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Funny, I'm reviewing this after I've had an actual Philly Cheesesteak. Sad, however, that I may possibly enjoy the mushroom 10" philly cheesesteak sandwich with the sweet and sour peppers here if not the same but more than Philly. And its so cheap, who can say no?
I see tons of jars in the back of these sweet and sour peppers...where are they from??
Thanks to my coworker for pointing this place out in Richmond since I could occasionally come out here for work.
The Divisadero store in SF pwns.
Here? Not even close to topping the quality of what I received in SF. Maybe it was what you call "one of those days" but they were so stingy on the meat even after I KING'd it. The bread was soggy, drowned in grease. Thought I was going to have a heart attack.
I was hungry at that time too (which means ANYTHING is acceptable), but hey, that kind of b/s doesn't fool my taste buds.
This place has the best cheese steaks! There is always a steady stream of patrons eating or wating to take their food to go. I like to eat mines in the privacy of my home. Sometimes when you take food to go, it gets soggy... whatever. You know it's happened to you before. :) But not here... it's still in fresh!
I usually get the 7' cheese steak with grilled onions with a small curly fries. After a long day at work... this lil combo right here topped off with a root beer TOTALLY hits the spot. And as I was eluding to above, they package their "to-go" food in a manner that when you get home it is still PERFECT. No sogginess whatsoever ... and let me tell ya, that's quite a feat.
* best of all, they offer a little card that they stamp. Each time you buy a cheese steak, they stamp it and after 10, you get a FREE cheese steak. Tuesday is double stamp day. :)
Very good, lots of varieties on the menu - so check it out... You won't be disappointed.
Having spent the first 10 years of my life in the Bay Area, all my friends would look at me funny when I'd mention Tastykakes because they had no clue what they were! When I lived in the East Bay, I was pretty much the only kid in school (up until 4th grade, after which I moved to the Philly suburbs) who knew what Tastykakes were (not to mention how AMAZING they are) because my mom is a proud Northeast Philly native. I can recall trying Tastykakes for the first time while visiting family in Philly before moving there, then we discovered the Philly Cheesesteak shop, owned by two guys from South Jersey. I think it's the only place in the Bay Area that carries Tastykakes (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).
Tastykakes aside, I also remember having some pretty darn good steak fries there, since at the time, I did not eat meat outside my house unless it was Kosher. I am no longer as strict about what meat I eat outside the house, but I have still, to this day, never eaten a cheesesteak. Well, being on the East Coast now, why should I bother going back to the Philly Cheesesteak Shop in Pinole when I am currently living in the original HOME of the cheesesteak now? If I ever decide to move back to the East Bay, I MIGHT give it a shot, but only time will tell.
Same as the shop on Divis in the City. My favorite Cheese Steak in California! I second Michael D's review: Heaven...Greasy..Glorious..Heaven! LOL. The sandwich itself is not pretty....but BOY is it delicious!!
PS
Don't forget to "King it!"
Ordered the "King Philly" which had extra meat + cheese. Delicious.
Not enough meat? Get extra meat problem solved. Quit being cheap on this greasy train of goodness and get the 15" if you think it's small. Buy two for great dinner after your lunch hot meat injection!
If you think this expensive and sides are stupid to charge for, get a better job! Everyone in this nation is hurting for the dollar!
This place needs to serve beer and be open later.
omg... the peppers... sooo goood.
mmm.
This place is really good in my opinion. I've never had a Cheese Steak from Phillie or anything so I don't have an expert opinion or anything. But for what this is, I liked it a lot. The food is tasty, the cheese steak is flavorful, the steak fries are good. My only complaint is that it is a little pricey. 20 for two people to have a sandwich small fries and drink each. Fast food is usually a bit cheaper. But I will be going back.
This is comfort food, pure and simple.
I never get past ordering a 10" spinach (which is really spinach and mushrooms and tons of melted cheese). I have never had the fries, so I don't know if they are good. I just know that there is something about beef, cheese, spinach, mushrooms, fried onions and sweet peppers that is deeply satisfying. Reza always gets a 10" and ends up taking 1/2 of it home, today, however, he ate the whole thing (I must not be feeding him enough).
There is very little atmosphere, except photos of other cheesesteak places, both locally and in the East Coast. They have a card/stamp system that gives you a free sandwich with ten stamps, Tuesday is double-stamp night.
Two 10" philly cheese steaks and two sodas will set you back about eighteen dollars, but you can walk it off at Target or FoodMaxx.
Totally sucks that this is the only cheesesteak place in the area (without going to a restaurant). Really unimpressive.
Teeny weeny sandwiches that's like 95% bread , 2.5% meat and 2.5% cheese. My BF and I looked at each other and was like "Where's the rest?!?!"
Blah.
Located to the left of Target, we always passed by this place but never really went in until yesterday. I ordered the 10" Mushroom and Cheese Steak while my husband ordered the 15" Mushroom and Cheese. We could not decide whether to order the steak fries or curly fries so we ordered both. The Mushroom and Cheese steak was delicious. I preferred the curly fries to the steak fries. Our bill came down to $22.15. We could have saved a little if we ordered the 7" and the 10" and just shared a soda but it's okay...the cheese steak was worth every bite.
Yesterday a philly cheese steak fairy visited me at work.
Out of nowhere, there was a sandwich on my desk.
I opened it and inside I saw meat, melty cheese, and bacon.
Kinda wtf, but hey.
Sometimes my life does not suck. Not at all.
I grew up eating at the Oakland location over on Lakeshore and was happy to see one in Pinole when they first opened. I made a couple trips here in the past two weeks since I have been working on the new Kaiser building in Pinole.
Last week kinda sucked because I also noticed they cut down on the meat. Bread really over powers the meat and you cant help but think this particular franchise owner is being cheap! I hated almost every bite and then having to pay .70 for ranch. This visit was a 3.
The other day I went in with extra meat on my mind and ran into a sign that read "King Steak" or something like that. Its basically extra meat and cheese and let me tell you... Its either this way or no way!
Im far from being cheap but I paid $12 for the 10" King, small curly fry, and small drink. This is usually under $10. Anyway thats inflation for ya. In times like this our dollar is worth jack $hit but thats another convo.
I had a 7" grilled garlic and cheese sandwich, small twister (curly) fries, and a small soda. The sides are like half off on Wednesdays, so my whole meal was under $7. It was a great value but you need to spend at least $7 to get a stamp card. WTF?
Anyways, I think a 7" sandwich, small side, and a small soda is plenty for lunch. You don't need to get the 10", large side, or large soda.
WOW
GO THERE
In addition to the regular beefy cheesy onion and peppery greasy gooey *****ahhhhhhhhhhh**** goodness
they have options: pizza style, mushrooms, spinich, etc etc
they can also do chicken instead of beef
they have salads with vegetarian options
they have fish and chips and chicken strips
and that huge, delicious Italian HOGIE!
specials on Wednesday nights
afterwards you can take a walk around Target next door in a gooey, cheesy heavenly fog
I enjoyed my visit. Food's alittle slow, but tasted quite good.
Ok, so this place is totally grimey and disgusting when you walk in, but the cheesesteaks, so make up for that. Hence the 5 star rating. They are without a doubt, perfect...though I'll admit that I've not had the true Philly Cheesesteak from Philly...this is the best California Philly Cheesesteak I've ever had. They offer a variety of sizes and flavors, fries, and other sides. You can become a frequent buyer and get a free Cheesesteak if you show them love on a semi-frequent basis. Ohhhhh, beginning to salivate just thinking about it.
I'm so craving it.. just writing this review.. Ugggh..
Try the chicken hoagie with curly seasoned fries.. Enough said! I've tried majority of their sandwiches but my ultimate fave is the hoagie. =)
If I was on death row a cheese steak from here would be apart of my last meal.
Cheese steaks here are like crack it only takes one time to get addicted.
I do have to admit I haven't yet went to Philly and had a "real" cheese steak but I believe this place has to come close. The Amoroso's bread, hot and sweet peppers, bits of steak, and melted cheese will make you have sweet dreams making you feign to come back for more. For those who are not big on steak they also make them with chicken (would that be called a cheese chicken?) that are really good. The selection is vast and it fun to taste the many different types of sandwiches. For the cheese steak connoisseur you can ask for the cheez whiz instead of the provolone. Best of all the place is affordable.
If you don't want to wait in a line just call ahead to have your food ready for pick up when you get there.
Some days just call for steak and cheese and those days I'm happy for the Cheese Streak Shop. Do you go for the basic no frills cheesesteak or do you fill 'er up with mushrooms and spinach? I have yet to step wrong with any choice. Now, when does the need strike again?
I went today for lunch. I hadn't been in a long time. The quality seems to have gone down. The sandwiches used to be big and overflowing, but today it was pretty skimpy. When I was pulling the sandwiches out of the bag my wife and I both thought they looked small. There wasn't as much meat and cheese as I remember.
The taste was okay but it mostly tasted like bread. I used to really like their food. I thought it was better than the mall places like Steak Escape etc, but today the food seemed like one of the mall restaurants. Oh well, maybe i'll try it another time.
Like Ken S., I too have never been to the real Philly to try the cheese steak sandwiches there. That said..., the stuff here is really good. The place is this tiny little spot sandwiched between Target and Food Max. But, the food here ... ! If you like philly cheesesteaks and like things a little spicy, I suggest the the deluxe. That has everything from the beef, the cheese, mushrooms, and light tomato sauce but the topper are the sweet peppers - that just gives it its edge. The sides are great too - onion rings, french fries, curly fries - oh my! But , augh! ...it's the sandwich that I come here for!!!
i wanted garlic and i got hella.
my eyes lit up when i saw that 'garlic and cheese' was an option. i thought, 'ehhh...they're gonna be shady with the garlic.'
so i got the sandwich with grilled onions and raw onions and a bite into that made mosquitoes with a hundred mile radius fly right into hell. the mosquitoes woke dracula up and the smell of my breath made him choke to death.
if i were you, don't order the fries unless you enjoy eating bland things, like cardboard. "steak fries" threw me off, as if they were gonna taste like those fries at the mall that are served in that big ass cup. plus, i have an appetite of *insert whatever eats a lot*, therefore next time, when i go to the chain in blossom hill, i'm going to order the 10" or the one bigger than that instead of the wimpy 7"
I am happy I had my stamp card with me. I actually prefer the one in san jose. the steak was overcooked but I was satisfied for the mere fact that it was a home away from home food. The fries were off the chain as well.
Damn these are good (even the cheesy veg'd out option) and the stampage is great!
First let me confess that I've never been to Philadelphia so I really don't know what an authentic Philly cheesesteak is supposed to be like. However, I've put away a number of cheesesteaks in my day and this place makes the best one I've ever had. The the gooey white American cheese blended with piping hot steak topped with a mix of spicy and sweet peppers wrapped in a soft and chewy Amoroso's roll is pure heaven. The original cheese steaks are fantastic, but my favorite menu item is the philly chicken, cheese and mushroom. I'm sure that's blasphemy to a cheesesteak purist but give it a try. Be sure to finish your meal off with a Tastykake Butterscotch Crimpet direct from the East Coast. Just don't go to the Cheesesteak shop for the atmosphere or decor - because there isn't any. I guess that's what makes it authentic in my book.
best Cheesesteak in the bay area!
USE TO BE WORTH THE MONEY, then they decided to cut back by reducing the amount of meat they give you and the amount of curly fries (which are really good) they give you. I used to come here a lot so i noticed the change in the amount of food you get here, and if it is noticeable then it most be a pretty good size reduction. I do like this place, but I find it hard to spend money for something that doesn't even get me full anymore.
The cheese steaks here are well worth the clogged arteries, and the curly fries are the bomb. One word of advice, stick with the 7 inch if you want to avoid the "cheese steak gut bomb coma."
Mmm, love the Italian sandwiches. Got a little pricier, but the food is still very good and the service is still very fast.
Very good cheese steak. Pepperoni and mushrooms on mine with an order of twister fries. They give you frequency cards to get a free 10' sub when you fill it up. Double stamp tuesdays!!
Suisun City, CA
Category: Sandwiches
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Category: Italian
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Category: Sandwiches
Pinole, CA
Category: Chicken Wings
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Category: Meat Shops
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