Big Mike’s Philly Steaks

I committed a cardinal sin of cheesesteak ordering at Big Mike’s Philly Steaks. I PILED. IT. ON. Part of my piling on was an accident, but most was intentional, albeit misguided. Cheesesteak aficionados often counsel that a real philly steak is just a soft Italian roll (never a baguette) with steak, whiz or provolone, onions, peppers (sweet or hot), maybe mushrooms and possibly mayo if you want to be all fancy and eat with your pinky up in the air. You really don’t need condiments at all but I’m a sucker for mayo, so I give myself a pass on this one.
Here’s where the accident came in. I also asked for a side of cole slaw, but they don’t do sides of sole slaw. The only way Big Mike’s serves cole slaw is on the sandwich. Really, Big Mike? Really? I can’t have a side of cole slaw with my cheesesteak? You can see where this is going. I ordered my Combo with mushrooms, hot peppers, mayo, AND lettuce and tomato, plus COLE SLAW. I should have stopped after the mayo, and especially the slaw was duplicative and over the top. Back East, when you order a cheesesteak, the only question you are asked is «wit’ or wit’out» — that’s about the onions. My sandwich was great, but it was a sloppy mess. The meat part was awesome — truly exceptional — but the two salads on top weren’t cheesesteak-​appropriate. My own fault, but it could have been avoided if Big Mike’s had let me have my side of cole slaw, and if the Big Mike’s menu hadn’t tempted me into dressing my ‘steak into some sort of hoagie hybrid with its fresh and delicious-​sounding California choices. I’ll order more traditionally next time.
The other weirdness on my sandwich was the hot peppers, which were more of an oddly sweet tasting hot pepper relish. I’m used to actual peppers in with the meat, cheese, etc.
Oh yeah — and for the uninitiated, FYI, you never, ever add avocado to a Philly cheesesteak, lest you risk rupturing the time/​space continuum. This means YOU, California. Not to worry — the thought never even crossed my mind.

We love this place every time we come down to visit family this is a must stop for us. Rib eye shaved steak with soft bread and options for cheese as well. Obviously I do the whiz

I can’t believe I am writing this review, as this place has done me good for years. Tonight I came in and noticed some slight changes. I asked if ownership had changed and was told partners split. Then I noticed the folks cooking were not the OGs that are there every time I visit. I thought, oh man. hope food is still good. although ingredients were the same, sandwich and fries were bad… certainly will come back again, but if this is their new thing. I will consider other options.

Great food
Reasonably priced.
Philly cheesesteak was authentic
I’d go back when im near lax

Another very good sandwich place in El Segundo. The restaurant is clean and the sandwiches are delicious. A good place to pickup food prior to a picnic or tailgate.

Being from Philly, I can say this is the closest to a real cheesesteak place as you’ll find in CA. Plenty of food for the price and everything you’d expect to find in a cheesesteak place– including the Tastykakes!

I hate inconsistencies. Specially when it comes to food. Today the Grilled Veggie Sandwich was nowhere near as tasty. Not sure what they did different, but it was no as enjoyable as the last time. I think they forgot to add salt or something.
Pros:
+ Cheesesteaks
Cons:
— Inconsistent with Grilled Veggie

A bunch of people got their food before. When I asked about my sandwiches, they said it was coming right out. It was at that point they started cooking my food…

Probably THE best Cheese Steaks I can find in LA and Orange County. And I live far. And I don’t like driving. But I’d sure as hell drive to this place just for their sandwiches. (But usually I just hit this place up when I’m by LAX.)
Fun fact: I was held up by TSA because my sandwich, which I placed in my bag, was caught by the bag X-​ray. Since it was still hot, it set off some sensor. When the TSA lady inspected it, she laughed. Then I mentioned it was the best sandwich ever. I meant business.

Every time I travel to LAX from Bakersfield, about a 2 hour drive, I always make sure I stop here.
I am from Baltimore, Maryland originally, which is about two hours from Philadelphia. So I know a good Philadelphia style cheesesteak. They have good quality Philadelphia style cheesesteaks here!
The bread they use is high quality, they also use a high-​quality steak that is cooked correctly on a flat top grill and diced to perfection (unlike most philly cheese steaks in Cali). The cheese is also melted on top as it should be. Biting into one of their sandwiches brings me back 3,000 miles east. This is my top cheesesteak place on the West Coast, and I’ve been to quite a few.
They also have a good variety of fries, including cheese fries, garlic fries (which are very strong), and cheese and garlic fries. I recommend the latter.
If you’re from the East Coast and live in Los Angeles, or visit LAX (it’s about 5 min away), you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not stopping by Big Mike’s.

I love, love, love Big Mike’s! It’s not far from work, so it’s handy for a quick lunch away for a while. It has a great spot in downtown El Segundo, and it’s really nice to sit outside on a beautiful day. They have a surprisingly large menu with many different types of options, but I always go for the classic cheesesteak. They have several add-​on options, such as onions, sweet peppers, and spicy peppers, and you can even request Cheeze Whiz if you’re a purist. The flavors are spot on, and the bread is ah-​maze-​ing — the perfect balance of toasted and chewy. You can get several sizes, the largest of which would probably feed me for a week! The bang is definitely worth your buck. The staff is very nice, and the service is very quick. I have never had to wait long for my food, and it always comes out fresh off the grill.

This sandwich was artistically done, it doesn’t look like much but they have been working on this recipe for generation it seems like. The bread was so soft it must have been back there if it wasn’t they must have the best bakeries somewhere nearby I will have to come back sometime soon.

Big Mikes is nothing close to a Philly Cheese Steak in Philly and that’s ok. He does a very nice unit that works well out here. He doesn’t have the Amoroso roll that make the Philly ones the best, but the seasonings and steak are really good.
My personal pick is the El Segundo location, Redondo Beach is also good just not as open and bright.
Yesterday I cruised by to have a nice filling lunch and found easy parking and walked in around 1:30. Empty and it just smelled good. I went 6″ philly beef with provolone, grilled onions and sweet peppers. Solid. Filling and the roll was fresh. Ok and super hot right off the grill.
Service is good and friendly and the parking as I said is free and plentiful. I love that about El Seg.
My wife gets the Italian hoagie and loves it. I think it’s a better roll and the meats are perfect. Huge Sammie so good value.
Get them both to try. And some fries… nice spot.

When I give 5 stars, it means I crave the place. I crave the sandwiches at Big Mike’s. They make a meatball sandwich that is as good as I have ever had. I’ve had a lot! Their Italian sandwich is great especially when you make it a prosciutto. I’m not going to judge their Phiily Cheese Steak because I’m not from Philly but, I like it. If I get my groove going and start to do the protein diet, Big Mike’s has a complete menu for me.
Big Mike’s is authentic and it’s clean. They get you your order quickly and it’s fresh. I’m going there tomorrow.

Used to love Big Mikes! Prices were fair, food was good.
Ever since the price increase of beef, Big Mikes has taken to raising and re-​raising their prices!
I ordered. Dbl cheese burger, normally $ 9 – 9.50…
I went in on ¹²⁄₂₇ ordered a dbl cheese burger… Now the price is $ 12.51 this is BS!!!
The owner is NOT A Nice man, when I asked why the prices were so high he said,” Airlines cut my frequent Flyer miles so I had to do something“
Will not eat here again!!!
SHAME ON YOU!!!

Service and quantity within the sandwich have gone down. Not sure if this was a bad day or not…

–good parking in the back lot on a Sunday afternoon
–Philly combo was very good
–friendly staff
I decided to drive out to El Segundo. The restaurants along the street had alot of weekend patrons dining and chatting. I pulled into the back lot and walked into Big Mike’s Philly Steaks. The staff was nice and friendly and patient as I decided what to order. The Philly combo with mushrooms and cheese and added lettuce tomato was paid with a debit card plus a tip. My sub was made quickly and I was out the door and on the way to the beach. Thanks Big Mike. Returning in the future.

Cheesesteak you.
Back when I was in middle school, all my friends were into cussing and all that, but I never wanted to cuss since, y’know, it’s bad and all. Therefore, I created my own cuss word: cheesesteak. So I’d be like CHEESESTEAK YOU! And WHAT THE CHEESESTEAK?
So, now in 2015, I’m bringing it back, baby. BIG MIKE’S PHILLY STEAKS IS CHEESESTEAKING GOOD!
No, but really, came here after some hard pick-​up basketball with my co-​worker, as per our Thursday tradition for the summer. I just wanted some big, hankering food, and I knew I would find it here.
I ordered a 12″ cheesesteak with mushrooms, spicy peppers, and cheese wizz. The cheese was definitely good (I’ve had cheesesteaks with this kind of cheese and the regular melted cheese varieties, and I almost consider them differently) and the peppers were QUITE spicy. The mushrooms worked well with the overall sandwich, and it just was an enjoyable and flavorful experience overall.
In addition, it was just a big sandwich. At around $ 10, it wasn’t too bad a deal, especially given that it was delicious. The décor – like pictures of NBA stars who had eaten there and sports memorabilia – is pretty cool and welcoming as well; this place is a nice location in the heart of downtown El Segundo. Plus, they have a free parking lot! That’s always a plus in my book in the LA area.
So, if you’re not a dirty CHEESESTEAK, come here. Don’t say I didn’t CHEESESTEAKING tell you so.

Hands down great philly cheese steak! Gotta try it out! I am not usually a fan of these sandwhiches but I was blown away by how amazing it tasted.
Definitely stop in and try for yourself.

Unreal. My newest guilty pleasure. I have never had a better cheese steak in life. It is beyond. Absolutely beyond. And the garlic fries are EVERYTHING. A nice accessory. Will definitely definitely be back! Oh, and the food came up so fast my head was spinning. Excellent service. Doesn’t get any better than this.