Thin-sliced rare beef, James River sauce, mayo, and cheese on a toasted onion roll: the three-way is the North Shore's defining sandwich. From Revere Beach to the beef belt of Peabody and Beverly, these are the shops that do it right.
The full ranking
Thin-sliced rare beef, James River sauce, mayo, and cheese on a toasted onion roll: the three-way is the North Shore's defining sandwich. From Revere Beach to the beef belt of Peabody and Beverly, these are the shops that do it right.
Nick's Famous Roast Beef (Beverly)
Boston.com readers crowned it the best beef around in 2024, and People magazine once named it the top sandwich in Massachusetts. Tender house-roasted rare beef on an onion roll, with shoestring fries and onion rings that embarrass the competition.
Billy's Famous Roast Beef (Wakefield)
A Wakefield institution for over 35 years that butters and toasts its plain, sesame, and onion rolls before piling on barbecue-sauced fresh beef. Generations from Greenwood to Melrose grew up on the Super Beef.
The Modern Butcher (Danvers)
A whole-animal butcher shop whose roast beef sandwich took the North Shore beef scene by storm, built from beef raised within 150 miles. Its near-perfect 4.9 on Google is the highest rating of any beef on this list.
Zeno's Roast Beef & Seafood (Ipswich)
A family-run Ipswich shop that flies under the radar yet posts some of the strongest ratings in beef country, 4.7 on Google and 4.6 on Yelp. Exquisite three-ways plus fried seafood for the coastal crowd.
Bella's Roast Beef (North Andover)
Owner Harry Kanellos grew up in his father's South Boston beef shop and has perfected the craft in North Andover. A favorite of the North Shore Beefs Facebook group, with perfectly cooked rare beef on a buttered roll that somehow never falls apart.
Jamie's Roast Beef (Peabody)
Run by a trained chef who seasons, roasts, and thinly slices the beef himself, Jamie's won ROCK 92.9's Big Beefy Bracket in 2022. The Yoli, a three-way with roasted garlic aioli, is a modern North Shore classic.
Kelly's Roast Beef (Revere)
The original: the North Shore roast beef sandwich was born here on Revere Beach in 1951 from a wedding's leftover roast. Sirloin tip aged 25 days, sliced to order at the walk-up stand across from the sand.
Liberty Bell Roast Beef & Seafood (Melrose)
Melrose's beloved beef-and-seafood stand, pulling a 4.6 on Google across more than 700 reviews. A classic three-way best chased with a cone from Kennedy's Ice Cream Bar next door.
Niko's Place Roast Beef & Seafood (Salisbury)
A family-run Salisbury shop slinging great beefs since 2005, with seafood plates and pizza rounding out the menu. One of the far North Shore's most consistent sandwiches at 4.6 on Google.
Atha's Roast Beef & Pizza (Peabody)
A Peabody favorite lined with Boston sports memorabilia and devoted to the Junior 3-Way. Adam 12 of 98.5 The Sports Hub calls its beef art, with the sauce-to-mayo ratio nailed.
Ranked across 6 sources: Boston.com Readers Poll 2024 (ranked by votes); Boston Magazine · Roast Beef Guide 2026 (unordered); Northshore Magazine · Roast Beef Roundup 2024 (unordered); 98.5 The Sports Hub · Adam 12's Best Beefs 2024 (unordered); Yelp · Ranked by Rating (June 2026); Google Reviews · Ranked by Rating (June 2026). Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
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