Charlie’s Sub Sandwich Station

By far the best sandwiches in the South Bay and right up there with the Busy Bee in San Pedro. My favorites are the Turkey Pastrami and the Charlie’s Sub Sandwich Special. What makes this place stand out above all else are the fresh ingredients which is quintessential to a great sandwich. On that note, their Chicken Salad Sandwich, which is based on their family recipe, is absolutely phenomenal.
On a personal note, the owner (Charlie) passed away several months ago and he was a great guy loved by many in addition to being a pillar of the community. Thankfully, his legacy lives on and his wife Susie is a class act who you may be lucky enough to meet should you happen upon this gem of a sandwich shop. This is one place that is well worth going out of your way for.

Best sandwiches in the harbor area!!! I would recommend the pastrami or the spicy Italian sausage sandwich. Pastrami sandwich comes loaded with meat. I am a large guy and I have trouble eating the entire sandwich. If you are a fan of a little heat the spicy Italian sausage is the way to go. There’s enough heat to kick you but not overwhelming. Never been to a place that serves a sandwich that has meat left when the bread is all gone! The staff is very friendly and there is the best selection of drinks to go with your lunch. Anything from hot coffee, iced coffee, slushee, best fresh brewed ice tea, sodas, and best of all beer. Who doesn’t like to enjoy a cold beer with their sandwich on a hot day? There is also a huge selection of frozen treats and candy.

Amazing food and very friendly staff. Food is take out only, but phone it in ahead of time and it will be ready for pick up.
Our work often orders catering for the entire office and I have to say this place does it perfectly! They are easy to work with and can handle the big orders for us. We have ordered the 4ft and 6ft long sandwiches for corporate events and they’ve gone off great. We even had a health and wellness event and Charlie’s prepared us 50 sandwiches that came with a piece of fruit and chips or cookie and everyone loved them! They make it easy for us and accept all credit cards and provides a receipt so we can expense the bill to the company.
My only advice for the big orders is that you coordinate with Susie 24−48hrs before hand so she can prepare the food and coordinate deliveries. She’s easy to work with and such a nice lady. She will go above and beyond to make catering easy for you.
I was here the other day and ordered my favorite sandwiches for me and my wife. We traded each other 6 inches of pulled pork and 6 inches of pastrami. We got two awesome sandwiches in one! Hands down this place is the best thing in Wilmington.

The sandwiches are amazing! Best value for what you get, because I always save the second half for later. They give great portions for the price. My favorite sandwiches are the tuna, pastrami, turkey, pulled pork, and Italian sausage. It is my goal to try every other sandwich because I hear the rest are just as great too. I hear another big favorite is the Charlie’s special or Torta de Charlie. I always am about to try one of those, but then I return to my personal favorites because they are so good! You can’t go wrong at Charlie’s.
The bread is soft and baked daily, the vegetables are fresh, and I always grab a fresh-​baked cookie too. The staff is very friendly and the convenience store has a variety of beverages/​chips to choose from. Great for takeout!

Honestly, I haven’t tried their food yet. But I rode past here yesterday to get gas and I was informed by one of the other customers that the Owner and creater of this shop, Charlie, had passed away yesterday ! I’m so sorry for his family and the communities loss! I heard MANY great things about this man !!! He grew up in Wilmington and brung the love of food to his brothers and sisters of his community ! May God continue to bless you Charlie !!! Rest peacefully!!! :) xoxoxo

Killer food, good service, good prices !!!

Charlie’s subs are the best !! Like that I can call my order in.

Solid sandwich shop! It is a old school style gas station sandwich place. Very friendly staff, I didn’t even feel like I was in Wilmington

I went in there today. First let’s start with trying to find a parking space. Lucky i got one. Parking is hard to get. Next the Sub Sandwich Station. It’s right inside the gas station store. And then the Sub VERY good more better then Subways. A little more meat all the way down to the last bite. Ahh yummy. It was $ 9.80 total for the Roast Beef large sub. No dining room. Just Togo. Next time i’ll call in my order.

Omg a must try u will never believe this little place made this great sandwich. Ive been to many places and it always seems u pay more but get less here you get what u pay. Sandra can make a mean pastrami sandwich and the service was amazing..

So I never thought I’d take my mother to lunch at a gas station but that is exactly what happened. Dubious, but hungry, we dove into our giant subs. YUM! So good! The staff is friendly & service was fast.

This Place is very good! I just got the turkey and cheese but was very pleased bc turkey typically isn’t alway good to me, but this sandwich was amazing! My cousin ordered the cold special. (Forgot what it was called) and he loved it! We ordered 6in (and im full). we have never been here and we wanted to try it, But definitely ordering a 12 next time so I can eat half then and other half later! The only bad part is, when its time to pay you have to wait in line for the gas station side.

Susie and Charlie, Thanks for the wonderful yummy sandwiches today. You certainly made me look good in the office.
If you need to order for yourself, but most of all order lunch for your office Charlie’s is the place to call to get your sandwiches and any other item listed on their great menu. Check them out and enjoy the awesome taste of it all.
There are not enough stars to rank this sandwich shop. You two hit it out of the park today. Many thanks.

Ok… So I am now on my 3^rd day of Charley’s because I am officially hooked. Last night I ordered a Charley’s special, which is in essence a cold cut sandwich. Sooooo good. We have tried the Tri-​tip (not impressed with the sauce, but the meat was ok.) Spicy Italian sandwich, Meatball sandwich, and Chicken soup. All have been great. The people behind the counter have all been very nice and the service is good Be prepared to wait for your sandwich.(No assembly line Subway here) I recommend the 12 inch sandwich as it is the best value. Each sandwich easily feeds 2 people and its conveniently located inside an Arco so chips and a drink are easily accessible. Only draw back is parking. I didn’t want to take up parking for people trying to get gas so I had to park up the block. Others were not so considerate. People parked at the gas pumps, while others parked illegally on sidewalk. Wish Charley’s was its own free standing sandwich shop. The Arco is a gas station, auto repair, and animal feed store besides a sandwich shop so parking is a problem. Closed Sundays and holidays with M-​F business hours of 10 – 7 and 10 – 6 on Sat. Added this bit of info because it was missing on the takeout menus available at counter. Generous portions of meat in sandwiches and affordable prices… I will be back!

I was on my way to Subway when I was going down Anaheim. I was passing by the gas station and had a second thought to go to Charlie Subs instead. This was my first time at the sub shop. Three ladies behind the counter greeted me, and took my order. I ordered a turkey sandwich with avocado. Everything went smoothly.
Fast forward: The sandwich was fully loaded. They don’t skimp out on anything. Lots of avocado, meat, fresh tomatoes, and lettuce which is a plus. When I started eating I noticed my sandwich was REALLY wet. I took one bite and everything in my sandwich pretty much SLID off the bread. I don’t know if it was the mayo or some type of sauce they put in the sandwich but it was extremely messy. Also they give you a lot of meat but the bread is too skinny. They should honestly think about making wider bread rolls! I had so much meat hanging off the sides, but no bread.
For just starting out and being the new sandwich guy in town I think their off to a good start. The bread taste fresh and homemade, and they have a strong offering of quality sandwiches. It wasn’t the BEST sandwich I ever had, but it’s a nice sandwich option in Wilmington.

Ok, I am not just saying this because I am 5 ½ months pregnant, but I am craving the beef dip, not because I am always hungry but because it is that damn good. I tried this place for the first time last week and have already been back. I dream of the beef dip and will go again tomorrow. It’s kinda weird, it’s in an Arco gas station but that is also why it’s so cool (you would never expect such good food from a gas station restaurant but that’s half the charm). There is no seating so as long as you expect that and can deal with it, it’s all good.
So excited to go again but hate letting the word out, you gotta try it!

Are you guys serious? Why is everyone giving this place 5 stars?
I don’t mean to be rude because the lady who helped me was incredibly nice. I feel bad about rating them with one star but I genuinely was disappointed after having their food.
I got the BBQ pulled pork sammich w/​slaw on the side. Here are the problems:
–No seating… okay fine I’ll eat in my car.
–Might as well have been SOUP! I love juicy– well, anythings. This was just too sloppy. The bread was SOAKING in the sauce and there was sauce all over the packaging, running down my hands and arms. It would have gotten all over my clothes if I had slower reflexes. I was glad I also happen to have a nasty napkin-​stealing habit or else it would have been an even bigger mess. And yes, I used up all of my napkins.
–Flavor of sandwich wasn’t all that great. I ended up eating the meat with a fork. Bread wasn’t too tasty and the texture disgusted me.
–Cole slaw wasn’t good. It was just cabbage with vinegar. Looked like it might have had a teensy bit of mayo in there, but not enough to change the flavor or texture. It was too dry and tasteless.
Only good thing is that it was definitely filling.
I’d try this place again. I think I just chose a really bad sandwich for me. I’d try the Italian next time, I’m sure it would be better.
I will edit my review with an average of my next experience, along with this one when I try Charlie’s again. I’ll even round up if I end up liking it!
We shall see!

In a world of 5 dollar foot longs and a 3 dollar bullet what ever that is supposed to be its good to know that there are still places out there that offer large portions of great food for a reasonable price. Today I found such a place thanks in large part to the Unilocal community. I had driven by Charlie’s Sub Sandwich Station several times thinking nothing more of it than a gas station sandwich place. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I got the Charlie’s Special, a delicious Italian meat sandwich with lots of meat, cheese and veggies. I cant wait to go back and try one of the other great looking sandwiches.

I have to give a shout out to all you Unilocalers for helping me find this place. I would have never thought to have walked into this place without reading the reviews. I mean, it’s in a freakin’ Arco station in Wilmington!
That the Charlie’s Special which was super tasty. The bread was great, Freshly baked, soft, and chewy. The Italian meats were generous and stacked high. The toppings were fresh and crisp. Bell Peppers, Peppercinis, fresh tomato, Italian dressing and a great tasting Provolone.
I will definitely be coming back to this place in the near future to try their other sandwiches. You can pick up your chips and drink from the gas station convenience shop. I do warn you though, since they are in a Arco they do not take credit cards. They take Debit cards and charge you a 45 cent convenience fee so if you can bring cash to this place.
Thanks Unilocalers, this place is truly a gem. A diamond if the rough and I look forward to going back sometime soon!

They have the biggest and best Sub Sandwiches I have ever experienced in the Wilmington or San Pedro area. The bread is the best! The kitchen staff is very nice and the place is clean!
My favorites so far include the following:
The homemade Bar-​B-​Q Pulled Pork Sandwich is from old family recipe.
The Chicken with Marinara sauce is very good.
And finally the «Charlie’s Special»…A 12″ sandwich with over 1 pound of meat!
The shop is tricky to find since it is located in the Arco Gas Station Convenience Store. The store and kitchen are brand new! Susie runs the place, so be sure to say Hi to her.