Critic's Review
Sal's taking over the space previously occupied by Carlucci's seemed like a neutral move to me; they're both low-end Italian chain franchise restaurants. But they're really quite different.
I expected the place to be the same as Carlucci's with new signage, but it's been remodeled for the better. They even have a nice TV.
I was initially seated downstairs but I felt like I was in a diner; the counter and the kitchen right there; so I asked to move to the upstairs dining area, which was much better.
I ordered iced tea and one of Sal's $7.99 combo specials.
A slice, a half sub and a salad for $7.99; I hadn't anticipated the salad.
I'm not a fan of carrots in salad but I persevered. As I was half done with the salad I realized I wasn't going to be eating all of this food.
The slice came out before I was done with the salad and my server seemed nervous about where to put it. "Just put it over there", I pointed. Simple.
Not a great slice but it certainly could have been worse. Totally edible. I came to the conclusion that a slice and a salad was enough calories for lunch today.
I asked for a take out container for the sub and I had it as a late night snack. I did add some sauce, but it was a nice soft roll and a decent meatball.
$2.99 for iced tea seems disproportionate, but that's how they make their money. Can't complain about the price.
They're overcharging a couple of cents on the tax; not sure if it's intentional or just bad POS programming. The bill says 7.06% which is odd; the amount charged is 7.2%.
Conclusion
I got a bad pizza 8 years ago at Sal's in Boca Raton and dismissed the place as lame; but what I got today was a decent lunch at a good price. If I worked in the area I think I'd eat here often. It's a decent neighborhood pizzeria kind of place.