Pat’s King of Steaks

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 1237 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147 marketingwit@patskingofsteaks.com Website (215) 468-1546 Price: $ Hours: 24/7 Twitter // Facebook // Foursquare

Overrated, overpriced, worth a try, would not return

Pat’s is better than Geno’s, but that’s not saying much. Their steaks are more flavorful and the temperature is just right, but their bread is a little on the hard side. The lines here are just as long as Geno’s, but they have a way more courteous staff. Case and point, one of my steaks was a little too dry to my liking and they replaced it no questions asked. You won’t get that kind of service at Geno’s.

Overall, the cheesesteaks are decent, but not worth the price or the trouble of waiting on a long line. This is more a less a tourist attraction, after all Pat’s is credited for creating the original Philly cheesesteak.

Covered seating is available outdoors and they only accept cash.

Wiz Cheesesteak with (onions) ($9), Provolone Cheesesteak with ($9), & Provolone Cheesesteak without ($9)

French Fries ($4)

Advertisement

Geno’s Steaks

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 1219 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147 Website (215) 389-0659 Price: $ Hours: 24/7 Foursquare

Over-hyped and bad service! You’re better off going across the street to Pat’s, the lesser of two evils

What was once a past favorite is now an over-hyped tourist trap. Lines get really long, mostly due to its attractive lights and its mural of celebrity encounters. The cheesesteaks are warm at best, the beef was sliced and had no flavor what so ever, the provolone cheese wasn’t melted, and the onions were raw. That’s pretty much everything you can do to ruin a cheesesteak. Not to mention the service is horrible, they’re rude and they look down on customers that can’t speak English well. The fries are decent but if you want a more satisfying cheesesteak, just go across the street to Pat’s.

If this review hasn’t deterred you enough to not want to try Geno’s, then bring cash because they don’t accept credit. Similar to Pat’s, covered seating is available outdoors.

Wiz Cheesesteak with (onions) ($9) & Provolone Cheesesteak Sandwich with ($9)

Freedom Fries ($4)

Tospia

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 1215 Broad Ave, Palisades Park, NJ 07650 Website (201) 944-1100 Price: $ Facebook // Foursquare

Tospia is a South Korean franchise that recently opened a US branch on Broad Avenue in Palisades Park, NJ. They specialize in press sandwiches that are made using their custom press machine. All sandwiches are made to order and are served hot and toasty. My favorite are their bulgogi, pizza and chicken teriyaki sandwiches. In addition to sandwiches they also serve korean bread and pastries, ice cream, fresh fruit juices, bubble tea and Douwe Egberts coffee. Their fruit juices are decent, but everything else is very sub-par, I would only revisit for their sandwiches. Their service is very friendly and they do take credit (Visa or Matercard), but there’s no lot so be prepared look for street parking.

Bulgogi Sandwich (Seasoned Beef) – $4.50

Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich – $4.00

Pizza Sandwich – $3.50

Potato Salad Sandwich – $3.50

Spicy Pork Sandwich – $4.00

Baoguette Cafe

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 37 St. Mark’s Pl (btwn 2nd Ave & 1st Ave), New York, NY 10003 Website (347) 892-2614 Price: $ Hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am – 12 am Fri-Sat 11 am – 2 am Nearest Transit: Astor Place (6) 8th St-Broadway (R, W) 1st Ave-14th St (L) Facebook // Foursquare

Baoguette Cafe is a small Vietnamese sandwich and noodle house that looks like your average modern Southeast Asian street cafe. Their store front is retractable and on nice days they leave the complete front wall open. The majority of their customers takeout but they do have seats, either at the bar or on communal tables. Customers also have the option to order online and either pickup or have it delivered. They don’t accept credit cards, CASH only.

In terms of food, their sandwiches are decent, but everything else is very disappointing. Their bread is moderately fresh and they’re generous with the ingredients, but you can get a better Vietnamese sandwich at Paris Bakery or Bahn Mi Saigon for a fraction of the cost. Their Noodles and Rice dishes are to be avoided at all cost. They over season their meats leaving it extremely salty and unbearable to eat. If you want some real Vietnamese noodles (Pho or B’UN) or rices dishes head over to Pho Bang on Mott Street where it’s more authentic and cost effective.

Baoguette (Classic Banh Mi) – $5

B’UN BO – $9

Paris Sandwich Bakery Cafe

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 113 Mott St (btwn Canal St & Hester St), New York, NY 10013 (212) 226-7221 Price: $ Nearest Transit: Canal Street (M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6) Grand Street (B, D) Foursquare

Paris Sandwich Bakery Cafe has a good variety of Banh Mi (Vietnamese) sandwiches. Their baguettes are made fresh on the premises and their sandwiches are served toast hot in a timely manner. I usually order the Paris Special Baguette (Banh Mi Dac Biet – $4) or the Shredded Chicken Baguette (Banh Mi Nem Nuong – $4). In addition to their sandwiches, they also serve a host of Vietnamese appetizers, entrees, drinks, desserts, and snacks. I’ve tried their shrimp ($4) and spring rolls ($2.50), which are decent and I’m a fan of their green tea waffle ($1), but I absolutely hate their mango paradise dessert. It taste like sugar water with a few small pieces of mango and lychee. Even worse, I purchased it after coming across a very misleading advertisement (see pic below). Needless to say, I don’t recommend the mango paradise, but overall Paris Sandwich is a great place for a Banh Mi baguette or a green tea waffle and nothing else.

Green Tea Waffle – $1

Mango Paradise – comparison of the advertised and actual product

Swich

This venue is closed.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 104 8th Ave (btwn 15th St & 16th St), New York, NY 10011 (212) 488-4800 Price: $$ Hours: 24/7 Nearest Transit: 14th St-8th Ave (A, C, E, L) 14th St-7th Ave (1, 2, 3, F, V, L)

Switch serves very unique and creative press sandwiches using freshly baked bread. They are crispy and tasty, but a bit pricy ($6-9) and the portions are quite small. You can make it a combo with your choice of international famous potato chips or a bag of regional famous sweet potato chips and a fountain soda for an extra $2.50. I love their buffalo hot pants and veggie goodness, but I have to admit the sandwiches are a bit oily and not the healthiest of foods. In addition to sandwiches, they also serve salads, which they call deconstructed and a host of sides, soups, and desserts. During lunch they are extremely busy and tend to run out of certain items, so get there early. Loyalty cards are also available that gets you a free sandwich with every ten purchases, this is awesome for people that live/work around Chelsea or people who make frequent trips to this area.

Pret A Manger

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 135 W 50th St, New York, NY 10020 Website (212) 480-6458 Price: $$ Nearest Transit: 47-50th Sts-Rockefeller Center (B, D, F, V) Twitter // Facebook // Foursquare

Pret A Manger is a British sandwich cafe that serves fresh “grab and go” sandwiches and salads. They have 19 locations (as of 14 March 2009) strategically place around midtown as well as a handful of branches in Hong Kong and Singapore. Their sandwiches are exceptionally good, while their salads are the best quick grab salads you can find in midtown. They also serve fresh soups, hot wraps, and pastries. Seating is subject to individual locations, the branch on 135 W 50th St has a good amount of tables including a number of loveseats. Pret A Manger is one of the better and more healthy cafes to grab a quick breakfast, lunch, or afternoon snack.