Italian markets don't get much better than this longtime fave just north of Boston

Sub shops tend to do really well in good times and bad. They are typically quick and convenient, inexpensive and geared toward takeout and delivery — that last item being particularly important over the past few years, when the pandemic left to-go meals as about the only option out there for quite some time.

And while countless full-service restaurants had to make some pretty major adjustments during the height of COVID, the corner sub shops and pizzerias generally had to make only some minor adjustments, like adding curbside pickup and gearing a bit more toward delivery.

Now that the pandemic is (knock wood) pretty much in the rearview mirror, restaurants have mostly returned to normal with more and more people feeling comfortable dining in, but takeout and delivery remain much more popular options today than pre-COVID. It doesn’t just help sub shops and pizza places but also corner food stores, including Italian markets, which, in a way, are like turbocharged sub shops, offering much more than just sandwiches, salads and grill items.

One great example is Bob’s Italian Foods, an old-school place in South Medford that has been a popular spot for locals in this close-knit Italian neighborhood since the 1930s, and which continues to be a beloved place for many today.

Like so many great Italian markets — New Deal Fruit in Revere and Venda Ravioli and Tony's Colonial Food in Providence’s Federal Hill come to mind — Bob’s is a bit of a one-stop shop kind of place. Locals can be seen in the two aisles up front buying everyday items for meals at home, including cheese, bread, olive oil, dry pasta, olives, peppers and Italian cookies, while cases along the left wall are stacked with an array of ravioli and other stuffed pastas along with pasta sauce, premade meals and more. Further in the back of the store is the deli area, which is where workers make all kinds of subs and sandwiches, while scratch-made meals are prepared up front.

To some, the offerings at Bob’s begin and end with their Italian sub, or more accurately, their Italian subs (plural). They have a house Italian, a deluxe Italian and a deluxe Italian caprese, along with other options that are in the same ballpark as the Italian subs — a prosciutto caprese as well as a mortadella, a porchetta, a capicola and a sopressata, all of which come with provolone.

Any of these sandwiches are worth getting, but the pick of the lot might be the deluxe Italian caprese, which comes with prosciutto di parma, mortadella, capicola, sopressata, buffalo mozzarella, basil, tomato and oil, and is often mentioned as being among the best Italian subs in the entire Greater Boston area. The House Italian is another top pick, especially if you like a combination of hot ham, mortadella, salami, provolone and hots.

PHOTOS: Subs and more at Bob's Italian Foods

As good as the Italian subs are at Bob’s, their other subs and sandwiches are certainly worth considering as well, with the overstuffed chicken parm sub being a messy but delicious choice while the equally messy meatball sub is not something you’ll want to eat if you’re wearing a nice shirt.

The firm pork and beef meatballs swimming in tomato sauce is tough to beat. The eggplant parm sub is every bit as good as the chicken parm. Some of the more “American” subs, such as the steak and cheese, roast beef and corned beef, all use high-quality meat, and the bread used with all of the subs is as good as what’s stuffed inside them, with the small and jumbo sizes using soft braided bread with sesame seeds and the large using French bread.

If you’re looking for more of a full meal, the pasta dishes made at the sauté table are an often-overlooked option at Bob’s, and the dishes are of the type that you might get at a full-service Italian restaurant, especially those that use the freshly made pasta.

A few of the highlights include a traditional spaghetti and meatballs with an aromatic tomato and basil sauce; a simple but wonderful cacio e pepe with olive oil, butter, black pepper and grated pecorino romano; a hearty chicken marsala with ziti, mushrooms, shallots and pecorino romano; and a rich-tasting tortellini alfredo with broccoli and grated pecorino romano.

Some of the dinners come with a salad and bread, and most come in such big portions that they can last for two (if not three) meals.

A few other items that Bob’s offers are worth noting, including their ever-popular squares of Sicilian pizza. Unlike some shops in the Boston area that serve a thinner bakery pizza that has more in the way of sauce and less in the way of cheese, the ones here are thick, crunchy and have a pretty substantial topping of mozzarella, and you’ll typically find a plain and a pepperoni here, though slices with the works are often available as well.

The steak tips sold in the back area are a must if you like the type of lean and tender tips found just north of Boston, and a side that should be considered are the mountain of steak fries which go well with the steak tips, or the subs for that matter.

To those who live in and around Medford, Bob’s is an institution of sorts, but because it’s off the beaten path in a mostly residential area between Medford Square and Somerville’s Magoun Square, it’s actually a bit of a hidden gem that has still not been discovered by many in Boston and communities to the west and south — and it isn’t really a place that tourists and visitors tend to go to unless they do a bit of research.

With takeout continuing to be a preferred option for many, places like Bob’s Italian Foods will likely keep doing well and attracting new customers even after all these years of being in business, which is great to see, especially considering how many iconic restaurants, bars and food shops have disappeared from the local landscape over the past few years.  

Bob's Italian Foods, 324 Main Street, Medford, MA, 02155. bobsfood.com