Sonny’s Famous Steaks

Sonny’s Famous Steaks is located at 228 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Specifically it is located right in Old City just a few steps away from Campo’s Deli. The proximity to Campo’s sort of creates a rivalry similar to Dalessandro’s and Chubby’s and Geno’s and Pat’s Steaks.

Sonny’s Famous Steaks is a newcomer to the Philadelphia cheese steak game being only around since November of 2000. Actually Sonny’s first opened up right next door to Campo’s at 216 Market Street. A few years later (2003) they had to move though because their building had structural problems. This stalled this business for a few months. It worked out best for them because their new location is a little bigger.

Sonny’s has won several awards including Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly 2001.” They are about to get an even better award…

Sonny’s Famous Steaks has a nice sized steak shop with many tables and a big television to watch while you eat. The staff was very friendly and their menu is extremely simple: French fries, hamburgers, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, or cheese steaks.

The rolls were top of the line as I saw the delivery man dropped them off straight in the back room. They were holding several bags from Amoroso bakery, the same bread used by Jim’s Steaks. I did notice that the roll on my sandwich was a little flaky though, which may indicate that it may have been over a day old (questions the freshness). While we are on the topic of rolls, Sonny’s cheese steak is just way too small. It is less than 8 inches, a small Italian roll. They really need to think about making their sandwiches bigger.

Sonny’s Steaks chops their meat but not by much at all. It is a stringy chop where the slices of the rib eye meat used is sliced several times. The steak is not a fine chop where every part of the meat is completely subdivided.

At Sonny’s, I changed things up a little and ordered a traditional Philly cheese steak with cheese whiz instead of American cheese (the sign at the counter said this was Sonny’s recommendation as it is the sandwich that he eats). The cheese was smoothed around amongst the steak evenly with minimal signs of oozing (oozing is a sign that the cheese has melted too much).

The onions were slightly darkened and chopped into tiny blocks.

I like Sonny’s but I have some suggestions for him. The sandwich taste is very good but the length of the sandwich for $7 has got to go. Sonny if you are reading this you need to give a foot long in this economy for $7. Campo’s down the street has roughly the same size for the same price except their sandwich is a little thicker (even though they use steak strips).

Another suggestion for Sonny would be to brighten the place up. Put some money into your place. It looks like a dingy hole in the wall. Campo’s Deli has a nice clean bright looking place. Yours looks like a prison cell barbecue. Philly cheese steaks and bright colors work very well together. If you think I am off then take a ride to Geno’s and stare at the bright orange signs that attract people like magnets.

Other than the size of the ugly interior, I still believe that Sonny’s Philly cheese steak still holds strong. Sonny’s Famous Steaks welcome to the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club!

Campo's Deli Cheese Steak Review

Campo’s Deli is one of the most popular Philly cheese steak joints in Philly. Campo’s was established in 1947 and has 3 locations. The main location was the one that I am reviewing at 214 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Campo’s is also located at Citizen’s Bank Park and the Wachovia Center. That’s right, Campos is the official Philly Cheese Steak of the 2008 world champion Philadelphia Phillies Fans and the official hoagie and cheesesteak of the Wachovia Center, home of the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers.

Campo’s Deli was started by Ambrose and Rose Campo and is still family operated many years later. The difference is that it is not a little corner luncheonette slash grocery store anymore. Campo’s has been elevated to new higher levels through its increased popularity. Campo’s has a very strategic location in Center City as it benefits from the high trafficked area especially in its Old City neighborhood.

Campo’s has a nice sit down place inside. The place is very clean looking and the workers are all very friendly. The best part is that you can sit by the window and just gaze outside of the beautiful neighborhood of Old City Philadelphia and its passersby.

Campo’s Deli also has an increasing online presence as they ship virtually anywhere in the world. Campo’s has been rated the best by many different sources but you all know by now that I am not impressed until I review it myself (and you should have the same attitude).

I really liked Campo’s Philly cheese steak. I ordered a cheese steak with bell peppers and mushrooms. The steak sandwich itself was $7, which is very reasonable. The mushrooms and peppers were an additional $.50 each. The bread used is the famous Sarcone’s bread from South Philadelphia. This bakery has a huge fan base as they are one of the biggest bread distributors in the area along with Amorosa. The rolls were nice soft golden Italian rolls. The problem with the roll was that it was a little too small (about 8-10 inches). They need to upgrade to the foot long to really impress me.

The steak was stripped steak as was sliced a little thicker than the average thin strips. Obviously it was well done as there was no sign of blood. This is the normal way to cook a Philly cheese steak though. If you see a drop of red blood from your steak sandwich in Philly then you better run because that is not how it should be cooked.

The onions were nicely cooked to a golden brown and chopped into small slices. The American cheese was mixed well into the steak and stayed in one place (as opposed to oozing out the sides. The peppers and mushrooms were also cooked Italian style and were mixed right into the sandwich. They were a nice complement to the meal. Campo’s Deli also has many varieties of the sandwich that you can try like the old fashioned Italian pizza steak. You can tell that these sandwiches are influenced by Italian culinary traditions.

Overall, I like Campo’s atmosphere, location, cleanliness, and their sandwich. They appear to be a very nice family run organization. The price was also right considering the location. However, my only suggestion for them is to think about using a foot long roll.

Campo’s is truly a Philly favorite that needs to be recognized by our cheese steak blog. Campo’s Deli, welcome to the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club!

Talk of the Town CheeseSteaks

Talk of the Town CheeseSteaks is another very popular cheese steak joint in Philly. Established in April of 1997, Talk of the Town is opened and operated by the D’Ambrosia family. This cheese steak shop is located at 3020 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA. They are located just minutes away from Lincoln Financial Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, The Wachovia Center, and the Spectrum. They are also a few minutes from the Walt Whitman Bridge, under I-76, near I-95 North and South in the heart of South Philly.

Talk of the Town’s strategic location may be the reason why they are visited so often by famous sports players. Donovan McNabb, for example, had made this place his lucky charm one year and had to visit it before he went on away games. You can actually walk to any of the sports centers from here straight down Broad Street.

What I noticed about this place that seems appealing is that they offer party trays. This can be very good for small football gatherings or birthday parties. For example, their current menu says small trays (3 whole loafs that feeds 10 to 12 people) is $45. Their large tray (5 whole loafs used that feeds 18-20 people) is $65. This is a nice investment for a good party. I bet though that if you asked any of the local deli’s like Cosmi’s Deli in South Philly, they will make you a party tray as well.

Talk of the Town used beautiful light golden brown soft Italian rolls. Their onions were slightly golden and chopped well. The cheese was American but you can ask for other cheeses if you like. They melt the cheese smoothly between the steaks.

The steak that was used was stripped steak and not chopped but they said that if you want chopped just ask and they will please. They layered the small steak strips with two strips on top of each. So the sandwich was 2 strips of thin steaks high.

The biggest problem I had with Talk of the Town was that their roll was less than 8 inches and their price was $6.75. Their sandwich was awesome but it needs to be a little bigger. You have to give to get back. They should give you the foot long rolls not these cheesy small rolls.

I also like the fact that you can sit down inside and watch TV. They make it nice and cozy with several booths and tables. It is painted all blue and it appears that they take good care of the place.

Other than the size, I think this was a great example of a perfect Philly cheese steak that takes the stripped steak approach. Small steak sandwiches like this will keep you thin. When you mess with a place like Gooey Looie’s then you better be careful because they give you an extraordinary amount of steak on your sandwich.

Talk of the Town, you did good (but make it bigger). Welcome to the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club!