The Cheese Steak Shop — Restaurant in Pacifica

Before you scoff at my five star rating because you're from Philly let's address that first. My five stars is for our experience compared to what is available locally. We've been to Philly three times and tried steaks, roast pork, and roast beef sandwiches at a bunch of places and this place is on par and even better than SOME places we've tried, yes you can get marginal steaks in Philly.

With that out of the way I also need to say that this review is for this location only. We've tried the one on Divisadero years ago and never went back. The service was subpar and the amount of meat was laughable. We took the meat out of one and combined it in the other steak to make one acceptable steak. The service here has always been friendly, the place looks tidy (it's still fairly new). It can get quite cold if the door is open so you might have to request that the door be closed or tell them you are cold and want to close the door.

The steaks are juicy and tender, don't forget to specify "wit Wiz" aka with Cheeze Wiz in case you forget like I did last time. The first time we came here the cook chopped the meat too much to my liking but the following two times it was better. It can be messy and drippy but you want that. If you are new to this, I recommend approaching it like eating a taco, that'll help you prepare if you've never had a steak (cheesesteak). My favorite is the King of Philly but a regular is sufficient.

One huge deal for me is that this place sells Hank's sodas. I don't drink much soda but love Hank's, my favorite is the Vanilla Cream and Black Cherry. The Black Cherry is head and shoulders above others, Boylan and others aren't in the same league. The Vanilla Cream is the one that sold me on this brand before I tried other flavors. I was at a conference in Philly where this was offered as a choice. I had to pause and review the label and information on it after one sip.

The fries are good and have been cooked perfectly so far. I wish they'd carry chips from Utz, they have flavors that aren't mainstream but it's not a deal breaker. We're happy there's a good/decent place to get a cheesesteak in the area, no doubt, the best...

Although I don't have proper Philly cred to thoroughly review a cheesesteak, I know what good tastes like and this is it! I've raved about Buster's in North Beach but this place fancies it up a notch in quality and presentation. The meat is cut paper thin, super shredded, and the peppers are SO GOOD, cutting through the richness of the meat and cheese and making a well rounded sandwich. As for the location, they've may be hidden in plain sight at the very end of Fairmont Center, to the left of Ledu. Service is prompt but go ahead and order from their app if in a hurry and to earn points/rewards. And yes, they deliver! Ambiance reminds me of a Subway store, long and narrow with tables along the wall. Nice to know you can sit and enjoy--cheesesteaks should be eaten immediately for the best experience. Thumbs up, team. I'm a fan! Helpful tip: Beware of the hot red peppers (vs the sweet ones). They are HOT and will light you up if you’re not ready for them! Also, it seems that the wait time for orders is a bit long so be prepared for wait at...

I stopped by the new CheeseSteak Shop in Pacifica to give it a try. I placed my order inside and sat down at one of the tables. The restaurant looks clean and comfortable. 10 minutes...20 minutes...30 minutes pass by and still no cheesesteak. Several people that came in after me started picking up their orders. I walked up to the front and asked to speak with the manager. Fredrick, the owner, came up and apologized and offered a refund and made the sandwich for me. I was pretty disappointed to have to waste my time but my 5-star review of this restaurant goes to the owner's responsive customer service. As a past restaurant worker, mistakes will surely be made in this type of business, but the survival of the company relies on how you respond to these types of...