Tony Luke’s

After living in Denver for the past year or so, I wanted to grab a cheesesteak after I landed in Philly. This spot is definitely more touristy than others since it’s so close to the airport, but it still feels like Philly. (I’ll admit I was a little shocked by the accents after being away for so long, haha!) Overall, it was a good cheesesteak (and way better than anything in Denver), but nothing to write home about. Sometimes the mom and pop places are better than anything seen on the food network.

This place was awesome. The best cheesesteak I have ever had. I don’t not likecheese whiz but several people told me to get it and I did. It was very good. Must try…

Old school joint literally under a highway. Has parking so it’s easy to access.
The meat was slightly thicker than Sonny’s and Dellassandro and seasoned a bit more. Cheese and bread was substantial and in all the juiciest cheese steak I had while visiting Philly.
Downsides were (though very minor): The onions were not cooked enough or flavoursome so adding nothing and the «hot peppers» were green jalapeño types and not Italian Hot peppers– though they do provide these along with pickles on the self service station.
In all, if you can get down there– pretty good

When in New Orleans you eat gumbo. When in New York you might get a bagel or a pizza. When you’re in the city of brotherly love, you bet your bottom dollar you’re getting yourself a Philly Cheesesteak. If you’re looking for the perfect place to do that, Tony Luke’s is your spot.
No need for the frills when you’re looking for a good cheesesteak. You need a place that knows their way around a hoagie. The people at Tony Lukes were very welcoming and were able to answer any questions we had.
Outside of the amazing philly cheesesteak that they had, they have a long list of other options to choose from that are just as great. Definitely a a great late night, early morning, mid-​day, etc. to make.

This place was awesome! Never had a cheesesteak this good! It was worth the drive into Philadelphia from south Florida. It’s a nice little hole in the wall place that felt like a local spot.
The only thing I wouldn’t recommend is the old bay fries… They are a little overwhelming on the old bay.

Just came back from a weekend in Philly, tried Pats & Tony Luke’s… Pats is faster but so what? Tony Luke’s is better. Tony Luke’s cheesesteak is large with lots of meat & less bread. Good sub, would come back.

Lots of parking across the street and on the side and even in the median. Food is always good as expected. I think it’s the best out of all the cheesestake places around Philly. Staff is nice and toppings are also unlimited from the side bar.
Definitely a favorite amongst the locals too!

Better than Pat’s and Gino’s. I recommend this to all friends who are touring Philly. The best part is the bread which is purchased locally and fresh from the Italian market.

This came recommended by a few people so as soon as our feet hit the ground in Philly we went to try Tony Luke’s. My husband wasn’t impressed and I was «eh»… I get that it’s basically just a restaurant stand but the tables were disgusting. I’m glad we tried it since it seems to be a big Philly landmark but I doubt I’d recommend to friends visiting the city.

So sad: Last time I was here, this place was located across the street. It had all your basic amenities, like comfortable seating, table service, ac, restrooms and if memory serves, even a bar.
Flash forward to our latest visit: We pull into the parking lot of the new (ish) location and spot a trio of porta potties. «Must be for construction workers, «I reassure myself. Alas, no. This spot is BARE BONES. Not only are there no «normal» restrooms, it is counter service only, with just a few random tables with bench (read: no back support) seating. On the sweltering day we visited, there was also no ac. Not the best way to begin, and honestly, had we known ahead of time, we would not have eaten here. The Tony Luke’s we remembered had a casual, but comfortable ambience that we were looking forward to for a relaxing dinner. This place… Not so much.
At any rate, on to the sandwiches. Kid and I both got the classic Cheesesteak with American and Fried Onions. Meat was nice and tender, but a little bland to me. In hindsight, I should have added roasted long, hot peppers, an option for extra $ on the menu. Afterward, I noticed a little condiments stand that included hot cherry peppers, but they were whole, making them awkward to eat in a sandwich. Hubby got the Roasted Pork with Provolone and Broccoli Rabe. Since he had bad flashbacks of eating and hating pungent melted sharp provolone the last time we were here, he swapped it out for a mild version of the cheese. I don’t think it came even close to the South Philly-​inspired Roast Pork sandwich from Federoff’s in Brooklyn, but it hit the spot.
Ultimately, I am a girl who needs an indoor restroom when I go out to dinner. Call me a princess, but there it is. Next time we’re in Phiilly, we will go someplace else.

Well we asked and asked where to go for a Philly cheesesteak sandwich wit or witout!!!
We heard all the popular joints, Genos, Pats, Tony Luke’s … and so on. We did our Unilocal reviews … But when you hear a family drives 90 min to come to Tony Luke’s you know it has to be good and you’re in the right place.
Our destiny was in front of us and we were not disappointed. The service was friendly and luckily we got there before a line formed.
We were greeted by a nice local young lady who took our order. Our food was served up quickly and it was juicy goodness… just take a look at the photos. I ate the whole sandwitch!!’ The bread was super fresh. An Italian with broccoli rabe and provolone was amazing! Definitely would go back again.

Now this is a real cheesesteak.
Gone are the days of debating whether Gino’s or Pat’s has the better cheesesteak when the verdict is clear, they’re both tourist traps, similar to the type of cheesesteak you’d get in a food court.
Tony Luke’s brings you the full Philly experience with tons of flavor, texture, and steamy juices dripping from their signature roast pork. One bite of this sandwich and you’ll be hooked.
There have been many places that have tried to replicate their roast pork sandwich, but nowhere comes close. The combination of the tender pork, sharp provolone, and broccoli rabe is a true fiesta for the tastebuds + stomach. You’ll be leaving with a very happy food baby after coming here. It’s worth the wait (and the line goes by relatively quickly so there’s really no excuse!)

If you could take Geno’s cheesesteak and put it on Tony Luke’s bread, you’d have the perfect cheesesteak.
This was the final cheesesteak stop of the trip, and definitely worth making your way here for one so that you can do your own comparisons.

Such a shame, Tony
Your cheesesteak was blandito
Give me more cheese, please!

I never had a real philly cheesesteak in Philly before. Eating at Tony Luke’s was my first. Line was long, but the line went by quickly. My husband and I ordered: 1) Cheesesteak w/​provolone, mushroom, fried onions, 2) Cheesesteak w/​whiz, mushroom, fried onions, and 3) French Fries w/​bacon & whiz.
The cheesesteak sandwiches were huge, and super oily. The bread quickly became very soggy, and it was quite hard to eat as the stuff kept slipping out of the bread. However, the taste was unbelievable. It was really delicious! My favorite was the cheesesteak w/​the provolone one. My husband couldn’t choose, and liked both equally. The french fries was a big no no — don’t recommend anyone to order this. The fries was so salty, wet & oily (not crispy), and did not taste good.
There is indoor seating but it was filled. So we ate standing up. It can get super messy eating this, but there are plenty of napkins and hand sanitizer.
I liked Tony Luke’s philly cheesesteak a lot (as a person who never had a legit philly cheesesteak before), but I wouldn’t say it is the best cheesesteak Philly has to offer. I am sure there are better ones. Besides Tony Luke’s, I also tried D’alessandro’s and that was super delicious as well.
P.S — there is no bathroom inside, but there are 2 portable bathrooms near their parking out

Back in the day, Tony Luke’s would have a place on my Mount Rushmore of Philly sandwich shops, right next to Tommy DiNics of the Reading Terminal, Steves Prince of Steaks and Primos Hoagies. These were the best of the best — pioneers and perfecters of all that is good in Philly people food. You know, the food the great Holly Moore writes about on his Holly Eats website.
Sadly, times have changed, at least with the Tony Luke mothership on Oregon Ave. The franchise stores have long been a travesty to the Company name but I used to never EVER have a letdown at the original store. That is, until yesterday.
I’m not saying it was not a good pizza steak because it was good. Good isn’t bad. It’s just I wanted AMAZING. As expected, it was stuffed with good meat. The cheese was good. The homemade hot peppers were excellent. The bread was delicious and for the most part, it held its own. But there was no pizza sauce to be found which could have made it taste richer and more like the pizza steak I wanted. It didn’t blow me away in greatness like the version at Steves. Or even the Pepper Mill — one of Delco’s best. Something was missing.
Tony Luke’s is still a formidable sammy shop. They do so many things right — like their cutlet sandwiches — that I would recommend them to any tourist looking for good Philly food. But as far as the BEST cheesesteak? I’d have to say go to Steves. Or John’s Roast Pork.

Best tender cheese steaks in philly that’s all you need to know. The line isn’t that bad due to the heaters and the service is quick.

This was a really solid cheese steak. But honestly I wasn’t that impressed with it. The bread was OK, and without mayo I had an overall «dry» sensation in my mouth.
That being said, the meat was phenomenal. Super moist, very juicy and incredibly well seasoned. And with the hot peppers in it, it had a really good kick. Unfortunately the bread and dryness was so overwhelming that it detracted from the overall experience.
I would still recommend tony Luke’s and even come back to give it a second opinion.

Yes, Tony Luke’s gets the coveted 1^st place award for our favorite cheesesteak in Philly. This was our last stop of the weekend of sampling cheesesteaks. It’s actually not ‘sampling’ since we did manage to eat a whole cheesesteak at each of the places we visited.
The benefits of eating at Tony Luke’s include: ample parking, indoor seating, and friendly staff. The reason for the #1 spot is that their meat was tender, the ‘wiz’ was plentiful and really complimented the sandwich. I’d prefer a dryer ‘bread’ but the wiz and the meat really came out on the bread. The size of the sandwich appeared to be much larger than our previous dining experiences.
I bumped it up a notch and added mushrooms and just a tiny portion of onions. The wiz was perfect on this sammie. Since this was ‘breakfast’, I stuffed myself with about half of this tube of goodness before we ventured back into the car for the 2.5 hour drive home. When we got home, I kid you not, the sandwich was still hot. The meat was very tender and I really like the thin slices versus the chopped up meat at other places.

Definitely much better cheese steaks than Geno or Pats. Try em all.
Occasionally their credit card does not work. Bring cash!
Cheerz :)

The best cheese steak ever! Beats small sized steaks from Pats and Genos. They make it really juicy and tender, just the right amount of cheese and onions. Services are fast and friendly. They take credit cards. Have a variety of soft drinks if you don’t want fountain soda.
Sometimes they offer specials on the white board. You have to come and taste the difference!

When I think of true Philly cheesesteaks, I think of ooey, gooey cheese perfection. There is nothing clean or healthy about them. That is where Tony Luke’s comes in. My gf and I went out of our way driving back from the Lehigh Valley just to get her, her first ever authentic Philly cheesesteak. This place did not disappoint.
I know that Tony Luke’s has spread and has other locations, but this is the only one I’ve ever been to. I ordered two cheesesteaks with whiz, of course, and I couldn’t eat it fast enough. So delicious.

When you talk about the culinary scene in this City of Brotherly Love, one of the first things that people mention is the famous Philly cheesesteak sandwiches aka «one whiz with»! Well, while «stationed» in Philadelphia for a month and at the urging of my Philly work counterparts I went onto to try the cheesesteak from the famed Pat’s, Geno’s and Tony DiNic’s. Hey, I’m not going to get involved in a «war» to declare a winner… to me, ALL sandwiches were juicy, flavorful, packed with tender cooked meat, filling and messy to eat!
On a previous trip to Philadelphia, the porkaholic side of me emerged as I had gorged myself on a couple of Italian roast pork sandwiches at Tommy DiNic’s. With that flavorful memory still fresh in mind, I asked for another pork sandwich recommendation. Without a word, two of my co-​workers kidnapped me after work and drove to this location. Yikes. where were we? The highway seemed to loom over, the neighborhood looked «rough» and we parked about a block or so away from the «mystery destination». Um, I was sort of uncomfortable about getting out of the car but, my two co-​workers dragged me out. Holy mackerel, when we rounded a corner, there was Tony Luke’s with a crowd and line that was pulsating in front of its order windows and at its picnic benches.
I got in line with my co-​workers who all recommended the ROAST PORK ITALIAN* that comes with sautéed broccoli rabe or spinach and sharp Provolone. Yeah, getting some «greens» in with a cheese filled sandwich is healthier, right? Within a few minutes, I got my wrapped treasure that was hot off the grill. I was shivering from the cold but I had taken off my gloves so the juices wouldn’t damage the leather. Once I got that sandwich, it was NOW a personal hand warmer! It was too crowded to sit, also too cold for me, so we returned to our car.
I was hesitant about eating in my co-worker’s car but, heck, as soon as they unwrapped their sandwiches and the aromas enveloped the car interior, I had to tear into mine. That thinly sliced roast pork was piled high, seasoned well and so tender to the bite. The natural gravy softened the bread roll even more and made for a slightly «leaky» sandwich. Its melted sharp Provolone mixed with the bright green broccoli rabe and tender thin sliced pork that created an unbelievably delicious sandwich. To any passerbys, we three women must’ve looked like «sharks in a feeding frenzy»…I truly apologize!
If you go to Philadelphia, I urge you to try the different cheesesteak sandwiches to make your own comparison. IMHO, I thought Tony Luke’s ROAST PORK ITALIAN sandwich was the Best and its flavor is what I still remember.
*Sorry I don’t any pictures of my own so I borrowed a picture from the Tony Luke’s website.
#520

Pro: Damn good cheesesteak! Since I now dwell again in the central NJ area, I made it a point to have a Philly cheesesteak in Philly. After all, a sandwich in another city simple doesn’t live up to the name. The product at Tony Luke’s was spot on! Soft bread? Check! Generous portion of whiz (cheese whiz for the uninitiated)? Check! Well-​flavored meat? Check!!!
Con: Slightly out-​of-​the-​way location with rather limited seating. Having to fight for a table for 4 is the key reason I can’t go with a 4+ rating. Also, the small parking lot gets packed quickly…
Bottom Line: Unpretentious and delicious! I may try other places just see how they compare, but this is a sure win!

Listen folks: this is the best Philly cheesesteak. If you think it’s Genos or Pat’s you are SADLY mistaken. And this is coming from a vegetarian.
Before my veg days, I didn’t have a ton of cheesesteaks but I always ALWAYS loved my cheesesteaks from here. There is usually a line, it is a little pricey, but try it and I promise it’s worth it. I love my cheesesteak with mushrooms, onions, extra cheese, and I know it sounds gross, but mayo (hey, if I’m having a cheesesteak then I go all out).

Being that Philly is my favorite east coast city, I’m surprised it took me this long to have a cheesesteak. In reality, I’m not a huge fan of beef, so I had to wait until I had a someone with me to share it with.
Food: Ordered the plain cheesesteak with onions and provolone. So simple, so good. I’d order it again and I don’t even like beef too much. The cheese is thin, but melts amazingly on the meat. The onions, cheese and meat all seem to coalesce into a ball of amazingness. The bread is tender, fluffy, fresh and a bit oily… but that makes it even tastier. I don’t have much negative to say, aside from the fact that my meat was a bit fatty, literally a few too many chunks of beef fat than I hoped for. I picked out the fat, but my boyfriend actually enjoyed it and said it gave the sandwich «character,» whatever the heck that means.
Ambiance: Stand in line, order, wait for your cheesesteak and hope you find an empty table. Tony Luke’s will likely be busy, but the line goes by quick and the sammies come out warm and toasty! Not the cleanest spot I’ve been to, but your cheesesteak is likely not too clean either. Just deal.
Price: Good food at an affordable price + healthy portions = Steal.
Service: You don’t do much interacting with the employees, aside from ordering, they aren’t rude… they just want you to be quick. So know what you want to order before you get to that magic window.
Overall: Overall, good quality cheesesteak, super tasty and healthy portions… but this is all coming from a first timer.

We had the chance to spend Thanksgiving back on US soil, so what do I do after pigging out all weekend? Make a pit stop at Tony Luke’s before our flight home. They don’t have Philly cheesesteaks in Germany, so I needed to get my fix before heading back to Deutschland.
I have been to the infamous Pat and Geno’s, but Tony Luke’s is located near the Philadelphia International Airport, so we decided to give this place a try. I almost freaked out because our GPS brought us to the catering pizza and pasta Tony Luke’s and it was abandoned. It had «closed» all over the windows and door. Fortunately, the REAL Tony Luke’s is across the street.
Hubby and I ordered two traditional cheesesteaks «whiz wit» (cheese whiz with onions), one order of cheese fries, and split a soda. Total amount came close to 30 bucks. A bit pricey for a sandwich and fries, but it’s steak so I guess it’s worth it. The lady Liz who took our order was really friendly too. I always appreciate people who smile and enjoy their jobs.
We arrived around 1pm and beat a huge rush of people who came in at 1:30. The line weaved throughout the confined space. Seats are limited, but a lot of people take their steaks to go so if you wait long enough– you might get lucky.
The bread was soft and soaked up the juices of the whiz and steak very well. The amount of steak was plenty, but I personally would have liked more cheese. The fries had the opposite issue though– they were completely coated with cheese! I don’t even know how they got cheese on every piece of fry. I was really impressed. Usually people just drizzle the top layer with cheese, but these fries were swimming in a pool of cheese. It was awesome. I ended up dipping my sandwich into the cheese fries!
If you’re ever in philly– def recommend hitting this place up! My tummy was so full and happy when I boarded my flight. It was a good way to purposely get food coma before a long flight.

Without a doubt, my absolute favorite cheesesteak spot. This place never lets me down. I usually go to to this location because you can park in the median and not get a ticket.
Cheesesteak whiz wit:
It’s all about the bread. Tony Luke’s clearly understands how to harness the powers of yeast and churn out an amazing cheesesteak-​worthy loaf. They bake it in-​house daily and it really shows.
Oh, and the waffle fries are legit too.

Definitely one of the best cheesesteaks I had in Philly but could still work on a few things to make it better. I’ll of course start with all the positives, the staff is great, they work quickly and efficiently without the need to be rude or unprofessional.
The meat and bread are fantastic. The bread is fresh, crisp on the edges and soft on the inside. Meat is definitely of a high quality and I feel it is marinated in some kind of seasoning for a period of time before cooking. This provides a nice well balanced flavorful sandwich. Extra add ons are also fresh, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese all well balanced and tasted through each bite.
The negatives aren’t huge but they exist, they could do a better jump of chopping up the peppers and meat. My pepper basically all came out of the sandwich is one bite because it was one long connected piece. If they did a better job of cutting this up, the overall sandwich would be better.
As one of the best spots in all of Philly, it is worth a visit and I look forward to my next trip.

so gooooood!!!

This was my first Philadelphia cheesesteak. I have to say that I do not entirely understand the hype. I ordered the classic steak and provolone. I guess I was supposed to get cheese whiz and onions. Maybe that would have blown my mind, not sure but I’m willing to give it another try.
There is an atm when you walk in which usually makes me think that it is cash only but they accepted a card. I think it was $ 22 for two sandwiches, two bottled waters and one French fry.
They are very efficient. Our order was taken quickly even though there was a line and I think we got our food about five minutes later. There are about five picnic tables but other than that I don’t think there is too much seating. Maybe it is more or a grab and go place.