Tony Luke’s

ANOTHER OVERPRICED ALLENTOWN RESTAURANT! This is another example of an Allentown establishment which more then likely will not survive! Was in here weeks ago and I was astonished by the prices. The place was empty but yet it took 10 – 15 minutes to get a steak, fries and a drink. The girl behind the counter was less then enthused to be there. She took my order, then played around on her phone which was plugged in behind the counter. I was given my food and couldn’t believe for the price this is what I got! The actual steak was decent but nothing special.
If you compare their menus online the Allentown location prices are higher then their Philly location?!
It amazes me not only Tony Luke’s but most of the other restaurants down town are charging NYC prices and in some cases even higher! What are these people thinking? Shula’s was the first to close. I hope i’m wrong but I feel more are to come. Then after the 10yr tax incentive is gone it’ll be a ghost town again. With the high prices, undesirable degenerate residents lurking around and the lack of parking who wants to deal with it?
²⁄₅ stars only because the steak wasn’t terrible.

I had to check this place out due to their reputation. Bought a large cheese steak with onions and wiz. Good taste but not enough steak. And the price is a bit much unless you are going for dinner. If they sold beer, probably enjoy it more.

Today is November 9, 2015 I just visited this Allentown location around 6 o’clock I made a phone order for my usual that I get at the Oregon ave location, this is the first time I come to this location I ordered two large with cheese, cheese fries three of them. When I got to the location they only made two sandwiches and one fry I ordered two other fries once they were done they gave me cheese on the side. I spoke to the manager/​owner Ekta Patel told her the situation which is the cheese is not on the fries she insisted that no other location put cheese on the side I was just at the Oregon ave location last week I go at least twice a month and I get the same thing all the time fries with cheese on top. Instead of her trying to keep the business she decides to get into a confrontation and doesn’t even resolve the problem leaves the location to drive one of her employees home. She gave me her business card I called the number and she got into a verbal argument with me, I told her I don’t want my three fries she says I can’t help you, you have to take them. When I got into my vehicle I decided to call the corporate location and hope Tony Junior decides to give me a call back. If you never been to their original stay away from this one because you will make a judgment that would probably never let you eat another Tony Luke’s sandwich again. PS if you hate onions do not eat at this location puts way too much onions. There a picture of what my order should of looked like!!!

Paid a fortune. Took us forever to get our food. Then once we got it, portion small based off of the dollar amount paid and our food was cold and disgusting. My dad complained the whole time. The staff was rude and short with us. Us ordering food seemed to annoy the woman behind the counter. We were so disappointed and will never go back.

Took 30 minutes to prepare one sandwich to go. Two people who ordered before me waited even longer. Only three people in the store at that time. It was around 530p. The sandwich was a soggy mess. The sandwich fell apart after unwrapping. It was kind of tasty so I gave them another chance and order again the next night. I called 3 times but no one picked up the phone. I was going to order ahead so I didn’t have to wait 30 minutes. I was also going to ask them to make my sandwich less soggy. Well, they never picked up so I didn’t order. Don’t think I will ever get anything there again. Not worth the trouble.

This place is just a 3 for me. The cheese steak (8inch) is great but not worth the price at about $ 13+ with fries and a drink (still a much better deal than Chickie & Pete’s down the street). I also think the food was better and more consistent (although slower) when they first opened. At these prices I don’t think they will last. 5 lunch hours a week with the business crowd will not be enough.

I’m a regular at the original Tony Luke’s on Oregon Avenue in Philly. The cheesesteaks here tasted fine just like the original, but not only were they more expensive, but they were a lot smaller! Tiny little things. Disappointed indeed what saves it was good authentic taste

There should be a line of people here after the hockey game… There is no one here… Why? BLEACH! BLEACH! BLEACH! I might have just got a contact high from the cleaning products in the restaurant! Couldn’t wait until closing?! I will never go back again… Very disappointed.

I work downtown a few blocks away from here so I decided to check it out to see what all the hype was about. l had a Wiz Wit and let me tell you… it was freaking GOOD!
However, I must say that the portions are PATHETIC! There is barely any meat in the steak sandwich and plus the large is like a miniature size. I ate my whole sandwich and I never, ever do that… I only ever eat half of anything but this thing was tiny plus had nothing in it. Seriously. And it was pretty expensive. I got the Wiz Wit, fries and a sprite and it was over $ 13! That is pricey for a half-​empty cheesesteak. That being said it still tasted good and I have gone one more time to see if the portions were still pathetic. Yup they were…

We heard great things about the Tony Luke’s in Philly so we went there on Friday. The place was empty other than one person. My husband and I split a cheese steak with wiz and the roast pork sandwich. The cheesesteak was fine but nothing that I would go back and order again. I found the seasoning on the roast pork overwhelming to the point that I didn’t want to eat more than the first bite. The service however, was great. I had been looking forward to Tony Luke’s for awhile so I was disappointed that their cheesesteaks were only ok.

Very good was their few times, best steaks in allentown.

Horrible!!! Nothing like Philly! Horrible horrible. Small over priced!!! Horrible!!! Stay away! Save your money!

Food was plain and overpriced. This is a lazy version of the one in South Philly. I was overcharged for Wiz on a regular steak. I was charged a dollar more for Wiz which showed it was included in the sandwich. They have unprofessional kids working the grill and counter. They seemed miserable. I would never eat there again. Also that TV was very loud and repetitive. I just wanted to eat and get out!

This is a poor version of the original Tony Luke’s in Philly. The cheesesteak was bland and tasteless. The service was horrendous, it seemed like the workers hate their jobs. The volume on the TV’s playing the infomercial was so loud you couldn’t hear the person announcing the names. The best part of my dining was the salt and vinegar fries. Food was overpriced!

What a mess. To start they didn’t even properly cut the roll. The cheese was ½ outside the roll so it was a mess to eat. The roll fell apart the first bite. $ 8.99 plus and extra $ 1.99 for peppers, for an 8 inch sandwich. Taste was ok but no better than any cheesesteak in the valley. Chance of coming back. 0. Still hungry and have to grab a slice somewhere.

I’m a local business owner in the downtown area. Just a few blocks away. I’m very big on relationships and properly dealing with people. When your business is ‘niche’, you really have to be.
As it currently stands, TL’s would be a niche biz in Allentown. The area is too small with to many well established pizza shops offering excellent sandwiches. When it comes down to sandwich vs sandwich, the local competition (both in taste and price) and online reviews will eat this business alive. The location is nice, but let’s face it… The city is too small for people to really care if you’re right by the new arena or not.
So what’s the solution to ensuring customers are happy when your business is ‘niche’?
People skills. Good attitudes from the employees. Properly pronouncing names. Gratitude for the business etc.
TL… Your prices are high for the area. Your food is OK but local competition is stiff. Guess what? None of that matters! BUT if you don’t fix the people/​relationships/​attitude problem, the whole operation will suffer beyond repair.
Lastly, this local area is FILLED with all kinds of regional heritage. Roar is locally owned by a renowned restranteur, Hamilton kitchen is named after the street and is also locally owned, the whole arena is locally sponsored, and Allentown itself it’s proud of its local roots.
I won’t say that the whole ‘from Philly’ steak vibe won’t work within that atmosphere, but you must put the right people behind the operation.
It will either be your success or your undoing
4 stars because I own a business too and know it isn’t easy.

Went back a few weeks after their opening. The lines have died down and they seem to be getting better.
Tried the old standby. A Wiz Wit. It was decent. The roll was excellent, as usual, and the meat was hot and well cooked. Tender and flavorful. Fries were well done. A vast improvement over my last experience.
I still think the food is a bit pricey, and they can improve on the pork. I could also do without the Tony Luke self promotion all over the place.

Stopped in for a wit wiz and a roast pork on a Monday afternoon around 1pm.
1) Steak was served warm and on a very good roll (my friend MM and I both agree… the roll makes or breaks the whole thing… it could be the best steak in the world but the roll can easily kill the whole thing… and if anything… a good roll can mask a bad steak… not the other way around).
2) Price was Philly prices. I just had one within the last two weeks from Talk of the Town, Genos, Pats, AND the Cosmi Deli… I’m being completely fair and objective, this was in the ballpark. I think for some of us in the LV we expect things to be a bit cheaper. I know the cheesesteak at your local pizza shop is cheaper than TL’s, but I can’t punish Tony Luke’s for the price they are asking… it was a quality sandwich made Philly style (not all chopped up and stringy… I call that Lehigh Valley style… not that it’s bad, it just the way that quite a few LV businesses do it).
3) I agree with the other Unilocaler who wasn’t a fan of their roast pork. It was a little off, not the best I’ve had. Being fair though, Dinic’s and George’s are like the best in the entire world… I wasn’t expecting that quality (it’s like expecting a local high school football team to match the GB Packers… chances are it isn’t going to happen). Anyway, the pork seemed reheated I guess… not fresh from the roaster /​oven.
All in all I’d go again. The steak was really good. Philly Style for sure. Good roll. I’d be willing to try the roast pork again too, just hoping for moister slices.

Still seem to be getting upto speed, the staff are confused at the register, and don’t seem to know how to use the system. The GOOD NEWS is the cheesesteaks are Fantastico!!!

Don’t see all the fuss. Charles Pizza on unionBlvd (EastSide) has a WAY WAY WAY BETTER cheesesteak. Yes they (TL’s) just opened up but it’s nothing special.
We ordered a basic cheesesteak with cheese onions and mushrooms; nothing exotic. When we got it it was COLD. So we asked for them to warm it up and we would just eat it. They gave me a new one and this one had just a new roll and it was colder. Disappointed that this was my first for TL. If they had a microwave I would have asked for that, all I wanted was my sandwich hot. The counter was very nice but it could use some help with the cleaning instead of people hanging out in the back and giggling. I may come back but only if it’s someone else’s idea. Sorry TL, if this is what South Philly tastes like… I’ll stay in The A.B.E area. So for today it’s:
#1 PATS
#2 CHARLES PIZZA
#3 GENOS
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#?TONY LUKES