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Categories: American (Traditional), Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: Olde CityEat & Play Combo Only $15.99 - Choose one of eight entrees and get a $10 game card http://tinyurl.com/m3nng7
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I recently traveled to Philly to explore the historic sites and had the opportunity to sample cheese steak sandwiches at a couple of establishments.
At Sonny's, I ordered a cheese steak with cheese whiz and onions. Full flavored, doughy rolls, and clean, crisp onions. Not at all greasy, and the meat tasted like beef. Yummy beef. It was the clear winner in my taste-test. I will be returning with my folks and we will continue the exploration.
Why not four stars? The two vegetarians in our group were disappointed that there were no all-veggie options.
11AM - Pat's King of Steaks
4:45PM - Sonny's Famous Steaks
There is a disagreement of which is the better steak. My vote is for Pat's. My sister is for Sonnys.
I think it's mostly preference but to break it down technically, read on...
Pat's - thick juicy slices of steak
Sonny's - thinner but also juicy slices of steak
Pat's - gotta work your mouth muscles to get a sandwich bite in
Sonny's - more manageable sandwich size
Pat's - we got it w whiz. artificial cheese. mmmm-hmmm....
Sonny's - we got it w provolone. also yums
Pat's - $8 for a sandwich
Sonny's $9.50 for a sandwich, drink and fries
Pat's - next... next...
Sonny's - bonus sarcastic humor .. i like
though ... there's something wrong when you gotta pay a refill charge to wash down grease. wha happened? .75 for refills??
Sonny's Steak in Olde City has one major flaw (outside of the mediocrity of its actual Cheese Steak); it's not even the best cheese steak within a five minute walking distance of 2nd/3rd and Market! It's surrounded by Campo's and Nick's Roast Beef and, honestly, how do you not end up at one of those when given the choice?
I'm a native Philadelphian so I can tell you that what a place looks like and how the staff treats you is *meaningless* when it comes to getting a Cheese Steak. The only things we care about are the bread, the steak, the cheese, and the onions. In that regard, Sonny's scores well for their bread but low on everything else! In my case, I had gotten sauce as well and that didn't cut it either.
To sum off, head around the corner to Nick's. Thats the best Cheese Steak in the Olde City area!
I'm not from Philly, so maybe I miss the nuances here, but it's a damn cheesesteak so I can't really think of much to say except that I liked it, the dudes working there were friendly, and I'd go back. Got it with wiz...good fries also.
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This is my favorite place to get a cheesesteak.
Plus, when you have Rosie the Riveter on the wall, you just can't go wrong in my book.
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11 / 11 of my cheesesteak pilgrimage (see my list!)
The guy working in this dimly-let restaurant was pretty personable, but there's not much else to say about the aesthetics of the place.
They tease you with a big warm vat of Whiz sitting behind the counter, but they don't really cheesify the sandwich enough. Generally speaking, I wasn't blown away by this sandwich, but I suppose it does the job as a tasty cheeseateak.
Unfortunately, I think I have to bump the rating down a bit because of the local competition. Campo's is right up the street...go there instead.
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Pretty standard. The staff are pretty grumpy and snappy. Only bottled water is available and cash only.
When we were in Philly, we brought home cheesesteaks for a meal for the next day. We want to try all the cheesesteak places in Philly, and this was a close walk to where we were parked, so we tried this first. I've had the most amazing cheesesteaks at Vince's in Allentown, so any cheesesteaks I eat have a high standard to live up to! These were okay, but I could get a similar thing at many little restaurants throughout PA. I could probably make a better cheesesteak at home. So it's not that I didn't enjoy them. It's just that for a cheesesteak from Philly, I expected better.
We all love us some cheesesteaks, and I feel like Yelpers in this city keep themselves going by reviewing then re-reviewing these places. Across the nation, the Philly cheesesteak is the stuff of legend, and to Philadelphians, it's a closely guarded treasure. There is a never-ending quest amongst outsiders and Philadelphians alike to find and commemorate the Philly chheesesteak, and Sonny's... is not it.
I stop here frequently for a bite before work, and the food isn't bad. But in a city so saturated with establishments looking to perfect the same thing, "not bad" gets lost easily. Nothing short of amazing stands out, and Sonny's just doesn't hang with the big boys.
The food comes fast upon ordering, and has all the normal options a cheesesteak shack should. The staff has absolutely zero personality beyond the stickers above the range and fryer that advertise the virtue of sarcasm. The prices are fair, about 10 bucks for a cheesesteak with fries.
Sonny's is just average, and sadly, that doesn't cut it in Philly.
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Jimmy got a cheesesteak to go with American for the walk back to Independence Hall. We let the time slip away from us, and found that we really needed to go inside to make our tour time. They let us through the security line since the food was sealed. We found ourselves a convenient park bench, and with 15 minutes to spare, decided to enjoy the meaty cheesy goodness in pseudo-secret, hoping the park rangers that were seemingly everywhere wouldn't notice. We're not sure that what we did was against the rules - after all, we were outside, not in the statehouse itself. And we did politely wipe up the whiz that fell from Keith's off the park bench since we didn't want to ruin it for tourists who find themselves in a similar situation. Because no one wants to wait for Terri the Terrible tour guide to talk about 300 years of history in 30 minutes while your cheesesteak gets cold.
When I go back to Philly in the future, I believe I'll one of the others. Sonny's wasn't bad, but it was just meat and cheese and bread, so I wasn't impressed. While it was huge and fresh, my Philly friends tell me I can do much better.
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With Tony Luke's Cheesesteak being my only other point of reference locally--I thought I'd give someone else a try in my tourist trek. Their Cheesesteak isn't bad, but I can't say I'll be back. I'd try someone else or go back to Tony Luke's. Well, I"ll definitely go back to Tony Luke's. The place itself, however, is nice with friendly service.
I thought the Cheesesteak had a weird after-taste. The fries too. It's kind of fishy. Very weird. Very not appreciated. And the bread is all wrong. It's just bread. And it had that runny thing going, (not the bread--the steak) which doesn't make it better. Like I said. It's not bad I guess. If you like fish, but If your a tourist like me looking for wow-factor--you could probably skip this place.
Oh yeah. Cash only!
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Just had a cheesesteak at Sonny's for the first time. Very good. A lot of steak, good crusty bread and of course 'whiz. Not the same "experience" as Gino's or Pat's but the steak is very good.
Ok, first I have to say this was the first and only real cheese steak I've ever had. It was my last night in Philly, and as this was the closest place to my hotel, I took a walk over to Sonnys.
Sooooo good! The staff were very friendly. It was close to closing time, and they served me anyway and cooked it up without a complaint. They helped this here tourist girl figure out what to order for the authentic experience.
Lemme tell ya, it was the best greasy/meaty/cheesey experience I've ever had!
OMG! After downing too many cocktails while shaking it at Silk City, I realized that it was after 2 and my stomach hadn't seen food in over 12 hours. Eff. The aftermath of this was not gonna be pretty unless I found food. I tried scamming people outside the bar for info on what might be open, but they just kept telling me the only thing would be Wawa. I don't mind some Wawa, but the closest one sounded like it was a million miles away. I think distances get larger in proportion to how drunk you are. I had resigned myself to just stealing some food from the hostel fridge (I totally saw a DiGiorno pizza in there) as I got in the cab.
But! Lo and behold, as I pulled up to 2nd and Market (or thereabouts) I see the magic words "OPEN TIL 3AM"! HOLLA! I go bounding in, only to get the stinkeye from the bizznatch behind the counter. Like I care; I'm having a cheesesteak! So I got one with whiz and onions. I don't even like cheesesteaks, but this thing was the most amazing thing I've ever eaten. Yes, I do blame the booze, but so what? As you may know, "drunk food" usually makes me vom and is useless to me. But not this. It was perfect greasy deliciousness! Also, I think I may have turned a corner in my relationship with cheesesteaks. I was totally craving one today!
So now, two drunk foods that don't make me sick: cheesesteaks and bacondogs! I need to expand this list......
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This was our first authentic cheesesteak experience, and I gotta say that I'm happy we picked Sonny's. It's in an easy to get to location. The steak itself was great (we got the traditional), and you can see them make it in front of you. I gave it a four only because the sandwich was a tad dry. It needed a bit more cheese.
Sonny's is my go-to cheesesteak joint. I only eat steaks when people from out of town visit, otherwise I would be a total lardo. Sonny's is quick, not too expensive, and in a central location.
The bread they use is perfect- soft on the inside, just crisp enough on the outside. They use Amoroso's rolls, I've been there early enough to see their delivery come in. The steaks here are not huge, which I consider a good thing because I hate dragging leftovers with me. They use a lot of whiz (yay!) and the onions are not overcooked. I have never had the fries, one sandwich is plenty of food for me.
This place is a hole in the wall, but there is seating outside.
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I am going to preface this review as I do all reviews about cheesesteak shops and say - my love of cheesesteaks is so strong i cannot pick one favorite shop. Please don't make me.
Sonny's is one of those famous places I have heard great things about, but have never tried. It's a simple place (With a great sign!). Unlike a lot of great cheesesteak places Sonny's has plenty of places to sit down. The chairs are comfortable; you can easily sit and enjoy your meal without feeling like you need to stand up.
The staff there are great. Really friendly. And, the one guy we happened to get was actually pretty funny. He referred to me as a gentleman and then took it back when my dining partner gave him a "look". He also supports regular coke over diet coke and that's respectable.
We shared cheese fries and I had my standard fare of a cheesesteak without onions but with cheese whiz. And a coke.
The cheese fries are excellent. String cut fries doused in cheez whiz (I love cheez whiz and I couldn't even eat it all. Or perhaps I didn't lick the container to look more like a gentleman.) There were more than enough fries for two people. Especially people who were enjoying the joy that is a good cheesesteak.
As mentioned the cheese steak was perfect. The right amount of meat. A delicious roll. And plenty of cheez whiz. The meat isn't fatty at all and the cooking and combination with the cheese almost makes it so you do not have to chew. My only complaint, and I don't have one, would be that the sandwich is not large enough. In spite of my whining I was only able to finish half of what I had.
The price is reasonable, and they have combo deals that make things even better.
It's worth a trip to Olde City to enjoy their food.
I like Sonny's Steaks overall! Forget what you heard about Pat''s and Geno's. If you are in Old City, Sonny's is the place for steaks! I like the cheese steak at Sonny's because they do not drain the meat as much and those wonderful juices create a nice gravy when the whiz is added. I am a huge fan of Sonny's Steaks!!
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I've been to this comfortable eatery on Market twice. First time, I went in out of curiosity. The second time, I wanted to show an out-of-towner friend a REAL cheesesteak - not just Pat's and Geno's, which she's tried.
Both times I've been to Sonny's I've had a cheesesteak with the works. I LOVE the sweet peppers, the mushrooms, the trimmings, and the pure greasiness of it all. Their sandwiches tend to be smaller than their competitors though. My friend and I took advantage of Sonny's outdoor seating to enjoy the daytime weather. (When she took a bite, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, while images flashed before my eyes about how I am so inadequate, I could never satisfy her more than that cheesesteak just did.)
Come to Sonny's for a good sandwich without the attitude!
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Wow, some scathing reviews here.
Maybe it's me, but the three times I've been to Sonny's, I thoroughly enjoyed it each time. I've never experienced a line - even the day of the Phillies parade, it's indoors, there's a television...oh yeah and the steaks aren't bad either.
I'm a fan of Pat's and Geno's, but there are just some times when you don't want to wait 20 minutes for a cheesesteak. Also, in terms of convenience, this place gets points.
Is it the best cheesesteak I've ever had? No. In fact, I went in May and went back last week (Halloween) and it actually seemed like the steak was smaller than the last trip. Of course, that could also be my brain playing tricks after spending several hours in a sea of drunken enjoyment at the parade. Who knows?
But it's worth the trip and you can do a lot worse when in Philadelphia.
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My fella took me here which means I had a grand time, as always, but I'm not a fan of the food. It's a bit too fancy pants for me. I got a chicken cheesesteak and it was like big pieces of chicken breast and I wanted like fake chicken steak-um stuff. I think I might have to get regular one next time, which is a shame because I love me a chicken cheesesteak. French fries were well tasty though.
I found the big ugly girl behind the counter to be kind of rude. I mean if you're big and ugly and you work at a cheesesteak joint, you better have a good personality or else you're doomed. This girl needs to learn that lesson.
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WoW! It's officially been going on 3 years since I've eaten beef. and I can honestly say that there's not too many things out there that make me want to change that. But every time I come across here I have to fight back the urge to end it all and order three of these suckas! Sonny's is just the real deal like that!
The distaste I've felt for spot's like Geno's and Pat's is no secret if you have read my reviews. And here has everything that they don't which is even more reason to appreciate it. no long lines, plenty of places to sit indoors, and people working there who are are friendly enough to help you with your order whether you say "wit" or not. And the sandwiches are fully loaded decadence.
And to top it all of they make pretty damn good chicken cheesesteaks too. So once I fully master the art of suppressing the urge to the fullest I think I'll be back :)
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They don't call it Sonny's Famous Steaks for nothin'...but as far as I'm concerned these dudes are the only game in town when it comes to pure, unadulterated stuff your face with fatty goodness.
Let's just kick it off with the fact that even though I am a Philly girl, I don't usually do the cheesesteak thing. In fact, anyone who lives here will usually agree that it's something many locals partake in only when they have an out of town visitor. That said, I was a little nervous when my SF guest said she just HAD to have a Philly cheesesteak. Gulp...where do we go? Pat's? Geno's? Jim's? (Check the reviews and you'll see why I brought her here...thanks again good old trusty Yelp!).
And then there was the whole legend of the "Cheesesteak Nazi," who will yell at you and possibly make you cry if you don't order correctly. "Whiz," I'm asking myself. "WTF?" I know from the media reports not to order provolone, but what the hell do you do about the onions and the peppers? Blarg! Too confusing! My brain almost shut down just thinking about it.
Luckily, as I said before, I consulted Yelp before I left the house, and based on the reviews of people I read regularly (thanks, Point P!) I chose Sonny's. Note to self: good choice.
Kevin, the guy working that day, gave me a tutorial on how to order a cheesesteak. And he didn't seem like he wanted to throw hot grease on me when I asked him questions. And to top it off, he plays trumpet with the Peek-A-Boo Revue, which is pretty damn awesome. So now Kevin is one of my new favorite guys in town.
Conclusion...whether you're a local or a visitor and you get a hankerin' for a cheesesteak, get yours here (wit Whiz, of course!).
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There are several reasons why I, in this lifetime, will avoid being a vegetarian or vegan at any and all costs. One of the reasons is that I absolutely love meat. It tastes good, it's filling, it makes my tummy smile and it pairs well with the nice happy smile it puts on my face. As for being a vegan, um, I'm sorry but, no cheese? Whatever you are smokin that makes this okay in your mind, um, keep that pass to yourself.
Finally there are meals like the one I had yesterday at Sonny's Famous Steaks. Since we hired a Philly CM, my main mission was to get my butt out here and have an authentic Philly Cheese steak. Of course that is a terribly touristy thing to say and yearn for, but oh well Judgmental John, but I love hot meat, gooey cheese and hot meat and gooey cheese that fuses flawlessly to a roll and bada bing bada boom, that's what Sonny's delivers best.
Now this story can't even continue without mentioning the sassy and sarcastic stylings of Kevin. The main guy working the counter here that had so much "Clerks" attitude that I couldn't help but fall for him. You can tell that he deals with a boat-load of "Me's;" the tourists on the quest for the PCS, but even in spite of that, he talked us through it and delivered us to a yummy happy place...and hey, at least we didn't go total tourist and hit up Pat's or Geno's. Shiiit, even I know better than that.
Anyhoo let's just talk a little more about these sammiches. For starters they use Cheese Wiz. Now apparently, some people on this planet have a problem with this. Again, what are you smoking? That can of orangeish-yellowish chemicals is a God-send. Try eating some infused in a hot dog, it's magical.
Next was the drip down the arm factor. A true measure of a great sammich in my book. If I don't use my sleeves as napkins and go through about 15 of the paper ones, eff that, you failed me as a sammich. Finally there was the total meat juicy cheesy mess that was left on the paper below the sammich. Oh man, it was love.
I don't think I will ever be able to eat another Philly Cheese steak now. And how can I? This was junk food perfection. And provolone?! You can keep your stinkin provolone, cuz I'm gettin cheesy with the Cheese Wiz, yo!
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Enjoyable...some Philly Yelper's recommended that I give this place a try when I asked for some food suggestions, so since this is my first official cheese steak I can't compare it yet, there is tomorrow...
Fast friendly service, I'm not a fan of the whiz, but since you don't mess with tradition I ordered it that way. All and all, pretty tasty not fatty, all the required grease came from the melting whiz, I'm guessing they use sweet onions because they weren't bitter, just a nice accent.
I also got the shoestring fries, if you like them crispy ask, because they were quite a bit on the translucent side.
Nice place without attitude. Order, pay, eat and go. Easy, no fuss..no muss.
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Good meat, nice roll, good onions. Don't do whiz but the american cheese was fine. Small as heck for the price. No credit cards.
One of the better places, but they, like most places on Market St in Old City, they skimp on portions and keep costs high simply because they get the foot traffic.
Probably the best cheesesteak in Old City but that's not saying much.
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When in Philly....you GOTTA have a juicy, greasy, hearty goodness cheese steak.
Look no further, Sonny's is YOUR answer. Their cheese steaks are greasy enough to make the sandwich taste great, but not overly greased to the point where you'll feel fat by the end of one bite.
At the end of your cheesy steakness meal, you will feel satisfied because the food was appetizing, filling, and exactly what the doctor ordered :)
The only downside is that their prices aren't too fun...for a cheesesteak, order of fries and drink, it was about $9. Definitely worth it if you're looking for that perfect cheese steak.
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Super friendly and helpful staff made for a wonderful experience! At the suggestion of the cashier, we ordered cheesesteaks with onions, cheese whiz, and mushrooms. It was tasty and satisfying after a long day of walking in the cold.
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The tour guide from Independence Hall suggested Sonny's.
I noticed they pull their beef directly out of the refrigerator and cook it fresh for each order. Fries and rings made fresh. Big dollops of Cheeze Whiz to smother everything. Wait until your food cools a bit and eat the coagulated cheeze, it's so good! The guys behind the counter are working hard and they are friendly. One of my great experiences in Philly.
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I go John's for American, but here for the Whiz (which I prefer).
Great meat, tons of cheese and good sides too.
Perfect meat to cheese ration.
Owned by a great brother and sister team, very cool people.
The chicken cheesesteak, while not as good as the original (Beef), is pretty damn good! Really good seasoning on the chicken!
Also, they will put all the meat on one half the amount of bread, for a lower carb option. Messier this way, but whatever.
A friend names Sonny's as one of the best steaks in the city. I was't overly-impressed. The cheese fries are made with Cheez Whiz, which I don't like. But at 11PM after a LONG workday, they tasted delicious!
But the staff are super-cool and treated us well when we worked across the street. Visit twice and they'll remember your order. For that, they win four stars.
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We had at least 12 of these suckers delivered (both chicken & steak), pre cut into delicate morsels for guests & served in awesome sturdy supply boxes (like for onions or something) when we had a ton of out-of-town wedding guests at our apartment last summer. i cant speak for myself as i dont partake of the steak, but they were cleaned up in record time & got compliments galore. all i did was call up the day before, drop off the cash ahead of time & they delivered right on time which saved me going to pick them up in the middle of our get-together. Perfect!
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Cheesesteaks, and that's about it. Yeah, you can get fries and onion rings, and chicken steaks, and I think they do burgers. But basically - it's just cheesesteak.
The steak is thin-sliced on the spot (you get to watch the machine do the slicing while you wait in line, soaking in the greasy air), and is high-quality and very lean. You've got your choice of whiz, american, or provalone, sauteed onions are free (and clearly required) and you gotta throw in the extra for the sweet peppers.
Steaks are big, juicy, and damn tasty.
It ain't especially clean or pretty, but when you want a cheesesteak, they serve it up right (though not necessarily efficiently). There are also 2 tables outside if you catch them on a nice day.
Oh, and there's pretty much always a line.
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Years ago, I remember making the rather bold claim that Sonny's put Pat's and Geno's to shame. Five years later, I feel I'm a bit too grown up and too much of a herbivore to make these arguments which so many of us in the 215 love.
Sonny's disappeared for a while... but I noticed that they're back. I like Sonny's because while South Philadelphia is one of a kind, this is much easier to direct tourists to, you'll never hear a complaint about the price, and that horrendous Cheez Wiz is optional, like anywhere else.
If you're gonna eat some garbage, I've personally found that Sonny's is my favorite "cheese steak venue"... much more than Jim's, Steve's, or any of the afforementioned haunts in South Philly.
Moreover, I don't have to read about what a killer Mumia was (thanks Geno's), hear cat calls about my company (appreciated Jim's) or be reminded to order in English (everywhere). When I show off my city, I rather sweep our social eye-sores under the rug.
Sonny's is a pretty part of town, good price, and the food will go to your @ss just as fast as the competition.
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Kelly S. must be smoking crack to say Sonny's has the worst steaks..
Geno's, Jim's, Pats and Tony Luke's all take a backseat to Sonny's.
Their menu is simple like any cheese steak eatery, but their quality choice of ingredients defiantly shows.
I'd recomend Sonny's to anyone who is looking for a cheese steak.
Oh yeah, they just started to deliver too!
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When in Philly you've got to have a Cheesesteak. A couple of the guards at liberty bell recommended Sonny's. Thought the Cheesesteak (with Whiz) was 3 - 4 stars.. Fries,,, prob about a 2. I was surprised that at 2:pm on a Friday there were only a couple of customers in the place. I had a very short wait for the food. Sandwich was good but not good enough for me to not want to try others in the area the next time I'm in Philly. Make sure to bring cash since no credit cards are excepted.
Sonny's cheesesteaks are absolutely awful. The meat is tough and the rolls aren't right; and when you screw up those elements of a cheesesteak, you might as well just punch the customer in the face when they walk in the door.
I don't like Pat's or Geno's at all, but I'd rather have one of their steaks any day over Sonny's.
Honestly, you'd be better off just daydreaming about eating a cheesesteak rather than ruin it by getting one from Sonny's.
Awful. Just awful.
**ADDENDUM** Yes, I'm clearly delusional. In fact, I'm so delusional from all the awesome cheesesteaks I ate in the 6+ years I lived in Philly that I chose not to eat crap like Sonny's anymore. Yes, "that guy from CT" lived in Philly, and I also come back here about 10 times a year, so I'm pretty sure my opinion is valid. I'm not giving this place one star to try and balance this all out somehow. I'm giving Sonny's one star because it's freaking terrible. You want quality? Go to John's Roast Pork. If you want tough chewy nastiness, go to Sonny's.
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three words:
best cheesesteaks ever
I had high hopes- Chicken Cheesesteak was bland and boring. Very little cheese and onions and unspiced chicken. Fries were good though. 10$ meals. The place down the way seemed to have a better atmosphere and more customers. Maybe that the better spot- something that starts with a "C".
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My # 1 cheesesteak place. Puts Pats, Geno's, Jim's, Steve's and Tony Lukes to shame.
Staff is A+, food is A++.
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Chili's 3 for $20
Neighborhood: Market East
15% Off Spirit of Philadelphia
Neighborhood: Penn's Landing
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Olde City
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: South Street District
Category: Restaurants
Philadelphia, PA
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Pennsport
Category: Sandwiches
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