Anvil’s Cheesesteaks

I don’t know if I went on an off day or if the people commenting that it’s the best cheesteak outside of philly have never actually been to philly, but this does not compare. Bland… tasted like steakums out of the freezer aisle. The bread was good, but the bread shouldn’t carry the cheesesteak. If you are truly from the philly area and enjoy your whiz wits… don’t seek them here.

Meh, I just can’t get too excited about a cheesesteak that requires marinara sauce…
I know, I know, plenty of places up north do it. I have even had some of the best of those kinds (like Giacomo’s in Lehigh Valley), but to me that makes it something other than a real Philly Cheesesteak.
The meat was fine and the bread quite good. But this is not what I was looking for, and frankly, after much research, I don’t know if it can be found anywhere in the Triangle.
I will say that Green Line Pizza and Steaks in Wilmington does have the exact type of «Philly» that I crave, so I know it can be done south of Mr. Mason’s and Mr. Dixon’s line.
For those that don’t mind this version, or for those who are used to red sauce based cheesesteaks, I would say Anvil’s is as good as you will find around this area.
If anyone else knows of where I can find a more ‘Philly’ version in the RDU area, please let me know! I don’t get down to Wilmington enough to satisfy my cravings, need to find a reasonable alternative up here.

Being originally from Philly I love my cheesesteaks. Anvil’s is as good as it gets and indistinguishable from many small places up in the Philly are. Only problem is the amount of self control it takes for me not to get it everyday for lunch.

Hands down the Best of the Best in the Triangle. Authentic Philly Chessesteaks. Since moving here from New Jersey, I tried pretenders and contenders. Anvils holds the title.

Great cheesesteaks! We tried cheesesteaks at several restaurants and nothing compares to Anvils. They ofter several variations of the cheesesteak so you can order it just how you like. The downside is they only offer chips as a side, no French fries. The restaurant is small but offers sit down seating. We usually get take out from here. If you’re looking for a good cheesesteak– this is your place.

I am in Raleigh for business, I live in Oregon. When I saw a Cheesesteak place on Unilocal,I had to try it… Philly cheesesteaks pretty much don’t exist in Oregon. I got in here and couldn’t help it… Pastrami called to me. Sandwich was amazing. The sauce was delicious, and Melty cheese, generous meat and coleslaw. Big sandwich, I couldn’t finish the whole thing. I was disappointed with the potato salad, it was a bit bland and had big chunks of potato and smaller chunks that I weren’t sure what they were. Not horrible, I just wouldn’t order it again. Seating space was too small and intimate for my comfort, definitely a take out place for me. This Oregon girl loved her sandwich!

Decided to do a takeout today, 11÷5÷15. As I entered,
I greeted the owner’s wife at the counter by saying, Hello, how are you today? She barely acknowledged me and finally answered under her breath. The owner looked at me and didn’t speak. Once I received my steak sandwich, the younger guy was friendly and said, thank you. I said, thank you to the owner’s wife and once again she did acknowledge me or my thank you. It’s like I had to make her speak. NEVER, EVER AGAIN WILL I GO BACK! The customer service is HORRIBLE!!!

For a Philly boy like me, it’s great to see an authentic style cheese steaks here in the south. Offering Keystone State favorites like Yuengling and Birch Beer (kind of like Root Beer, but somehow not… and non alcoholic) are a nice touch.
When you can’t make it up to Passyunk and 9^th, you can’t go wrong with Anvil’s.
Don’t be put off by the odd location of it being awkwardly placed on the side of a deserted Food Lion parking lot.

My first time to this restaurant. First impressions are lasting. I tried the steak and cheese sub, it had no seasoning. The owner and wait staff were not to friendly. The entire experience was underwhelming.

This Philly kid has found a local oasis in the land of BBQ and fried chicken.
Anvil’s is a truly authentic cheesesteak spot: from the rolls, to the meat, to the prep!
I’ll be back for sure.

I honestly wasn’t expecting much when we walked in — we recently relocated from NYC, and cheesesteaks in North Carolina just sounds like something that will be a terrible idea.
But hells bells, these cheesesteaks could have been bought off the sidewalks of Philly. Everything — the bread, the meat, the cheese — was spot on. We will definitely be back.

Went to Anvil on a Saturday night, around 6pm. I didn’t think to call ahead, since I assume most restaurants are going to want to be open on a Saturday night. Arrived to find a sign stating that the restaurant was closed due to a private party. We wound up going to Barry’s Café across the way, which the kids loved.
Eventually we returned to Anvil; their cheesesteaks were reasonable, but not enough to get out the taste of that first wasted trip. Call ahead if you’re making a long trip.

I’m ruined. I can’t eat a cheesesteak anywhere else now. I have been wanting to try this place for quite awhile but whenever I hit this shopping center I have a hard time resisting Barry’s Café. My family decided to give Anvil’s a try this last Saturday. I ordered the supreme steak, my wife got the mushroom steak and the kids split a grilled cheese. All of the sandwiches were fantastic and I have to admit I liked the mushroom sandwich the best. The sandwiches all had great flavor and the bread is amazing. Almost exactly the same type of bread you get in Philadelphia at cheesesteak places. That’s why I gave this five stars. You won’t find a better philly cheesesteak in the triangle area. The service is great as well. The menu isn’t much but it doesn’t have to be. The place is all about cheesesteak style sandwiches and they do it well. Why mess up a good thing?

Not clean… never wear gloves or wash hands before cooking food… otherwise the food is good

When I first noticed this restaurant when we drove by and mentioned it to my husband, his hunger for a cheesesteak was born (or maybe it was already there, and it was now awakened!). He kept mentioning trying this place, and then one day we didn’t really want to go to a ‘usual’ spot for anything in particular so we thought we’d finally give them a shot! And, I was pleasantly surprised by this spot! Even my toddler approves — haha!
We ordered a chicken hoagie for our toddler because it seemed the most like something she would enjoy, but she eyed my husband’s cheesesteak the moment he started to eat. He was nice and shared, and she devoured all that she could! As parents, we were surprised that she took to it so much, and were happy to see her eat something!
I had a meatball sub (I was surprised and pleased to see non-​cheesesteak items on the menu!) because I had a disappointing meatball meal recently and the itch was never really scratched (and we figured the toddler may eat this if she turned her nose to her sandwich). We ordered it with less sauce and I wish we hadn’t because it really could have used more sauce — now we know! The meatball portion was generous, but a bit more cheese would have been nice too.
Overall, my husband thought it was a little under-​seasoned, but I thought it was fine (I prefer less salt). Honestly, I’m game to try more of the menu and look forward to my husband’s next cheesesteak craving!
And that craving DID happen before I posted my review written to this point. I decided to have a cheesesteak on our most recent stop here. I do agree that the meat did not seem to be seasoned at all. I’m not sure if this is standard procedure for cheesesteaks or not, but to us we think all food should be seasoned well. /​shrug We also tried the potato salad this time. It is on the sweet side, but seemed to have a nice flavor and was seasoned well. I’d order it again!

Been meaning to check this place out and finally made it here for dinner this week.
The place looks and feels like a small family run place, which I love. The girl taking my order was very friendly and ordering was painless.
I decided to order both the regular cheesesteak and the meatball sandwich. They are good sized sandwiches and one is big enough for a meal. I had half of each for dinner. Unfortunately, the bread on both were slightly stale and I felt that the fillings in both sandwiches were on the bland side. I added some salt, pepper, and sriracha to the other halves when I got home later that night and it significantly improved the taste.
I might give this place another chance as I do love cheesesteak sandwiches and it could have been an off night, but I also have Jersey Mike’s nearby that has so far been consistent with the quality of their subs and offer their own philly cheesesteak.

Really basic, but really good. Hot cheesesteaks with tender meat and good bread. No option for whiz and no fries, but what they do offer is really tasty.

I finally went by Anvil’s in Cary since I live in the Brier Creek area… it was effing fantastical! I’d have to say best cheesesteak in Raleigh. I got the mushroom steak with hot peppers, omg, so good. While I was eating, I was starting at the Pastrami sandwich and the «Big Hot Italian» sandwiches that I also waved to eat buy couldn’t. Wish I was on that side of town more often!

Looking for a place to grab a bite and wait out the rush hour traffic, i found Anvil’s on Unilocal.Since I love cheesesteak and mr. o doesn’t care for it and I was by myself I decided to pop in for some dinner. This establishment is located in the Food Lion Shopping center. It would be easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it since there is so much going on in this shopping center. It is a small little place, but they use their space well, including putting seating down the hallway to the restroom… it’s actually kind of cute and romantic looking… not as tacky as what i typed sounded, i promise!
The menu is small, yet specific. Cheesesteaks, served in various combos, with various meat options (beef, chicken, and pork, and mushroom for the non meat eaters of the world). When it comes to my cheesesteak i am defiantly a beef girl, so i went with the classic style of cheesesteak (for me) which involved beef, sweet peppers, onions, and melty cheesy goodness. MMMM, MMM!!! Let me just tell you, man! this is a sandwich! The bun was warm, chewy on the outside, and soft on the inside. There was waaaaaaay more meat than veggie, and i loved that the cheese was on the bottom (weird preference I know, but i’m ok with that.) the $ 7.25 I paid for the sandwich was quite the deal! Lots of meat and it was a huge sandwich (maybe about 10 in or so? they cut it in half for yous!). I had to take half of it home with me. (Lunch the next day! WOO HOO!) The reason I am voting 4 stars and not 5 is that when i ate some of the meat on it’s own (it fell out of the sandwich, hate to waste!) it was a little bland tasting. But in context of the sandwich, it was good, although could have used just a little bit more flavor, but that point really isn’t enough to keep me from going back, b/​c it was definitely good!
You can get it with a side of fries, but when i found out the potato salad was house made, I opted for that. Red potatoes mixed with what looked to be slaw. It was a sweet potato salad, which i don’t mind. It wasn’t my favorite i’ve ever had, but still very good!
And for my drink I got the birch beer. I remembered drinking that stuff as a kid and thought a trip down memory lane sounded fun! Although I must say, the memory was apparently better. The first initial taste reminded me of rootbeer, but then had a chaser effect of cough syrup… huh, weird, i don’t remember that. But it might have been just me! everyone’s taste buds are a little different… heck i have friends who looooove Moxie and cheerwine… ugh, why? lol, but to each his own!
BUT I digress! This is a great little place to grab a good cheesesteak, staff were friendly, it is made to order and it was super fast. From order to food obtained was about 5 – 7 mins. Impressive. So as always, support local, and get some good eats while you’re at it! Stop on in to Anvil’s for a cheesesteak, it’s pretty yummy!

I’ve been told this restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-​Ins & Dives. I can see why… sorta. I’m not a cheesesteak fan, but being new to the area (and to my office), I decided I’d go with the flow when invited by some co-​workers.
I didn’t partake in the cheesesteak, but instead opted for a Hot Italian (sub hot peppers for sweet peppers. cause I like em spicy). The woman taking my order was a little abrupt (The «I’m Italian, I cannot keep calm» sign behind her made perfect sense after I started talking to her), and our to-​go order took a little longer than it should have (okay, A LOT longer), but the food was pretty good.
Not a lot of seating options, so I recommend getting your food to go and budgeting your time wisely during a regular lunch rush. As soon as we sat down, there was line out the door. I’m glad they were so busy, but sitting at the table and listening to the metal spatula hit the metal griddle relentlessly throughout our entire meal was a little jarring. An altogether satisfactory experience, but I probably won’t go out of my way to go back within the quarter.