Bowery Beef

Like other reviewers, we visited midday and were escorted out because of a poetry reading. Any restaurant that has a poetry club take precedence over serving food gets one star in my book. WTF, it’s not like their website even hints that they are inside a poetry club and that they will randomly be closed. I’m glad I checked Unilocal first before I took my chances with this place and I won’t bother trying to visit again.

We came here on a Saturday afternoon. We were shushed out of the place due to a poetry reading and found out the Bowery Beef was closed because of it.
I’ll update on the sandwich, if I ever get the chance to try it.

I don’t like roast beef sammies… or DOOOO I?
Growing up I was more of a chicken fillet sandwich girl and avoided all things beef and cheesy from the Arby’s menu. But after reading about this yummy sammie, the beau and I popped in recently and I really DO like roast beef! We shared a regular sized sammie (one person should NOT eat all of that alone!) We got it with everything on it and it was just melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender. I can’t wait to go back ’ cause the roast beef with whiz has my name all over it!
Only improvement could be a better bun, but get YOUR buns there and enjoy a true beef and cheesy!

I’d been in the city for a week. A little homesick, I still hadn’t found my goto spot when I needed a quick cheap bite. As I’m often wont to do I started searching google for a specific type of food, in this case North Shore style roast beef sandwiches, to see what the world’s greatest city has to offer. These searches are usually hit or miss as for some reason great food places open and close with the changing of the lights. A chowhound article was found… dated 2003, this sandwich shop had closed. I kept scouring. What’s this? A Village Voice article detailing a Boston style roast beef shop right around the corner on Bowery? It can’t be. Even if it is, it’s probably modeled after Kelly’s, the roast beef abomination to the true connoisseur.
I mosey on in and order off the menu — «Can I get a Roast Beef 3-​way on Onion?». A blank stare is returned to me. From the side of the shop «We don’t have onion rolls, I couldn’t find any place around here to get the right ones.» I turn as one of the owners comes walking up to me and explains the story of Bowery Beef. A friend from North Andover who worked at a shop. The pilgrimage of roast beef sandwiches in the Greater Boston Area. And the eventual selection of Harrison’s as their roast beef model. I have to admit, I was impressed. By now my sandwich (a junior with mayo, sauce and cheese) was finished and the time was at hand. I sat down and took a bite. Beef? Correctly sliced razor thin warm pink roast beef (if balled a little tight when packed on). Check. Sauce? This is the roast beef sauce I know and love. Check. Bun? A hamburger roll sprayed with pam and dropped in a toaster. Ehhh… Check.
Is Bowery Beef the best roast beef sandwich I’ve ever had? No. It can’t compete with Nick’s Famous Roast Beef in Beverly, MA. No one can. 30 years of experience in the family run sandwich shop will trump any contender. But is Bowery Beef the best roast beef sandwich I’ve had outside Massachusetts? You betcha. It’s damn good, too.

4.5 stars…
If you didn’t know it was there, there would be almost no indications that Bowery Beef was a business within the Bowery Poetry Club and Café. Once you step inside, it doesn’t look like much, a fairly empty looking counter with a few baked goods, a few coffee makers, and a meat slicer next to a heat lamp. I’ve past this counter/​seating area to get to the Poetry Club’s entrance a couple times and didn’t even consider that one of the best sandwiches in NYC was right there. What they lack in atmosphere and layout they definitely make up for with their food.
The premise behind Bowery Beef is to be a typical eastern Massachusetts roast beef shop and a little bit of a clam shack thrown in. The menu is ultra simple, you get your roast beef sandwich with their special bbq sauce in the junior ($ 5) or regular size ($ 8) (a double decker or cheese whiz version is also available) with a choice of american cheese ($ 1), horseradish, onion, mayo, or mustard are also options. Sides are limited to a baked potato, chips, or pickles. I got the junior with cheese ($ 7 after tax) and I don’t know if they were extra generous because it was the end of the day or if I got the typical «junior» but it was a huge sandwich. The bun couldn’t have possibly worked with any more meat. Why they would have a sandwich bigger than that is just baffling. The pink and incredibly tender roast beef sliced ultra thin along with the slightly spicy bbq sauce and cheese was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Messy as hell but delicious. If the meat was any more rare/​soft then it would have been mushy but they’ve managed to stay on the right side of that fine line.
The seafood (brought in from Mass) is listed as market price and there’s only two options, lobster and/​or Ipswich clams (both steamed). Personally I think this isn’t the kind of place to be doing seafood but if they were to do it right, they need to go all out and expand the menu with adding some fried seafood and clam chowder. If your only experience having a roast beef sandwich is from a bodega or Arby’s you need to forget that and come here, you’ll be amazed.

That was a great sandwich. Even better than This Little Piggy. I knew I was probably in for something good when I saw all 5 star reviews, but I still wasn’t expecting to like it this much.
There are two sandwich sizes. I was pretty hungry so I went with the bigger one, which turned out to be just the right size. There are a bunch of toppings you can choose. Can’t remember all, but I think it was cheese, BBQ sauce, mayo, horseradish, and mustard. I decided to go with everything.
Awesome roast beef and a great mix of flavors. Not greasy at all. The bun held everything together really well and the horseradish gave it a really nice kick.
I was there late at night last night so it didn’t make sense to try the Blue Bottle but I’ll be back to do that next time.
Really cool vibe here too. A little under the radar due to the lack of any major signage out front but I doubt it’ll be for long. Word usually spreads quickly when food is this good.

Absolutely fantastic roast beef sandwiches. Beef is rare, thinly sliced with a velvety texture. The grilled bun is squishy like a good slider bun but larger. I probably like the everything/​no cheese best The mayo and radish is a great combo as well, putting more highlight on the excellent beef.
The owners and staff here are also very friendly.

Unbelievable.
Agree with the previous review, get everything on it, although I think I’ll try it with no BBQ sauce next time, but honestly, these things are ridiculously good.
Worth a trip from downtown