The Sub Shop that Encapsulates the Soul of Small-Town America

More than just a Sandwich...

Angie’s Subs is the kind of place you’ve never heard of, but once you go, you’ll never forget it.

It’s the heartbeat of Jacksonville Beach, which is a prime example of the heartbeat of small town America. I know Jacksonville Florida doesn't qualify as small town America, but I'd argue Jax Beach does. It has such a unique charm and character. Residents and former residents have such a pride and reverence to be from here that it’s infectious. It's a community that lifts each other up.

If you start talking about food with a Jax Beach native, the first place they will talk about is Angie's. You'll hear something along the lines of “Best subs on the planet” … "I've been going for 20+ years" ... "You NEED to get the Sweet Tea" ... "I worked there in high school!!" ... "Make SURE you put Peruvian sauce on your sub" ... and the list goes on.

As we were walking up to the strip mall style building that Angie fully occupies, I couldn't help but smile at a sign in the window that read "Closed up on Sundays. Giving our employees time fer Faith, Family, and Friends."

We walked in and were enthusiastically greeted by 2 girls at the register who were likely still in high school. I scanned the menu briefly and was overwhelmed. I asked the experts, and they gave us 3 passionately confident recs: The ‘Famous’ Peruvian, the Dr. Bangs Scrippy, and the Shane, which a little note on the menu denotes as “the employee favorite.”

We ended up pulling the trigger on all 3, along with tater tots, and 2 large fountain drinks. When in Rome.

I was elated when they gave us huge styrofoam cups for our drinks. I hadn’t seen a styrofoam cup in YEARS! Nothing hits like drinking a fountain soda out of styrofoam.

We went and sat down at one of the high top chairs and......... for full transparency I've spent the past 20 minutes typing and deleting how to describe the interior of this place. In the best way possible, it reminds me of a movie set. It gives me Central Perk levels of coziness.

I'm a big softy, but I get emotional when I think about places like this. It reminds me so much of my childhood in Manhattan Beach before it went all Hollywood. It's an institution that serves, and is an integral part of the community.

They support local small businesses with ad space all over the tables. They have framed "Customer of the Month" pictures dating back to the early 2000s. They employ high school kids from local high schools and have a TV solely dedicated to a livestream of the Jax Beach pier.

Angie's acts as almost a gathering place, a town hall if you will. As we were waiting for our subs, a group of 6 kids long done with their food sat to our right, proudly repping their respective college shirts and sweatshirts presumably home from summer break, trading stories and catching up. To our left, two gentlemen north of 60 were posted up, splitting tater tots and laughing up a storm as they also awaited their subs.

My name was called, and a young employee handed us our subs with a big smile. Oooooouuu don't get me started on this Peruvian sandwich. It is their magnum opus. Their pièce de résistance. Their Mona Lisa. I'm drooling just thinking about ripping into it and getting a mouthful of fresh baked bread fused with a gang of Italian meats all brought together by a ho-made oil and vinegar mix.......... A top 3 sandwich I've ever had.

The Shane, which is the employee favorite, was up there as well. Those crunchy Fritos in the sandwich took it to a different level. I have since bought a bag of knock off Fritos from Trader Joes to add to all my sandwiches at home.

In my week here I dragged my girlfriend to Angie’s twice, as it was my last meal in Jax before I left for the airport. I even bought their bottled Peruvian hot sauce and it got demolished in less than a week.

Convenience culture has killed many of these small town community places, but as long as the Angie's of the world are around, there is still a pulse.