Philly Cheesesteak near 400 North Broad

[cgarthwa]

I am going to be in Philly for a grand total of 3 hours on Thursday for a meeting at 400 North Broad Street. Where can I get a good cheesesteak around there before I have to rush to make a train?

Craig.

[Andrew Fenton]

I am going to be in Philly for a grand total of 3 hours on Thursday for a meeting at 400 North Broad Street.  Where can I get a good cheesesteak around there before I have to rush to make a train?

Craig.

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Hi Craig,

There's not much of anything in the immediate vicinity that I know of. If pressed for time, you could take a cab to the Reading Terminal Market: that's about five minutes from the Inquirer/Daily News building. There's an okay steak place there (Steve's Prince of Steaks, I think)-- though if you want something REALLY good, get a roast pork sandwich with greens and provolone at DiNic's.

If you're short on time, you could get a steak from a food truck. Also, there's an old train caboose in that neighborhood which has a little restaurant in it. I've never eaten there, but it looks kinda cool.

[rlibkind]

I am going to be in Philly for a grand total of 3 hours on Thursday for a meeting at 400 North Broad Street.  Where can I get a good cheesesteak around there before I have to rush to make a train?

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. . .If pressed for time, you could take a cab to the Reading Terminal Market: that's about five minutes from the Inquirer/Daily News building. There's an okay steak place there (Steve's Prince of Steaks, I think)-- though if you want something REALLY good, get a roast pork sandwich with greens and provolone at DiNic's.

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At most, it's an eight-block, 10-minute walk from 400 N. Broad to the RTM. The steak place is Rick's (a fair cheesesteak, not a great one), but as Andrew said, you'd be better off getting the pork with greens and aged provolone at Tommy DiNic's or, I might suggest, a hoagie with the house dressing at Salumeria, both at the Reading Terminal Market. And you can catch the SEPTA regional rail commuter train right under the RTM at the Market East Station. If you hold an Amtrak ticket, I believe you get free passage on SEPTA from any of the Center City stations (Market East and Suburban Station) to 30th St., where Amtrak stops. (If that's no longer true, the fare is $3). Headway between trains is 2 to 7 minutes during the afternoon, and the trip takes 14 or 15 minutes. A cab does it in about the same time, less if traffic's not bad, for about $5.

[cgarthwa]

I should have been more clear, I will be getting out of my meeting at 8:00 PM and need to catch a 9:00 PM Amtrak. I was hoping to get a sandwich to go on the train with.

The webstie says RTM closes long before I would need to get there--though the roast pork sandwich sounds very tempting.

[john b]

I should have been more clear, I will be getting out of my meeting at 8:00 PM and need to catch a 9:00 PM Amtrak.  I was hoping to get a sandwich to go on the train with. 

The webstie says RTM closes long before I would need to get there--though the roast pork sandwich sounds very tempting.

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I suggest feigning illness so you can get that roast pork before RTM closes.

[Osnav]

I am going to be in Philly for a grand total of 3 hours on Thursday for a meeting at 400 North Broad Street.  Where can I get a good cheesesteak around there before I have to rush to make a train?

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. . .If pressed for time, you could take a cab to the Reading Terminal Market: that's about five minutes from the Inquirer/Daily News building. There's an okay steak place there (Steve's Prince of Steaks, I think)-- though if you want something REALLY good, get a roast pork sandwich with greens and provolone at DiNic's.

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At most, it's an eight-block, 10-minute walk from 400 N. Broad to the RTM. The steak place is Rick's (a fair cheesesteak, not a great one), but as Andrew said, you'd be better off getting the pork with greens and aged provolone at Tommy DiNic's or, I might suggest, a hoagie with the house dressing at Salumeria, both at the Reading Terminal Market. And you can catch the SEPTA regional rail commuter train right under the RTM at the Market East Station. If you hold an Amtrak ticket, I believe you get free passage on SEPTA from any of the Center City stations (Market East and Suburban Station) to 30th St., where Amtrak stops. (If that's no longer true, the fare is $3). Headway between trains is 2 to 7 minutes during the afternoon, and the trip takes 14 or 15 minutes. A cab does it in about the same time, less if traffic's not bad, for about $5.

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Sorry to barge in, but I am going to be in Philly soon, also; and I would love to go to Tommy DiNics. Can you tell me whre it is?

Thanks,

[Andrew Fenton]

DiNic's is in the Reading Terminal Market, in Center City at 12th and Arch.

You should also take rlibkind's advice and get a hoagie from Salumeria. I just had one the other day and, man, that's a good sandwich. The house dressing (mayo-based) and artichokes (which cost a little more, but are worth it) make it like no other Philadelphia hoagie, so it's worth trying for that reason alone.

[mrbigjas]

I should have been more clear, I will be getting out of my meeting at 8:00 PM and need to catch a 9:00 PM Amtrak.  I was hoping to get a sandwich to go on the train with. 

ok then, here's an idea. it's not the greatest steak, but at least it's the big ol' tourist thing, so you'll get a taste of it:

1. tune your walkman to 1060am as you leave your meeting at 8. at 8:02 they'll give you the traffic info. listen for center city, 30th st station traffic--tieups on streets that sound like trees could be issues (walnut, chestnut, arch, pine, spruce).

2. assuming that you don't hear much, grab a cab. tell him to take you to 9th & passyunk--tell him you're going to pat's steaks. this should take about 10 minutes assuming you get a decent cab driver who drives like a maniac.

3. when you get there, have him wait. go to geno's*, at the first window get a whiz with**, at the second window get a cheez fries and a birch beer. this should only take a couple minutes--if you're feeling pressed for time, skip the fries and drink. even with a line you should get your sandwich about 15 seconds after you order.

4. get back in your cab, tell him to hightail it to 30th st. station, and you'll be golden. the cab ride should cost you about ... ah.... let's say $12 with tip, but maybe a little more.

how's that?

*pat's is the original. i like geno's better. just to test my opinions about this, i had a cheesesteak from pat's just last week and it was... there were pieces in there that you had to give up chewing and spit in your napkin, they were so tough. geno's may be average, but i haven't had that happen there.

**i like american cheese but most people consider whiz the real thing. 'with' means with fried onions--if you don't like them don't get them.

[rlibkind]

The logistics offered by mrbigjas, while doable, are iffy. Instead, I suggest this possibility. The cheesesteak will be merely passable, certainly not memorable, but the time constraints won't be challenged.

When the meeting is over, call Fairmount Pizza & Restaurant at 215 763-1985 and order your cheesesteak for pickup. They are located at 2000 Fairmount Avenue (Fairmount & 20th Street),

maybe five blocks north and another five blocks west of 400 N . Broad. By the time your cab gets there, your sandwich will be ready; you'll be in and out in two minutes and just another five minutes away from 30th Street Station.

Again, the cheesesteak will merely be passable; the bread won't be particularly good. But it will be a bona fide Philadelphia cheesesteak, and actually much more typical of the cheesesteaks most Philadelphia cheesesteak consumers consume on a daily basis. I only recommend Fairmount because it's my sandwich shop of last resort in the neighborhood (they deliver). It's a typical Philadelphia Greek-style diner sans dining car: pizza and strombolis, cheesesteaks, hoagies, oven grinders, assorted other sandwiches, pasta, fried chicken, etc. I'm sure others can come up with additional sandwich shops that might be better with minimal detour between your meeting and the station.

Hey, everyone, is there anything better out by Penn and Drexel, which are just the other side of 30th Street? Methinks there must be. The logstics of a cheesesteakerie there might be more doable and better tasting.

[philadining]

Hey, everyone, is there anything better out by Penn and Drexel, which are just the other side of 30th Street? Methinks there must be. The logstics of a cheesesteakerie there might be more doable and better tasting.

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There is still Abner's at 38th and Chestnut, which would be a shorter cab loop than going all the way down to Pat's and Geno's. However, I had an Abner's steak a couple of months ago and it took forever to get it, and it was really terrible once it arrived: dry, yet soaked in oil, and with a little whiff of the meat not being the freshest. I couldn't eat it.

So, the long cab ride might be a better bet, at least you'd get a good sandwich.

And incidentally, some old college friends were in town for a reunion last weekend, and they were determined to bring the families down to Pat's. So we went, about 7pm on saturday, and the line was just insane, about 270 degrees around the building, and barely moving for some reason. Interestingly, the Geno's line was never very long the whole time. But just as I was feeling like an idiot for spending all this time in this line, rather than bailing out to Geno's, we finally got our steaks, and they were really, really good. None of that gristley thing, (I've experienced that....) they were big, juicy, messy. I know it's conventional wisdom that Pat's is an overrated tourist trap, but I've had a lot of very generously-packed, good-quality, tasty steaks from there. Not every time, but much of the time. This was one of the times, they were really great.

So I like mrbigjas' plan, even if it's cutting things close. You have a whole hour, you should be able to get down to Pat's spend 15 seconds between ordering and getting your sandwich (there won't be much of a line on a weeknight at 8) back in the cab and up to 30th street.

Jim's at 4th and South is actually closer, and makes as credible of a cheesesteak as Pat's. But there's always a danger of a nonsensical South Street traffic jam at any random time. On the up-side, even the lamest of cabbies won't get lost going to 4th and South.

Whatever you do, eat the steak immediately. Eat in the cab, whatever, but don't wrap it up and wait until you're on the train or something crazy like that. It will be getting worse by the second.

It's absolutely true that one can get a decent cheesesteak from a truck or a cart, or any pizza place or sandwich shop, but it's somehow a different thing. It's fine for a native to have one of those for lunch, but if someone from out-of-town wants to try a real Philly Cheesesteak, that's not quite going to do it. One needs a high-volume place that specializes in only steaks, preferably an outdoor dive, with harsh lighting and lots of photos of celebrities you've never heard of.

[phungi]

For an all-subway option, take the Broad Street Line south to Oregon, and walk two blocks south to Talk of the Town (3020 South Broad Street 215-551-7277). They make a fantastic "flipped not chopped" steak, akin to Steve's Prince of Steaks (but I find them to be bteeter than Steve's, which is saying a lot). They are open till 2am, and if you catch a train rigth away, you should have time to sit down and eat your sandwich and then take the Subway back to 30th street.

For those in Philly that have never been here, put it on your "must try" list.

[JanMcBaker]

Don't forget-- if a sandwich from DiNic's is still under consideration, you'll have to get it long before the Market closes as he usually sells out loooong before 6PM. However, they can pack the meat separate from the roll if that's an option for you.

[mrbigjas]

oh wait i had another thought, which might work better with an all-subway option: what about campo's at 2nd & market? get out of your meeting, catch the broad street subway at spring garden or race/vine, go south to city hall. switch to the el, take it eastbound to 2nd street/old city. get your steak, go back down to the subway stop and get the el westbound to 30th st.

alternately what might be faster is to get a cab from your meeting to campo's, get your steak and then take the el back to the train station--taking the el to the train station from old city will alway be faster than a cab, but at 8 p.m. getting the subway and then transferring might waste precious minutes.

[cgarthwa]

Does Campos have good cheessteaks? I have done the Pat's and Geno's before, so I wouldn't mind trying a new place.

[mrbigjas]

my wife and holly both recommend them pretty highly, so i gotta say yes. i was basing that suggestion on their recommendations, since i've never had one.

[Andrew Fenton]

Right, the 2nd and Market area is a really good good idea. I can't vouch for Campo's cheesesteaks (not having had one either): in my experience, their hoagies are only okay, and other sandwiches are a mixed bag. Chicken parm sandwich was pretty bad, but I liked their Godmother (?) sandwich: basically a meatless roast pork Italian, with greens, provolone, roasted peppers and onions.

If it were me, instead of Campo's, I'd go to Sonny's Famous Steaks (216 Market) which in my experience puts out a solid product. Not the best, but totally respectable.

Edited May 18, 2005 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[cgarthwa]

And the subway runs pretty frequently between 2nd and Market and 30th Street Station?

[mrbigjas]

about every 10 minutes at that time of night. the ride to 30th st takes about 10 minutes.

you know, actually at 8 p.m.+, a cab might be a little faster. but it would only be a matter of a couple minutes, i think.

[KatieLoeb]

City traffic can be a nightmare at almost any hour of the day, so staying underground is my recommendation. Definitely take the el back to 30th Street Station - it'll be quicker.

[cgarthwa]

thanks for all of your help. I did make it to Campo's and the cheesesteak was delicious. Nice firm bun and tender, flavorful meat.

Nice way to end a long day.

[Carlson1105]

Thanks for the advice on the Salumeria Italian with house dressing and artichoke hearts. Had 1 for lunch today. Excellent!