How The Roast Beef Sandwich Became A New England Staple

Beef can be enjoyed in so many ways, and many signature and under-the-radar sandwiches you wouldn't believe exist make use of the protein. To name just a few signature beef sandwiches associated with the city where they originated: There's the Philadelphia-style cheesesteak, Chicago's Italian beef sandwich, Buffalo's kummelweck, and from the Boston area, the North Shore roast beef sandwich.

Created at a beachside food stand in the outskirts of Boston in the early 1950s, the North Shore roast beef sandwich is a simple build of a bun, thinly sliced meat, American cheese, and locally-produced mayonnaise and barbecue sauce. It proved so popular that before long, it appeared on the menus of restaurants across the Boston metropolitan area and in neighboring states, making the sandwich a classic claimed by the whole of New England. Here's everything you need to know about the birth, spread, and construction of this entry in the canon of iconic New England foods: The North Shore roast beef sandwich.

Known throughout New England as a North Shore roast beef sandwich, the restaurant that invented the dish calls it the "Original 3-Way Roast Beef Sandwich." In 1951, Kelly's opened just off of Revere Beach, in the Boston-adjacent North Shore area. At first, Kelly's sold hot dogs to beachgoers while its proprietors, Frank V. McCarthy and Raymond Carey, took on side gigs catering for an event hall on the same block. When a wedding was called off at the last minute, they were left with three whole beef roasts, and the next day, cut the meat into thin slices and piled it high on grilled burger buns. McCarthy and Carey figured it would take a day to sell off the surplus of beef. Instead, those roast beef sandwiches sold out in an hour, and from that day forward, Kelly's became a roast beef sandwich joint.

Named for the neighborhood where the first Kelly's outlet sold the first sandwiches, the North Shore roast beef consists of rare-cooked, pink-colored meat served on a sesame seed bun or an onion roll for customers who order the large "Super Beef" size. According to Kelly's, the correct and most popular way to order the sandwich is the "3-Way" preparation. It comes stuffed with meat and American cheese, slathered in James River brand barbecue sauce, and dressed with Cain's Extra Heavy Mayonnaise.

Initially and immediately popular at Revere Beach, the North Shore roast beef sandwich infiltrated the food culture of Boston, the largest city in New England. Consequently its originator, Kelly's, opened multiple outlets across the city and its suburbs. Diners who'd enjoyed the sandwich during a beach visit could grab one at a location closer to home, making the dish all the more popular. As of 2024, Kelly's operates seven locations across the expansive Boston area.

Demand remained high for the roast beef sandwich, so other restaurants in Boston and the surrounding areas added similar creations to their menus or opened just to serve the North Shore-style favorite. Among the Boston institutions where the roast beef sandwich could be obtained were Billy's Roast Beef and Seafood, Supreme, Bill and Bob's, Miko's, Zeno's, Mino's, and Beachmont. The city is a regional hub and serves nearby states, including New Hampshire and Rhode Island, and North Shore roast beef sandwiches show up on menus in small joints there, too. 

While other U.S. regions have their own roast beef sandwich preferences, the New England style pops up far from its point of origin. Kelly's runs six restaurants in Florida, and it can even ship its distinctive sandwiches to anywhere in the U.S.