Nick’s Old Original Roast Beef

Best roast beef sandwich I’ve ever tasted. The gravy fries definitely didn’t disappoint. You have to get the real roast beef. Imitators in the city don’t come close.

Hands down the BEST roast beef sandwich. On the outs combo is amazing. Trust me. So delish!

Nicks’ is best beef or ham sandwich in Philly. 20^th & Jackson Sts. South Philly. OLD SCHOOL.
I get a combo (add Provolone and gravy «overboard”(extra gravy).
Their Ham combo is also great. Always have a few draft beers and bar.
Seating at bar or tables.
Horseradish (great), peppers and usual stuff. Their Birch Beer Soda is dfafted.
They pack sandwiches for travel and they travel well.
BEST BEEF & HAM ON EARTH for 9 to 90 yrs.
Prices are reasonable. I tip the guys that make sandwiches.
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Nick’s In DELCO is very good to. They offer a sports bar vibe that welcomes kids as well. More «suburban» feel.
I’m sure they’re family of the «ORIGINAL». Very, very similar beef. 20^th street uses more Ham in sandwich. Gravy seems the same.
If traveling from/​to DELCO for takeout tell them. And check bag to see if order is right.
They both offer french fries. May try fries with gravy… nice!

Friendly neighborhood joint. The perfect roast beef sandwich. It was exactly what I wanted for a late lunch when I was pretty famished. Out waitress was so kind and treated our table like family. Would go back any day.

If you are visiting Philly, this is a cultural must try place. Original bar/​restaurant is small inside, about 12 tables. The meats and rolls are fresh and absolutely delicious. Nick’s is even more to roast beef than pats/​Genos are to cheesesteaks. Some would argue those places have become more tourist traps. Nick’s is a true south philly classic that Philly folks are glad that is off the beaten path and remains a one of the city’s worst kept secrets.

I never ate here while I was growing up so I can’t tell you how it used to be. I can tell you that I was more than underwhelmed when I finally went to this «landmark» place a few months ago.
It’s real no nonsense, blue collar Philly culture in here so I felt right at home. Ordered a birch beer, fries and a roast beef sandwich. This place has awesome fries-​crisp, salty, done just right, not limp, not burnt. Why anybody would gravy these babies up is beyond me.
The sandwich, though… well, the bread is soggy as soon as it gets to the table and the beef was pretty tasteless so I was glad for the horseradish on the table and I used plenty. The waitresses do not take any crap from anyone, so you go, you order, you eat and you behave.
Now I can say I ate here and having done so, don’t ever plan to go back. Philly food at its not so very best.

Love the roast beef with provolone and gravy. I get gravy on the fries too! We have been going there for years.

The menu has wings, burgers, ribs, and chicken sandwiches but who was I to say no to their signature: filet mignon on a sandwich. In a city where bread is often piled with chopped steak or brisket and pulled or sliced pork — having a sandwich featuring thick slices of steak is a nice change. I got mine on the seeded Sarcone’s bread with tomato, onions, and cheese (a bit over $ 10 after tax). The steak was simply seasoned, but not lacking flavor and cooked well so that it wasn’t hard to manage inside the sandwich.
If I were to return to Nick’s, I would head straight back to this guy and not even bother trying anything else. Nick’s is mostly a takeout spot and my sandwich was ready pretty quickly

My wife and I recently visited Nicks on Jackson. We both had the roast Pork sandwich and my wife had the gravy fries. Everything was delicious, but I was very disappointed with the Price of the sandwich for the amount of meat you received. Way over priced.
The service was good the lady that waited on us was very nice.

Went here before a night out and It was THE BEST roast beef sandwich I have ever had. The first bite made all my taste buds stand at attention. I got the roast beef sandwich with provolone and broccoli rob, gravy fries, and 2 Malibu Bay breezes. I couldn’t finish my entire sandwich so I got the rest wrapped to go, which I though wouldn’t make it because of all the gravy they put on the roast beef. But after a long night of drinking and dancing it was the perfect thing to snack on and even better the second time around.
The bathroom here is ridiculously small, I opened the door and almost stepped into the toilet, but it is a dive bar… We were only 1 of 3 tables seated, waitress said business has gone down due to local teams not doing well this year and another Nick’s location not too far away. Over all GREAT food, good drinks and friendly service. I will be back :)

Though I’m not much of a roast beef type of person I’m always down for any of the sandwiches served here. Served in a heart roll of bread, succulent and juicy down to the last piece. Their gravy is on point along with a touch of horseradish. My first visit was the first time I ever tried gravy fries; and it was definitely love at first bite!!! Don’t miss out, this is a true gem.

This place is the king of dive bar eats. The roast beef with provolone is the best sandwich in town. I don’t even like roast beef but I love this. The atmosphere says «hole in the wall.» The food says «heaven.»
Great food and service.

Best roast beef sandwich you can get in Philly. Ask for it double overboard and get a pitcher of birch beer.

I had a serious craving for a burger and a friend suggested this place. I ordered the classic burger and it was jus WOW! It came with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese and for only $ 0.50 I was able to add bacon-​yum:) The burger was hugeeee, so much so I could not finish the entire thing. It was moist and very tasty. The curly fries were also good.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because I came during happy hour and the selection of cocktails aren’t great at all to me. Besides that, I will totally be returning to this place.

This is an absolute must have when in the philly area. I have never left this place without absolute and total satisfaction. The roast beef sandwich combo (has melted provolone) and broccoli rabe with fresh horseradish (right on the table) is the perfect combination of meaty, heat from the horseradish, garlic from the rabe, and the savory juices soaked into the bun are nothing short of heaven on earth. I love the overall feel of the bar, a small hole in the wall dive bar with some amazing food! The fries are great, with the gravy and small pieces of roast beef smothering them, but my absolute must have is the sandwich. Sometimes I like to switch it up and throw some banana peppers on there (also right on the table) But really, who can beat cheap drinks, and cheap but AMAZING food?

Normally I’m not a big sandwich person. But this place makes the exception. While on vacation visiting my parents in New Jersey. We stopped at this place for lunch. Let me tell you this had to be one the best sandwiches I’ve ever ate. Fresh on the spot made roast beef sandwiches. They take no short cuts. The locals love it and this place has been there for 100 years. It may be a bit of old school philly dive but worth it. I had the basic roast beef sandwich (no cheese not a cheese guy) on a kaiser roll with gravy fries. The juice and the meat was just delicious and I swear I savored every last bite. Melt in your mouth flavor and filling. Will def be back. It’s the local favorites like this that drive the best places in Philly

You can’t beat this place. South philly hangout: lagers, roast beef, and the birds.
John, the older gentleman with the carving knife, looks like he’s been slicing beef since ww2.
The bartender has the classic south Philadelphia attitude. «Whudduyuwan?» Lager, combo with rabe, hots, gravyfries.
Do yourself a favor, go, order a sandwich, and talk to the bartender. It’s a good time.

Shady, shady, shady! You can always guarantee that good food is served in the hood of a city. After a night out in center city, our friend went on, and on, and on, and on again about how delicious these roast beef sandwiches. He continued to emphasize that we had to go there because its the right thing to do after a night of drinking.
We took an über to the opposite side of town… once we arrived it looked like we were walking into an extremely divvy spot. We were right… its a little spot. Once you walk in, you see that there a few bar tables on the right and a bar with some stools. You walk a little further in and that’s where the magic happens. They make the sandwiches, Roast Beef awesomeness right in front of you. They also make some amazing disco fries. BTW, these sandwiches are filling. There is no way one human being can eat more than one. Unless you’re of course drunk or stoned, otherwise, you should get checked out.
To wrap things up, this is a solid choice for late nice munchies. Is the area sketchy, yes. Is the neighbor bad, yes. Should be you be scared, maybe. Should you come here anyway and experience this, yes.

Hands down the best roast beef I’ve had so far… the price is pretty good as well… def worth trying it out!

We just took a vacation to Pennsylvania and New Jersey 3 years ago. Several months before we went, my dad was watching The Food Network and saw a show called Meat and Potatoes. On that episode there were three restaurants that were featured. One was a location in Beverly Hills which my parents went to for their chili. My dad was always a sucker for chili. On that same episode was a place in Philadelphia called «Old Original» Nick’s Roast Beef. My dad said it looked so good he was ready to hop on a plane himself. This was huge for him to say because he would get airsick. He gave me a print out of Nick’s info and said I had to try it.
When my dad became very sick, I wanted to cancel our trip. Unfortunately, my dad lost his battle with cancer just two weeks before we left. With my mom’s OK, we kept our vacation and my list of must try restaurants. Of course our first stop had to be Nicks! My hubby’s cousin picked us up at the airport and we headed straight for Nick’s in south Philly. It wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods and if it wasn’t 9:30pm at night, we may have driven past it. It is a hole in the wall place. We walked past the bar area to the back seating. I don’t think there were more than 12 tables total. Then I hear my cousin call out, «It’s Joe Frazier!» What??? THE Smokin’ Joe Frazier? I explained to my kids this was the man who fought Muhammad Ali in the Thrilla in Manilla. We just read a biography about Ali, so they understood. After meeting Joe and getting photos, we got to business.
I always have to get what a restaurant is known for. So in this case it was their Roast Beef Sandwich with Provolone Cheese. I asked for it «overboard» which means they dunk the bottom half of the kaiser roll into the au jus. The sandwich wasn’t quite as juicy as I was expecting, although still quite wonderful. One of the kids got their jus on the side, so I dunked my sandwich into their jus… perfect! It was salty and indulgent. The roast beef is slow roasted, sliced thin and piled high. It was tender and delicious. Thanks dad for turning me on to Nick’s. It was the perfect way to start our trip!