J & M Subs
When is a sub shop more than just a sub shop?
When the Sandwiches are this stuffed, the Calzones are this gooey, and the Pizzas are just about perfect. And if you want a place like this in your neighborhood, all you need to do is move to North Andover, so J & M Subs can be your local spot. For more than thirty years, J & M has been a Merrimack Valley staple for all your favorite sub shop fare.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “We offer all the classics, but we have so much more.”
The difference here is that everything seems to have a little extra personality. From the fun kitschy signs covering the walls, to the creative items coming out of the kitchen, to outgoing owner Chris Vasilopoulos at the center of it all.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “I enjoy making food. I’m a nurturer by heart. So I enjoy making good food that people can taste, and they eat, and they go home and they’re like, ‘wow’. It comforts them. It makes them feel great.”
Chris started in the restaurant business when he was 14 years old, and almost 40 years later, he’s figured out that the secret to making a great sandwich is actually pretty simple.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “You know we’re not flying airplanes, we’re just making good sandwiches. Some things you don’t need to put too much thought into. You use great ingredients. You get great results. That's always been our motto.”
Starting out with some subs, if you order anything with J & M’s homemade chicken cutlets, you’re going to be happy. Whether it’s the ‘Niko’ with basil, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella, and thin sliced prosciutto, or the ‘Paisano’ with sautéed spinach, marinara, melted mozzarella, and basil infused ricotta, on toasted garlic bread.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “You eat that sandwich, you take a bite out of that, you don't just taste one flavor, you taste them all at once. You take the crispiness of the chicken cutlets, you take the crispiness of the bread, the marinara sauce, sauteed spinach, it just literally melts in your mouth. It's awesome.”
If you’re craving a burger, the ‘Nineteenth Hole’ piles lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheese, mayo, BBQ sauce, and a fried egg on a half pound patty. And if you’d like to experience a burger mashed up with a deli classic, check out the Bacon Cheeseburger Reuben.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “We took a twist on the Reuben. We did a Bacon Cheeseburger Reuben that comes on a braided Italian roll. Phenomenal. Your mouth’s going nuts. You got cheeseburger, Swiss cheese. The bacon it’s crispy. The bitterness of the sauerkraut, finished off by the 1000 Island dressing. It's like a Symphony.”
If some spicy seafood sounds like music to your mouth, try the Buffalo Fried Shrimp BLT.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “Classic BLT Sandwich, we said you know we're going to take everything that comes with it but we're gonna add buffalo shrimp to it. We deep fry the shrimp, we dip it in the sauce, lay it on, we hit it with some blue cheese drizzle after, another amazing sandwich.”
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The pizzas at J & M are hand tossed and baked in an old school deck oven. And the toppings can get inventive, like the BBQ Ranch topped with fried chicken, bacon, and BBQ sauce. Or the ‘Gianna Marie’, a colorfully festive pizza Chris named after his daughter.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “Because she likes Christmas and it looks like Christmas. It's got Alfredo sauce base. It's got roasted red peppers, sauteed spinach, kielbasa. So you get the sweetness of the alfredo sauce, the smokiness of the kielbasa and it just comes together. It's an awesome flavor. It really is.”
Of course sometimes you just want to keep it classic, which is where the Margherita comes in.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “We get a lot of people that just want simple. Classic Margherita just has a light tomato based sauce. It has fresh tomatoes on it, fresh mozzarella, and we just finish it with a little bit of basil. It's phenomenal. It's very light pizza if you don’t want to eat too heavy.”
But if you do want to eat heavy, the calzones here will definitely fill you up. Like the Chicken Parm stuffed with hand battered cutlets, homemade marinara, and tons of melty mozzarella, or the mouthwatering Steak Tip Calzone.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “House blend steak tips, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, feta cheese, topped off with a little more mozzarella, all stuffed together. We bake it off, comes out, we serve it with our homemade Greek dressing. That's got it all.”
To finish your meal, nothing beats an order of fresh baked Cinnamon Knots dripping with sweet icing.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “That's gooey. That's warm. That hits the spot.”
And J & M hits the spot when you’re hungry for a sub shop with food and service that’s a slice above.
Chris Vasilopoulos – Owner, J & M Subs: “You come in for an experience you might not find anywhere else. You'd be surprised when you walk in, I got a sign it says ‘Smile, it confuses people.’ But it's true. You know these days for some reason, the service has left the service industry. And for me, the number one thing is service. Because you can go anywhere for a sandwich. You can go anywhere for a pizza. You know, the big chains, they don't know your name. When you walk in here. We know their name. We know their kids. We’re embedded in the community. So you know, the most thing is about comfort. Comfort foods comes with comfort. You feel comfortable when you walk into a restaurant, you feel comfortable when you know the person that's making your sandwich and know they're gonna put in as much love and care as if they're making for their own mother.”
