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!

Donkey’s Place New Jersey Cheese Steak

Donkey’s Place New Jersey Philly Cheese Steak – The Most Dangerous Cheese Steak in America

I have been hearing about and reading reviews of Donkey’s Place for years and how great their Philly cheese steaks are. Considering that it is located at 1223 Hadden Avenue in Camden, New Jersey, it is only a few minutes from most parts of Philly. But the thought of going into Camden, NJ just to try a cheese steak was more weight than my actions could lift. Finally, I got the nerve to go as it is a prerequisite for having the best Philly cheese steak blog.

Donkey’s Place was established in 1943 as a bar by the Matthew’s family. But its true origin began in 1947 when a man named Leon Lucas, AKA Donkey, bought the bar and started selling steak sandwiches. Leon was a champion boxer (light heavy weight) on the 1928 United States Olympic Boxing Team. Leon was also a champ fighter in his unit in World War 1. He received his nickname from having said to have a punch like a mule.

“Donkey” Lucas renamed his place after himself, Donkey’s Place. He ran the business for many years until his death in 1971. After his passed away, his son Bob Lucas took over the business and runs it presently. In 2003, Bob Lucas opened up another location in Medford, NJ (7 Tomlinson Mill Road) and in 2005 he opened a third spot in Ocean City, NJ (1018 Asbury Avenue).

OK…enough of the background…let’s get to the point. Donkey’s cheese steak has been ranked unbelievably high in my book. Its sandwich has characteristics of no other. Their cheese steak is a unique sandwich that is a twist of the traditional South Philly version in that its roll is a round, soft, Kaiser roll with poppy seeds. The steak used is thin rib eye stripped steak (not chopped) stacked high in the roll. The cheese is American cheese placed on top of the steak to melt from its heat. The onions are very unique.

Donkey’s Place used large strips of onions that are very stringy. These onions have been sitting in a big pile on the grill not too far from the meat for an hour or two. However, they are not browned at all. I believe that it is the steam that has created its unique taste and for a long period of time. There is a huge pile of onions that is placed on Donkey’ sandwich, their trademark.

Every part of Donkey’s Place’s sandwich is unique. I love the poppy seed effect. This is very different if you are used to the traditional soft long Italian rolls. It really makes you question what the future of Philly cheese steaks may hold. This style along with Grilladelphia’s pouch rolls have really made me think twice about what is a customary Philly cheese steak. I think a revolution may be underway. The poppy seeds effect though is much better than I thought.

The inside of Donkey’s place is very old fashioned. I question whether anything has been moved since its inception other than a routine cleaning. There is so much history to this place as well and this may be the reason that you may find very important politicians, etc. frequenting the place.

The hospitality was exceptional. Their menu was simple.

The biggest disadvantage, for those of you who don’t know anything about South Jersey, is getting there. Donkey’s place is in the middle of the most dangerous city in America: Camden, New Jersey. Although it is just a quick toss away from Philly, Camden is a very different place in that the crime is unbelievably high here. This is why a label Donkey’s Place the “Most dangerous cheese steak in America.” To get here, I should have brought a couple machine guns. You drive through tons of abandoned buildings and crime infested streets.

But let me tell you how it was worth it. I ate two sandwiches today ($6.50 each) and I could have sat there all day long and ate more. I still can’t get it out of my mind how good these sandwiches are. Not only do I put Donkey’s Place in the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club but they may just be the best of the best (maybe) (definitely one of the best New Jersey Philly cheese steaks). Although they are not in Philly exactly, for now I will allow them to be a special exception to get into the club even though I have originally designed it exclusively for Philadelphia cheese steaks only. If you have never been there, take a little risk through Camden County (bring the bullet proof gear), and try Donkey’s Place’s Philly cheese steak!

Best New Jersey Cheese Steak Reviews

Best New Jersey Cheese Steak Reviews

This page was created to provide extensive Philly cheese steak reviews of the best New Jersey cheese steak places. This place should follow in the tradition of the original Philadelphia cheese steak recipe (or as close to it as possible).

If you know of a place worthy of being considered the best Philly cheese steak restaurant, shop, place, store (you get the point) then please be kind enough to comment on this page. The more information that you provide about their Philly cheese steaks, the better for everybody (unless you are afraid that your home town may become famous like Pat’s and Geno’s Steaks in Philadelphia). But don’t worry the tourists are friendly!

Don’t forget to discuss what type of cheese steak they are famous for (with onions, American cheese, cheddar cheese, with peppers, big steak, large steak, etc.), where they are located, the name (Duh!), and whatever else makes you excited. The world is depending on your best Philly cheese steak reviews so please be kind enough to describe your nominee the best that you can!

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Best Philly Cheese Steaks' Reviews

Donkey's Place - Camden, NJ