Back in the day when I went to high school at Woodbridge High in Irvine, CA, there was a restaurant we used to frequent for off campus lunch excitement. Only having a lunch hour from 12:09pm to 12:55 pm each day did not give us much opportunity to spend much time far away, but I can honestly say we were so lucky to have an awesome new sandwich place open nearby at the Stonecreek Plaza and it was called Philly’s Best!
Philly’s Best was our favorite place to visit for lunch and I quickly became obsessed with their turkey hoagie sandwiches with white American cheese, extra oregano tomatoes, and extra onions on a fresh Amoroso Roll! It was truly love at first sight…In the shopping center there were a few options….a local pizza place, a Green Burrito and a Stonecreek Market to buy individual items…but no matter where everyone else went, Philly’s Best was always my #1 choice….and it stayed that way over the years!
Not only did I love my sandwich and the welcoming atmosphere, there was this crazy staff member at Philly’s that all of us knew and loved. “Crazy Steve” as we called him would chop up onions, peppers, and steak on the grill and flip and twirl and he would even bake cookies for all of us! What an awesome guy he was with a crazy bicycle with great décor. He was always the main staple of the Irvine Philly’s and rumor has it, he is now working at the Garden Grove location and since that is the city in which I work, I cannot wait to pay him a visit! Stay tuned for that Instagram photo. 🙂
As I got older I would still travel back to my favorite Philly’ Best Store next to Woodbridge High School located on Barranca Parkway right being my old alma mater. I was never able to tire of that sandwich…Still when I am home sick from work or I leave work early, it is always my first choice for a sandwich and their amazing peanut butter kandy kakes made by TastyCakes in Philadelphia are always a must for dessert!!
When an invitation came to cover the Philly’s Best menu and all of their awesome offerings in their glory and meet and greet with the owners, I got super excited, just because I have so many fond memories eating their sandwiches and visiting their restaurant in Irvine. The last time I had frequented the Irvine store (there is a location closer to where I live) was with my grandmother before she left the earth and she was from New York, super close to Philly and she knew a good cheesesteak when she saw one!! 🙂
Owners, Bob and Andrea Levey, natives of Philadelphia opened up their first Philly’s Best in Fountain Valley, California in 1992 and opened the Irvine location on Barranca shortly after. Since then, there are now 22 corporate and franchisee-owned locations all across Southern California! Their goal is to increase to 50 locations in the coming years! Ingredients for Philly’s Best are sourced fresh from Philadelphia. These ingredients include Amoroso Rolls, Frank’s Soda, Wise Chips, TastyKake, Taylor Pork Roll, and Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer! Bob and Andrea are a lovely couple and I really felt like I was visiting some family members I had not see in a long time when I was in their restaurant devouring their food last week! 🙂
I will share a bit of the menu now…Let’s move on to cheesesteaks, the food staple of Philadelphia that you can find on every corner…Bob and Andrea brought a piece of Philly to SoCal when their doors opened in 1992! The Philly Cheesesteak comes with or without onions and fresh grilled white American cheese…and don’t be trying to ask for a different type of cheese…The white American cheese ROCKS!!! There is also a Philly Chicken and Cheese sandwich which is quite delicious as well.
There are several types of Hoagie sandwiches offered. There is the turkey Hoagie I mentioned to you of course….my personal fave…which has fresh sliced turkey breast, lettuce and mayo…I like to dress it up with some tomatoes, extra oregano and a lot of onions….Try it! I know you will soon be addicted as well. There is also a Philly Italian Hoagie that has Capacolla, provolone, genoa salami, mortadella, oil, vinegar, lettuce and tomato.)Some other hoagies that are also offered include American, Ham & Cheese, Tuna, and the Cheese combo. All hoagies are made with fresh sliced Boar’s Head Meats on a fresh Amoroso Roll straight from Philly!
Some other items we tried which I had never tried before included the Philly Cheesesteak Fries and the Pizza Fries. Apparently the Philly Cheesesteak fries are a huge hit with the current Woodbridge High School Population and Andrea worked hard to have the kids try new things rather than only requesting hamburgers and plain French fries. She has become quite successful in making these Philly Steak fries a hit among the kids! I am sure if my friends and I had tried these back in the day (I am attending my 20 year high school reunion this year) I know they would have been one of our faves in my group of friends!
One more item I must mention that is super awesome is that from May 24 through September 1, Philly’s Best will be offering hoagies for only $5.99. Hoagies include Italian, Turkey, American, Ham and Cheese, Tuna, and Cheese Combo.
What is your favorite item at Philly’s Best? If you have never been, what would you like to try? I will be selecting a few people here and there on my facebook page that are interactive in the future to get FREE hoagie sandwiches, so if you are interested, connect with me on my social media…You never know what kind of deals I am going to announce or when I may have giveaways 🙂 Connect on my social media here to stay up to date and possibly win a hoagie sandwich. 🙂 –> FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER PINTEREST GOOGLE PLUS Thanks for reading!! 🙂
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I love Philly cheesesteaks – will definitely keep this place in mind when I’m in the area. Thanks for sharing!
You are so very welcome! Let me know what you think when you go! I think you will be pleasantly impressed!
I am practically drooling right now. All of your photos look amazing! I will have to make it a point to visit this yummy place one day! 🙂
Yes! Let me know what you think when you decide to go!
Hard to find a good place. Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome:) It sometimes can be a challenge to find authentic places:)
You can beat a great philly steak sandwich! Looks like a place I’d want to visit!
You would love it Jim! These are delish!
Yum!! This sounds delicious!! I’m so glad that you found somewhere nearby to enjoy!!
I am super happy that there is one near where I live now in addition to the one where I grew up. They are everywhere now! I am so happy for this business and their growth!
I know someone who loves cheesesteaks a lot! It is nice when it is truly authentic
For sure:) There are so many imitation style places, but these ones are bomb!
The cheesesteake without the onions and fries look the best to me
Thanks for your input Dov! You have to check this place out! Yum!!
All of these photos are making me hungry! I need to try those pizza fries!
Oh yes! You would love them:) I am still preferring Steak fries as my top fave tho:)
The Cheesesteak Fries are the best! They give you so much.
I could not agree more! I love everything there, but those are especially delectable! 😀