Larry’s Giant Subs

This little joint has a decent sub and a lot of social flavor.
The staff are great. You want to revisit an establishment that employs decent, admirable people, and this is such an establishment.
Sandwich alone won’t sell me, however they do have great deals, such as the Buy One Get One after 5pm and the buy a large sub get a beer for a dollar.
Location is the best in the city, right smack dab between a half dozen bars in a very walkable part of town.
Indoor seating
Free WiFi
Television
Craft beer
They have a Cuban!
Try the place, you’ll end up going back again and again

This is the second time I’ve been stiffed on their after 5pm two-​for-​one special. My husband gets two, but my GF sub is solo despite assurances from the head office that the GF sub is included in the deal. The only reason we’ve gone there is because they offer GF subs.

One of the best chain sub restaurants in Jacksonville. Firehouse is too heavy and unhealthy feeling. There bread is too soggy. But Larry’s uses boars head ingredients, including great whole wheat and gluten free bread options. You can even ask for Peruvian sauce on it, think Angie’s Subs at the beach. I usually get the Animal: turkey, ham, cheese on whole wheat with cucumbers, peppers, onions, lettuce, tomato, Peruvian sauce, hot sauce and jalapeños. Can’t go wrong! Don’t forget a bag of Miss Vickie’s jalapeño potato chips!

I am immediately smitten with any sub shop that offers a Veggie Head something more than a sub with just lettuce, tomato and onions. A lot of places overlook those of us who don’t eat meat and offer measly hoagies with whatever ingredients or toppings they have left over.
Larry’s Giant Subs does specialize in meat-​based sandwiches like pastrami and corned beef or the Philly Cheesesteak. However, it took me a long time just to order a veggie sub here because I was offered a list of veggies to choose from for my sub. Shredded carrots, sautéed mushrooms, grilled onions, black olives, banana peppers, green peppers in addition to the traditional lettuce, tomatoes and pickles were all offered to me (and I am sure there were others– this is just a list of what I ordered.) Then you go into a variety of mayos, mustards and sauces to choose from. Oy. Talk about customizing your order.
I loved my sandwich. The bread is apparently shipped from Costanzo’s Bakery in Buffalo, NY. I am not at all familiar with Costanzo’s. I Googled them and found out they have been serving Western New York since 1933 with sandwich and submarine rolls.
Now the Larry’s theme kind of confuses me. The store I was at in Five Points Jacksonville had a New York theme. But not a Western New York theme, it was more like a scene straight out of New York City. Pictures of the city and subway signs hung on the wall. There was no indication of anything out of Buffalo, so why are the rolls from there? I only ask because it would be like ordering rolls from Amaroso’s in Philly and then hanging pictures of the Pittsburgh skyline on the walls.
Anyway, Chad ordered a tuna sub. He didn’t get the 50 questions of what toppings he wanted. His sandwich came with lettuce, tomato and onions. Though he still liked it, there wasn’t anything really special about it. Next time we know to ask for more of the veggie toppings I was offered.
However, doing a little research on their website I learned that they don’t use the typical generic-​food-​distributor-​brand of products like 99% of any other sub shop in the United States. Larry’s uses brands like Chicken Of The Sea and Hellmans. Does this mean better quality? Not necessarily but at least they offer products the public generally seems to like better and is more familiar with.
Larry’s Giant Subs, though based in Jacksonville, has more than 60 locations in 4 states from Austin, TX to Central Florida to the Charleston, SC area.

It’s a subway on a few steroids. They do toast the bread and that’s a big plus. The meat is boar’s head. Yea it’s a brand name. There’s just not much of it. I really don’t like places where you order your sandwich. Then they reach into a case and get a really small tray of your meat. Then they made your sandwich. It’s a quick meal before work. I used to say when I used to pack my own lunch. It doesn’t have to be good it just has to be sufficient. That’s what Larry’s has turned into. It is a tick above fast food. After all it’s boar’s head.