Sal's Lunch

It's a fast and friendly family-owned deli-like shop. Super sad the fryer was down because you just knowwww those mozzarella sticks would be amazing. The steak bomb hoagie was amazing and the chicken parm/ meatball hoagie was great. CASH ONLY.

Best pizza in the North End!!! Subs are huge and so good. The two woman working here are so nice and make you feel right at home when you walk in.

You can read other reviews and find why some people hate this place; if you're looking to sit down and enjoy a sandwich with some light music in the background and comment on the area, you should head back towards Salem or Hanover. This is more a local joint than tourist luncheon spot; maybe check out Max and Dillon's (I heard they serve some yummy Macaroni con Queso y Langosta).As you may already be able to tell, I dig this place for what it is. Greasy Spoon meets Local Sandwich Shop; the result- a dericious sammich.Looking at it from the outside, you can expect pretty much the same on the inside; this is a no frills atmosphere and zero wait service. Step up to the register, place your order, and watch them cook your food. Construction workers in the area seem to really enjoy it, and I have yet to find anything wrong with their Chicken Parmigiana sub; in fact, I may be so bold as to say their marinara is one of the better one's in the North End. No joke.The kicker here is the price. $6 for a sub the length of your arm. Move over Dino's, these guys actually season their food.

Another review from the boyfriend:Like Mangia Mangia, Sal's (or Chez Sal, as a poster inside the restaurant says for some strange reason) gets three stars for being a convenient lunch option w/ non-italian offerings in the north end. I would probably have to give it one star if I were reviewing it in any other context, though. While it has some of the standard italian fare you can expect anywhere around there (italian, eggplant parm, and chicken parm subs) you can pretty much get whatever kind of sandwich you want. They also have daily specials, which include hot options like meatloaf, chop suey, etc. They also have one or two soups of the day, which you can get "free" with the order of a sub (they actually charge 25 cents for the soup when you get it w/ a sub).The food in Sal's is sort of gross. I think they don't change the oil used to deep fry things often enough, because when you get a chicken parm sub, for instance, it just has a certain taste to it that is not right. In general, none of the food seems that fresh. Although they have a back room (a glorified closet) w/ a stove in there w/ something always cooking.In addition to the subpar food, the entire restaurant is just sticky. Even the backs of the chairs are sticky.But there are some things to like about Sal's. The women behind the counter are very friendly, it's cheap ($5 for a sub ($4.50 w/o soup) and $4.00 for a sandwich). There are always old ladies from the nursing home across the street hanging out in there (affectionately known as the ladies of sal's), which gives it that north end neighborhood feel that I like. Also, it can be an adventure every time you order a sandwich, because if you don't exactly specify what you want on it, they'll just sort of put whatever they feel like on it. This of course has mixed results. They also have really cheap breakfast options, though I haven't tried them yet.But, in the end, going to Sal's isn't about getting quality food. It's about embracing convenience and filth. Because sometimes there's nothing better than sitting down for a greasy hamburger club sub that you eat while perusing a copy of the Herald, with the occasional glance toward the televison to see what is happening on the soaps. Long live Chez Sal.

I could always spot Sal's Lunch when I walked from North Station to my workplace. One day, I had forgotten my lunch at home, but didn't really know of any cheap eateries in the North End (expensive Italian restaurants & bakeries weren't going to do for me). When I approached Sal's Lunch, I was a bit hesitant to enter. This place is the definition of "hole in the wall." Even the appearance couldn't hold a candle to that of Subway's. I decided to go for it anyway. There are some tables inside & you can sit at the counter on bar stools as well. The menu was pretty straight-forward with not that many options, but I liked that aspect. Usually when I walk into a new eatery & spy an extensive menu, I become a deer in headlights, so this was good for me. A sweet lady took & made my order (chicken parm sub) immediately. The sub was only $6 & freakin' HUGE! Definitely enough for two meals. I'm not sure if I would return since I'm not in the North End that often (unless I find work there again), but Sal's Lunch is a safe bet for anyone who's not looking to dine in at an Italian restaurant or resort to pastries.

I pass by this place almost everyday and head some other place for lunch. Finally we stopped there for a simple egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast. IMO this is a simple meal to make and i gauge small local places off there egg and cheese's. With that said, Bacon was awful. it was pre-cooked and looked awful and tasted awful. Egg was scrambled. There was fly's on the bagels and the mustard packets had grim on them. I wasn't looking for 4 star food but a nice well put together sandwich would have worked. I ate half the sandwich and threw it out.

Just don't do it. Food poisoning waiting to happen. Woman was pouring oil all over my (cooked) steak and cheese and mixing it with raw steak ... Walked out and am never coming back. If I could give no stars I would. Walk the extra minute to Mangia mangia!

Fresh, friendly, cheap, and delicious! I had the Italian sub- it was light and delightful

don't waste your time here if your planning on enjoying all the great food options the north end has to offer.

Passed by here on a cold Saturday at the beginning of a trek through the North End looking for a great cupcake. As another user said, this really was a hole in the wall, if we weren't wandering down a random alley way we never would have thought a place to eat would be there. We were starving before the journey began so we stopped in for some food and were pleasantly surprised with what we got. The owner was very nice and friendly, and her father was there too but he didn't speak much english. The steak and cheese was very large, much larger than I expected and it really filled me up (It's was $6.50). My date got the BLT on wheat bread and it didn't have as much bacon on it as I would have liked to see but it still looked acceptable. Service was fast as we sat at the counter to eat, and there was only one other couple there at a table and they were finishing up.If you're in the area I'd say check it out if you're in the mood for something fast and low key. I don't plan on going here again but not because it wasn't good, only because there are so many other places in the area to try.