White House Sub Shop Cheese Steak Review

The White House Sub Shop is located at 2301 Arctic Avenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey 08401 (Corner of Mississippi and Arctic Avenues). Established in October of 1946, this submarine shop is one of a kind.

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!

Simonetta’s South Philly Cheesesteak Review

Simonetta’s Italian Style Hoagies and Mediterranean Delights Review

Simonetta’s Italian Style Hoagies and Mediterranean Delights are located at 2510 South Broad Street, South Philadelphia, PA 19145. Simonetta’s owner, Philip Simonetta, derives his recipes from his half Italian and half Lebanese roots. This place specializes in Italian hoagies but has a special twist of underlying Lebanese culinary, which Philip learned from his grandmother.

Simonetta’s Italian Style Hoagies and Mediterranean Delights has a nice little place on Broad Street in South Philly. There is a back room where you can sit and watch television. You can also stare at all the nice Italian pictures on the wall. The staff was also extremely friendly and helpful and made me feel at home.

I ordered their version of the South Philly cheese steak, one of their specialties. I was impressed with their cheese steak (large about $7.25). Simonetta’s Italian Style Hoagies uses about a 10 inch soft Italian roll with sesame seeds. The steak is semi chopped (not fine chopped) and is very juicy. The American cheese that I ordered (you can select other cheeses) was stacked underneath the steak as it slowly was melting. I don’t usually like it this way as I prefer the cheese to be melted within the steak 100% but it actually complemented the Italian roll used. The cheese half melted and half unmelted created an Italian cheese steak hoagie effect. The onions were slightly cooked and chopped in small strips and mixed within the sandwich.

Overall, I was very impressed with Simonetta’s Philly cheese steak and their hospitality. Simonetta’s Italian Style Hoagies and Mediterranean Delights – welcome to the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club!

Gooey Looie’s Hoagies Steaks Review

Gooey Looie’s Hoagies and Steaks Review

Gooey Looie’s Hoagies and Steaks is a perfect example of a Philly cheese steak place that only the locals know about. Do you remember when I first started this blog that I said I was going to introduce the tourists to Philly cheese steak places that only the locals know of and is ten times better than anyone of ”The Big Three” (the name I gave to Geno’s, Pat’s, and Jim’s Steaks)… well today is your lucky day. I am revealing another hidden gem that is a true Best Philly Cheese Steak joint.

Gooey Looie’s Hoagies and Steaks was established approximately 25 years ago and is located at 231 McClellan Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148. It is located inside of the Pennsport Mall, a small little mall close to the Delaware River in South Philly. You can park your car in the lot and walk inside. This place is really tiny but there are about 3 small tables to sit and eat if they are not occupied.

Gooey Looie’s is open every day but Sunday and is very popular by the locals. They were rated Best in Philly by Philadelphia Magazine dating back from 1995, 1996, and 1997.

Gooey Louie’s Cheese Steaks are probably the widest cheese steak in Philly. I have known about this place for years and haven’t found any that has been wider. When I say wider I mean how thick the sandwich is. The sandwich is so thick that you need a fork to bring it down to a manageable size.

The bread they use is soft Italian rolls. The steak is chopped well and stacked high. The American cheese used is mixed well within the steak. They use a good amount of cheese to make the steak nice and gooey (I guess that is where they got their name from). There are a decent amount of onions used and they are cooked very thorough with the steak to create a darker color onion.

When a Gooey Looie’s sandwich is served to you it is wrapped so thick that it may be mistaken for something other than a cheese steak. Be careful not to wave that sandwich at the police or they may take you down by mistaking it for a machine gun.

If you come to Philly for the first time and you want a real cheese steak, go to Gooey Looie’s instead of the top 3. Do you know how much my cheese steak cost? The large cheese steak was $6.95 – over a dollar less than any of the Big Three cheese steak shops. For the value you CAN NOT beat this place. You can fit 3 Geno’s Steaks inside of this one sandwich (why are you laughing – I am serious). If you don’t believe me then you will have to see for yourself. You also won’t have to deal with tourist lines and the staff here is very friendly. After you go to Gooey Looie’s, please make sure to return and thank me in the comment section.

Gooey Looie’s Hoagies and Steaks – Welcome to the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club!

John’s Roast Pork Shop Review

John’s Roast Pork Shop Review

John’s Roast Pork is one of the oldest sandwich shops actively running in Philadelphia. Established in 1930, John’s Roast Pork also known as: John’s Lunch, The Snyder Avenue Lunch Bar, and the Shack has been in the same spot since its inception. John’s is located at 14 East Snyder Avenue, South Philadelphia, PA 19148, which is across the street from the Snyder Plaza (on the corner of Weccacoe and Snyder). John’s has been successful for three generations and the same family (Bucci’s) is still running the place.

Don’t let the name fool you. John’s Roast Pork is actually a place where you can get all kinds of sandwiches, both hot and cold. They have won many awards from various places too. For example, in 2006 John’s won the James Beard Award for culinary excellence. John’s was also voted number one for best pork sandwich in 2000 and best Philly cheese steak in 2002 by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

I like John’s Roast Pork Sandwich Shop. I recently ate both a roast pork and a Philly cheese steak there. The roast pork was very good. I had it with spinach on top, hot peppers, hot sauce, and Americn cheese. Since this blog is about Philly cheese steaks, I will focus my review on that.

John’s Roast Pork Philly cheese steak is a very solid sandwich. A large cost me $6.50 and was close to a foot long. The steak was chopped and not cut thin like Geno’s or Pat’s Steak. The American cheese was melted nice on top of the steak. The onions were lightly grilled with minimal sightings of dark coloration.

The bread would be one of the downfalls of this cheese steak. John’s uses Italian roils but the rolls are much harder than Pat’s and Geno’s. The ideal best Philly cheese steak would have a soft Italian roll with a lightly glazed golden color. The key is soft. This is a phenomenon as like why is the sky blue. I don’t know but a soft roll makes a cheese steak tastes better (in most expert’s opinion including famed Joey Vento).

Overall, this sandwich is very good but I vote John’s Roast Pork Philly cheese steak a yellow light. Why? The reason I think that you should proceed to eat from John’s with caution is because of a few observations that I made. First, this sandwich shop is located on a small little section all by its lonesome next to giant shopping centers and only a few stone’s throw from the Delaware river. The building that it is located in looks like it has not been fixed up since the original owner opened for business. Inside the shop, the grill appears very dirty compared to many other famous cheese steak joints. Joey Vento from Geno’s Steaks has high priced steaks and doesn’t give you your money’s worth but his place is as clean as he proclaims it to be. Cleanliness is a huge issue that needs to be incorporated into food’s price. How much would you pay to know that you are eating clean food (forget healthy – we are talking about cheese steaks)?

John’s Roast Pork’s employees were not wearing gloves and were handling the sandwich, meat, and the money. That is a no no for me.

The other thing that I didn’t like about this place is that their hours are funny. They open at 6:30 and close the grill at 2:30. From that point you can only order cold sandwiches until the doors shut at 3:00. This is not the way to run a business. Why limit yourself to a certain schedule when the demand is constant and all day?

My final recommendation is to think about what was discussed today before you try John’s Roast Pork. If cleanliness is a big issue to you that a greasy hole in the wall like this may not be your bag of tea. If on the other hand, you are willing to look the other way when it comes to the food preparation then you may want to consider this place to visit. John’s does have an excellent roast pork and Philly cheese steak but I am voting them a yellow light (proceed with caution) because I am a little leery about their overall cleanliness.

Below I have included some of John’s Roast Pork recent menu items for your convenience:

Roast Pork Sandwich
Roast Beef Sandwich
Meatball Sandwich
Italian Sausage Sandwich
Chicken Cutlet Sandwich
Chicken Cutlet Parmesan Sandwich
American Hoagie
Italian Hoagies
Ham & Cheese Hoagie
Cheese Hoagie
Tuna Hoagie
Turkey Hoagie
Chicken Salad Hoagie
Roast Beef Hoagie
Plain Steak Sandwich
Cheese Steak
Pizza Steak
Cheese Steak Hoagie
Bacon Cheese Steak
Mushroom Cheese Steak
Sweet Pepper Cheese Steak
Steak Milano (w/Grilled Tomato & Provolone)
Chicken Steak
Chicken Steak (w/Cheese)
Chicken Steak Italiano (w/Provolone & Spinach)
Chicken Steak Hoagie
Bruschetta Cheese Steak
Hot Dog
Hamburger
Cheese Burger
Hot Ham & Cheese
Grilled Cheese
Fish Cake
Deviled Crab Cake
Bacon Lettuce & Tomato
Texas Tommy
French Fries
Onion Rings
Chicken Wings (8 pc.)
Mozzarella Sticks

Little Sicily Pizza Steaks | Hoagies

Little Sicily Pizza Steaks and Hoagies Review

Little Sicily Pizza Steaks and Hoagies in South Philadelphia is a perfect example of a pizza and Philly cheese steak place that is a hidden secret in the Philadelphia food community. This is a perfect example of how you can find non touristy places in the heart of Philly that has food better and cheaper than the most popular restaurants.

Little Sicily Pizza was established in 1968 and sits at 1433 West Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia, PA. They promote themselves as having the best pizza in town and that is why they need to be reviewed here. This type of business falls under two categories, pizza and cheese steaks, so I will have one review for two of our blogs. In Philly, these types of operations are very common. A pizza place tries to complement its business by selling cheese steaks and a cheese steak sandwich shops tries to complement its business by selling pizzas.

Pizza or cheese steak…it doesn’t matter with a place like Little Sicily as you can’t go wrong either way. This place is very Sicilian style Italian. There are many pictures of famous Italian actors on the walls. You may enjoy the Al Pacino pictures. This is a sit down or take out pizzeria. The cashier slash waiter is very polite as this is a nicely run family business.

First the pizza. The pizza that I ordered was American style. They do not have fancy gourmet pizza here and if I asked for my traditional Margherita pizza that might blow my cover as an undercover food critic. So places like this I prefer not to ask stupid questions. Besides, most Philadelphia pizza places aren’t in tune with the whole Margherita concept unless you go to a gourmet pizza joint and they better know what a Margherita is.

I ordered one slice of pepperoni and one plain cheese slice. There pizza is very unique. They really make good Sicilian pizzas (I have been here before) so their regular pizzas have a similar crust. That is, there crust is sort of thick and blackened. They give you plenty of pepperoni on the pepperoni pizza slice. The cheese tasted good but it was part of the only problem with this pizza. The cheese slides off very easy as it was all stuck together. So I had to keep picking it up and putting it back on the pizza. This may be due to a little more oil than necessary.

Overall, the pizza was very good for the price (about $2 each) and the slices are very big slices. I didn’t need the cheese steak to help full me (but I ate it anyway). This is an example of how you can get a great deal in Philly. A place like this runs specials on hoagie, cheese steaks, and pizza specials all day every day. You can get a 16 inch large pizza from anywhere between $11 and $15 depending on what type. This pizza will fill about 3 or 4 people – It’s the real deal!

The cheese steak was phenomenal. It makes Geno’s or Pat’s look silly in all areas. The Philly cheese steak cost about $5.50 and it is a few inches longer and thicker than any of the top 3 cheese steak joints. The rolls are good soft Italian rolls. The softness is what makes this sandwich taste out of this world.

You should be full if you eat the whole sandwich (if you’re not then add a slice of pizza). The cheese was American cheese melted 100% and the stick was chopped rib-eye steak. I put a little ketchup on my cheese steak to add some flavor. The onions were fried nice and crispy.

Little Sicily cheese steak was about $2.50 less than a Geno’s or Pat’s Steak. Are you starting to understand what I mean that you can find way better, cheaper, tastier, and friendlier cheese steak joints in Philly, especially South Philly? Little Sicily Pizza is only about 10 blocks from Geno’s and Pat’s. You can follow Passyunk Avenue straight up and you will actually pass right by it. So with that said, why does all of these tourists want to go wait 2 hours in a line for a cheese steak of a lesser kind? My answer is because they don’t know and that is what this blog is about. So stay tuned as I take you to the true best Philly cheese steak and best Philadelphia pizza places.