Kelly's Roast Beef

410 Revere Beach Blvd., Revere, MA - (781) 284-9129

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Posted By Patricia Beninato on 9/25/2006 8:19:00 PM

When planning my weekend trip to Boston, one of my friends up there asked me if there was anyplace in town I particularly wanted to go to eat. "Kelly's Roast Beef" was my immediate answer. It's fortunate that Kelly's has more than one location--with the near-Gordian knots of Boston beach traffic in summer we got frustrated trying to find the original Revere location, which isn't exactly on the beaten path. So we headed up Route 1 to another Massachusetts garden spot, Saugus, where the Kelly's there is sleek and modern, all brick and glass. Don't let the clean lines of the place fool you, though--this is some good eating.

The roast beef sandwich is terrific. I opted to get mine only with some horseradish sauce (I know the purists prefer BBQ sauce, but I love horseradish). Every bite was juicy and tender, so good that I didn't mind that it was a little more well done than I usually get, and the sesame seed bun was butter-toasted and tasty. With the sandwich came some very good french fries and a cold root beer. However, I would avoid the onion rings next time, as they were extremely bland. We wanted to try the fried clams but were a little taken aback by the price, about $15.50 for an order, although we did consider getting a clam roll which is a bit cheaper. But it's Kelly's Roast Beef, not Kelly's Fried Clams, right? Service is efficient, and the woman who took my order was delighted to hear that I had come all the way from Virginia to eat there. "It's gonna be worth your trip!" she enthused. And she was right.

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"Kelly's namesake, with the works"
Michael Stern

"While not among contenders for the North Shore Pantheon, the fried clams served at Kelly's can be pretty darn tasty."
Michael Stern

"Tender, pink meat topped with a thin barbecue sauce is a north-of-Boston tradition."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"A big roast beef sandwich at Kelly's is A LOT of beef!"
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"A Kelly's large roast beef with cheese and horseradish."
Pat Mazur

"Hand-battered onion rings, not too salty, not too sweet. Amazing crunch."
Pat Mazur

"There was lots of sharing during the Roadfood.com tour. Some people loved Kelly's fried clams, some were not as impressed."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Click on the photo to see this partial menu."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"In addition to a posted menu that customers can read, Kelly's offers color photos of some of its best dishes to help make decisions."
Michael Stern

"A Revere Beach institution, Kelly's has one outside wall decorated with vintage postcards that evoke summertime fun of times gone by."
Michael Stern

"Kelly's menu features Northeast seafood favorites - not just roast beef. But, as the sign indicates, beef is king, in our experience."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Kelly's is an open-air restaurant where customers stand on the sidewalk to place their orders and get bags full of food."
Michael Stern

"A view of Kelly's from the pavilion across the streets shows what appears to be a haphazard crowd outside. While it looks chaotic, the ordering process is in fact quite efficient; and even if the crowd is large, you won't wait long for your meal. "
Michael Stern

"Carry your food to these benches across the street, and you can dine with a view of the water."
Michael Stern

"Kelly's presents its meals over the counter in handsome bags. This bag is sitting on the wall of the dining pavilion with the beach in the background."
Michael Stern