Where to Find the Best Hoagies in Berks County

The best hoagies in Berks County come from small counters where the sandwich is the whole business. Mays Sandwich Shop on Penn Avenue in West Lawn, V & S Sandwich Shop on North 9th Street, and Slicers Deli in Douglassville lead the field, and each draws specific review praise for its sandwiches.

Nuse's Deli in Morgantown and Screpesi's Sandwich Shop in Knauers give the county's southern half two Italian hoagies people drive serious distances for.

The county's wider conversation adds Tony's of West Reading in West Reading and the press-crowned Dan's Deli in Boyertown to the shortlist. Past the dedicated counters, the corner delis around Reading build a sandwich with a Dominican accent, and a pair of grocery and farm market deli cases in the northern half belong in the argument too.

Where Berks County argues about its hoagies.

This is a county that votes on its sandwiches. As we write this, the Reading Eagle's Readers' Choice ballot is open through August 31, 2026, with a Subs & Sandwiches category on it, and the results land October 11.

The argument runs on Facebook too, where a public group called Hoagie Gurus fields the question of the best Italian hoagies in and around Berks County outright. When The Boyertown Area Expression sent a crew on a two-day hoagie crawl in April 2025, the Hoagie Gurus group was one of the sources it consulted before eating.

Berks County Living's sandwich feature, The Sandwich Lords, profiles Mays and Screpesi's, two counters our own review evidence also puts near the front of the field. When the press and the reviews keep landing on the same names, believe the names.

The dedicated counters making the best hoagies in Berks County.

These are the shops built around sandwiches, grouped by where they sit. In a county this spread out, geography decides more than any ranking would.

One thing worth watching for: the roll. At several of the shops below, the bread is what reviewers describe in detail, and it is a useful tell when you are choosing between two counters.

Hoagie counters around Reading.

Mays is where we would send anyone starting a Berks sandwich education. Reviewers consistently praise the freshness and the fillings, the menu runs wide enough that one vegetarian reviewer found multiple options, and both online and curbside ordering come up as easy.

One reviewer called the Italian one of the best they had ever had, and another said Mays is the only place they have found that makes a veal cutlet sandwich. The owner gets named in reviews for hospitality, and Berks County Living profiles the West Lawn shop in The Sandwich Lords as a family operation known for its Italian cold subs.

Over on North 9th Street, V & S is the Italian sandwich stop. Reviewers praise the quality and flavor of the sandwiches, especially the cheesesteaks and Italian subs, and they note that orders come out fast. One reviewer says this is the only V & S in Berks County that uses the original ATV rolls.

One wayfinding note: one reviewer writes that the North 9th Street shop has a new name, and another calls it Larry's V & S Sandwiches. Ask for it by the corner rather than the sign.

Tony's of West Reading in West Reading arrives with its reputation already argued for elsewhere. On the Expression's April 2025 hoagie crawl it was a standout, the hoagie built on a sesame seed roll with sharp provolone, and the owner pointed to quality bread and imported meats as the whole formula.

It is also among the finalists on the Reading Eagle's 2026 Readers' Choice ballot. Service runs through a window with no indoor seating, and reviewers advise ordering ahead.

Philly Style Subs- Reading is the newest counter on this page and proof the county does not leave a good sandwich address empty for long. It opened in November 2025 on Plaza Drive, in the space Jimbo's Steaks and Hoagies left when it closed that fall, and WFMZ covered the new Philadelphia-native chef's shop within a month.

The opening menu ran from a classic Italian hoagie to a turkey and roast beef build called the Double Trouble, alongside Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks. It is still serving as of summer 2026.

Hoagies in Douglassville, Morgantown and Knauers.

Slicers is a bakery that makes sandwiches, which is the right order of operations. Reviewers emphasize that the fresh-baked bread and rolls lift everything, they rave about the tomato pie, and one reviewer names the ovengold turkey hoagie directly.

The shop keeps a short week, open a few days for part of the day. Check the hours and call before you build a lunch around it.

Down in Morgantown, Nuse's Deli makes the Italian hoagie people cross county lines for. Several reviewers name it directly, one calling it the best in Berks and Chester counties, another saying the drive from New Holland was worth it for the old-fashioned Italian alone.

The rest of the record backs the trip: food quality, portions and speed all read positive. Start with the old-fashioned Italian.

Screpesi's Sandwich Shop on Alleghenyville Road in Knauers carries one of the biggest Italian hoagie reputations in the county. Multiple reviewers call the Italian hoagie the best they have ever eaten, and the traditional hard and soft rolls get praised as fresh.

The family behind it has served Berks County since 1949 and runs a second counter on Lancaster Avenue in Reading, per the shop's own site. When The Boyertown Area Expression crawled the region's hoagie shops in April 2025, the Lancaster Avenue stop earned one of the trip's strongest write-ups.

More sandwich and deli listings across Berks County live at Sandwiches and Delis.

Hoagies in Boyertown.

Dan's Deli on Route 73 is the shop the region's press crowned. On the Expression's April 2025 crawl, Dan's took the write-up's highest praise, "hoagie perfection," with the ingredient balance and the thin-sliced onions called out in particular.

It keeps a Tuesday through Saturday week, and we verified the shop open, with an active Facebook page, in late August 2026. Make it the anchor of a Boyertown sandwich run.

Carmelo's Pizza and Italian Ice on Philadelphia Avenue earned strong marks on the same crawl for a traditional build, and it is still serving as of August 2026. Between them, Boyertown holds its corner of the county's hoagie argument.

Hoagies and sandwiches in Kutztown and Mertztown.

Mark's Sandwich Shop has been at it on West Main Street since 1966, and the soft rolls are what reviewers keep coming back to. One reviewer liked the rolls enough to mention them ahead of the fillings.

That is the sign of a shop that gets the foundation right. One reviewer described getting hungry for an Italian hoagie, going, and being glad they went. We understand the impulse.

Esterly's Sandwich Shop in Mertztown is the group's cheesesteak-first counter: third-generation family-run, cash only, take-out only. Its review record is built on cheesesteaks rather than hoagies; the cheesesteak is the order.

One reviewer put a cheesesteak on a scale and reported over a pound and a half. Bring cash, plan on takeout, and do not count on leaving hungry.

Heart and Hearth Deli & Smokehouse is the other Kutztown answer, and it is the least like anyone else on this page. Reviewers describe scratch-made food from local ingredients, and the Reuben is the sandwich people name, with one reviewer admitting to a weekly habit.

The kitchen's range runs well past the sandwich board. Reviewers call the ribs the best they have had.

Corner delis and bodegas around Reading make a different sandwich.

If your idea of a Berks hoagie stops at Italian and turkey, the corner delis will fix that. These are neighborhood grocery stores, and the one with a kitchen in the back is the one to know about.

DR Deli & Grocery on North 9th Street has that kitchen, and the kitchen is the point. Its review record is positive straight down the line: staff, freshness, the Dominican and Spanish menu, portions, delivery.

What comes out of it is Cuban, or Dominican, or built to whatever you describe at the counter. One gluten-intolerant reviewer asked for a Cuban with no bread and got a Cuban salad instead, which tells you how requests get handled. The empanadas get named in reviews too.

If you are planning a wider night out around one of these, our dining out in Berks County guide covers the rest of the table.

Grocery store and farm market deli counters in northern Berks County.

Radcliffe's Great Valu Market in Mertztown proves a grocery store can hold its own in this company. Its prepared foods, deli and bakery all draw praise for taste and consistency, and one reviewer calls the fried chicken the best in the area.

The sandwich evidence is domestic and specific: one reviewer describes a household hoagie habit finished with a raspberry vinaigrette the store stocks. That is the kind of loyalty a deli case earns one order at a time.

Kirbyville Farm Market in Fleetwood makes sandwiches to order alongside the produce, the baked goods and a Saturday chicken BBQ. One reviewer summed the subs up as tasting great with good portions.

Sometimes that is the whole review you need. Pick up a sub with the week's produce and make the trip count twice.

A pizzeria hoagie in Leesport with Philadelphia approval.

Some of the better sandwiches in Berks come out of kitchens with a pizza oven in them, and Andali's Family Restaurant & Pizzeria in Leesport is our proof. One reviewer who mentioned being from Philadelphia called the Italian hoagie the best they had ever had and described the meats as plentiful.

A best-ever verdict from a Philadelphian is about the strongest compliment an Italian hoagie can get. Order accordingly.

More hoagie and deli counters in Berks County to look at.

The county's bench runs deep. A few more counters worth a look, each for its own reason:

• The Original Mama's Pizza and Grill Wyomissing in Wyomissing: one reviewer says the tuna hoagie tastes like home.
• Carlos Pizzeria Restaurant on Penn Avenue: runs a whole Oven Grinders section, from meatball to eggplant, chicken and sausage parm.
• Julie’s Fast Foods on Penn Avenue: reviewers describe ordering teriyaki hoagies, a build we have not seen described anywhere else in the county.
• Fiesta Charra Mexican Store, Butcher ,Deli & Taqueria in Temple: a Mexican grocery, butcher, deli and taqueria under one roof.
• V & S Sandwich Shop: the V & S location in Temple, separate from the North 9th Street shop.
• Villalba Deli & Grocery on Schuylkill Avenue: reviewers praise the store, the staff and the Latin snacks, pastelillos and alcapurria included.

If you would rather browse by dish, our menu-indexed hoagies page pulls from actual posted menus.

How we picked these Berks County hoagie counters.

We read the county's whole hoagie conversation, the press crawls, the live reader ballots and the Facebook debates, next to our own review data, and standing in that conversation earns a place here the same way strong review evidence does. Every counter we recommend is verified open, nothing on this page is ranked, and nobody paid for a spot on it.

Frequently asked questions about hoagies in Berks County.

What is the difference between a hoagie, a grinder, and a sub?

In Berks, the words track the menu more than the sandwich. Carlos Pizzeria on Penn Avenue files hot, oven-finished builds like meatball and eggplant parm under Oven Grinders right beside cold tuna and veggie versions, and the more useful question at a counter like Screpesi's is hard roll or soft. Order by description, not by noun.

Where do I get a classic Italian hoagie in Berks County?

Five of the dedicated counters here have reviewers who name the Italian, and two have multiple reviewers calling it the best they have ever had: Nuse's in Morgantown and Screpesi's on Alleghenyville Road. V & S on North 9th Street, Andali's in Leesport and Mays each have one reviewer who says something similar. Try two and pick your side.

Which Berks County sandwich shops are cash only or take-out only?

Esterly's in Mertztown is cash only and take-out only, with a small indoor waiting area and parking along a busy highway. Tony's of West Reading serves through a window with no indoor seating, and Slicers in Douglassville keeps a short week, open a few days for part of the day. All three reward a phone call and a plan rather than a drop-in.

Do grocery store deli counters in Berks County make good hoagies?

Two in this field have the review evidence for it. Radcliffe's in Mertztown draws praise for its prepared foods, deli and bakery, and Kirbyville Farm Market in Fleetwood makes sandwiches to order, with one reviewer describing the subs as tasting great with good portions.

Is a Berks County sandwich worth driving across the county for?

Reviewers seem to think so. One drove from New Holland to Morgantown for the old-fashioned Italian at Nuse's, and another described an hour each way to Screpesi's and said the subs were worth it.

That is the tell with a sandwich counter: the people who love one will get in the car for it. Browse more of the county's kitchens at where to eat in Berks County.

Sources.

• BerksConnect business, review-theme and posted-menu data for active Berks County sandwich shops, delis, grocery delis, farm markets and pizzerias, re-verified against the production database on 27 August 2026: every review quote, dish name, menu section and sentiment described above is drawn from this base.
• The Boyertown Area Expression, "Hoagies: a Love Story" (April 18, 2025): the two-day hoagie crawl, its use of the Hoagie Gurus group, and its write-ups of Dan's Deli, Carmelo's Pizza and Italian Ice, Tony's of West Reading and Screpesi's.
• WFMZ, "New Berks County eatery serving up Philly-style cheesesteaks, hoagies and more" (December 11, 2025): the Philly Style Subs opening at 3400 Plaza Drive on November 14, 2025, in the space previously occupied by Jimbo's Steaks and Hoagies.
• Reading Eagle Readers' Choice Awards ballot (voting open August 16-31, 2026): the Subs & Sandwiches category and the October 11, 2026 results date.
• Berks County Living, "The Sandwich Lords" (undated feature): the profiles of Mays Sandwich Shop in West Lawn and Screpesi's.
• Hoagie Gurus public Facebook group thread (undated): the group's standing search for the best Italian hoagies in and around Berks County.
• Screpesi's Sandwich Shop, official site (accessed August 2026): the two locations, in Knauers and on Lancaster Avenue in Reading, and the founding year of 1949.