Vinnie’s Cheesesteaks

To All you Vinnie’s Cheesesteak eaters,
As of yesterday, August 6^th, 2013 they officially closed… So unfortunate…
Sad to see them go. They made pretty damn good cheesesteaks.

After cruising the UC campus was looking for lunch. Vinnie’s on Euclid caught our eye.
Nice selection of items, not just cheesesteaks. Got a mushroom cheesesteak, a pizza cheesesteak and a chicken Parmesan sandwich for the daughter. Added a combo for 2 bucks.
Fries were nice and crisp and a generous portion. The mushroom was nice and juicy with the cheese melted in. Good helping of meat. Bun nice and soft. I was happy.
Pizza looked the same with pizza sauce on top. Chicken pram sandwich had 2 patties on 2 small buns probably more than the daughter will eat.
Simple order and it and wait. Bus it yourself. Drinks out of a machine. Overall a pretty good sandwich for 6 bucks.

This place is GOOD!
I came in here as a vegan, and I left as a non-​kosher carnivore. I had a bite of her cheesesteak, and then I wondered why on earth am I vegan this week.
For $ 2.51, I got a boring green salad that came with croutons, but after I copped a few bites out of her cheesesteak and told her to LOOK OVER THERE while I stole some of her garlic fries, I realized that I will likely come back to eat at this American establishment that is reminiscent of my days hanging out on the UPenn campus in Philadelphia.
I have never been to Pat’s or Geno’s in Philadelphia by the way, but Vinnie’s is good enough. I come back again.
Their menu has a huge selection of hoagies, cheesesteaks, and salads.

Pretty good cheesesteaks.
I got the hoagie cheesesteak and definitely enjoyed it. It was freshly made and well put together. The onion rings were just OK (probably just the standard frozen kind).
They also offer other options like wraps and wings. Be sure to get some peppers.
Service is fast, but sometimes things are not perfect. They ran out of the drink I ordered and had not refilled the machine.
This place is a good option for a casual and quick lunch on Euclid Ave.

I came here for a Monday night dinner with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. He loves cheesesteaks and IB Hoagies, so we decided to give this Northside alternative a try!
I got the chicken avocado with curly fries and my boyfriend got the classic cheesesteak with garlic fries. When I first received my meal, my eyes were ecstatic — I am a sucker for presentation and color and my sandwich just looked so good! However, I was unfortunately disappointed as I took more bites of the sandwich.
It was filling, but not as flavorful as others I’ve had. I think it could do with some more sauce of some sort. My boyfriend was not very satisfied with his meal either. Vinnie’s is okay, but I think we may just stick to IB’s.

I’ve been looking for a good place with a good philly, and Vinnie’s was my next stop.
Standard (aka small) but it’s done right. I’ve had Philly Cheesesteaks in other cities and it’s the closest I’ve gotten to a real philly since moving to CA a few months ago. I would recommend getting fries (garlic, curly, or just regular) because the philly is not enough, unless you have the appetite of a 5 year old, then it might suffice.
They also have a surcharge of 30 cents for debit/​credit cards, so grab cash if you want to avoid that.

This is a great eating option if you’re on the North side of campus. I went in there thinking about getting on the chicken wrap but once there saw that the cheeseburger looked really good. I wasn’t disappointed. The buns where soft and spongy. The cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce made it that much better. One of the best burgers around. They also have this condiment station with peppers with some really good jalapenos.
The fries were really good too. To me they tasted like homemade fries. Like when you make homemade fries and their starchiness makes them get stuck together. Next time I might get the garlic fries which seem to be crowd favorites.
The drinks were kind of flat though. not the best.

|| B A C K G R O U N D ||
Came for my Monday lunchday and was ready to get my grub on. They have a cute sign outside that points to their store, which is what I stared at for 10 minutes while waiting for my friend.
This place sees a lot of people during the lunch hour, many of whom look like engineers (haha jk, or not). You place your order and take a seat at their 10 or so tables, or mill to the right side of the counter to wait for your order. They have a large grill in the back where they cook your meat. And after reading a fellow Unilocaler’s review, I was saddened to see that yes, they do portion the servings of meat per order. Tear.
To your left are three jars with pickled peppers. Pickled peppers pickled peppers! So fun to say hahaha. There is also a soda machine with cups next to it for water. You have the option of adding fries and a soda to any sandwich for $ 1.75 more.
Food took about 8 minutes to be served.
|| F O O D ||
CLASSIC CHEESESTEAK: steak, carmelized onions, bell peppers, and your choice of cheese on an Amoroso roll [$ 5.49]
— Opted for the provolone cheese, which I was glad I did! I actually wish they had given me more than two measly slices of cheese though. The melted cheese tasted really good.
— NOT ENOUGH STEAK BOOOO. It filled up half of max capacity, and my bun look miserably alone until I piled on some peppers (which I regretted because their flavor is too sharp for me) and a dash of ketchup. The steak was well cooked though, and had a good smoky flavor.
— Wish there could have been more onions. :c
— The Amoroso roll was great! The dough was soft and the exterior was slightly crispy, and it had its own wonderfully starchy taste. Mmmmmm.
VEGGIE STEAK: mushrooms, carmelized onions, bell peppers, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo on an Italian roll with fresh sliced avocado [$ 5.49]
— Stuffed! Didn’t try it, but it looked good. My friend said it was okay.
GARLIC FRIES: [$ 2.19]
— Not a full order since my friend got the combo, but they were yummy! Crispy and salted, with a heap of chopped garlic and parsley on top. Good stuff!
|| C L O S U R E ||
Go for the provolone cheese. The steak is good, but the cheesesteak is not filled with meat and is partially filling. The peppers are sharp, and the garlic fries are good. Tasty cheesesteak at a great price, but with their portions (and nutrition), I would probably go for a sandwich at the Stuffed Inn if I had a choice.

Vinnie’s has a dozen varieties of cheesesteaks. One size (7″) and all under $ 6. Also, burgers, some hot sandwiches (chicken /​eggplant parm, etc) a couple of cold hoagies
) as well as wings (
). They do the whole «authentic Philly» thing with imported Amoroso rolls, Hank’s Root Beer, and the occasional Tastykake sighting.
I pretend to be a purist and have stuck with the Classic which has onions, peppers, and choice of cheese (Whiz, American, or Provolone (my choice))
As my 3 star indicated, Vinnie’s is A-​OK. Could be better, but somewhat inconsistent. Seems like I get more meat when I eat in (
) vs. to go (
), there’s sometimes a gristly bite or two, and the meat is also inconsistently seasoned visit to visit. The skin on fries come pre-​seasoned with salt & pepper (
) which I like, but can be limp.
Friendly staff.

The best most intense garlic fries. Delicious sandwiches, veg options & friendly folks. Cool ambiance & décor

I ordered the hoagie cheesesteak and it was hot and yummy wrapped in one of those Costco foil-​looking papers. They have three different cheeses: whiz (thick liquidy mix), provolone, and american.
Set up is simple. Big menu on the right side as you walk in and a sitting bar area with different kinds of peppers. There were whole and chopped cherry peppers, jalapenos, and pepperoncini.
I thought the bun could have tasted better and it seemed like something was missing. Like, I got the mushroom steak once and I asked if there were mushrooms in it. they’re dark so i guess i could have missed it too, but you couldn’t really taste them. Overall, it’s a nice joint to get a quick cheesesteak, but nothing too special

This was a perfectly balanced experience. The stellar and the mediocre. I fell in love with the seasoned fries they served. Both portion and taste. The fried chicken sandwich left much to be desired though. The bread’s size did nothing to detract from the small pieces of chicken, the faintest glimmer of mayo, and the most meager onion bits I have seen on a sandwich in recent times.
I did, however, dig the interior design of the place. I wish I was just more impressed by my sandwich.

I walked into Vinnie’s before class with modest expectations. I was hungry for a cheese steak, this wasn’t Philly, the Cal Student behind the counter did not initially instill confidence, there was a single lonely Tastykake staring at me. Yet as I was eating my sandwich later in class (with a cold Hank’s Root Beer to wash it down), visions of Pat’s or Jim’s started to dance in my head. Good Job! I had it the traditional way (with Cheez Whiz and grilled onions) and felt only that in this part of the country the bread could have been a bit better. And the Kid behind the counter knew what he was doing.

Just a quick update:
Today, after ordering the Crispy Chicken combo to go, I left Vinnie’s, although I noticed that they used a slightly different togo box. Halfway back to my building, one of the friendly Vinnie’s employees comes running up and taps me on the shoulder — they forgot to give me my fries.
How many restaurants show that kind of dedication to service? Seriously!
I love Vinnie’s.

Let’s just say I am not very impressed with this place. I was in there tonight (Sunday) night and it wasn’t too busy but steady traffic of customers. Nothing 2 guys couldn’t handle…
The food was okay, needed more cheese on the cheesesteak, I mean it is a CHEESEsteak. I saw no PA snacks (utz or wise chips, tastykakes) as described in other posts, Lays and coke only.
The service was ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous.
1. The water container was out and they didn’t re-​fill it the entire time I was there. They filled my cup from the sink.
2. ALL the ketchup bottles were empty, completely empty. They gave me ketchup packets instead of just filling the bottles.
3. The real kicker– 3 buddies of the guys who were working came in and got free food! They didn’t pay for anything and they all got fries and cheesesteaks. Come on, why don’t you spend your time filling the water and ketchup bottles for the customers who PAID for their meals…
I don’t think I will return.

First legit version of the Philly Cheesesteak to hit the East Bay. And I am THE AUTHORITY, as I grew up back there.
So the first thing I notice when I go here, is that the owner has great attention to detail (highly doubt there is an actual ‘Vinnie’ behind this business as I think it’s just the quintessential I-​talian name to use). From the tiled PHL that sits above the grill, to the Tastykakes, Hank’s Root Beer, and Utz chips — «Vinnie» is trying to give the Berkeley folks a taste of the old country. And for the most part, he does a really good job.
First and foremost, let me say that the people over at Vinnie’s competition — The Cheesesteak Shop chain, which has invaded the Bay, like some sort of disease — this place does a horrible job at representing the cheesesteak. This is mainly due to the fact that they barely give you any meat. And what they do give you, is not shredded, but really more like ground steak — really bad, people. Get a mini, or a small sandwich, and it’s all bread. Get the half, which is supposed to have more meat, and I swear that it just looks like a bigger bun, that’s all. So this place never hit the mark, and has been deceiving California people for years now. So sad.
So Vinnie’s is a lot better, but I do have some constructive criticism for these guys:
1. Stop portioning out the quantity of meat. The grill-​master pulls what look like carefully measured «balls» of steak out of a tray. What the F$#@ is this sh*t? A true cheesesteak shop has a grill FULL OF MEAT at all times. And that way, when you waltz in there, it’s ready to go.
Vinnie is doing the customers NO FAVOR by cooking these to order. As a matter of fact, I would argue they are doing a dis-​service, because why should I wait 15 – 20 mins for a cheesesteak? Also by doing this measuring (on the smaller side), you don’t get a roll full of meat. You get the 4 ounces, or whatever it is that they measure. Kind of lame, guys. If you had a grill full of meat, then the guy making the sandwiches would just scoop and fill the roll — the way it should be. Bottom line: STOP BEING CHINCEY!
2. They only have one size of sandwich, instead of the Philly usual– a «half» and a whole (not truly a half; just think small and large). That way, if I want more sandwich, I could order the BIGGER one. I will pay the couple bucks more, instead of what, having to order TWO small ones? Come on, now.
Somewhere in one of these other reviews there was mention of ‘Niman Ranch beef’, but after going here, I saw no signs or information to back up this claim, so I don’t believe it. If they were really using beef of this caliber, there would be signs up, since that’s a selling point in Berkeley.
But as far as taste, the cheesesteak is great. They import the de facto roll standard from Philly — Amoroso’s rolls, and offer American or Provolone cheese, or the ‘cheese whiz’.
But about the whiz, let me say this:
Cheese Whiz only came about in the last 25 years, people, and is NOT the way most Philadelphians eat their sandwich. But for some reason, all the damn tourists to the area think this is the way it is. WRONG. Although many people think of this as the standard for the cheesesteak, this is a newer phenomena. Where I grew up (the REAL South Philly), it was always American or Provolone cheese.
And about the guy who expressed concern about cross-​contamination and vegetarians — you’re an idiot. Any true vegetarian (I was a militant vegan for 8 years) would not even step foot inside this place, and would likely walk on the other side of the street to avoid the wafting smell of frying beef. Somehow I don’t see many people ordering the veggie burgers here.
This is the only place in the immediate East Bay (Berkeley, Oakland, surrounding environs) to get a good cheesesteak. For those who love The Cheesesteak Shop — just stay over there, as I don’t want the additional traffic to compete with at Vinnie’s.

Bumping up Vinnie’s to 4 stars after having the wings combo. The wings combo is a great deal at $ 5.99. It comes with 10 wings, fries, and a drink. There are a few different choices for sauces ranging from mild to incredibly hot and a bbq option. It also comes with your choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing.
I had my wings with hot sauce and ranch. The wings were made fresh to order, no sad, soggy wings that have been sitting under a heating lamp here. Nice amount of meat on each wing with the perfect amount of sauce. The sauce didn’t taste particularly hot to me, but I still enjoyed the slight kick. Fries were not overly seasoned like last time so that was definitely a plus.
I’ll be frequenting Vinnie’s for lunch as long as they keep offering the wings combo!

Here you don’t have to go to the back of the line if you order wrong. For those of you that have been to Pat’s or one of the authentic place in Philly, especially when drunk at 2 AM, you better know what a «whiz wit» is. So here, not so authentic, but good quality and tasty sandwhiches. Organic Niemann ranch meat, good provolone, nice grilled onions. I like the condiment bar filled with various types of spicy peppers. I would characterize my one attempt at the fries as a definite miss… they were way over-​seasoned with black pepper and not my style.
The staff here is great. I had a hipster chick on my first visit who really got 2 thumbs up. Really 3 ½ stars. Cheap, good, greasy.

Pro: Niman Ranch beef is a great choice. Better than Steak-​Eze used at most shops.
Really inexpensive garlic fries for the amount you get. Really good and fresh!
No cross-​contamination with the veggie sangwiches, separately grilled. Had the mushroom steak once, and it was everything herbivores are looking for. My vegan sister was happy with the portabella mushroom sandwich with no cheese.
Good atmosphere, a little dim sometimes though.
Con: Only offers 7″ steaks.

This is where heart attacks happen.
I tried both the mushroomsteak with provolone and the phillysteak with whiz. Both were pretty awesome but I would have to say the phillysteak with whiz was my favorite. Tasty well seasoned meat and the whiz added that extra oomph. Who knew whiz cheese would be that good?! Also ordered regular fries and garlic fries… one order is definitely enough to share. Perfect amount of garlic… yum!
Great addition to Euclid!