Tony and Nick's Steaks — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I've heard of Tony Luke's (now named Tony & Nick's Steaks) but hadn't planned on trying them, however my niece-in-law brought us here as she drove us to DC after our stay in Philly.

ATMOSPHERE: Covered, open-air lanai seating along a noisy street. Obnoxiously and incorrectly pronounced customer names over the PA on max volume. Bathrooms are port-a-potties and there's no where to wash your hands. Do takeout to enjoy your meal.

MENU: Breakfast sandwiches, hot & cold sandwiches, a variety of fries, onion rings, chicken fingers.

FOOD: Pork Italian I opted for sharp provolone for an additional $0.50 and chose spinach as my green. It was good but nothing spectacular. Soft bread that absorbed the pork juices, overly generous amount of tender and juicy pork slices and sharp cheese that added a nice zing. The sliced pickles were the perfect accompaniment. Not as messy a job that I had anticipated.

SERVICE: Much is to be desired at yet another Philly establishment that treats you like they're doing you a favor by being there. On a small positive, it was a much more relaxing experience than ordering at Pat's.

As we sat, a worker in charge of clearing tables also brought over a tray full of condiments from the counter - pickle slices, salt, pepper, chili peppers and ketchup. A nice touch but a waste of inventory as many things went into the trash.

When my name was hollered over the PA, I went to the pick up window. Employee Gina C. asks if I'm Vince. Yes, I say. Receipt? Might have more than one Vince, she says. As I fetch my receipt from our table, she annoyingly shouts over the PA "HAVE YOUR RECEIPTS READY!?" Really? As I'm waiting for my food to be retrieved, I noticed a motivational sign on the wall behind the register stating "Stop being mean to customers!" with pouty emojis. What a waste of paper its printed on. .

TIPS: Have your receipt ready when picking up your food unless you want to be shamed over the PA system.

Bring handy wipes.

Thankfully no tipping was necessary even with card payments.

OVERALL: Good price and portion, crabby...

Introduction: Eating is outside. It was clean and the menu display board is big and easy to read. There are a lot of selections for breakfast and lunch/dinner. This was my son an I first time here.

Welcome: The cashier was very friendly and helpful. She gave suggestions an alternatives. She was patient while I tried to decide what I wanted. She was genuinely kind an appreciated that 😊. Customer service etiquettes how gone so far down at many establishments so when you find good people giving great service it sticks with you.

Experience: Ordering and dining here was a pleasant experience.

Ambiance: It was clean and seating was spaced far apart enough to walk through without brushing up against someone. The workers looked clean.

Food: My food was delicious 😋! I ordered pizza cheesesteak, caramelized sweet potato fries (comes with caramel and powdered sugar either on top or on the side…I got mine on the side), mozzarella sticks, and a Pepsi (bottled). My son had the kids meal: cheesesteak, regular fries, and fountain orange soda (not included with the meal), and friend chose the chicken cheese cutlet, regular fries, and a Pepsi (bottled). My son and my friend loved their food. The portion size was generous! Our rolls were filled with meat and they gave a good amount of fries. You do not get as many caramel sweet potato fries as you do regular because they are waffle fries and comes with the extra twist (mule guess). We were able to dine there and still had food to take with us back to the hotel.

Price: The food was definitely worth the price. The quality and quantity was great 👍🏽!

Will return: I will most definitely return here. My overall experience was great!

Stars: I gave 5 stars because I received 5 star service and food!

Tip: Go hungry and...

Haven't eaten in here in years and other then the name change, I would say they are pretty much the same.

As always, the breaded chicken cutlet was delicious... the sharp provolone makes it. Our cheese steak (Whiz, mayo, with) was awesome... and that's even with letting it sit for 20min till we got home. I imagine eating it straight away would only make it better.

Price wise they are about average. The two sandwiches plus a side of SAUCE not "gravy" 🤣 was about $30.

The only thing we both noticed was they seemed to have changed their roll vendor. It was ok... but not great and that's something I definitely remember being exceptionally good years ago. That said, I did notice a sign saying they offer fresh baked seeded rolls so might give that a go next time.

Obviously the cheesesteak debate has been going on in Philly forever... If your from out of town your going to hear that places like this (including Pat's, Genos etc.) are just for the "tourists"... that real Philly folk only eat at "x"... and while there definitely are great places out there... I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss these popular spots as they are very good. And that's coming from someone born/raised who has been eating steaks since the 70's... back when Pat's use to put down sawdust to keep the pigeons away!

So... yes, give Tony Lu... err, Tony & Nick's a shot.. def recommend.

Added bonus: They have a nice enclosed type area where you can sit down and eat that's fairly warm during the colder weather. It's well lit and safe.

EDIT: Returned two weeks later and ordered their Fries. Hands down the BEST FRENCH FRIES we have ever eaten! If you do nothing else, ORDER THE FRIES! Trust me. Be sure to check out the way they package them...