Blue Boy Sandwich Shop — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I really hope that I'll be able to come back and update this review with a better review because I really wanted to give them a 5 star review. BUT... I can't. I went there with a friend who frequents them often. As such, I wasn't sure what to order. My friend was no help because our tastes are different. There was a very nice guy and young woman at the counter who both get 5 stars for their professionalism and friendliness. After disclosing I prefer HOT subs and inquiring as to whether they sold meatball subs (they do not), the guy suggested their Italian chicken sub. (That may not be the actual menu name for it). It comes grilled or fried, with provolone, marinara, etc. He raved about it and by the time he was done I could already taste it! That was the pleasant part of my experience. From there... ehh. The wait for the food was exceptionally long. But just when I thought they'd forgotten us, it was ready. My friend had gotten some sort of hamburger sub that was HUGE... In comparison to my sub. Which was large still. Mine was 6 to 7 inches. Squared! ALOT of bread and I'm thinking, I won't be able to eat all of this in one sitting. Great, I'd have some for later as well! I wanted to see what I'd gotten! Marinara, mushrooms, I couldn't wait. I peeled the bread back and was like, uh... whatthefudgeisthis? (Not the actual terminology used.) Imagine ordering a foot long sub, receiving a foot-long but inside there was a piece of meat the size of Krystal's hamburger patty. I had more chicken than that but not by much. It was breaded, severely overcooked, and still, after peeling all the now excess bread away, about the size of a McChicken sandwich. To be fair, a double McChicken. I got marinara, mushrooms, provolone as promised, but I felt... duped. The photo I've attached is the half of what was left and is of a day old sandwich. It was more appealing when I got it. My fault, not theirs. But the disproportionate size, the overcookedness... that's all on them. I WILL visit them again and I WILL still recommend them, because I'm sure THIS isn't their norm. It can't be. I think this was someone's haste or having a bad day, or something and I won't write them off for that. I'm hoping my next visit will prove me right. If so, I'll update this review (and condense the heck out of it.). If you've read all this, then YOU definitely need to pay them a visit. By the way, their fries a delicious. I'm a ketchup junkie and their fries are so good I didn't even need...

Make sure you got time to wait for your sandwich. Maybe they were just "backed up & shorthanded" on the day I was there. I had not been to Blue Boys in probably 8 years. I was in the neighborhood, saw the restaurant and started salivating (I was already hungry) and remembering what it tasted like when I last tried it. I was at a stop sign, I could make a left and stop in or take a right and keep my journey. So I said, " What the heck I'm not over here that often".

It took about 15-20 minutes to place the order. But I was committed I wanted to taste it. First thing I noticed the older man that was the cook ...was not in there ( it has been 8 years). I ordered the Philly Steak with the sautéed onions, Lettuce, tomato, Mayo, mustard, hot peppers and jalapeños. My name was called the sandwich was ready for pick up - took about 30 minutes. It was hot! I could feel the steam coming through the butcher paper. I was so excited to get it home....I was READY! Oh, it came with fries.

I got home, unwrapped the sandwich. It looked amazing! Huge! (it's like 3 meals) It smelled good. The bread was a great texture. I lifted the bread to see the inside (just to make sure everything I asked for was on it). This is where my smile began turning downward. There was only a tiny amount of onion, a strip of Mustard, I could barely see any hot peppers, little Lettuce, no jalapeños and the meat was not evenly proportioned on the sandwich (a few hunks / a couple of naked sections). I was disappointed but still excited. I rearranged the meat to cover the entire sandwich. I added my own Mustard, more onions and steak sauce since it was missing the items I requested. The sandwich was good, but it could have had another ounce or 2 of meat....and cooked with some Seasoning...meat alone was bland. The bread was good - soft and steamy. The fries were great....nice serving.

I think I will try Blue Boys again. But double meat next time. Maybe express EXTRA EXTRA on all the items - onions, peppers, jalapeños, and mustard. AND see if they can cook the meat with Seasoning OR maybe just try another sandwich all together. All the sandwiches looked delicious.

If you are thinking about it ....GO TRY IT!😃🙂 Just remember to take...

First, I'd like to say I've never been disappointed by their food. Like, ever. They always give huge portions, and it is always super tasty. The only complaint I've ever had is that sometimes it can be a bit of a wait, but it has ALWAYS been worth it for me, and who can blame them when their food is so good? They spend time on that, and people come to buy that, so a wait is expected. (I'd advise calling and asking how long the wait time is going to be before going in if time will be an issue for you!)

Second, I want to publicly thank them for being so kind and willing to work with me. I was having a rough day today, spending most of the day in the hospital with my child due to an emergency, and by the time we got out of the hospital it was 2:50 pm, a little more than an hour before the shop closes. I called them and asked if they'd be able to take an order, explained that I hadn't ate all day, and was hoping I'd be able to get some of their sandwiches (again, their sandwiches are worth it and after a rough day, the first thing I said was "i want Blue Boys") and they said that they were closing early, but they'd help me out. I also asked if they'd be able to bring it out to my car, instead of me coming in, and Patrick (if I remember correctly) said he could bring the food out to me, and it wouldn't be a problem.

I get there, about 3:30ish and their gate was closed from the main road, so I gave them a call and they had me pull around to the other side of the store. I sat for a few minutes, and he brought my order out to my car. When I went home, and got the kids situated, I finally sat down to take a bite, and I was so happy and thankful that he was so kind and helpful to me, and I wanted to give him/them a shout out for it :)

So, in addition to having great food, the customer service is phenomenal and they will go out of their way to satisfy the customer, within reason