Darleen’s Sub & Pizza

Portsmouth, United States

4.2

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 603-431-5445
Address:
697 Islington St, Portsmouth, NH, 03801
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Lunch, Dinner
Bike Parking
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
No
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
No

Today

Today 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Portsmouth) 9:42 PM Thursday, June 12, 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Fresh Steak Chunks cut up every other day for our steak subs.

Try our Vietnamese sandwich Banh Mi.

Fresh Pizza dough made every morning.

Don’t forget to try our homemade American Chop Suey.

History

Established in 1987.

Darleen’s Sub and Pizza has been here for 28 years open by Darleen who has grew up here. Now a new owner who also grew up here, keeping the original menu just adding to it. Same great taste. Price hasn’t change just added some Asian food to the menu. You want real steak subs… come to Darleens! No frozen shave steak here, steak is cut up every other day fresh!

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20 reviews of Darleen’s Sub & Pizza

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Cambridge, MA
Love that this is a different sub and pizza shop! Will definitely return!
Place rating: 5
Hampton, NH
I had my first Bahn Mi tonight and I now I now have a new favorite sandwich. It was the perfect hot BBQ with pickled veggies on a oven toasted French bread. The people were friendly and the the place was super clean. I will be going back very soon.
Place rating: 5
Belchertown, MA
I decided to try Darleen’s and see what a bahn mi sub sandwich was all about. Amazing! This place was way better than I expected. Fries came out first and were HOT, crispy and the right color. Siracha sauce is on the table.
The bahn mi subs were topped with really fresh veggies and, as I requested, they were very spicy! Place was clean, people very friendly and it was basically the best cheap eats I’ve had in forever.
Place rating: 5
Portsmouth, NH
Small clean sub shop across from Hannaford Plaza on Islington with its own parking lot. I have only ever had the banh mi here (regular, medium spicy) and it is excellent. It definitely ranks with the banh mi I have had at Vietnamese places in NYC, NJ, and MA. Remember to ask for extra napkins because the bread is so crunchy that it ends up all over you, a very small price to pay for such a delicious and cheap lunch experience (about $ 7). The spring rolls, which are homemade by Darleen’s mother, I believe, are also top notch – very light but chock full of fresh finely chopped vegetables – not greasy at all like in a lot of places. Darleen’s is definitely a regular lunch spot for me, and hopefully one day when I am not tempted by the banh mi and the spring rolls, I will expand my repertoire for the delicious looking (and smelling!) subs and pizza
Place rating: 1
Portsmouth, NH
Wow this place has gone down the tubes since under new ownership!!! Spent 30.00 on 2 subs and a salad no drinks and chicken was reheated and thrown on a hard roll, I genuinely felt insulted spending my hard earned money on what they call food.
Place rating: 1
Berwick, ME
This place used to be simple and very good when Darleen owned it! However the new owner is doing her an injustice leaving her name on the building. I ordered a simple Buffalo chicken wrap that had old fried chicken along with the cheapest buffalo sauce I’m sure this owner could find. They couldn’t even cook the chicken with the sauce. It’s very difficult to mess a simple chicken wrap and unfortunately this place has no standards. Sadly a street dog wouldn’t eat this food and I don’t think that’s a very far assessment of the place. Stay away! Gross !!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
As an out of town traveler I was looking for good local flavor. this was a recommendation from a co-​worker and all I can say is WOW!!! I have had good banh mi sandwiches before and this was top of the list. Fresh ingredients and highly recommended.
Service was great and very friendly!!! Highly recommended and you wont be disappointed.
Place rating: 5
Portsmouth, NH
Best tuna salad in town. I’m from New York so I’m a snob when it comes to pizza and I’m assuming it’s just as bland as every (insert town name) house of pizza in the area. But if you want a great tuna sub you won’t be disappointed. Very friendly staff as well.
Place rating: 5
Portsmouth, NH
I love the Chicken and the Beef Bahn Mi, my husband loves the original one. Yum
Place rating: 3
Portsmouth, NH
This place is a general sandwich etc shop. Nothing stands out, but the food is consistent and tasty. Good parking for the area, good prices, and clean atmosphere.
Place rating: 5
Portsmouth, NH
I second Nancy O.‘s sentiments– I just had my first bahn mi sandwich there and it was delicious. Darleens has always been a reliable place for subs and pizza but now bahn mi and a few other Asian foods grace the menu as well. They feature the traditional bahn mi with pâté as well as a Korean chicken one and one with delicious Korean style bulgogi filling! I had the latter, and look forward to trying the others in the future. I saw phở featured on the specials board and look forward to trying that too. The space is clean, owner/​chef is awesome and friendly, prices are good. For vegan friends I think this could probably be great with veggies as the pickled veggie garnish inside is full of flavor, and the spicy sauce and fresh cilantro give it a great kick as well.
Place rating: 5
Leyden, MA
Last night I had my 1st banh mi at Nikki’s Banh Mi Shop. This is formerly Darlene’s, and Darleen is still here, so I’m sure the traditional subs, etc. are still great, but I don’t know because I’m already addicted to Nikki’s Banh mi.
Last night I had the chicken & tonight I had the beef. They both arrived on warm, light crunchy French baguettes filled with Nikki’s homemade mayo, spiced meats, crunchy fresh veggies, and a wonderful hot sauce that flows across the tongue.
Nikki is friendly & passionate about her sandwiches. This is gourmet cooking in casual cozy place.
Place rating: 5
Boston, MA
If you have never had a bahn mi go have one! Don’t be scared to try it! It is delicious! I haven’t had one in years since I left Boston and am glad to have found one here in Portsmouth!
Place rating: 5
Portsmouth, NH
My favorite sub shop in Portsmouth. The Italians and steak and cheese subs are the BOMB. They taste exactly as they should, the same way they are made at the small places that dot the north shore. I will not get an Italian at any place other than Darleen’s! And it is my son’s favorite place for pizza. I’m not big on Pizza, but I actually eat the pizza at Darleen’s which is a huge step for me.
Place rating: 5
Fremont, CA
Best Italian sub period. Been here every time I went to NH for the summer when I was younger. Whenever my family is in town they grab a couple and ship them to me way over in California. I’ve had Italian subs everywhere and nothing beats Darleen’s.
Place rating: 4
Kittery, ME
Best traditional sub shop around! Friendly staff, no nonsense menu, fair prices and diced pickles! I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to try it.
Place rating: 3
Newington, NH
I haven’t gotton a sub here in years. I got a steak and onions. The meat was good and the topping were great. (Real sour pickles!) The down side was the roll was small and bread was just ok.
Place rating: 4
Newington, NH
Great cheese-​steak. Good roll and nicely seasoned meat. I like the fact all the vegetables are chopped not sliced. Overall good value and good taste. Prices on par with everything else around the seacoast. It’s a small business so purchasing here is a part of my community. better then sub Way.
Place rating: 4
Portsmouth, NH
Yes! As everyone is saying, the new spicy beef bánh mì is very good. In fact, that’s usually what I get when we order from Darleen’s now. The new owners are very friendly, and we were welcomed the moment we walked in the door. That means a lot to me. I actually look forward to seeing them.
Initially I was skeptical about the new Vietnamese additions to the menu alongside the traditional subs & pizza. But, you know what? It actually works. The subs & pizza are as good as ever; they seem to have kept Darleen’s recipes. And the new menu items just give you more to choose from.
Still no website, though, so there’s no ordering online. But stop in and definitely try out the spicy beef bánh mì. They’ll adjust the spiciness for you if you wish.
Thumbs up!
Place rating: 4
Biddeford, ME
I’ve had the cheesesteak and I’ve upgraded my opinion. There are a few places where the pizza is better, but the cheesesteaks are excellent at Darleen’s and the steak is sliced thick enough that it tastes like steak. None of that paper-​thin, salty, shaved steak here, this is the good stuff.