It’s amazing to stop and realize that local institution Armando’s Pizza & Subs on upper Huron Avenue has been spinning up tomato pies for more than 50 years and has remained unchanged over the decades in most every way. Top-billed proprietor Armando Paolo, who immigrated from Italy and opened the shop in 1971, died in 2016. The shop is now run by his grandson, Michael Bonavita.
Armando’s has always been West Cambridge’s go-to for good, solid thin- to medium-crust ’za (which I’ll take any day over Joe’s Pizza – and that’s no offense to Joe).
Armando’s is perfect for birthday party feeds or post-baseball team noshes, but besides pie, Armando’s make some mean subs. The list has all the classics: meatball, cheeseburger, chicken Parm and so on. But there are a few eggy ones too that are quite the bomb, be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
I’m particularly fond of Armando’s special omelet sub, which is grilled and made with mushroom and spinach and loaded into a soft, airy Italian sub roll with American cheese. It’s a satiating, decadent way to get your veggies.
The omelet is ever golden, light, fluffy and just the right amount of moist. It doesn’t ooze cheese –there’s just the right amount to give you your gooey dairy rush. Everything works in concert, and the care and attention to detail at the griddle nails it every time. Pro tip: Always go for the large. In my experience, there’s no point in going small – you’d just be left wanting more, and nearly all of Armando’s subs are under $10.
My hack is to call ahead and show up 10 minutes later to get it fresh and hot. There’s a few cafe tables to snack at, but I mostly get my sub to go and appreciate that it comes wrapped in foil, then typically in wax paper and a sub bag.
The old-school Italian sub shop menu also features a variety of calzones, a short tomato-sauce pasta slate and slices – what would a pizza and sub shop be without a slice? Armando’s is cash-only, and perhaps that’s the only thing that may change over the next 50 years. You can’t go wrong at Armando’s.
Armando’s Pizzas & Subs, 163 Huron Ave., Observatory Hill, West Cambridge
Tom Meek is a writer living in Cambridge. His reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in the WBUR ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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