Big Jim's Roast Beef & Subs

Yum! The best roast beef sandwich I have probably ever had. The roast beef was incredibly tender and full of flavor. Definitely get the Super Beef-it was huge! FYI...This is a small walk-up counter place with only a few tables outside to eat at. No indoor seating available.

Want the best sandwich in PB? Look no further. Big Jim puts his heart and soul into each sandwich . Known for their North Shore Boston Roast Beef which does NOT disappoint. Must try when in town.

KakuBites

Recommended by a foodie, Big Jim’s served up a delicious, large roast beef sandwich. Their roast beef was so tender and such a match with their bbq (not too sweet) and horseradish (slight heat) sauces. The roast beef was sliced in a thick, compressed stack - when taking bites out of the sandwich, the texture kept reminding me of a soft filet. The onion bun was soft and rounded out the sandwich. The half order of onion rings was HUGE.

Suzanne Miyashiro

Thank you Big Jim. The best roast beef sandwiches ever. Made from the heart with lottas of love. We will be coming back soon from Reno. This will always be one our favorite places. Thank you

T Lewis

Dang. I’m shook. And it takes a lot to shake me up these days. This place is 10/10, 5 stars, 💯!! We arrived on a Saturday late afternoon around 4:15 PM. No line, friendly owner, she was very helpful describing the menu and how the food is prepared. Their roast beef slow cooks for 14 hours, making it super tender and moist. Just trust me and order the Super Beef with a half bag of crunchy onion rings (it’s huge, could feed an army). Every bit of it is mouthwatering, especially with their homemade horseradish and barbecue sauce. We also tried the sub of the month, which was the bulgogi bánh mì. It’s the best bánh mì I’ve ever had and they are not even a Vietnamese restaurant. The bread rolls they serve the sandwiches are amazing. The food here is made with love. You can taste it. We got lucky with street parking. Keep in mind their busiest hours are lunchtime from 11-2ish. They only have outdoor seating (order at the counter).

Mike Aiden

I'm guessing there are others who would drive 45min for a good roast beef sandwich. I'm certainly one of them. Luckily this incredible shop was around the corner from my Airbnb. Just like San Diego the city, I shall return!!!🙌

Greg Zurawel

Want the best sandwich in PB? Look no further. Big Jim puts his heart and soul into each sandwich . Known for their North Shore Boston Roast Beef which does NOT disappoint. Must try when in town.

John McCarty

We placed an order of 25 sandwiches for pick up at noon. They were ready at noon! On time! No waiting. We ordered 2 orders of onion rings, they are made fresh. The owner Jim made them himself. The Super Beef is super delicious, lots of meeting. Their sauces are spicy so would recommend to get all sauces on the side if you can’t handle spicy. This place is amazing. Chris and Jim are the best.

Victor Bilgen

I love a place that specializes and this is no exception. The roast beef is perfect and every sandwich we got was uniquely delicious. Side note, the chicken tenders order was massive and so freakin good.

Schayne Lees

Amazing authentic new england roast beef straight from the north shore! I had the super beef three way combo with onion rings and it was delicious. Would recommend some extra napkins or sauce on the side for anyone that doesn't want to get a bit messy. Happy that Jim was able to bring a taste of home out here!

Tim Eylens Sr

Big Jim's is 100% legit! Best beef sandwiches we've had in San Diego by far. We ordered the super beef sandwich, the steak and cheese sub with mayo and the beef bomb. The roast beef was cooked to perfection and sliced paper thin. The beef bomb is the perfect name for that sandwich. It was definitely the standout. Will definitely be back again! 20/10 I lifted these pictures off the Internet because we forgot to take any. To much of a hurry to get that deliciousness in our bellies. 🤤

Paolo Piscatelli

Came in tonight for the Gobbler and a Super Beef! Hot Dang! That Gobbler is incredible!! a super hot side of green bean brown gravy to smother on the sandwich. The turkey mash croquette is perfectly crispy. I burned the roof of my mouth multiple times, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. This sando is an all timer!! Get it before 11/30

Little joint selling HIGH QUALITY beef based sandwiches + others. I had the Super Beef (GB style), the wife had the French dip, and we split a half order of onion rings. Everything super impressive - the super beef GB style is to die for. Gentlemen inside made everything fresh. Onion rings crispy and delicious. Will be back for more.

Excellent beef sandwich. Cooked perfect medium rare without asking. Tastes like Pit Beef without BBQ sauce. The onion roll is fresh, soft and tasty. The BBQ sauce is great with the beef. The horseradish mustard is great on the sandwich. Not cheap, but a must try for any Pit Beef fan. Will be back.

Big Jim’s Roast Beef is the real deal. I ordered the Super Beef and it was unreal — piled high with perfectly tender roast beef, juicy, flavorful, and stacked on a fresh roll that held everything together just right. Every bite hit. No shortcuts, no skimpy portions, just straight-up quality. You can tell they care about what they’re putting out. Fast service, friendly vibes, and food that lives up to the hype. If you’re even thinking about getting roast beef in San Diego, this is the spot. I’ll be back for sure — and probably getting the Super Beef again. 🔥🥩

Best French dip in San Diego. Fresh and tender beef, a toasty roll that holds the au jus well, and good placement of the beef throughout the sandwich. The au jus has a deep flavor, and it comes out nice and hot. It's a thing of beauty. The beef sandwich is also really good. Big Jim knows his stuff.

Stopped in today with my wife for lunch. My wife and I both had a roast beef sandwich and shared a half order onion rings. The meat was tender and the sauce to die for. Half order of rings were more than the two of us could eat. Big Jim gave the suggestion to mix the horseradish with ketchup for a tasty sauce for our onion rings. Spot on . I will definitely be returning. I strongly urge any and all to visit Big Jim's Roast Beef!

Growing up in Southern California and before I was able to travel was tough becuase all I knew of Roast Beef was Arby's and I loved Arby's, but becoming a well traveled foodie had me searching far and wide for the best foods in many categories. About a decade ago was when I first traveled to Boston and soon after having had seafood there I decided to travel north to the source. On that trip to find lobster, clam bellies I found where the roast beef all started. Since seafood in the north only hits different in the summer, the North Shore Beef hits year round. I've been coming to see Jim from the pop up days. I mean who else is gonna order James River Sauce and slow roast beef for hours and hours and warm it in a jus and smother it in white cheddar (I do prefer Cooper Sharp). I mean it's like like traveling to the source when he cooks. It's not just authetic. The picture don't do it justice, the beef is red/pink, rare. You can order it true with catch phrases. I used to prefer cheese on top and now I get it cheese on bottom. Time in bag is to be kept a minimum, eat it right away, not that it doesn't travel well, but to savor the "thingness of the thing" requires immediate consumption. Like produce picked at peak of freshness it loses it in car rides home. Why do those punk kids in PB get this in their backyard. They've probably never even been to Mass. If I'm willing to take a flight for food the least I can do is drive 40 minutes for it. The French Dip is good, but it's no Coles/Phillippe, but him being a Beef connoisseur makes it better than most. Probably the 5th best Philly in SD, but i'm more of a seeded semolina guy and I like the extra fat from ribeye. Amazing onion rings go good with everything. I actually like getting a super beef and a jr beef, becuase each has it's own type of bite. The JR is like an appetizer to the supers main course and the onion bun on the super and extra everything makes the ratios better, but eating 2 feels like overkill. Unlike many burgers there is no need for the Japanese burger technique becuase it all melds together and doesn't shoot out the back. You don't need to go to Mass to try and good 3 Way, not to be confused with a 3 some, which to me can be just as good.

Mike

Excellent beef sandwich. Cooked perfect medium rare without asking. Tastes like Pit Beef without BBQ sauce. The onion roll is fresh, soft and tasty. The BBQ sauce is great with the beef. The horseradish mustard is great on the sandwich. Not cheap, but a must try for any Pit Beef fan. Will be back.

Walter Macalma

Growing up in Southern California and before I was able to travel was tough becuase all I knew of Roast Beef was Arby's and I loved Arby's, but becoming a well traveled foodie had me searching far and wide for the best foods in many categories. About a decade ago was when I first traveled to Boston and soon after having had seafood there I decided to travel north to the source. On that trip to find lobster, clam bellies I found where the roast beef all started. Since seafood in the north only hits different in the summer, the North Shore Beef hits year round. I've been coming to see Jim from the pop up days. I mean who else is gonna order James River Sauce and slow roast beef for hours and hours and warm it in a jus and smother it in white cheddar (I do prefer Cooper Sharp). I mean it's like like traveling to the source when he cooks. It's not just authetic. The picture don't do it justice, the beef is red/pink, rare. You can order it true with catch phrases. I used to prefer cheese on top and now I get it cheese on bottom. Time in bag is to be kept a minimum, eat it right away, not that it doesn't travel well, but to savor the "thingness of the thing" requires immediate consumption. Like produce picked at peak of freshness it loses it in car rides home. Why do those punk kids in PB get this in their backyard. They've probably never even been to Mass. If I'm willing to take a flight for food the least I can do is drive 40 minutes for it. The French Dip is good, but it's no Coles/Phillippe, but him being a Beef connoisseur makes it better than most. Probably the 5th best Philly in SD, but i'm more of a seeded semolina guy and I like the extra fat from ribeye. Amazing onion rings go good with everything. I actually like getting a super beef and a jr beef, becuase each has it's own type of bite. The JR is like an appetizer to the supers main course and the onion bun on the super and extra everything makes the ratios better, but eating 2 feels like overkill. Unlike many burgers there is no need for the Japanese burger technique becuase it all melds together and doesn't shoot out the back. You don't need to go to Mass to try and good 3 Way, not to be confused with a 3 some, which to me can be just as good.

J D

Best French dip in San Diego. Fresh and tender beef, a toasty roll that holds the au jus well, and good placement of the beef throughout the sandwich. The au jus has a deep flavor, and it comes out nice and hot. It's a thing of beauty. The beef sandwich is also really good. Big Jim knows his stuff.

Luke Klassen

Stopped in today with my wife for lunch. My wife and I both had a roast beef sandwich and shared a half order onion rings. The meat was tender and the sauce to die for. Half order of rings were more than the two of us could eat. Big Jim gave the suggestion to mix the horseradish with ketchup for a tasty sauce for our onion rings. Spot on . I will definitely be returning. I strongly urge any and all to visit Big Jim's Roast Beef!

Jeremy Sheehan

Big Jim’s Roast Beef is the real deal. I ordered the Super Beef and it was unreal — piled high with perfectly tender roast beef, juicy, flavorful, and stacked on a fresh roll that held everything together just right. Every bite hit. No shortcuts, no skimpy portions, just straight-up quality. You can tell they care about what they’re putting out. Fast service, friendly vibes, and food that lives up to the hype. If you’re even thinking about getting roast beef in San Diego, this is the spot. I’ll be back for sure — and probably getting the Super Beef again. 🔥🥩

Daniel Leyva

Big Jim's never fails to deliver. This place is the real deal as far as exceptional sandwich shops go. As a big fan of French Dips, this one easily competes with Phillipe's up the road in Los Angeles. And the Pepper Steak - It might just be one of the best Philly Cheesesteaks in town. Except this one's from San Diego and can be found in PB!

Ricky Turcotte

Little joint selling HIGH QUALITY beef based sandwiches + others. I had the Super Beef (GB style), the wife had the French dip, and we split a half order of onion rings. Everything super impressive - the super beef GB style is to die for. Gentlemen inside made everything fresh. Onion rings crispy and delicious. Will be back for more.

We love the roast beef here. It’s tender, thin sliced, rare, and just wonderful. I ordered online Sunday…4 super beef sandwiches and 1 French dip sandwich (with extra au jus) and it was a little over $100. They’re simple sandwiches- 3 main ingredients- bread, beef, and cheese.( Bbq served on the side.) and usually done just right. This day…all 4 super beef sandwiches buns were completely burnt …which did leave an off putting flavor on an otherwise delicious sandwich. That’s the only reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars. Definitely worth a try.

Melissa Wai

We love the roast beef here. It’s tender, thin sliced, rare, and just wonderful. I ordered online Sunday…4 super beef sandwiches and 1 French dip sandwich (with extra au jus) and it was a little over $100. They’re simple sandwiches- 3 main ingredients- bread, beef, and cheese.( Bbq served on the side.) and usually done just right. This day…all 4 super beef sandwiches buns were completely burnt …which did leave an off putting flavor on an otherwise delicious sandwich. That’s the only reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars. Definitely worth a try.

1st time to this restaurant. Wanted to try the Super Beef sandwich but they were sold out before 6:00pm. Instead got the Chopped Cheese, it's ground beef with cheese and some veggies. It was a bit salty and I wish I was able to get there earlier before they sold out of their renowned Super Beef ingredient...

Mohamed Ben-Ghaly

1st time to this restaurant. Wanted to try the Super Beef sandwich but they were sold out before 6:00pm. Instead got the Chopped Cheese, it's ground beef with cheese and some veggies. It was a bit salty and I wish I was able to get there earlier before they sold out of their renowned Super Beef ingredient...

Mike McBride

One and done Go to latitude 33 or Alex's brown bag. Not sure if you can do anything about it, I ordered a super beef. It was flavorless and overcooked. For $15 sandwich it was tasteless and I was extremely disappointed as I was hoping the best for you. I don't think it was the 12-hour cooking process I think it was when your chef was melting it up on the grill and warning it up. Barbecue sauce reminded me of a McRib sandwich at McDonald's which I would not feed to the family dog. I failed in getting the horseradish mustard my bad. Yes I have had the pleasure of going to Nick's roast beef in New England