Ishkabibble's II — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I first tried Ishkabibbles in the 1990s with Frankie T. Back then, we still took the word "cheesesteak" literally in Philly. If it wasn't steak and it didn't have cheese, nobody would've considered it a cheesesteak. I remember how the Ishkabibbles chicken cheesesteak changed the rules. And we were very excited about it because most cheesesteak places were using terrible quality beef back then. But you could see that the Ishkabibbles sandwich was made with real white meat chicken, it gave you faith and inspired trust in the quality of the product. We went back all the time.

Nowadays, the Philly Cheesesteak is such an institution that you can get vegan versions, salmon versions, and probably other things, too. I don't like it from a linguistic perspective, but I'm fine with it from a culinary perspective. Anyway, chicken cheesesteaks are now ubiquitous. But most places use those sheets of frozen, sliced chicken that gets chopped on the griddle. Don't order from those places. It's crap, injected with salt solutions and pressed from meat that comes from who knows what part of the chicken. But Ishkabibbles still uses real chicken breasts. You can see it clearly in my photos. In fact, it's still the same sandwich I remember eating decades ago. It's good. Not the best sandwich you'll eat in Philly, but a sandwich that tells you Ishkabibbles still deserves its fame among Philly institutions.

My son ordered the beef cheesesteak. It was good. Nobody will say it's among the best in Philly, but in a city with so many truly terrible, horrible, imposter beef-and-cheese-on-a-long-roll sandwiches, this one is good enough for locals to consider it a REAL Philly Cheesesteak. If you're a tourist looking to try the real thing, Ishkabibbles is an...

I was visiting in Connecticut from the Midwest and decided that since I was already on the east coast I should try a famous cheesesteak from Philadelphia. I drove the 4+ hours after searching endless options and settled on Ishkabibbles. This was a weekday at approximately 8pm and parking was nearly impossible but I managed. Be sure to pay at a kiosk, parking isn't free until after midnight. The restaurant was not busy, I was 2nd in line. I ordered an Ishka cheesesteak, an order of their "famous fries" and a bottled soft drink. My total was $26 for just me. The fries were hot out of the fryer but tasted cross contaminated of fish. I couldn't eat more than the first few. That was a waste of $5 right out of the gate. There is nothing famous about these fries. The cheesesteak was FLAVORLESS. The best part was the fresh bun and peppers. I removed most of the meat. This place is about quantity over quality. There was a big pile of meat mixed with pizza sauce. There should have been a strip of sauce to separate the flavors but everything was a saucy mess and there was just zero flavor to any of it. If this place is a true representation of a genuine Philly cheesesteak I'll stick to my chain sub shop right here in...

When a local recommended this spot, I expected great things, especially when it came to their classic cheesesteak with provolone. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The flavors didn’t quite hit the mark—the seasoning was lacking, and although I typically prefer cheese whiz, I wanted to see how they handled provolone. Sadly, it didn’t live up to other cheesesteaks I’ve had. It felt like I was just eating meat and bread, with little depth of flavor. A bit more seasoning could’ve made all the difference.

I dined alone and, while I did finish most of it (since I’m not one to waste food), I don’t think I’ll be returning. The restaurant itself wasn’t particularly clean either, and although I can usually overlook that if the food is great, it wasn’t the case here. The prices were reasonable, but that’s about all the place had going for it.

The fries were crispy, but honestly, I wouldn’t recommend ordering them either. Maybe they were having an off day, but overall, the experience didn’t live up to my expectations. On the bright side, the staff were very friendly, which was at least a positive takeaway. Still, I’d suggest checking out another place if you're...