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    The Modern Butcher

    4.5 (53 reviews)
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    Updated 2 months ago

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    Modern Butcher - North Shore roast beef
    Danielle L.

    A high quality North Shore roast beef sandwich that's worth the drive and waiting in line to try it, but there are a lot of other good roast beef sandwiches that you can get any day of the week without the wait. I went during a snow storm hoping that the line would be minimal. I arrived a little before 11AM and there were about 30 people in front of me. They let in groups of ~10 people at a time so I was in the third wave of people to get in. It took around 40 minutes to get in. Placing my order was fairly quick, but then you wait some more. Overall, it took about an hour to get my sandwich to go. When I left the line outside was much smaller. The sandwich cost $16 - that's a good value for that quality sandwich. I watched them assemble the sandwiches. They piled one half of the meat on the sandwich, then covered it with a spoon of bbq sauce, added the second half of the meat, and then covered it with two more spoons of sauce. The onion roll was evenly toasted. It looked like it had been toasted with butter on a flat top grill. That added a nice textural contrast against the soft roast beef smothered in James River bbq sauce. Of course the meat was tender and the color of the meat was even to the edges because Modern Butcher sous vide cooks top round beef. I didn't notice any particular herbs or spices in the beef. I was a little disappointed that the meat seemed cooked to medium rare - I would have preferred it a little more rare (pink). One thing I noticed is that they did a good job of slicing the meat. When I get roast beef sandwiches at Bella's in North Andover, the sandwich tends to come with small "chips" of beef from the slicer and that makes the texture of their sandwich a little too soft. Whereas the Modern Butcher sandwich didn't have those small chips and the sandwich had a better bite to it. For the home cook that wants to make this at home, the lessons I learned were about toasting the bun, how to assemble the sandwich, and I don't need to use any special herb mix when sous vide cooking the beef. Perhaps the biggest challenge for making this at home is finding or baking a decent onion roll. Overall, I'm glad that I tried the Modern Butcher roast beef, but I prefer going to Bella's where I can get the sandwich any time without a long wait.

    Roast beef 3way
    Leang L.

    Had my first 3 way here and it did not disappoint. Got there late on a Saturday afternoon. No lines but two people after me were able to get a sandwich and then they sold out. The bar is set high with this one. Toasted buttery roll that had a really nice crunch and held the beef firmly together. The beef, warm, thin, rare and melt in your mouth tender. Just the right amount of sauce to bring everything together. If you're not making a mess eating it you're not doing it right. This place also has dry aged meats and specialty items.

    Brian L.

    If you know, you know. The Modern Butcher's legendary North Shore beef sandwich is one of those rare finds that absolutely lives up to the hype. I got there around 10:15 a.m. and there was already a line forming down the block -- by the time they opened at 10:45, the crowd was buzzing with anticipation (and caffeine). The staff moved things efficiently once the doors opened, and watching them prep those perfectly pink slices of beef in the open kitchen made the wait fly by. I ordered the North Shore 3-Way ($16.85 with tax): tender roast beef piled high on a fresh onion roll, dripping with just the right amount of BBQ sauce and mayo. Every bite was melt-in-your-mouth perfection -- smoky, tangy, and so ridiculously juicy you'll need a stack of napkins. The whole experience felt like a community event -- people chatting in line, the staff smiling despite the rush, and that unmistakable smell of beef and toasted buns filling the air. Come prepared to wait, but it's beyond worth it. Pro tip: get there before 10:30 on Saturdays if you want to score one without a massive queue. One of the best sandwiches I've ever had. North Shore royalty.

    Roast beef sandwich
    Julie H.

    I was recommended from locals to visit here and it did not disappoint. I barely made it before they sold out of there famous roast beef-three way.

    Modern Italian
    Matt P.

    I am always on the hunt for a good sandwich -- it's my strong belief that there's no reason you can't have a sandwich 365 days a year. Upon moving to Salem, my search immediately pointed me towards Modern Butcher. I went on a weekday around lunch time, when the lines weren't too long. My sandwich quests usually lead me towards an Italian sandwich, so at Modern I ordered their Modern Italian: mortadella, salami, soppressata, capitol, provolone cheese, hot pepper and pickle mix, shredded lettuce, pepperoncini, and red wine vinaigrette on a sesame seeded roll. This sandwich was packed with savory meats that matched the spicy, sour hot pepper mix. The roll was freshly baked too and smelled amazing. The staff was friendly and helpful. Inside, there is seating available, as well as an entire butcher shop (hence their name) and other food goods for sale. If you follow Modern Butcher on social media, at least three days a week they have a specialty rotating sandwich. These are wild and crazy concoctions that usually sell out. Although I haven't personally tried it yet, they are also known to have one of the best roast beef 3-ways on the North Shore. With so much going on, you need to get to Modern Butcher and see what all the hype is about.

    Sandwich of the day: Korean chicken burrito
    Brianna S.

    Sandwich of the day was a hefty fresh Korean chicken burrito. Clearly made by people who love and enjoy food. The burrito was enough for two meals..I ate it in one and would do it again! Looking forward to the next sammy

    Homemade sausage
    Kristen S.

    After stalking their instagram for months, we finally made the trip from Providence, RI. While only 70 miles from home, it took us almost 2 hours to get there because of traffic and I'm happy to share that the time it took us to get there was so worth it. We arrived shortly after opening and queued up in line outside with other sandwich lovers waiting patiently for our turn. We went specifically on Saturday for the North Shore 3 way, lovingly called "the beefs" by the locals standing in line next to us. This sandwich is nothing short of amazing; they sous-vide the meat for 16hrs to get that melt-in-your-mouth texture then roast it in the oven before slicing by hand, add their house made sweet heat barbecue sauce along with creamy cheese and mayo and you've got a pile of perfection right before your eyes! We bought 6 sandwiches so we could each have one while we were there and another to enjoy later at home. I was worried about the take home sandwiches getting soggy on the ride, but they held up great when we enjoyed them 8 hours later. We also shopped their premade food case, picked up some bone broth, some smoked bones for our pups, and bought a sampling of sausages home to try. The staff was friendly and upbeat and managed the lines and customers like pros.

    Ana H.

    What a delight was to be able to eat here. The service was excellent, they make you feel like you're at home, also depending on what you decide there are some seats available inside our you can take it to go. The place is really nice and cozy (at least to me) and they have a mini market where you can get some other goodies while you wait for your order to be ready. I had their Fried Mortadella and some pickles to go (they were so delicious )

    Interior
    Alyanna T.

    My partner and I both got the North Shore beef 3-way -- TASTE: 4/5 - super satisfying roast beef, and the 3-way topping stays classic w its combo of cheese, mayo, and tangy BBQ sauce. Beefs are only available Saturdays, but the other sandwiches looked tasty too TEXTURE: 5/5 - excellent ratio of toasted roll, tender beef, and a sea of sauce PRICE: 4/5 - honestly thought it'd be more than $15, great value SERVING SIZE: 4/5 - loaded and stacked. Definitely filled me up after the long wait SERVICE: 4/5 - this was our first time visiting, so could've planned better lol. Got in line outside at 12:30pm on a Saturday. With about 45 people ahead of us (they usher in groups of 15), it took us 1hr and 15min to get inside and order at the counter. Staff was friendly, and our beefs were ready 20min after ordering ATMOSPHERE: 4/5 - an updated, modern space w a small store and even more to-go options. Appreciate their philosophy on ethical and sustainable farm practices and butchery PARKING: 5/5 - free public parking lot on Central Ave off Maple St

    Fatboy S.

    Came because of the hype for the roast beef sandwich - and it exceeded my expectations. Hands down the best north shore beef I've ever had. Great customer service. The meats on the butcher side looked amazing as well. Would 100% return when in the area.

    The roast beef in all its messy three napkin glory. Only available on Saturdays.
    Joy G.

    Amazing roast beef sandwich, coming from someone who doesn't even like beef all that much. This is not pretty to eat, especially if you snag one of the seats that face the sidewalk and have to unhinge your jaw in front of the inevitable line of people. (They only have the roast beef sandwich on Saturdays since it's quite an operation to prepare and assemble. For Tuesday-Friday, they have a short list of other sandwiches, including a loaded Italian that I had my eye on. Some food influencer/promoter was there at the same time as we were and got the Italian sandwich to try, so I was mighty jealous.) We waited for about 25-30 minutes all told - first waiting outside, then to get our food. I pride myself on refusing to ever wait in line for food on the theory that there's somewhere without a line that's probably just as good but ... this sandwich may have been worth it (up there with Au Cheval's burger). Would I wait in line for it again? Maybe, which is a pretty high compliment coming from someone who loathes having to do it. The sandwich itself: an enormous stack of tender roast beef, slathered in BBQ sauce, cheese, and mayo. For me (the heathen who finds meat kind of lukewarm in all its forms), the best part of the sandwich was the beautifully griddled roll. They have forks and knives if you need it but I went with the hands-on approach. You will get sauce smeared all over yourself. Best to avert all eye contact in getting the job done. The right side of the store is for sandwiches; the left side is for picking up sausages, burger patties, other meats from the whole animal. The people working at the store, including Lisa the owner personally slapping the sandwiches together in the back, are super nice.

    Turkey BBQ and Italian
    Erika C.

    OKAY DAMN. The hype is real people. Stopped by to see what all the talk was about and this place is SO cool. I feel like I've been living under a rock not getting here sooner. Super friendly staff and absolutely AMAZING sammies. Best turkey sandwich I've ever had. Fresh delicious drool worthy. My man got the Italian and I got the turkey BBQ. Also some fresh marinated chicken breasts. Love how you can grab a craft beer there too and just chill waiting for your food. A forever customer. Support local. Bravo!

    Bob G.

    So yesterday, I had just left from getting a haircut and running my car through the car wash and well, being a sunny day (it's been a while) I felt like a drive. I scrolled my navigation panel in my Tesla to decide where to head and The Modern Butcher popped out. Ok. I've been wanting to check out this unique family owned butchery that I've heard about... so... off I go letting my car drive me there. This review is going to be interesting as I will take you from the store to home, to the Weber Grill and the finished steaks and sausages on the plate tossed in with some cooking tips. The store is in Danvers center on a main road so parking was on the street. I found a spot just out front and proceeded to check out what was inside having no clue of what I might buy or just look around. First impressions: - store was very well laid out with tables for seating off to the sides and meat cases straight ahead with smiling faces and everything inside looking sparkling clean and welcoming. - First Lady to say hello with a big smile was "Lisa" (who I later found out was a co-owner with her husband) and I explained that I was here to perhaps bring something special home for me and my steak loving wife. She smiled and started showing me different cuts in the chest behind the counter in one of the pics here. - We're off to a great start!! Humbly, I pride myself (and family and friends have concurred) that I'm pretty well versed in grilling and smoking so I'm no rookie. lol. So... with Lisa's help I settled on nicely marbled bone in sirloins, two filet mignons and four different types of hand made sausages. Total out the door- $113.75 for what looked like some adventurous journey to the grill at home. PART 2 - The true test... cooking and tasting For you grill masters out there here's the setup. Weber Performance Series Grill, MEATER Plus 2 probes, applewood chunks and charcoal fire, reverse searing, prep with salt rub, seasoned with dry rub, clarified Irish butter for finishing off in cast iron 12" skillet leaving probes intact from the grill to the pan. Target temperature- 138-140 rested. STOPPING HERE TILL TONIGHT... I'll be back with more pics and details of the final results... stand by... DRUM ROLL... Grilled and dined on THE best steaks I've had in quite some time... it's a 10! The aged beef rack and the grilling with apple chunks to a nice medium rare to medium was superb in taste!! Period!! And, the coveted 5 Star rating is justly deserved!! Bon appetite!! Ciao.

    Roast beef sandwich

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    Service was great. Clean establishment. Italian sub was incredible. Full of flavor. I'd come back anytime.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Modern Butcher

    Review Highlights - The Modern Butcher

    (They only have the roast beef sandwich on Saturdays since it's quite an operation to prepare and assemble.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    Mr Steer Meats

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    The best steak you will ever have! Seasoned to perfection. Key West chicken is our go to and the…read morepotato salad is fabulous.

    I almost didn't write this as I don't like to tell people what to like. I also felt that I didn't…read moreneed to pile on to the 1-star reviews here. But I decided that I can give my opinion of the management of Mr. Steer. They are the rudest, most unhelpul people that you can imagine. Not every employee but I am specifically talking about the owner/manager, his son behind the meat counter, occasionally the check-out clerk and even sometimes the deli counter person. I live within a mile of the store and have been here many times. I'll admit that they do have great meat and prepared foods. But it's not worth the abuse that you get from the above named employees, I went there a couple of Sundays ago and went into the store at 3:50, ten minutes before closing, to just pick up some steak tips for grilling. I immediately got some hated looks. They had already taken all of the meat out of the meat cases and the manager was replacing the butcher paper that lines the bottom of the case. I wanted to see what they had but all they could say was "What do you want?" I said that I wanted to see the tips they had, and all he said was "Well, what do you want"? I walked out never to return. I don't know how they stay in business when they treat their customers like that!

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    Picking up dinner

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    Picking up dinner

    The Modern Butcher - butcher - Updated August 2026

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