Shank's Original — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Hello all! about 2 years ago I wrote a review here telling the story of my terrible experiebce at shanks cheesesteak. i am using a different account right now but you can find my review under the account of Casey Smith. Anyways, my experience at shanks original was so resoundingly bad that, 3 years later, I am still very much so upset about it. In the very likely event that whoever is reading this does not go to find my other review, I will retell the story. So 3 years ago, I was in Philly with my church group. Since we were in Philly we wanted to go to one of the well known cheesesteak joints. We settled on Shanks as it had good reviews and it was nearby. We arrive at Shanks and funnel out of our vans. A short man, that in retrospect looks quite similar to an older Danny Devito, was really mad and told us all to go to another resturant as the person running the reaturant was very rude and he had been waiting an hour for his sandwich. We did not pay him mind. The person there was kinda frantic. One of the cooks was sick and the four people working at the time had to work a little harder. There was probably about 45 of us. Certainly a rush but not mind shattering. So we all go through our orders. Most of the people ordered cheesesteaks. It got towards the end of the line and it was my turn to order. As someone who does not like cheese or steak I ordered a salami sandwich with no cheese. Sorry.... without cheese. whatever thats another thing. I ordered my salami sandwich with no cheese. I waited. My friends got their sandwichs. I continued to wait. Other random people ordered. I waited . Those random people got their sandwiches. I waited. Some of my friends ordered 2 more sandwiches and got them in the time I was waiting. FIFTY MINUTES PASSED. I got my sandwich. The person, I assume the owner, gives me my order but practically threw it at me. He didnt apologize for such a rediculously slow wait or him being so astoundingly rude to me. He just throws my order at me and gets back to cooking. He was relatively nice to everyone else. So, I finally got my order. I go to sit down. I open up my sandwich and there is cheese. If you do not remember, I specifically asked for no cheese. I was very angry after this experience so a year later I wrote a review saying how bad it was. The person , I assume the same person, that runs the website or whatever, left a comment on my review saying how he wanted to sort the situation out over email. The. Audacity. And now, three years later, I am still, unitonically, very angry...

TLDR: Super convenient location for your on-the-go cheesesteak fix. Try the "Philly Special", which is a cheesesteak with scrapple fries mixed in!

Vibe: 5/5. Located literally right off I-95 near South Philly on the Delaware River, Shanks is an excellent choice for those passing through Philly in need of a quick cheesesteak. The restaurant itself is a stand, with a few outside bar tables and a counter to dine at. Parking is free and ample, with plenty of room on the side of the street near the stand. The stand butts up directly to the Delaware River, so you can sit and enjoy your food on the water.

Service: 5/5. The staff and overall operation at Shanks is great! On the Sunday I visited, I placed my order on my phone via their website and it was ready in about 15 minutes after confirmation. When I got to Shanks, the order was hot, ready and bagged up waiting for me. The staff was very friendly and punctual in getting me my order and making sure I had everything I needed to enjoy my lunch. No complaints here!

Food: 5/5. SOLID example of a cheesesteak in a town littered with them. Pricing is also very reasonable, with a foot long sub coming in around $12. For our Sunday lunch, we ordered a regular cheesesteak wiz wit, a side of fries and onion rings, and their "Philly Special" sub which consists of their regular wiz wit cheesesteak but topped with scrapple fries. Let it be known, the "Philly Special" at Shanks is the way to go. This is the first time I have had scrapple mixed in with a cheesesteak, but it certainly won't be the last. The spiced, unique flavor of the pork scrapple adds a little more umami to the ribeye. Paired with the wiz and fried onions, this is just a heavenly combination. Shanks also uses seeded hard buns, which was the perfect vessel for the heavy handedness of the meat. The original cheesesteak was also tasty in it's own rite and can stand toe to toe with any of the top contenders in the Philly cheesesteak scene. Fries and rings were also tasty, though need to be enjoyed immediately to avoid sogginess. Overall, if you are looking for a unique take on the Philly steak, definitely give the "Philly Special" at...

I’ve been coming to this place for years because the food is genuinely good. Despite being a loyal customer with a consistent order, I was treated with what felt like unnecessary hostility. I greeted both ladies behind the counter with a polite “Good morning” and was completely ignored. No acknowledgment, no response. Just cold stares. It was uncomfortable and felt personal.

To make matters worse, I asked for my usual order. A chicken cutlet breakfast sandwich with eggs and was told I couldn’t have it, even when I offered to pay extra. This has never been an issue in the past. The refusal felt arbitrary and targeted, especially since I’ve been ordering the same thing for so long.

It’s frustrating to feel like I’m not welcomed at a place I’ve supported for years. Whether it’s bad customer service or something more discriminatory, it’s disappointing to be...