The White House Sub Shop was opened over 60 years ago by Anthony Basile and his aunt and uncle, Basilia and Fritz Sacco. Today it is still run by the same Basile and Sacco families.
The White House Sub Shop is a sit down sandwich shop with a row of booths on the right side when you walk in. You can also sit at the counter if you like but the booths are more spacious. Along the walls of this place are decorations of the shops worldly popularity. There are countless pictures of famous people who have eaten here including The Beatles and Frank Sinatra. I also saw a picture of Elvis but without any signature I couldn’t confirm if he was here.
A reason that this place could be so popular is because of its proximity to the casinos in Atlantic City, the length of time it’s been around, and the lack of competition. The combination has led many famous visitors of Atlantic City here to get a quick bite to eat. Since Atlantic City is so close to Philly (many argue that it is Philly with a boardwalk) it would be expected that they would have a famous Philly cheese steak place here. This is where White House Sub Shop comes in.
What makes this place amazing besides the celebrities that it has attracted is the size of the sandwiches. A half a sandwich is about a foot long but the whole sandwich is about 2 foot long (this is how they sell their sandwiches: half and whole).
I ordered a whole famous Philly cheese steak submarine for $15. This was a very good deal considering that you can feed about 3 people with it.
The rolls that were used were slightly toasted light Italian rolls (not your traditional Philly cheese steak roll). The steak is 91.1% fat free U.S. D. A. Choice Lean Top Round Steak Cut. The steak was semi chopped (not fine chopped). There was a reasonable portion of steak put in the sandwich but it was not filled to the rim like many Philly places.
The onions were fried and long thin slices. The cheese used is provolone cheese (they have American if you ask for it otherwise provy is by default). They may have gone a notch too much with the cheese. Not a significant amount like Mama’s Pizzeria but just a little more than enough.
Another difference in White House subs is that they use lettuce and tomato slices in the Philly cheese steak. This is very unorthodox for the traditional cheese steak. I am not concerned with different if different is good but I think that lettuce takes away your concentration from the rest of the sandwich. If I wanted a side salad I would have asked for it.
The White House Sub Shop in AC is overall very good. I have made an exception for them to consider them a candidate for the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club because of their proximity, history, popularity, and the fact that Atlantic City is dominated by Philadelphians. With that said, aside from the lettuce and tomatoes, I like their sandwich especially for the value. The hospitality was warm enough for a steak joint but really what helped them get into the club is because Frank Sinatra approved of them.
The White House Sub Shop welcome to the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club!
love this joint! had a steak yesterday and scraped off some of the cheese and pushed the lettuce and tomatoes to the side! but the bread is what makes it rock. also, the picture of Sinbad looking down on me from the wall. you go Sinbad, i think this wall is the only thing you're still on. it's a traditional when i go down to AC w me and my boyoes to hit the White House on the way out. Nothing like a cheesesteak at 10 o'clock in the morning.
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