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cheesesteak

February 13, 2020 by Ron Wen 4 Comments

Travel: John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – A Mecca for Cheesesteaks and Roast Pork Sandwiches

John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com

Over the course of many east coast trips, a true Philadelphia cheesesteak always eluded my gastronomic grasp. Philly was always along the way to my usual visits in NYC or Boston rather than a destination. And given its dense neighorhoods, I found the City of Brotherly Love tough to navigate. But over the past year or so, I’ve put in the effort to knock the classic Italian-American sandwich off my foodie list and I’m happy to say, it’s been done! I was finally able to make it over to John’s Roast Pork to try an official Philly cheesesteak and here’s what the experience was like!

Signage at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Signage at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com

First of all, why would you pick a place named “John’s Roast Pork” for your first Philly cheesesteak visit?! Why not a famous cheesesteak spot like Pat’s or Geno’s?  Or how about a local favorite like Tony Luke’s or Dallesandro’s? Well, given I was driving through the area, access off of I-95 was important and John’s Roast Pork is right off the highway in a busy retail area in S. Philadelphia. Plus John’s Roast Pork is known for making a great cheesesteak and is often on the Best of Philadelphia lists for locals. And finally, they were awarded a James Beard Foundation Award for Culinary Excellence in 2006 for their roast pork sandwich! You didn’t think I was going to travel to Philadelphia and only get ONE sandwich, did you?!

Menu at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Menu at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com

For my visit, it took about 5 minutes to find John’s Roast Pork, the area is rife with shoppers and long streets that you can get turned around on if unfamiliar. Located right next to some railroad track, John’s is located in a small brick building with blue awnings, you could easily miss it except for the crowd of folks lined up outside. At 2pm on a chilly, December afternoon, there were about 20 people inside and another 15 outside when I pulled up. But don’t worry, the line moves pretty quickly. The big hold-up is on steak sandwiches, if you only wanted pork, beef or meatballs, they would short-cut you inside to the counter. Next to the small restaurant is a covered patio area where you can down your meal if you don’t take it to go. There is a basic menu out front (no prices) so you can plan your order ahead of time.

Customer queue at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Customer queue at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com

Once you step inside, there’s a double-wrapped line of people who are patiently waiting to order. Refrigerated case of drinks to the left along with some options for chips, I order my cheesesteak in that corner by the grill (give them your name). Once you’re past that spot, I ordered my roast pork sandwich at the center counter area where another two people are putting together those sandwiches. Then you pay at the end of the counter, note that there are no prices on the menu. My two large sandwiches were $20.35 all together. For my meal, I did the pizza steak with marinara and white American cheese (no cheese wiz) while for the pork you can add provolone, sharp provolone or spinach (versus the typical broccoli di rabe). While the roast pork sandwiches are assembled pretty quickly, the cheesesteaks are cooked to order and take some time.

Steak on the flat-top at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Steak on the flat-top at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com
Making sandwiches at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Making sandwiches at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com

Even though the place is packed and it’s a bit chaotic, the staff is very patient and professional and all the customers were super polite in line. There are a lot of newbies ordering here so do your best in getting an idea of what you want before hitting the counter. Up front you can see piles of steak sizzling over onions on the flat-top along with the roast pork marinating in its juices. It all looks and smells fantastico! It takes maybe 10 minutes to get my sandwiches and I’m off, quick like a bunny to the car.

Pork sandwich at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Pork sandwich at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com
Busy counter at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Busy counter at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com

Given that I ate my sandwiches on the road, I couldn’t get very good pics of the food which are nicely wrapped in foil. Both sandwiches are big, maybe 13″ long and loaded with meat. John’s uses a lovely Carangi sesame seed roll that shows off a nice crust and tender insides. It’s a great foil for the meat and a twist from the usual Amoroso roll. The steak sandwich is just that, rather than finely chopping the meat, the tender and thin slices of beef provide some chew to your sandwich. Topped with a bit of savory marinara sauce makes for a great meal.

Pizza steak at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Pizza steak at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com

And while the cheesesteak at John’s Roast Pork is excellent, the namesake sandwich is exquisite. Pork can be a pretty plain meat but John’s must use some rosemary, pepper, wine, black pepper and garlic in their rendition. The pork is sliced thinly but not wafer-thin, deli meat fashion and the sharp provolone is a wonderful counterpoint to the savory meat. I really wished I remembered to order the spinach but I forgot given the excitement in my first visit. There’s enough moisture in the sandwich without making it too wet. All in all it’s a great sandwich and a step up from the Dinic’s roast pork I tried last year.

Roast pork sandwich close-up at John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia - nctriangledining.com
Roast pork sandwich close-up at John’s Roast Pork in Philadelphia – nctriangledining.com

When I first stopped in at John’s Roast Pork and saw the line, I nearly bailed out but I’m really glad I didn’t. While you’ll likely find a line (I had maybe a 50 minute wait), it moves quickly and the sandwiches are wonderful here! Thick, fully stuffed and delicious, you could pretty much split one for lunch and be satisfied. If I do get back to John’s Roast Pork, you bet I’m going to add the spinach to my next sandwich and do it properly. Their cheesesteak is also pretty awesome. And maybe I’ll try the meatball too! Given John’s Roast Pork has been in business 80 years, they must be doing a LOT of things right…

 

John’s Roast Pork

14 Snyder Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19148

215.463.1951

 

Location on Google maps

Filed Under: NoRSS, Restaurant & Bar Reviews, Travel Tagged With: cheesesteak, Philadelphia, roast pork, Sandwiches

April 4, 2022 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

Travel: Tony Lukes in Philadelphia for a Classic Hoagie or Cheesesteak!

Front of Tony Luke's in S. Philadelphia in PA - nctriangledining.com
Front of Tony Luke’s in S. Philadelphia in PA – nctriangledining.com

Whenever I’m traveling up north, I usually try to turn my road trip into some foodie fun. And one of my favorite spots has been Philadelphia which is conveniently located off of I-95 with tons of great food! Several years back I managed to hit up John’s Roast Pork which was stellar, despite a substantial wait. On my latest trip to NYC, it was Tony Luke’s for lunch on my way back to NC. Here’s what to expect if you drop in!

Order counter at Tony Luke's in S. Philadelphia in PA - nctriangledining.com
Order counter at Tony Luke’s in S. Philadelphia in PA – nctriangledining.com
Wrapped sandwiches at Tony Luke's in S. Philadelphia in PA - nctriangledining.com
Wrapped sandwiches at Tony Luke’s in S. Philadelphia in PA – nctriangledining.com

First of all, Tony Luke’s Original is SUPER convenient off the highway, sitting in the shadow of the I-95 overpass which I parked under. You can’t miss the sprawling storefront: bright red signage, red awning poles, and a big cartoon image of baby Ben Franklin. Tony Luke’s covers a broad array of hoagies and while I’m certainly excited for the cheesesteaks, I’m ordering up my fave chicken cutlet sandwich for good measure ($12 range)! It takes about 15 minutes and I’m handed over two, tightly wrapped rolls in Tony Luke’s wax paper. I hop back into my car for the ride back to Raleigh and it’s time to eat.

Chicken cutlet sandwich at Tony Luke's in S. Philadelphia in PA - nctriangledining.com
Chicken cutlet sandwich at Tony Luke’s in S. Philadelphia in PA – nctriangledining.com
Pizza steak sandwich at Tony Luke's in S. Philadelphia in PA - nctriangledining.com
Pizza steak sandwich at Tony Luke’s in S. Philadelphia in PA – nctriangledining.com

Since I’m on the road, I have to wait until I’m on the highway and in the clear to start my lunch. These sandwiches are hefty with quite a bit of weight and mass! I start with my Pizza Steak which is a cheesesteak with mozz and light marinara sauce (gravy). The rolls are nicely baked and slightly crusty with a soft interior. As I bite into the pizza steak, it gets messy pretty quickly! The steak is nicely grilled but not super caramelized and presented more as slices vs chopped steak. The sandwich is well constructed with cheese in every bite, yum! But the winner out of the two is the chicken cutlet in parm style. Same deal, mozzarella cheese, gravy on two hefty, fried chicken filets. It’s a mouthful and a half, very classic and pleasing in flavor. I manage a couple of bites before I put the hoagie down to save for later, after I get off the road.

While I’m a fan of Tony Luke’s, I still have to give a nod to John’s Roast Pork which is right up the road. These sandwiches were satisfying and excellent but didn’t take it to the next level quite like John’s did. But if we had anything this good in the NC Triangle, I’d be there pretty often! While the sandwich game in the Triangle is rapidly improving, it’s still hard to get this quality level of hoagie in Raleigh and Durham. (Note: PrimoHoagies a small Philly chain has recently opened in North Hills, Raleigh) And I’d have to say I preferred the chicken cutlet hoagie to Tony Luke’s classic cheesesteak. Take it for what you will as a non-native Philadelphian, buon appetito!

 

The Original Tony Lukes

39 E Oregon Ave

Philadelphia, PA 19148

215.551.5725

Location on Google maps

Filed Under: NoRSS, Restaurant & Bar Reviews, Travel Tagged With: cheesesteak, Philadelphia

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