Pica’s Deli & Ice Cream

Supersized sandwiches.

"I saw one guy just give it a squish and go for it. It's quite the sandwich."

And sky high sundaes.

"Once you take a bite, you get all of that at once. It's pretty amazing."

For a taste of summer all year long, there's no place like Pica's.

Set next to sister restaurant, Pica's Pub in Methuen, Pica's Deli and Ice Cream is a sandwich and scoop spot created by owner Shane Bernard, who wanted to provide the community an even more laid-back concept, where he could get creative with both overstuffed sandwiches and over the top ice creams.

"Picas Deli & Ice Cream is kind of a nice family spot where you can spend some time outside at the fire pit. We have speakers going out there, so we have music all summer. We've got nice Adirondack chairs for you. Just sit back, relax, have a beer, have an ice cream, have a sandwich. Play some cornhole. Bring the family, bring your friends. Have a good time. We're open from 11 to 9, so you can come for lunch, you can come for dinner, you can just stop by for an ice cream. You can stop by and grab a meal out of our cold case as well."

Pica's serves up a lineup of tasty sandwiches, but none command attention quite like The Animal, a roast beef sandwich built to rival any you've had before.

"The animal is a roast beef sandwich. It's on an onion roll. It's got crispy shallots on it. It's got a creamy horseradish aioli. We put some sharp cheddar on there. It's thin slice house cooked roast beef. We actually sous vide it for 17 hours, and it's tender. It's flavorful, and it works."

The legendary Triple Crown is a towering two-pound mashup of the restaurant's three most popular grilled cheese sandwiches.

"You've got a layer of brisket grilled cheese, a layer of dill pickle grilled cheese and a layer of the jammin grilled cheese. People go crazy when we put it on the table because it's literally 2 pounds."

For a balancing act of sweet and savory, try the Orchard BLT, a satisfying sandwich with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, peppery arugula and crisp Granny Smith apples with a pecorino cream. And for some heat, try the Angry Rabe.

"We take ground sausage, and we fry it up with some cheese and seasoning. Add some nice blanched broccoli rabe in there. So it's got the feel of a steak and cheese but made with sausage. You get the creaminess of the cheese. You get the bitter rabe, and then you've got that authentic Italian sausage flavor. It's fantastic."

And for a meatball sub that won't leave you wearing half your lunch, try the Big Polpette, a sandwich that takes some serious kitchen engineering to pull off.

"We take a Tripoli stick and we hollow it out. We have our homemade meatballs and marinara, and we cap it with that piece of bread we pulled from the outside. The funny thing is watching people get it for the first time. You hand them this piece of bread that they can't see a meatball or sauce or anything. But you bite into that thing and the cheese is melted, the sauce is perfect. The meatballs tender and and it all stays in one spot."

For a tasty take on a pita, try the so-called Pica Pocket.

"We call it a Pica Pocket. Um, but, you know, the technical term is Puccia. I made up a batch of dough one day, and I said what happens if we fold this thing over, bake it off, open it up and fill it with chicken parm, Italian. And man, it worked."

This delicious pocket can be stuffed with just about anything, like crispy chicken parm slathered in housemade marinara and plenty of provolone, or all the makings of an Italian, chopped so it's easy to eat.

"You get those flavors in every bite. You get the tomato, the pickle, the hot relish, the sopressata, the mortadella, the provolone, it all just kind of comes into one. It's absolutely fantastic."

If you want an Italian by way of New Orleans, order the Muffaletta stacked with all of that premium meat and a family recipe for olive tapenade with melted provolone.

And for an Italian built the old-school way, order Pica's Deluxe. A sandwich inspired by the legendary Bob's in Medford.

"I used to drive down to, um, Medford to get my Italian sandwiches. So I said if I'm going to if I'm going to put out a good Italian sandwich, it's got to be really good, so we use sopressata, mortadella. We add imported prosciutto de parma. A nice mild provolone. All fresh toppings. It's out of this world."

Of course the name on the sign says DELI AND ICE CREAM, and at Pica's, they take that second part very seriously, serving up dozens of flavors along with shakes, soft serve and towering creations like the KB PB Sundae.

"We do ice cream, peanut butter sauce, hot fudge, Reese's Pieces, peanut butter cups. And then we top it with some homemade whipped cream, and it's fantastic."

And for something completely over the top, try the so-called "Mingya Monster," a sundae so big, it needs its own zip code.

"The Merrimack Valley sometimes is called Mingya Valley. So that's why I use that in the name for the sundae. You're getting four, four scoops of your choice. You're getting four toppings. You're getting whipped cream, cherry, all in the biggest container we could, we could find. It's pretty amazing."

And from stacked sandwiches to over-the-top sundaes, Pica's Deli and Ice Cream is all about good food and great times shared with family and friends. And for Shane, that's the real reward.

"At the end of the day, just seeing this place full and people smiling and having a good time laughing, that's the best part."