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Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: DowntownDowntown Crossing (Orange, Silver, Red)
Park Street (Green, Red)
State (Blue, Orange)
Mon-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Sat. 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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In this review, I am strictly focusing on the incredible service I get here for catering services each time. I occasionally grab a bite here as a guilty pleasure when I want a greasy steak, chicken, or stuffed pork loin sub with all the fixings, but what I really get here is the corporate catering.
Rose is wonderful in taking care of my needs whenever I post an order. The catering is a contrast to the simple wrap-the-massive-portion-up-to-go meals people grab here that are wonderful on the wallet and disastrous to a dietitian. The food is not much different, except I am more prone to order the chilled sandwiches instead of hot when I am in the store. Sandwiches are always cut to small individual portions and neatly displayed, and comparable to ordering from Cosi, Viga, et al when they put down a full variety. I've had good experiences with the assortments of subs/sandwiches, cannoli, salads, breakfast offerings, and pastas. Haven't had pizza catered; hasn't suited the crowd. The food is kept simple and delivery is very on-time.
All the fixings... plates, dressings, utencils, cheese, sauces come in an ornately decorated wicker basket made for the season with more than enough settings for everyone.
Pricing, I worry the prices might be too low. People would never know I ordered from Capone's unless they saw the bill. Overall, it is a great combination of price and quality and fits above the line in that equation for me. Thanks for the help every time, Rose. However, I have no clue why a bottle of Frank's Red Hot would come with platters of breakfast sandwiches and bagels.
In a time when everyone is feeling the economic pinch, it's hard to find a better value for your money than Al Capone's.
Their subs are excellent - the Italian uses all the right cold cuts (no bologna or generic ham here!), fresh bread and just the right amount of oil and vinegar to round out the mix.
As other have stated, a small is a GIANT lunch for most people, and the large is easily two dinner portions for very hungry people.
I guess it's kind of strange to name a restaurant after a murderer / thief / gangster / baseball-bat head-smasher like Mr. Capone. I guess it's kind of like opening up a Jewish restaurant and calling it Bugsy Siegel's. Hey, we shot, robbed, bribed, threatened and beat innocent people, but shit, LOOK AT THIS FOOD!
But, hell, who am I to speak, especially when the food is so cheap. You can get a sub the size of a Sidewinder missile for $9 or so, or one the size of an MP-5 for $7 -- perfect for the economic-downturn crowd. Big frisbees of pizzas for $5. A massive, greasy breakfast for $6, stomachache and all included. It ain't haute cuisine, but it's big and tasty and perfectly well and good and CHEAP.
If you're looking for ambiance...well, the place is really "untouchable." Ahahaha. See what I did there?
Not in a good way, neither. It's blistering hot upstairs, as the ovens blow the warm air straight skyward; the trash piles up in the bins; the tables are set so low that you look like a newborn foal getting up from them. So, the setting definitely knocks it down a star or two. Just a few aesthetic changes...and it would be the place in Downtown Crossing to go.
As it is, it's just a reliable, serviceable, cheap spot for a downtown lunch. One can do a lot worse.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go get the financing secured for my newest venture, Whitey Bulger's Authentic Irish Pub and Restaurant. Toodle-oo.
Delicious cheap large subs. I recommend the chipotle pepper steak sub.
We had catered lunch from this place at school, and it included coupons for free subs. Nice touch. My friends and I came down here at around noon on a weekday, and it wasn't as busy as I expected. A few people eating and waiting for that food but that's about it. I ordered a steak and peppers sub, and it was made fresh, I saw the lady cook up some meat and make a nice big sub for me. As I can tell, the ingredients are fresh and everything is cooked to order. For the price, you cannot go wrong. $6 for a small, $8 (?) for a large! You can probably have the large for two meals. BTW, when you leave this place, you'll feel a bit greasy and you might smell like meat. That's ok. As you walk back to your destination, it'll air out.
AMAZING PRICES! Check the menu's for coupons. Get a huge sub and make it into 3 meals.
I liked the steak bomb.
The BEST breakfast sandwiches in the downtown area. Eggs cooked on the griddle, melty cheese, toasted english muffin. The perfect solution to being hungover and miserable at your desk in the middle of the week. Whoops.
The pizza's good, the subs are good. This place doesn't pretend to be something it's not and it's cheap.
This place is a fantastic spot to grab a fast lunch downtown. The slices are gigantic and come in a lot of variations. Subs here should be called tankers, they are like having 2 meals. I would recommend this place to anyone.
Also there was this really hot girl that worked at the pizza slice counter that had the nicest rack ever, it just added to the over all value you get.
I visit Al Capones for lunch once a week. It takes discipline not to go more often. If this place wasn't so well known, I'd call it a "best kept secret" because of it's speedy service, tasty subs, and great portion-size to price ratio.
AC'S also serves pizza, which I personally haven't tried because I love their subs but I've heard is fantastic. They also have a wide variety of breads available for your sub, which is another nice source of variety.
All in all, I highly recommend you check out Al Capone's if you're near Downtown Crossing (if you live in the greater boston area, you need to make sure you go here at least once). Make sure you know what you want when you order, things happen pretty quick in there.
Apparently this place is closed down due to them owing $40,000 in back taxes.
http://www.boston.com/...
Yes, the name is Al Capnoe's and yes, they got pinched because of taxes.
I am a little disappointed this place closed down, but I will just have to find a way to survive. Al Capone's did have a niche though, and that was to give you a crap load of food for not much money. I remember their Large subs (20") were easily 2 Large meals. I would say that this is one of the only places for me to even not finish their meal, but I think it's clear they don't expect anyone to finish their large in one sitting. Not all their food was good, but they did make a mean steak and cheese. What I won't miss is their poor ventilation system and having your clothes reek even after getting food to go.
Fairwell Al, you will be missed (somewhat).
I love going here cuz it's an awesome value. Honestly, they give you so much food for the amount that you pay...do they even make a profit?
I have only ever finished a whole entire large (20") sub once before. The guy behind the counter making my sub was incredibly nice. I got a steak and cheese and he wasn't bothered by anything that I asked for. Onions, peppers, mushrooms, cheese...he piled it on! I brought it home and devoured it all.
That's one other thing. I never eat there cuz I don't want people seeing me stuffing my face, the oil dribbling down my chin with a huge grin on my face. I'd rather bring it home where no one can see me. And yes, like everyone else said, the large sub will normally last you three meals. I'd say a meal and a snack for me. Haha. I'm telling you. This place is awesome if you're broke and want something hearty enough to last you a while.
Probably the best value you can get in Downtown Boston. Honestly the subs were gigantic! Even the smaller size ones. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the service was friendly, I felt that they were trying to compensate for their lack of taste and good food with big portions and one bite into my steak and cheese sub kind of confirmed it.
They slice their meats fresh and all, and that's fine but there was nothing special about the sub I had there. It was big, it was good but nothing great. I definitely didn't feel what many others supposedly have in the previous reviews.
The do have seating but some of the tables were really dirty and the trash was full which was also a negative thing for me. I am willing to give them another shot for something else but not another greasy steak and cheese that they are supposedly famous for.
The decor is a bit depressing but I sat near a window and that enabled me to people watch which was a positive. Only thing is that after all the hype, I was really expecting a bit more than what I experienced...
I love this place, for a quick cheep lunch or break-feast go no further. HUGE portions. I always love watching people come in and ask for 2 slices, and then seeing their responses when they are told that 2 slices is two-thirds of pizza. subs are yummy, people are friendly, place is busy but everything moves quick here.
Preface: This is based only on their subs alone.
There is no other place that I can spend 7 bucks and have 3 meals. These things are huuuuge. The staff is always wicked friendly. The guy at the register always asks me if I have my Al Capone stamp card. Seriously, when I want to grub all day at work... this is where I get my food from.
My mother always told me if I don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all, but this is Yelp and I'm starting to look a little too happy to be taken seriously as a critic with all my 5 star reviews.
So I thought, and thought about someplace that absolutely disgusted me, and voila! I am trashing Al Capone's!
This place is disgusting, I feel greasy just walking by it. You can smell it all around the block, ugh! Even from the outside you can tell someone needs to whip out a power hose and blast the place for a good 36 hours.
When I first started working in the area I was warned not to come here because of unusually high number of board of health code violations. I've worked in many restaurants so it didn't stop me. Between highschool and college I have about 5 years of pizza place experience.
Okay, okay, prices versus quantity, I can see why people would risk their lives here. I've been broke too, but I know exactly how long a pizza's been sitting around just by looking at it. Still I went ahead to give the flavor a chance. I would have spit it out at them and demanded my money back had someone who loves the place not "treated" me to it.
I've avoided the place since, but still it continues to haunt me. I know if someone's been in the elevator with their food, their nasty smell is that distinctive.
True story: A nameless secretary I know had the bravery to actually sit in this place and eat her whatever. When she came back I asked her if she'd gone there, but of course I knew already by that distinctive nasty smell. 30 minutes later she notices how badly her coat smelled from being in there. She decides to hang it in the closet to get it away from her.
I never saw this coming! At the end of the day I so innocently leave work and I can smell that distinctive nasty smell, must be the elevator again, yes? No, it followed me into the subway before I realized it was me!?! I had just dry cleaned my coat the day before and it REEKED just from being near hers in a closet!?! Gross, gross, gross!!!
I didn't even have to eat there for it to make me sick, and it cost me the value of a week's worth of stinky meals there to remedy the problem they created for someone who didn't even eat there.
There you have it, there is a place I hate and this is it! Cheers!
This place has friggin' awesome. The pizza slices are enormous! Good prices too. I would definitely come here once a week at least if I was downtown more often. As an added bonus, they gave out free samples of some supremely delicious pork sandwich (haul). +1 star for free samples...always.
good food. 20 inch subs for cheap. Guys were jerks behind the counter, but I don't expect much from a hole in the wall.
It's human nature to be fascinated with hyperbole. The Colossus at Rhodes, the Titanic, that strange contraption they haul the Space Shuttle launch pad around on. Al Capone's sixteen-inch sandwich.
The decor is not uplifting. The short guy behind the counter with the apron and one arm shorter than the other is probably scowling. There's probably a line. But that's not the point. The point is you can split one sub with a friend and both be stuffed. Or split two subs between three friends and have leftovers. The cold cuts here are good, but the chicken parm is a testament to the concept of 'oh my God how am I going to eat all that'? And the eggplant parm is even tastier, if not as big on shock value.
I don't sit here, I don't wait around here, I don't get pizza here. This is a sub shop to me, and Al Capone makes one the size of a Seawolf class attack vessel.
I can't believe how cheap this place is. You can get an entire small pizza (which is plenty for 2 to share in my opinion) for $5! Their small sub is absolutely enormous (seriously, it's gotta be 12"), and for $6.50 I cut it in half and have two full lunches.
This is not high quality food. This is the kind of food you eat when you're ravenously hungry, only have a few bucks, and just want something big, greasy and fast.
Oh, and they have breakfast! Disturbingly cheap, frighteningly greasy, wonderfulling filling breakfast.
Tip: Go on their website and print out their monthly coupons. You'll save yet another buck.
Good luck vegans...this is not the place for you...
However, for the gluttonous or insatiable...oh, you've found heaven.
Whenever I am poor, and want a sandwich to last me three meals, I hop in and get a veggie sub. It will be lunch, then dinner, then lunch again if the oil and vinegar hasn't made the bread too disgusting. Can't speak for any of the hot food, but after three years of Boston prices eating their way through my checking account, I have to thank Al.
The quintessential greasy spoon for the hard working people of Downtown Crossing, Capone's has everything you could want in artery-clogging food.
Everything is a steal here and they have weekly specials that are available via email to make it even cheaper.
The best bargain is the pizza by the slice - frequent fliers get a punch card similar to those available at 7-11 for coffee; after you purchase N amount of slices with a beverage the next meal is on the house.
Shazam, what a lifesaver for the young professionals who are employeed as indentured servants by advertising and marketing agencies in the area.
Vegetarians need to beware of most offerings here however - stirfry dishes are all prepared on the same general grill and utensils aren't always washed or wiped between customers.
There's no strippers here or men in Zorro costumes However, They do have something you don't get hardly anywhere else. This is:
VALUE FOR THE DOLLAR
This my furry little friends is extremely rare these days and guess what else?
THE FOOD IS REALLY GOOD
How about that? Giant sandwiches on the bread of your choice. (I suggest the sesame braided rolls. Great pizza, breakfast and if you pick up a Metro in the morning then there is almost always a coupon to make it even cheaper. The emps are also very nice. Great pastrami too. I really likey. I do. A lot.
and I love you all. Goodnight sleep tight and in the morning have a bite. CHOW baby
One of the few places in Boston that is exactly what it tries to be. I'm giving it 4 stars for that reason; an unpretentious fast food/non-chain place to grab pizza/sub in downtown.
Pretty good food, prepared fast, served in huge quantities (I don't even want to know who would order the 20" sub) for a reasonable price.
The 'regular' sub is at least 12" and stuffed full. ($7.25)
The 'slices' of pizza, are absolutely huge. I ordered two, and was full after the first one. Each one is literally a third of a pizza.
I just got a giant Calzone... It was good, I think I'll stick to the pizzas and subs, as they are a slightly better deal. Though I am now in a bit of a food coma, and wishing I'd saved half for dinner ($7.00 with can of soda)
Not a great place for the vegans or health nuts, or the weak of heart (and I don't mean that figuratively... the portions and the sheer volume of cheese will kill you). Otherwise, go check it out.
This is your typical blue collar deli. The portions are huge, the prices aren't bad, and we all know what that means. The quality... not so much. Their hot subs, I had a chicken parm, are overflowing with cutlet, and decent cheese, but the sauce tasted like it had been on the burner for a few days. The chicken was also a bit dry.
I have heard that the cold subs are all bread and not much fixin's. but I am loathe to try them with that review.
Overall, if you are super hungry, and not feeling like a foodie that day, go ahead and step into the dive deli that is Capone's.
Blech...
I don't get all the love that's showered on this place. Sure, it's cheap. But it tastes cheap, too. I can't do it. I can't recommend a place where (1) you're scared to sit down and eat because of ... get this ... (2) the smell, and (3) it just looks dirty.
Honestly. The only people who should eat here are people who don't care about food, care about money, and don't care about the consequences. What do I mean? Eat a grinder and find out. It won't be with you long. Yea, that's right. I hate to go there, but, I said it. I rented this food for about only 2 hours. Don't worry - reading this is about as disgusting as it is eating the food. Oh, yea - it's bland. My litmus test of an Italian grinder joint - THE MEATBALL SUB. It was blechily bland. Blech. It's that simple. There's just nothing to it. No spice, no flavor. Nada.
Life is short. So is lunchtime. So value them - Spend that one extra dollar and walk that one extra block to find that other sandwich/Italian joint - like Sandwich Express!!!! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). You'll be happy, and your stomach will thank you.
God Blech You.
Capone's is my favorite place to grab a quick bite M-F. The subs are great as they come jam packed with quality ingredients and fresh bread. If you want to win the respect of Al (the owner) you MUST get the large sub. It is impossible to eat.
No one in their right mind eats in the shop - try to get in and out as fast as possible to avoid smelling like chicken parm.
The pizza is good. Tastes like a pizza should taste. Nothing amazing or mouth-watering, but if it's a pizza you want, it's a pizza you'll get.
The place is kinda crappy for seating on the lower level, so you'd probably be better with take-out. The tables are kind of crumby and wobbly.
I'll have to try to subs, I hear good things.
Edit 8/7/2007: Okay. I had a small Philly today. A SMALL!!! I don't think it was small. Well it was, but it wasn't. It was longer than 12 inches!!! I ate it all. It was good. There has yet to be a steak n cheese that tops my list and conquers D'Angelo's chain subs, but this was a pretty good steak n cheese sub. Kinda peppery-tasting. Black pepper, not green.
It's a sandwich shop, so don't go in expecting the best food in town ...
That said I like the food, especially for the price. A Chipotle Steak and Cheese that is two meals for $9 ... works for me. The cold sandwiches aren't too bad, but the chicken salad was a little too mayo-infused for my taste. They use good olives which is always a plus.
Compared to the crappy chains nearby, it's a good choice.
Main reason for liking this place so much is that for $8 you can buy a 20-inch chicken cutlet parmesan sub and decide to either 1) eat half of it for lunch and save the other half for dinner, or 2) bring it back to the office and eat all of it in under 30 minutes just to scare the you-know-what out of your interns and/or co-workers.
OK, so the quality of the food here may only warrant three stars (good selection of edible food) and the seating area upstairs may not even get that many, but these guys do make up for it with kind service and very large portions for your buck. Given how much you can spend on lunch in Downtown Boston, this is worth the trip once in a while to make sure you can fill up without emptying the wallet.
I've only been here a handful of times but I've always been satisfied. Their 20" sub is gargantuan and it's priced ridiculously at $8.00. Only $8.00?! For literally two meals, you could share this with someone and still have a tummy ache from eating too much.
I've never had the pizza, but it looks mighty yummy.
The only drawback to the big sub, if you don't eat the whole thing at once, it gets disgustingly soggy, I had to throw it away because the bread was gross. I ate the chicken though =)
Like many Yelpers have pointed out, this Downtown lunch spot has great value when it comes to subs. Their grilled steak subs are famous here and rightfully so with fresh shaved steak grilled to tasty perfection served on a huge bulkie. I always order the "small" which is equivalent to a large in many places for about 7.61 if I remember correctly. I'm not sure what human being can eat their 20" large sub. I'm pretty sure you can break that one down to 2-3 people easily. Overall, a good place for lunch. They also offer pizzas, soups, and salads.
Home of the 20 inch sub. 9 bucks basically gets you two 10 inch subs. Great for eat one now, eat one for dinner, or split it with a friend. I had the Chipotle Pepper steak. I don't recommend it as the Chipotle flavor was weird (a little too sweet) and the pepper was overpowering. But I thought the quality of the steak was very, very good and they made it to order. I would get a regular cheesesteak the next time there definitely. They have pizza available as well that I did not try but looked pretty darn good. Regular and Sicilian Deep Dish.
This is an add on, but I feel it's important. I have noticed the last few times when one of my co-workers has gone here that when they come back their clothes will REEK of this place. It's kindof nice for about 2 seconds, then it is a little sickly. So I would warn against spending too much time inside this place, or wearing anything that would absorb odors easily, like wool. This being said, it's still a really, really good place to eat for the portions and quality.
Nice location for people who work in Downtown Crossing (like me) with quick and affordable pizza and subs for lunch, but the greasiness is overwhelming.
Eating in the place during the Spring, Summer or Fall is tough to do since it is approximately 1000 degrees in there and as mentioned in another review, you will smell like chicken parm and pizza for the last half of your day.
The pizza card is nice, buy a slice and get a stamp on your card, every 6th slice is free, but there are a few places with better pizza right nearby.
A huge, cheap slice of pizza that is tasty and more than does the job of killing the remnants of a great night out. They are one of the few places in Downtown Crossing that stays open past 5:05pm, so that comes in handy too. I even had them deliver once for a dinner meeting at the office and they came exactly on time, to the minute.
good pizza, good people.
HUGE slices. check it out. i think they cut their slices in 4ths.
Their slices of pizza are literally the size of 2 1/2 regular slices from anywhere else...
Subs look to die for (huge)
Prices are inexpensive for a bite on the run. It's a 5 minute walk from South Station so its location is ideal for takeout on the way home.
A fuckton of food. I just ate lunch from here. I gave Al Capone $8 and he is now trying to kill me. Gastronomical Homocide. I may be dead by the time you read this.
Both hot and cold subs here are a steal. A large one, for only $9, will last you a good 2 meals. For people who work in Downtown and are looking for some place quick and easy- Capone's in for you. For people working in Chinatown who are sick of pho- go to Capone's. I like to get them to go, and eat outside in the sun with some friends.
Prosciutto with oil unbelievable.. large chicken parm you gotta be an absolute fatty to finish it.. The selection is great the size is appropriate and they even pass out lil cards where you can get stamped for each time you come in. 10 stamps earns you a free sub. the smell is a lil.. interesting but whatever.. I don't mind or you can take it to go and eat outside when the weather is nice at Au Bon Pan and pretend you bought an eight dollar croissant like I do. :)
I can only speak to the subs, as that's all I've had, but they're fantastic. The roast beef is especially good and served very rare. The toppings are basic but great quality, and the bread is a great combo of crisp crust and chewy center.
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