Penn Station East Coast Subs

Best Philly Cheesesteak since I left Baltimore, MD in 1981! (And Baltimore had The Best subs — better than any I ever had in Philly!) I got a small fries with it, but I should have gotten a large because the fries were excellent, too! I came here with a coupon, but I’ll be coming back here and paying full price, because I’m hooked. I want to see if their cold cut subs are as good as the ones I used to get in Baltimore.

Penn Station offers a respectable cheese steak sub. Reasonably priced and freshly cooked. The staff is always friendly and the dining area is clean and well maintained.
Prices are reasonable — $ 10 for the sub.
Parking is in the lot shared by Whole Foods and other stores in the Plaza America center.

Great lunch spot, consistent subs and awesome fries!

Penn Station is conveniently located next to my work so its an easy walk when I want a sub. Lunch time here is not bad, the wait is maybe 5 minutes? They are actually pretty fast! And the service is great, even when they are in rush they ask you how your day is going and not just trying to move you along. I also like how clean it is every time I’m here. So you first order on the side that you came in from and then you go down the line to pay for it.
The menu offers both cold and hot subs in different sizes. The 6inch is the smallest and plenty of sub for 1 person. They are generous with portions. The cheesesteak is my favorite, they pack on the steak and the cheese oozes out of the sub with grilled onions on top. So good. I enjoy the fresh cut fries, its always piping hot, crisp to perfection and with just a hint of salt, its delicious.
The food is great, prices may be a bit on the higher end but I pick this place over the Subway down the street any day. Not saying they are the best cheesesteak I’ve had ever but they are good in my book for a quick lunch.

I’ve been meaning to check out Penn Station East Coast Subs, which originates from Cincinnati and has been around since ’85! The menu offers grilled and cold deli subs in 6″, 8″, 10″ and 12″, sides (fresh-​cut fries, cheesebread, and chips), chocolate chunk cookies that are baked daily, and soda/​lemonade/​iced tea. I had their Philadelphia Cheesesteak, which set on top of a very crispy/​toasted sub bread, was a generous amount of USDA choice steak was mixed with sauteed onions, all covered with melty provolone cheese, and a spread of mayo. The meat was seasoned well with salt and pepper, and overall, it was a very tasty sub! I also tried a side of their hand-​cut fries, which were a little on the ‘fried-​hard’ side, but still okay (just make sure you request these to be made fresh when you order, as it makes a huge difference!). The only thing is that the place does not offer any ‘combo’ deals, unless you order their ‘special sub of the month’ — otherwise, everything on the menu is a la carte. The staff were super friendly, and I can definitely see myself ordering more of their signature Philadelphia Cheesesteak in the future! :D Located to the left of Whole Foods, there’s plenty of parking in the shared lot.
+Philadelphia Cheesesteak
+items a la carte; no combo meals
+‘sub of the month’ specials
+friendly staff

I had a pizza sub with everything add sweet sausage. It was great. The roll was crispy, plenty of meat, and served hot. Fries are similar to five guys but a little crispier. They have alot of variety but do take a little while to prepare it. Good for lunch! !!

I visited Penn Station about an hour before they closed on a Friday. I went to Philadelphia for Labor Day and had a cheesesteak from Pat’s so I was hoping to get my fix when I arrived back home. I have to say it was underwhelming and way below my expectations. The two staff members were nice, hence the extra star. I already knew what I wanted (regular cheesesteak with provolone and ketchup). I had high hopes but at first bite it was immediately too salty and EXTREMELY greasy… greasier than a normal cheesesteak. The bread was okay, and it had enough meat, but it was mediocre overall. I couldn’t finish the whole thing because it was too salty and all the extra grease made my stomach hurt. I’m pretty disappointed because I really wanted to like this place, but no. And who the heck puts pizza sauce on a damn cheesesteak?? If anything, add Wiz!

Updated as I have not had a single issue with order accuracy in the many many visits I have made since my first review. My son loves the steak and cheese here, so it’s restaurant we go to fairly often.

I have been a fan of Penn Station since I was living in Ohio. I have been to the fairfax location when they first opened and finally made it to the Reston location today.
The employees were honestly a little on the strange side. No worries because the food was better than the fairfax location. My husband and I spilt an order of medium fries and it was a big portion more than enough for two people.
This location is shared with a parking lot with Whole Foods. So it can be a pain to find parking when busy.

Food was good. They cook up everything to order. Great variety.
Definitely a case of «service with a snarl,» however. While the clerk who takes the order was friendly-​but-​efficient, the woman who collected the payment was bordering on hostile, and the one who delivers the subs to the table crossed that border — she basically threw it at me.
Improve the customer service a little and the place gets five stars.

I decided to try Penn Station for the first time last night as I was fed up with with Santini’s always shorting me on meat when I ordered a steak & cheese sub. If you want what should be the standard serving amount of meat on a Santini’s S&C sub, you will have to pay an extra $ 2.95 supplement for it.
The PS sub roll is just a tad skinnier but both the meat portioning, and, the taste were a big improvement over Santini’s IMO.
I found the 2 counter persons to be quite friendly and helpful, and, do plan to return soon to try some of their other subs.
Was I supposed to have gotten a free 6″ sub when I signed up for their club membership as per one reviewers remarks, as I also was not made aware of this when I made my purchase last night.

The sandwiches are skinny and somewhat overpriced for what you get. The Cheese steak is the best one I’ve had so far and my co-​worked really enjoys the Teriyaki Chicken.

Just as good as the Penn station in Cincinnati! It was completely empty in here on a Sunday afternoon so it was peaceful
We shared a medium fries which were perfectly fried (crispy, not soggy) and delicious. I got an 8 inch chicken teriyaki sandwich and my husband got a 10 inch Dagwood. We both enjoyed our respective sandwiches.
Sandwiches were a tad salty (we were quite thirsty the rest of the day) but overall good. We will be back when we move to the area!

No expectations leaves room for surprises. If you want a pretty good, freshly grilled Philly cheesesteak sandwich with sauteed toppings like mushrooms and onions (+lettuce, tomato and peppers on request) this will do. The fresh cut fries were cooked perfectly, but over-​salted. I’d recommend requesting they hold the salt so you can season to personal taste.
As a casual lunch spot (or take out) this eatery is in a perfect location near Michael’s in a busy strip shopping center. If the manager works toward keeping the place spotless while stacking the steak sandwiches a bit higher, their efforts will go a long way to pleasing customers. The staff could not have been nicer and I expect this restaurant will do well because the food is good and reasonably priced. Park in the free lot out front. It’s a place-​your-​order and wait-​at-​your-​table kind of spot.

I’ve mulled this review over for quite awhile (as my experience here was a couple months ago) and have to say I was very upset with this location.
The first time my husband suggested we go to Penn Station I was skeptical but said we would look fully expecting to hate the menu. However it had surprisingly good looking vegetarian options. And I had them a couple times and liked it.
Then I had an experience which forever colored my opinion of this location and more importantly the staff. I ordered the artichoke sub and fries. They put my fries on my husbands steak and cheese so I asked them for new fries as I am a strict vegetarian. They did with no issues. Then as I was eating I noticed that there was meat in my sub. At this point when I went back to the staff the person who had taken my order (who I believe was the manager was gone.) The 2 ladies called him up and spoke to him and eventually went to give me my refund. They refunded the full amount of my purchase, and I told them they didnt need to do that, I only needed my sub refunded. They then went on to recharge me for the rest of it but had issues doing the necessary math in order to figure out how much to charge me… I was so frustrated by their attitude that I did not chose to buss my own table.
The ladies proceeded to yell at me and rant about me disrespecting their establishment. With my annoyance at the whole debacle of a meal I told them that they had treated me poorly and screwed up my food. They proceeded to tell me it wasnt their fault that the food had been screwed up it was the guy who had already left who messed up my food. Sorry but to me it wasn’t about who messed up my food it is about the overall experience at a restaurant. After being introduced to this restaurant I had probably gone 3 – 4 times in the 2 weeks however after being treated this badly I will never be doing back.

I stopped in here for a quick lunch. This appears to be a franchise operation. I had never eaten in any of their restaurants before. Similar to Subway they offer submarine sandwiches in several sizes or lengths. Their specialty is cheesesteaks. They also have other choices that are mostly hot (grilled) but they do have some cold selections. I had a small cheesesteak. The roll was fresh and good but on the balance there was too much bread and not enough content. Their soft drinks were Pepsi products which aren’t my favorite. They have an affinity program that offers free sandwiches after a number of purchases. I didn’t bother with it since I am rarely in the area and there are not other nearby locations currently. This restaurant is a decent alternative to the fast food hamburger and other outlets. I would return here again.

Prices run about $ 9 and up
It’s clean, there’s a fair amount of choices and it’s easy to find.
Despite some initial communication issues, their customer service is very good. They want you to enjoy your sub and are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure your happy.
I’d give it 3.5 stars but since it’s not possible, I’m forced to go with 3, mainly because it doesn’t taste that great for almost $ 10, although the bread they use is really good and actually the best part of the sandwhich.
Parking is plentiful since it’s in a plaza.

You know, when I see that someone on my friends’ list has a new review, I always read it. I learn a lot by doing so. For example, some reviews have me bookmarking a restaurant (many of Mo A.‘s reviews end up getting bookmarked). Then there are reviews like Scott H.‘s review of this place. Until reading his review, I didn’t even know Penn Station East Coast Subs existed, let alone had one at Plaza America. Even better, I learned that if I signed up for the E-​club I could get a coupon for a free 6-​inch sub! And, yes, my husband and I both signed up.
With coupons in hand, we went here on a Friday around 5 p.m. At that time, we were the only customers. The man at the register greeted up and took our order. Then we had to go to another register at the end of the counter to pay. Our coupons were accepted without any problems. I ordered the 6-​inch Philadelphia cheese steak that has provolone cheese to which I added sauteed onions. Plus I got a medium «fresh squeezed lemonade» and a small order of fries. My husband got a 6-​inch Italian sub and added lettuce, tomatoes and some oil and vinegar dressing. He, too, got a small order of fries and a medium-​sized soda. All totaled, my meal ended up costing $ 4.94 while his was $ 4.32. Coupons are so nice!
So…based on first impressions, we both have different ideas when it comes to rating the place. I liked my cheese steak sub. While I’m a fan of Jersey Mike’s I think the Penn Station does a better cheese steak. The bread is lightly toasted, the meat is good quality, the provolone is mild (which is how I like it) and the sauteed onions were in good proportion to the other ingredients. In other words, rather than being overpowering, they added just the right amount of flavor.
My husband, on the other hand, says that Jersey Mike’s Italian sub is better. He says that Jersey Mike’s has more meat and a better variety. Also, Penn Station will put mayo on your Italian sub unless you tell them otherwise.
The fries, while good, were a bit overcooked but not so bad that they were dried out. In fact, they still were soft on the inside.
I liked their lemonade which has a good balance between sweet and tart.
Yes, we will go back. I’d gladly have the cheese steak again while my husband says he will order a different sub. As a side note, the 6-​inch subs are small (but who’s complaining — not us — as the price was right). We both think that in the future, we would go for an 8-​inch one.
For those wondering where in Plaza America it is — you can find it a couple of doors down from Whole Foods.
For me, I give them 4 stars while my husband says 3 stars. So… it averages out to 3 ½ stars.

Life is all about rewards. And learning to eat (and live) smartly means taking advantage of said rewards, especially rewards programs that give you a free 6″ cheesesteak just for enrolling. That’s right, you get a free 6″ sub simply for enrolling in the Penn Station E-​Club and Rewards Program, which gives you an «obligation free» opportunity to try Penn Station’s cheesesteak and determine whether or not it’s the real deal.
And I have to say, they make a pretty darn good cheesesteak. One positive sign from the get-​go was the selection of toppings offered, and those not offered. A real cheesesteak NEVER has either lettuce or tomato — that’s makes it a steak and cheese. Grilled onions, mushrooms, banana peppers — absolutely. Brown mustard or mayo — passable. Pizza sauce — if you want to make it a pizza steak, yes. This small but important detail gave me confidence that they would produce a good cheesesteak.
I ordered my complimentary 6″ cheesesteak with mushrooms, grilled onions, and hot peppers. The meat/​cheese ratio was good, and they properly blended the cheese and meat mixture. The roll isn’t quite the glorious Amoroso rolls that are the backbone of a true Philly cheesesteak, but it’s an acceptable replacement. Penn Station’s Cheesesteak gets a respectable 7.5 on my cheesesteak-​o-​meter, and is one of the Top 5 that I’ve had in the DMV.
If you’re not in the mood for a cheesesteak, they do have other subs — club, reuben, Italian, etc. But with a cheesesteak this good, I doubt I’ll stray to other menu options.

«I wake up in the morning and I ask myself,
Is life worth living, should I blast myself?»
Well, Mr. Tupac, if you ever tried Penn Station East Coast Subs, you would know that life is ABSOLUTELY worth living.
At Penn Station you’ll pay the same as you would at Subway, BUT in return you’ll receive a hand-​crafted delicious sub, that actually has a decent amount of meat.
Tell Jared to take a hike; its all about Penn Station subs.