shirted employees, the store is clean, stocked and never without someone to make a recommendation or handle the 20 person deep line at lunch.
Which brings me to my next point. Don’t go at «lunchtime». Though the diligent expert sandwich crafters can get through a hungry queue in quick time, it leaves you with less time to roam about the store and pick up other items for your pantry. This can all be avoided easily because unlike almost every other lunch spot in the area that closes at 3pm, Pace is open until 7pm! So, not only is this a great spot for late lunchers like myself but, also to pick up dinner when you leave the office.
The North End still pales in comparison to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx for me but, Pace is a pretty darn good substitute.

All of us get stuck in the inevitable lunch rut — myself included, though I generally bring food 3 – 4 times a week to the office. Even so, J. Pace happens to be the best and easiest solution for beating the midday hunger pangs.
I almost always end up with a sandwich from here as the pastas tend to leave me in a food induced inertia, taking my work productivity down to a near zero for the afternoon. You can put pretty much anything you please on your turkey or roast beef sandwich, but my favorite has to be the Big Dig. They don’t skimp on the prosciutto (mental note: keep floss in desk drawer), the mozzarella and sun dried tomato are perfect together, while the basil rounds it all out. Sandwiches are very reasonably priced, and could probably last a stronger-​willed person through two meals.
The grocery section offers mostly Italian items, including fresh dried pasta, San Marzano tomatoes (oh HELL yeah), and a full deli counter for sandwich meats and cheeses.
Plus, the clerks have never even so much rolled their eyes at me for charging a 5 dollar sandwich to my debit card. Thanks, guys!