The North Shore is famously known for its roast beef sandwiches. The sandwich was crafted right here in Massachusetts at Revere Beach in 1951. Since then, the sandwich has grown and expanded all over the North Shore. Now it seems like everywhere you look, there are beef sandwiches in every town. The question is, which one is the best? 

I will be ranking a number of local beef places for their taste, size, price, and overall atmosphere of the establishment. The places that I reviewed include Nick Place West Newbury, Niki’s Roast Beef & Pizza, Bella’s Roast Beef, and Steve’s Famous Roast Beef. To make each rating precise, I made sure to order the same thing at each location. A classic three-way super roast beef sandwich.

Steve’s: Haverhill

This beef was very solid. I felt that the meat was actually pretty good; it was extremely flavorful. There was also a ton of roast beef which made it very filling. However, I was not a big fan of their bun. I would have liked it to be much crispier. There also was not nearly enough James River sauce on it compared to the other places I have looked at. But the quality of meat was excellent and it did make this sandwich good despite the lack of James River. The beef did have potential, if their bun was crispier and they put way more James River on top, this beef would be significantly better. 

Price: $11.99—5/5

Fulfillment: 4/5

3 Way Ratio: 1/5

Taste: 5/5

Overall: 7.5/10

Niki’s: Georgetown

This super beef was an average size compared to other places. The beef was okay, but it was nothing special compared to the other establishments. The bun was also very plain, and it wasn’t very crispy. However, the beef was loaded with James River sauce, which I liked. I felt that out of all the establishments, this beef was the least filling by far. Which isn’t always a bad thing, but the taste of the beef did not make up for the lack of fulfillment. Also, it was very expensive. I felt that it was far too expensive for the quality of the sandwich. However, it was fairly nice inside and it had very good customer service. 

Price: $19.99—1/5

Fulfillment: 3/5

3 Way Ratio: 5/5

Taste: 3/5

Overall: 6/10

Nick’s: West Newbury

The beef was very large, it seemed like there was a lot of meat on this sandwich. Which was very good considering the price was only about $13. However, the beef was a little cold and not very warm. I would have liked to see a better bun on the sandwich as well. Everything about the sandwich looked good, except the bun. I feel like this beef had potential, but the two main things that brought it down were the meat temperature and the bun. However, overall it was very filling and a great meal that I enjoyed. Nick’s did have the best customer service out of all the places, and the inside was also relatively nice. 

Price: $12.74—4/5

Fulfillment: 4/5

3 Way Ratio: 3/5

Taste: 3/5

Overall: 7/10

Bella’s: North Andover

This beef was hyped up a ton. According to the official North Shore beef Instagram account, Bella’s was ranked among the top ten beefs in the entire North Shore. And this was not hard to believe because when I walked in, there was a huge line. It was clear that this was a very popular spot, and this sandwich did not disappoint. This beef was loaded with meat. It was extremely warm and very large. The sandwich was the most filling by far. Part of that was because the sandwich was loaded with James River sauce. The bun was really what made the sandwich stick out among other places. It was warm, crispy, and very flavorful. Overall, Bella’s was the best sandwich by far. The inside of Bella’s was extremely nice. It was by far the nicest and most updated place out of all the establishments. 

Price: $13.95—3/5

Fulfillment:4/5

3 Way Ratio:5/5

Taste: 5/5

Overall: 9.2/10

In conclusion, if you want a classic North Shore roast beef sandwich that fills you up, is good on price, and tastes great, then I suggest that you go to Bella’s in North Andover. They have one of the best roast beef sandwiches anywhere near us.