Looking for a “real-deal Philly cheesesteak”?

Interesting. When I went, they said they didn’t have provolone. I took it to mean they didn’t offer it, but maybe they were just out?

I’ve only been to Philly once, and the cheesesteak I had was quite different from the ones offered at Str8 out of Philly, where I found the sandwich somewhat greasy with stale bread.

You can definitely find greasy and stale cheesesteaks in Philly. However, like most things, philly steaks are seldom created equal. Can’t wait to try this place.

I have visited here twice. I got my orders to go. The first time, I made the mistake of walking in and placing an order to go. Twenty five minutes later I got my “cheese” steak sandwich, and inappropriate flirting from the owner. My sandwich, while huge, had no cheese, no onions, and no mayo as I had requested. But everyone has a bad day now again so…

The second time I ordered over the phone for pick up. I was given a twenty minute pick up time. When I arrived two men were just sitting at two tables. Not eating, not drinking. Just taking up space. The counter girl actually scowled as she heard the door open. The sandwich, while correctly made this time, was greasy and lukewarm to cool. Not sure I will be back.

Would like to know if they now offer provolone cheese? Hope so.
I also was told they didn’t carry it.

I’ve been to this place once. I had a similar experience with a long wait – almost a half hour to get a half cheesesteak. I don’t mind a long wait if the result is good, but after getting home I found myself facing a soggy cheesesteak with tons of greasy meat, little, unmelted cheese, and pretty much nothing else. I had asked for the cheesesteak with “everything.”

I figured maybe I just don’t care for cheesesteaks that much, but I had remembered a much better experience in Philly many years back. With a ton of meat with little else to provide flavor, I was sorely disappointed. When eating something unhealthy, the consolation can be when it is very enjoyable – this was the worst of both worlds: unhealthy and not tasty.

I won’t be back.

@laura–a cheesesteak with lettuce and tomatoes is considered a cheesesteak hoagie, a different beast than a regular cheesesteak. I always get my cheesesteaks “Whiz wit” (Cheez Whiz and onions) and while yes, it is not a dupe of Pat’s, Geno’s, Steve’s Prince of Steaks, Dalessandro’s, etc. it’s as close as you’re going to come in the RVA. Added bonus–sixty second walk from my house.

@12 Exactly my point. I should have been more clear in my original post…the owner of STR8 asked if we wanted lettuce and tomato on a Philly cheesesteak. I told him we wanted it to be authentic and he said that L&T was authentic on a Philly cheesesteak. It was at that moment that I questioned whether he had ever been to Philly. I don’t think Pat’s or Geno’s even have a shred of lettuce in the house.

Honestly, who gives a shit about what Pat’s or Geno’s do or don’t do. Last i checked, neither of them are in Richmond. If the subs at STR8 are good, they’re good regardless of what the grand high priests of cheesesteaks may have decreed. If they suck, they suck. Listening to all the folks who lived in Philly, were raised in Philly, had an uncle who lived in Philly or took a dump in Philly back in ’91 argue about the rules of the perfect cheesesteak is getting old. Just cause you dated some guy who lived in Philly for a week doesn’t mean your tastebuds are anything remarkable.

My two cents is that i haven’t had better in Richmond, they could be a little faster but overall worth the wait and a good addition to the neighborhood. If there’s a better cheesesteak in Richmond, let me know where. If there’s a better cheesesteak in Philly, i could care less cause Philly is an armpit city and not worth going to, no matter how good the sub is.

I would imagine part of the reason the owner of str8 offers lettuce & tomato is that most folks down here wouldn’t know if those, or if bacon & guacamole for that matter, go on a cheesesteak.

I thought they were using amaroso rolls, which mojo’s does as well. that’s not that big of a deal. by the time they’re trucked down here they’ve lost their flavor (just like the tastykakes down here).

I’m from the philly area and would like to tip my hat to SOP for trying. it’s nice to have yet another choice of an eatery on the hill. for those of you who want to bust on the place and complain, Mcdonald’s is right at the bottom of the hill…

I ate a st8outofphilly cheese steaks I agree there not really authentic mines was semi cold so I threw mines str8 in the garbage & the service kind of sucked but I tried the chicken philly @ omg & the regular philly cheese steaks was awsome!!!! & full of flavor & I even had a cold blue moon while waiting.

Really not impressed. When i went in there i was the only person there, placed my order, and told the girl at the counter id be back to pick up my order. As im leaving theres 2 other guys walking in to order food to eat there. So I go for a 10-15 minute bike ride and come back. Then i wait another 5 minutes and the guys that came in behind me get served, who also had cheesesteaks. So I wait a little longer, then i look through the window to see whats up with my order and it looks like they just put my meat on the grill. Another 5 minutes and ive go by, two more orders placed after mine go out, and then I get my food.

No Apologies for the 30 minute wait.

Then I get home to see a soggy sub, they atleast got my order right, but its just not very good. The bread tasted stale, they didnt use provolone.

In the trash after a few bites.

I mean really I could have gotten takeout all the way from blacksheep in the time it took to get my order.

I love supporting church hill businesses, but STR8 really needs to work on its timing and customer service

Wish I’d proofread my comment. Despite the typos, I was saying that I had to compensate for the employee’s confusion by customizing my sandwich item by item. I think most customers just want the experts in the back to make it how it should be served, whatever the restaurant. So, you need someone out front who can project the competence of the establishment. Anywho, carry on.

Alex –

Your argument that you haven’t had better in Richmond and therefore, back off with the negativity, is likely one of the reasons that mediocrity is so easily accepted in this town. If a place sucks, it doesn’t matter if there are no better options! It still sucks!

People rave about restaurants that are merely mediocre (The Roosevelt, for example) and I have yet to read anything that even comes close to harsh criticism of restaurants in newspaper restaurant reviews, leading me to the conclusion that I can’t trust anything I read about any of the restaurants in this town.

I have a friend who used to work in the restaurant biz who told me that everyone is reluctant to call it like it us about sub-par establishments because restaurants struggle mightily to be successful. This constant coddling is doing few any favors – maybe the restauranteurs who half-ass their efforts, but certainly not the patrons. Supporting a business publicly and financially because it’s a “good addition to the community” and because you want to support local businesses makes it impossible for others looking for a good meal to separate the wheat from the chaff. Looking at online reviews of restaurants in this town, it is impossible to filter outstanding establishments (of which there are few) from the vast majority of mediocrity, and it’s all because everybody wants to kumbaya and support their local establishments against every bit of good sense. Furthermore, what incentive is there for businesses to improve if they’ve got 40 minute waits every weekend night when they can’t even provide the basics of good food and service?

People like you do nothing but help keep a bunch of lousy places in business in locations that could be used by businesses that wish to achieve excellence, and it’s people like you whose actions are responsible for pushing this town towards being an armpit itself.

I rarely meet a cheesesteak I despise (and I’ve enjoyed many, including Geno’s, Pat’s, Subway, Quizno’s and a number of mom and pop places in between). STR8 Out Of Philly offers a tasty steak for a reasonable price so there really isn’t too much to complain about. With that being said, I can’t comment on the erratic operating hours.

@26 – I think you misread my post slightly. I didn’t say that we shouldn’t call a turd a turd. My point was that making comparisons to what someone remembers of Geno’s or some other sub in Philly is irrelevant to whether something is worth eating.

For one, their recollection of stuff they ate in the past is probably a little off and tainted by hype about how perfect those subs are. Listening to some of the posts on here, you’d think that Jesus Christ bakes the bread for Pat’s fresh every three minutes with holy water and then slaughters a sacred cow to make the steak. I have eaten there before and didn’t remember them being the life altering experiences that one would think after reading these posts.

The other reason I was saying that these may not be the best benchmark is that none of us are able to drive to Philly everyday even if they were perfect. So what does it matter if some shop in Philly did even have the perfect cheesesteak?

At the end of the day, is STR8 worth spending money on? I think so but you should use your own experience as a guide. If you think not, call it a turd and I won’t argue since you are entitled to that opinion. Is it less good than another option in Richmond? If you think it is, tell me what’s better. Is it a decent sub that is the best you’ll find here and worth picking up if you want a cheesesteak but maybe lacking in some regards? Give them some constructive feedback but be grateful that they opened here.

If you check the threads on Buffington’s, you’ll see I’ve been willing to call out local businesses that serve shit. That said, I have worked in the food business for a lot of years and know it’s not easy to please everyone so I do show some respect for a business that tries. If we are all a bunch of nasty hater assholes, who will want to fill all those vacant buildings?

Be decent to those who do venture up here and work with the ones who are willing to take feedback to help them serve you better. I’m not saying anyone should lie about the quality of the food but I would hope that people could provide constructive feedback rather than random posts about what makes the perfect cheesesteak.

Well it seems if a business is touting itself as STR8 out of Philly, the offering should be what one would enjoy in Philly. Give it a break Alex. He who states everyone else is being negative. Well if it isn’t the pot…

Alright. How does it compare to Mojo’s on Laurel St.?

Scott,
When I last had it, I thought it was better than Mojo’s. The beef had more flavor and it had the right amount of cheese. That said, I do like Mojo’s. I never had any issues with soggy bread. There is always a small expectation that the bread will be moist. After all, you are eating grease filled meat with grease filled cheese.

Drew…you are dead wrong. I’ve been there twice, delivery once, work for RPS.

Nice try at conspiracy though.

I have to admit, I’ve been to philly and find their cheesesteaks nasty. No desire to eat cheese whiz or american for that matter.

I’ve always gotten great service, esp. from the owner. Yeah, it takes a little while but I just plan ahead.

for richmond, I find them a wonderful addition. Only one other cheesesteak comes close…alladins. Delish.

It’s not about being a nasty hater asshole, it’s about calling a spade a spade. That works both ways, showing both praise and criticism where they are due. If 90% of the restaurants that are filling those empty storefronts are providing mediocre food at high prices, I do not consider that a positive addition to the neighborhood. If those 90% are evaluated objectively, whether it hurts their feelings or not (as you seem to think valid criticism without abstract “encouragement” is), they are likely to suffer the financial consequences therefrom. This will have one of two results: they will be unresponsive, such as with buffington’s, and will likely go out of business, or they will adapt, improving the quality and value of the food and service they offer.

If you continue to buy food at such a poor establishment, they have no incentive to improve, and every new establishment will see success based on mediocrity and think, “why do anything different? We can cut corners, serve garbage, provide poor service, and people will flock to our restaurants.”

This is likely why the current restaurant offering in Church Hill is so poor.

@40 – When did I say we needed to provide them “encouragement.” You are putting words in my mouth that I did not say.

Forgive me, Alex, I paraphrased.

And my name is Luke; thanks.

Good God Alex! Get off it already. Your whining is nauseating already.

Wow. Well I have to say all of this bickering actually makes me want to try it out for myself, maybe this is a good marketing scheme for them 😉 Where are they located in the Hill?

Alex…I have no idea who you are. Based on your comments, I would have no desire to ever know you. You sound like a miserable p.o.s.

So Alex…are you saying that you have exclusive rights to a public blog and nobody else can weigh in? If so, that’s pretty stupid. I guess we need to consider the source.

Don’t understand why their Facebook page doesn’t show any pics of their food.

Lou –

Same relevance you and any other poster on here has – just another poor resident of Church Hill who would like to see things get better.