Ideal Sub Shop

Best sub shop in boston no question asked, family own sub shop right at heart of Roxbury Ma 2 119, been there for over 30 years same owners, great food friendly services. They also have Capeverdean food as well if you are looking for a good plate of CATCHUPA Ideal is the spot.

Ideals is a staple… must try!!! Haven’t had it in years since moving to the west coast but soon as I landed it was the first stop !
Try to get there early! Line is pretty crazy but we’ll worth it! I promise. I go for the Cubano sub. I’ve tried to go have it other places but never added up to Ideals!
Love this place and promise you will too

Aaaahhhhhmmmaaazzzzzzing. I’ve been a loyal customer since I was going to the elementary school down the block. Best prices, family owned and everything is made fresh to order.
The line and the wait is long but soooooo worth it!

Ridiculously cheap BUT also ridiculously delicious. Don’t let the price fool you. The quality of the subs are great. I always get the small which costs about $ 5 but leaves me stuffed. Every time I’m nearby, I have to stop by this place! $ 15 sub is like 3 feet long and will feed 4 people. Amazing place. I wish this place was near my home. I don’t understand why people give this place 3 or 4 stars because the line is long. What do you expect from a busy and popular place? You just have to plan accordingly.

This is an old school shop with old school prices. CASH ONLY and be prepared to spend a minimum 15 minutes waiting in line to place your order. If you order something HOT you’ll be there another 10 minutes minimum but its worth the wait. Lunch time it’s packed and they close at 3:30p. I only gave them 4 stars because it’s a little annoying having to stand in line on my lunch break. If they implemented online ordering via a website and charged a convenience fee this place could increase their business and save their customers precious time. It would also make more sense to have someone take orders like most places and the multiple people in the back making sandwiches without having to interact with the customers individually (this slows down the sandwich prep). You can’t beat the prices but you pay for it in time.

Large roast beef loaded up with lettuce tomato pickles mayo and cheese, yes sir, it hardly gets any better than this, hardly at all.
No credit cards and the area is shady :/​
But the subs b good :)

Been going here since I was 1 years old now 33. Great taste foe the value $. Best sub place in the areav. But the only reason why I gave it a 4 star is because the don’t answer phones when you want to make an order. I would suggest having a seperate station for phone orders and someone designated to answer the phones. Also to accept credit cards

Food here always fresh and super tasty! The only downside is they don’t accept cards, but their food is super cheap so that makes up for it. They never upset.

This place has been around for years in my neighborhood and never have I thought to walk in and try them but I should have known that there was something good about them when they always had a long line of people, Finally I went inside and OMG! Almost had a heart attack by how good these subs taste! And for the price it is amazing they foot longs for nice economical price is even better, Nothing like downtown state street sub shops cost you $ 25 bucks! for small sub, You got to try this place I will most definitely come back.

Local, affordable, tasty, quality, and friendly :)
The Good:
Great place for large good quality inexpensive subs. People are cool.
The Bad:
Usually a wait.

If you don’t mind waiting in a slow line this place is good. Went today because I passed by and it was crowded and I’m not familiar with Roxbury so I figured it was good. Got in line behind about 10 people. Waited 40 minutes to order… no joke. There were 3 people making subs behind the counter. Way too long a wait. I’ve had fresh made paella come out of a kitchen faster than that in a packed restaurant, and these are just cold cut sandwiches. I’d never go back there unless there was no line. On the other hand, I’ve never had a decent sub this cheap so big. It wasn’t anything special. Glad I got the hot pepper sauce cause that made it better than a normal sub. Dirt cheap and tasty.

This small family owned sub shop is the best in Boston and I must say worth every penny and it’s not that many pennies at all.

Place looks like a dump from the outside. But never judge a book by it’s cover. When I walked inside it looked very old, No lights and a menu that look like it’s never been changed. I asked for a steak and cheese but the guy told me the grill closes 30 minutes early. The small steak and cheese was only 4 bucks. I then asked for a medium ham and cheese which was 4 dollars and some change. Everybody there was friendly. THE SUB WAS HUGE. You most certainly get your money’s worth. Cannot wait to get the steak and cheese.

Love Ideal’s but they have a real issue with there phone number. Every time you call it rings busy so you can’t order in advance. This is a real bummer! Other than that they have the best tuna subs in town!

Now this is hands down the best sub shop in Boston! I’ve been going to Ideals since I was 10 years old. They have the best French bread. The quality of their ingredients are the key to their success. My go to sub is the Italian. They give you a monster size sub for under $ 7.00, the only downfall is the line that you have to wait in to get a sub, but that means it has to be worth it. I just wish they deliver or take orders over the phone, if they did I would give them a 5 out of 5…

Came here yesterday afternoon and had the pepperoni and chese sub with everything on it and it was amazing i love this place and the subs are HUGE!!!

I love cold subs from Ideals. The place is always packed so try to go early in the morning or anytime before peak lunch hours. There is always a line but its just ridiculous at lunch time. I love that they make their cold subs on French bread. The regular submakers are very friendly. Today I had bitch who thought she was someone but I didnt recognize her so shes either one of the staff they usually keep in the back or a newbie. Either way, she did her job so I ignored her misery. My turkey sub was great as usual. I also ordered some fried pork and some coffee. Their pork was overfried or not fresh. Either way I am not reordering that. Their coffee was great diner coffee and everything is very affordable.
I have to warn you its in the hood and you have to order through glass. I know it sounds crazy but I swear its worth it.
Also I like that they sell those single packs of aspirin and alka seltzer. They are open early so if you have a hangover you can stop here for some of that. They also serve breakfast but I dont like their plates because i think the homefries suck. Breakfast sandwiches are good.

Ideal is one of those places that if you arent familiar with you wouldnt eat there…
The place looks like a hair salon or some corner store that isnt even open… The gate is usually ½ way down covering the store which causes confusion, but dont worry — they are open & they are in there…
They are only open till 3, which is a downside… So get there for lunch & dont mind the line (It flies)
$ 3 subs that cant be beat… I usually order ready made (Italian, Ham & Cheese), never anything that needs to be grilled, it just helps with the speedy process… and Ive never had a bad sub…
I just usually have cravings for them when they are closed…

Ideal is an experience! A tiny, hole-​in-​the-​wall sub joint with big ol’ cheap subs. BF used to work around the corner and took me here on a saturday afternoon for lunch. The line was out the door, because A) it’s that good and B) they make the subs really slowly! I would say, at lunch, on average it will take you about 30 min to stand in line, order, and pay for your sub, but it’s worth it.
My favorite part about Ideal is that they have never taken down a single hand written sign from their walls. There are 10 years worth of signs detailing all the of the price increases and changes to the menu, for example «Attn: the cost of the turkey subs is going up 10 cents (dated 1997)». Reading all of the signage will keep you entertained while you wait in line, maybe that’s why they left them up?!
All your classic stand-​by cold and hot subs: turkey, italian, tuna, meatball, steak, etc., etc… XXL can feed 3 people. The bread is really good.

The only reason Ideal doesn’t get 5 stars is because they are s-​l-​o-​w. However, the subs are DELICIOUS. They slice the meats right there, serve fresh farmer’s market veggies on the subs, and make the sandwiches your way right in front of you, AND they are CHEAP!
At lunch, don’t bother trying to call in your order, they won’t answer the phone. Just go stand in the line that is out the door, and wait. It’s worth it!