Big Joe’s Depot

«Fast homemade» sub shop. Calzones. Subs (other options available). Breakfast. Dinner entrees. Clean. Friendly shop owner. Great prices. Limited seating.
This place is easy to miss, so you gotta keep your eyes peeled if you’re planning to catch the driveway entrance (pretend you’re a troll under a bridge and you’re driving home to it to get there).
Also, since the food is homemade, you may want to call ahead if you’re trying to catch a train. We went for lunch on a Saturday and with only 2 parties ahead of us, it took longer than expected for a sub shop (chicken parmesan, portugese steak sub, and onion rings); however, considering that everything is literally made from scratch and you like that sort of thing, it is absolutely WORTH THE WAIT!
All subs are $ 7. All calzones are based on a 16″ pie. Prices are awesome.
The food we ate:
Chicken parm. Watch the man take out a raw piece of chicken breast, halve it, dunk in the egg wash and dry batter, and pop into the frier. The sauce is homemade. The bread is soft. It’s delicious. And about a 12″ sub.
Portugese steak sub. Not your average philly cheese. In fact, there is no cheese at all! Nor is your steak shaved (don’t worry, not hairy, either). Instead, you’re met with two slices of wine-​marinated, grilled steak, mustard, hots, lettuce, and tomato on top of the sub roll. It’s clean, refreshing, and has that tang of an Italian … but it’s a steak sub.
Onion rings. Watched the man take a large yellow onion, peel it, slice it, break it up into rings, dunk, dip, and coat it, and drop them into the frier. Folks, I may look Asian, but growing up in Maine where onion rings are a highly respected treat, I think I have the credential to claim that these are the best onion rings ever. Must eat in house. They are crispy, lightly breaded, the onions bite through, and the seasoning is perfect.

Stopped in for an egg sandwich while waiting for commuter train. He was open when I got there, about 5:55 am. He is a nice fellow and the place looks very clean. He was kind enough to do egg whites, no cheese, spinach and a slice of tomato (I’m watching my lipids). Sandwich was excellent.

Very good homemade food. Meatballs were great, actually tasted like beef and not just filler! Onion rings made fresh, tasted like tempura, really light and crispy. We will be back to try their dinners for sure.
Very friendly as well. The only negative thing would be that it was a bit cold in there to eat, but I guess with freezing tempertaures outside it’s hard to keep up in the old depot!

NO TABLE CLOTH and NO TABLES!
This on the fly-​eatery is set up for commuters to grab a bite on the run. The folks are nice, accommodating and work hard. There are counters for standing or sitting on a high stool. The menu is a mix of basic diner and a touch of fancy food. They cook to order. An observant person can see a potato go through a deicer and emerge on a plate as fries.
If you are up for a low key bite to eat, this is an option…

Very good, cooked to order and very fresh! I had the Portuguese Steak Sub and was not disappointed! I’ll be back the next time I am in the area.

Thanksgiving sub was amazing! Everything tasted fresh, real, homemade. I asked for added cream cheese — oh lord, so satisfying. Small, cool, laid back little place. Got a side of french toast for only $ 2.75 (!) for my son who loved it and had a fun time playing with the little balls on the high chair. I don’t live nearby but I will come back just for that mind blowing sub. Kinda hard to find, had to call to find it because GPS was acting crazy, but it was easy once I called.

It’s a small place next to the wilmington station. I had seen it in passing many a times since I stay right by the station but had never tried it. They have best sub sandwiches! They make it fresh right in front of your eyes and it’s delicious! I love exploring places that are family owned and enjoy their food! This was one such place. They had a great no of options for their dinners too! I will definitely be going there again.

I’ve been to Big Joe’s twice for breakfast now. Love it! It is a nice little place with very friendly owners. I enjoyed my breakfast both times — omelets with toast & home fries. If you sit at the counter as I did, you see your breakfast made right in front of you — hot and delish! The green mountain coffee is delicious!
I am planning on going back soon to try an Italian sub. I will repeat what other reviewers have said — It is a hidden gem! But I want more people to know about it so that it builds a great business as it should!

Very friendly, very tasty! Prices were good, and the food was homemade. Can’t beat that!
This was my husband and I’s first time going and we both got breakfast. I got the traditional breakfast with blueberry pancakes, and my husband got the chef’s breakfast which came with linguica instead of bacon. We both very much enjoyed our meals :)
The two owners were very nice and talkative. I will say though, it was hooooooooot! No AC, but they did have a big fan that made it better.
Can’t wait to go back and try something else!

Big Joe’s is convenient being right off the purple line at the wilmington train station. Gerry is there everyday making some of the best food around. I go for breakfast mostly but I have yet to be disappointed. I prefer the bacon egg and cheese on a bagel but his home fries are crispy on the outside and fluffy soft on the inside a potato lovers dream! If its a run and go kind of morning his fresh baked muffins are perfect I recommend the blueberry but he has corn chocolate chip and banana as well. This place is beyond clean, the service is friendly and the food is wonderful. As always I will be back :)

Great find in Wilmington. Totally hidden by the railroad tracks, but it’s there and worth the hunt. Everything is fresh made home food. Awesome subs and meat pie too! If you’re in the area this place is a great place for lunch and right next to the Railroad tracks.

I can’t help but come back whenever I can. Everything I’ve tried in their menu is simply delicious. The calzones are not only big but rich in flavor, cooked to perfection with the right crisp outside but juice on the inside. The hamburger is huge, always fresh and cooked exactly how you want it. I’ve also had the subs and the Clam Chowdah’ whenever he’s got it on the menu; simply one of the best I’ve had in all NE. Breakfasts are all great. Whatever ou pick from their menu, you can’t go wrong.
A terrific place with fair prices and excellent customer service.

My husband and I LOVE Joe’s. We’ve been for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We’ve even done the call ahead dinner while I’m on the train home from work and then pick it up when I get to Wilmington Station. I highly recommend that!
The restaurant has classic American dishes as well as authentic Portuguese food. I love the pork and clams and the shrimp dish. My all time favorite has to be the linguica roll though. It’s almost like a linguica calzone but it’s just dough with linguica and (I think) chiciken. It’s amazing. Gerry doesn’t make them all the time but if you give him some notice (like 30 mins) he’ll likely put some together for you.
We’re such fans of the food that I asked Gerry to call any time he makes certain specials– like the codfish cakes. They’re sooo good that I will gladly order in bulk anytime they’re made.
As much as I want Joe’s to be my hidden gem, I’m sharing this info with everyone out there because I’d hate for food lovers out there to pass this without walking in.

Meatball sub was great! Fresh made meatballs. Fries where hand cut with real potatoes! Very nice owners. Worth a trip!

The salads here are so good now. New ownership has done this place a world of good! Fresh everything give it a try

I went there recently for breakfast. It was a charming and welcome change from the old Big Joe’s. It’s definitely a nice update, clean, well run restaurant. It’s mostly pub seating and 1 table for 4. Pricing is a big high for breakfast and lunch, but dinner pricing is fair.
Overall, it was a very positive experience and I’m sure I’ll be back again. Food was pretty good, and the service was good.
The only downside is there is not enough seating for families who want to be seated at a table except for 1 table. It might be intended to be more of a take-​out place.

Big Joe’s Depot is fantastic. All food and no frills. If you care about ambience, don’t bother. If relentlessly pursue the hidden gems of life, EAT AT JOE’S.

My husband and I wanted something different for lunch, tired of the same old pizza/​sub shops in the area, so we came to Big Joe’s Depot. We were happily greeted by one of the owners (the wife) who took our order and helped answer a few menu questions about the Portugese Sub. My husband ended up going with the Portugese Sub and I got a Cheeseburger & Fries. We sat and chatted with the owners about small business ownership and getting the word out, my husband and I could relate because we used to own our own small business. While we were chatting I noticed the other owner (the husband and cook) take a potato and put it in a french fry cutter… HELLO, when is the last time anyone has seen that… when they say HOMEMADE they truly mean it. But wait, there’s more. Then he rolls the ground beef in his hands to mold the patty and places it on the grill. Oh and let me just add that the patty was HUGE and the end result EXTREMELY JUICY! This place is the real deal, yummy burger, awesome homecut fries, and delish Portugese Sub. We’ll definitely be back!
Maybe because the burger was so good, they shoud rename the place Big Joe’s Burger Depot. That just my opinion!
BTW — They do have healthier foods too, but that’s a weekday thing. Weekends are for fun whatever you want foods!
Wishing you both much success!!!

Love this place! The food is delish. I had the seafood paiaya and I plan on going back to sample everything else on the menu!

Let me start by saying that I really wanted to love this place. As a commuter and Wilmington resident that lives right up on 62 this could be a match made in heaven. I finally stopped in for lunch with the husband today and we were not disappointed. We ordered the steak tip dinner for two. For $ 20 we got a delicious meal and EVERYTHING was fresh… as in, all of the produce was chopped up as we were waiting. The salads had pecans and apples with a hint of cinnamon and everything was cooked perfectly. It smelled so yummy in Big Joe’s we just ‘had’ to try a banana muffin. It was honestly one of the best muffins I’ve had in a while. I can’t wait to come back and try their turkey sub with fresh oven roasted turkey. I’m sure I’d be hard pressed to find another place in the area roasting turkey for their sandwiches. See ya soon BJD!