Chip M.

I first heard about this place when a small group of coworkers raved about their cheese steaks. I don't claim any affiliation, expertise or special knowledge with Philadelphia at all, but I do like a good cheese steak! So why not?!? I also happen to like divey joints with their sticky floors and bribed sanitation scores. Should be a win-win. Sadly, it was not my experience. I got there and was behind two other people whose expressions led me to believe that they were flying on some vicodin as they had no clue what was going on. I suppose that's to be expected when you're right next to WakeMed. Anyway, I like unique experiences so I continued with my adventure. Got to the counter and ordered the steak and cheese sandwich combo. You can't go wrong for $6, right? Plus they had red and yellow drink, so couldn't be all that bad. Sandwich and fries came out without much delay. Fries were alright, kind of thicker-cut which made them a little dry and starchy. Oh well. Sandwich was not any better. The bread was a little chewy, like old chewy. The meat was pretty salty and there were slices of partially melted american cheese (like from an individually wrapped slice that proudly proclaims it's made from real milk. Uhh, what else would you be made of? But I actually don't want to know the answer to that...) After the first couple of bites, the sandwich got really soggy. Not in a gooey, cheesy and beef delicious way either... I gave up about halfway through and cut my losses. Maybe if the bread were toasted, it would have improved it some?? Well, at any rate, the red and yellow drink tasted just like they did as a kid, so that was nostalgic. The rest of it was disappointing. For what it's worth, the staff were nice enough, no problems there. Conclusion: Divey holes-in-the-wall only work if the food is good, and this place does not deliver. It could have been that I came at like 2 or that they were just having a bad day. If I come back again and have a different experience, I'll certainly update. But there are better choices out there: New Bern Subs for one or Philly's Cheesesteaks food truck. Much better.