J. Michael's Philly Deli — Restaurant in Wilmington

Let me get straight to the point: this was one of the most disappointing and disgusting meals I have ever had. If you’re thinking of stopping by for a bite to eat, particularly for a Philly cheesesteak, do yourself a favor — keep driving.

I ordered what they called a “Philly cheesesteak,” which turned out to be a complete joke. First of all, there was no cheese. None. Zero. Zilch. How do you forget the ONE ingredient that defines the entire sandwich? It’s in the name. Without cheese, you’re literally serving a dry, greasy pile of overcooked meat on a soggy bun. It was absurd. I could’ve forgiven a mistake if the staff were apologetic or quick to correct it, but when I brought it up, the cashier shrugged it off like it was no big deal. No apology. No fix. No effort.

As for the meat? Burnt to a crisp. It was dry, rubbery, and tasted like it had been scraped off the bottom of a grill that hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. The edges were so blackened I thought I might’ve been served charcoal. The roll was equally offensive — completely soggy on one side and rock-hard on the other. The texture was a mess, and the flavor (if you can call it that) was a bland, bitter disaster. Honestly, it was borderline inedible.

It wasn’t just the cheesesteak that was a letdown. The sides were awful too. I tried the fries and they were an oily, burnt mess. They looked like they’d been fried hours ago and left under a heat lamp to die. Limp, flavorless, and saturated with old grease, they were the kind of fries that leave you wondering if the place has ever heard of quality control.

But the food was only half the problem. The service was just as bad, if not worse. The staff looked like they didn’t want to be there and clearly didn’t care about the customer experience. No one smiled, no one greeted us, and no one checked in during the meal. When we went up to the counter to ask for napkins (since there weren’t any at the table), we were met with attitude. The girl behind the counter rolled her eyes like we were bothering her. I’ve never felt so unwelcome in a restaurant.

The cleanliness of the place was also questionable. The floors were sticky, the tables hadn’t been wiped down, and the trash bins were overflowing. There was a weird odor near the drink station that made me hesitant to even fill up my cup. It smelled like mildew and old fryer oil — not exactly appetizing. It gave off the vibe of a place that had long since stopped caring about basic hygiene and maintenance.

As for pricing? You would think that food this bad would at least be cheap. Wrong. It was outrageously overpriced. For what I paid, I could’ve gotten a quality meal somewhere else in Wilmington, maybe even with table service and a smile. But instead, I paid good money for something that looked and tasted like it came from a gas station dumpster.

By the time I left, I felt nauseated — not just from the food, but from the whole experience. I honestly don’t know how this place is still in business. It seems like the management has completely given up. The food is disgusting, the service is awful, and the place is dirty and depressing. There is nothing redeeming about it.

If you’re reading this and considering giving this place a shot, please reconsider. Wilmington has plenty of better options. You deserve food that’s prepared with care, served with respect, and doesn’t make you question your life choices after eating it. This place fails on...

“DENIED REFUND WITH BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM HEAD MANAGER” I visited J Michael's Philly Deli on Oleander Dr. on 2/27/2019 @ 7:15 pm. It was a 20 minute drive to get there. I ordered Take Out. I placed my order emphasizing clearly what I wanted and even had the order repeated back to me for clarity and understanding. I patiently waited outside for 38 minutes. I received half my order and realized the other half was not in the bag. so I got out my car, went back inside to question where the other half of my order was before leaving again, I drove 20 minutes back home to realize that the order taken was incorrect, especially, with the items I clearly stated I DID NOT want not even being on the ticket, given to the cooks and stapled to the bag.. I called back to place a re-make, I was placed on hold, so I waited again, on hold, for 19 minutes and 46 seconds. Eventually the phone was answered and I stated that I had been on hold for 20 minutes. I place the same order in hopes of it being ready when I arrived 20 additional minutes later. I stated at the end of my order that it was a re-make and was told that they wouldn't make it til I arrived. I arrived and was told at that point the order was being made. After waiting for another 5-6 minutes, I asked to speak with a manager. The cashier called the manager on a phone, and after a few minutes of the cashier telling the manager who was interested in speaking with her, she passed me the phone. I explained that this order has taken a total of an hour and 20 minutes. I informed the manager that I wanted my money back and was told that I could not have it back. I could only have a gift certificate for 13 dollars, (the portion of my order that was incorrectly made). I couldn't believe I was denied my money back for the portion made incorrectly. A young manager named Rodney overheard the conversation I had with the manager over the phone, He introduced himself and showed me exponential care, concern and customer service while waiting for my order. He went above and beyond to call the other manager himself and ask what he could do to help. He talked to me about my order, offered me a drink and apologized with understanding for the inconvenience I and my family (in the car) had endured. The other manager, I had spoken with over the phone, came from the back of the restaurant, looked me in my eyes and DID NOT mention one word, knowing I was the customer who was suffering a lost on a few aspects. While waiting for my order to be finished (another 10 minutes in addition to the 5-6 minutes waiting until approached by him) I could hear a cook singing, about what clearly seemed to be my order, in a condescending way. The manager, Rodney, alerted him that guests could hear him but he continued with the singing once the manager rushed away with food for another guest dining in. So, in a nutshell, we suffered losing time, money and appetite. We have pictures and copies of receipts for the incorrect order and time waited to validate proof of this claim. Needless to say, we are not happy with the resolve and, i don't even know if we will ever use the gift certificate after this experience. It is highly doubted our family WILL NOT be visiting J Michael's Philly Deli...

I have been coming to this place since I was a child and I have never seen it ran the way it was tonight 03/01. My husband and I got there at 7:20pm which they close at 8 so that was still plenty of time to get a salad and cheesesteak. There was only one waitress on the floor alone and with no help. But there was about 8-10 people in the kitchen. The waitress was trying her hardest to take care of the all the customers while the food was just sitting there for long periods of time. Mind you workers kept walking in and out the kitchen to look around or grab themselves some ranch to bring back into the kitchen to feed themselves. I did over hear the waitress say she didn’t know that the other waiter/waitress had gotten off the floor because they did not let her know so that left her alone on the floor. She was honestly the only reason I even gave 1 star because she was trying her hardest to take care of everyone and I’ve been in her position before so I know how it feels to not have any help nor anyone asking to help her. She would ask the kitchen staff for something and they would completely ignore her so eventually she went to the kitchen herself and took care of what she needed. After almost 35 minutes of waiting and watching workers come in and out and still not help her we decided to leave. She didn’t charge us for our drinks and I tipped her good because she deserved every bit of it and none of this was her fault at all. I spoke to the manager before leaving who was in the kitchen handling to go orders and she said there was supposed to be two people on the floor but for the whole 35 minutes we sat there only one person was on the floor actually assisting customers. Nobody helped AT ALL! There was no teamwork. But there was employees making themselves food meanwhile I watched my salad that I ordered sit there for at least 20 minutes without every getting it. I have never had an issue here before it’s usually ran smoothly even when busy. Being short staffed was not an excuse this time it was just the lack of support by coworkers and not helping when they see someone...