Angie's Subs

Angie's Subs is a Jacksonville legend. Listed as the #1 Jacksonville restaurant on Urbanspoon for quite some time and boasting a cult-like following, the motivation to investigate the hype was far too strong to resist. Please excuse my cynicism but any place that is as popular as Angie's Subs inspires a strong sense of doubt within a person such as myself. Can so many people be wrong? Absolutely. Look at the majority of popular restaurants out there, look at the food people eat; most of it is garbage. So with a healthy dose of skepticism and a hearty appetite, we pulled off Beach Boulevard and up to what looked like a run down convenience store.

Angie's is a frightening place for the uninitiated. Beyond the shockingly run-down facade, the interior is packed to the brim with beach people, fluorescent lights, a staff of 100 or so teenagers, and sand. The beach is miles away and the floor is covered in sand. I don't think I'd be too harsh in calling the place, endearingly, a dump. Not just a hole-in-the-wall but a certified dive.

To say the experience was uncomfortable would be a slight understatement. For starters, we both have the skin tone of anemic albinos and the fluorescent lights only accentuated the sickliness of our pallid complexions. Additionally, if you've never been there before (and it's hard to hide it if you haven't) they shout at you.

Verbally assaulted, blind, and disoriented, we managed to order our food and then squeeze into one of the packed tables. Then we waited. And we waited. We waited for what felt like forever.

But then the food came. What more can I say other than they really are absolutely amazing sandwichs. Sub sandwiches are always a let down for me. Too much bread with bland fillings in meager proportions. This was quite the opposite. So good that I'm craving one right now; salivating on my keyboard. Is it the perfectly toasted bread (and the fact that there isn't an overabundance of it)? Perhaps the ample portions of delicious fillings. This was simply the best sub I've ever had. Ever.

So the hype is merited. The food was unforgettably delicious. And do know, the criticisms are all in good fun. The best restaurants around are typically hole-in-the-walls and Angie's just takes this ideal to an extreme. I'll definitely be heading back when I'm in the area but perhaps I'll call in my order ahead of time.

Angie's Subs (on myspace)
1436 Beach Blvd
Jacksonville Bch, FL 32250-3410
(904) 246-2519