Size really didn't matter.

Andrea Salumeria in Jersey City is the winner of our N.J.'s best sub/hoagie shop showdown, besting nine other finalists in our epic month-and-a-half-long search.

The narrowed-aisled store, which could fit into most conference rooms, was my pick for the state's best sub/hoagie shop. It was the smallest but one of the liveliest shops visited, with specialty food-stocked shelves on your right, display case and cookies on your left on the way to the front counter.

Where owner Pete Soriano greets customers by first-name, and where you find sub ingredients - sun-dried peppers, anyone? - you won't find pretty much anywhere else.

"I'm living the dream,'' Soriano said during my first visit.

It's a story of a local kid who made good, without leaving the neighborhood. Soriano grew up five blocks away. No wonder the old-timers beam when they walk into the store.

"I've got people coming here 30, 35 years,'' he says. "I got people who came here with their children, now their children are coming in.''

Andrea Scivettti, Soriano's uncle, opened Andrea Salumeria in 1975. Soriano started working here when he was 15, sweeping the floor.

After buying the store, he added many specialty products - oregano from Sicily, imported cookies, cheeses, pastas, mushrooms, anchovies "and all this other weird stuff,'' Soriano says with a smile.

Watch Pete Genovese reveal NJ's Best Sub/Hoagie Shop. Posted by NJ.com on Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Boxes of panettone and tartufone atop the display case reach practically to the ceiling. The meats come from Boar's Head, Citterio and Alps Provision Co., the bread from Dom's Bakery in Hoboken. The mozzarella is homemade. The staff, friendly, often wise-cracking. The atmosphere: unbeatable. Cookie-cutter sub chains couldn't replicate it if they tried.

"I work 60 hours a week, 50 weeks a year,'' Soriano says.

Don't sob too much for this sub maker; he spends the other two weeks in St. Maarten.

Think you might have given him a ten-dollar bill instead of a five and left the shop? Don't worry, he'll set things right.

"You know how many people I chase down the street because they gave me a dollar too much?'' he asks.

The assistant judges who accompanied me in the week of finalist visits made note of Andrea's "low-key neighborhood deli vibe,'' and Soriano's "passionate'' approach to his food and customers.

Among the standout subs we tried was the Pete's Special Tuna sub, which one judge called "a great sandwich, simple but high quality, definitely worth a return trip.''

I also loved the Soprano, with sopresata, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil, and a sub with parma prosciutto and sun-dried peppers. That's right, sun-dried peppers.

"Now,'' Soriano said on our final round visit, "I've got to get creative.'' He proceeded to make an all-veggie sub with mozzarella, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, oregano, EVOO and four-year-old balsamic. Name? The sandwich doesn't have a name.

Our epic search for N.J.'s best sub/hoagie shop started in September, when we asked readers for nominations. More than 350 shops were nominated; all were put on the ballot, in four regions. The top five vote-getters in each region became 20 of our semifinalists; I picked the other 20. I visited all 40 semifinalists over two weeks, then picked our ten finalists.

Kudos go to the other nine finalists; picking a winner here was the toughest task yet in all our N.J.'s best missions (bars, burgers, diners, Italian restaurant, ice cream).

Here they are: Bogie's Hoagies, Hawthorne; Carmen's Deli, Bellmawr; Fiore's, Hoboken; The Little King Sandwich Shop, Hamilton; Neil's Kitchen, Long Branch; Sergio & Co., Denville; Sugar Hill Sub Shop, Mays Landing; White House Sub Shop, Atlantic City; and WonderSub, Old Bridge.

They're all great shops, and highly recommended.

Watch for the announcement of our Readers' Choice winner tomorrow.

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram.