As the days seem to be getting cooler out you may find yourself wanting to bite into something warm and hearty. I have just the place for you, Yo Philly Cheese Steaks & Subs, a locally owned restaurant that gives you a communal sense as soon as you walk into the door.
Once you head to North Beach and park you are met with a white building decorated with red paint on the walls. One of the sides has an illustration of a boy with a huge sub in his hand in cartoon style, the other side has the words of the main items on their menu: “Subs. Burgers. Fries. Pizza.”
When the door opens you see walls covered with jerseys, TVs, and an open-style kitchen to the right. There is even a Philly wall, dedicated to celebrities from Philadelphia including Will Smith and Bradley Cooper. They have pictures of community members with fish too, adding that cozy sense to the overall ambiance. This is a type of restaurant that seems to have regulars.
While the heat of the open kitchen does travel into the restaurant dining area making it a bit humid and hot, it isn’t something you have to deal with for long. The wait time to get your food is just about 15 minutes and with a self-serve drink machine, you don’t have to wait for someone to bring you refills and secretly judge your liquid intake. The menu options include hot subs, cold subs, pizzas, burgers and desserts. All options sound tasty and with fries or onion rings as an added side, you cannot make a wrong decision.
The pizzas aren’t like your traditional Pizza Hut or Dominos pizzas. At Yo Philly Cheese Steaks & Subs, they place the cheese on top of the toppings and are very generous with the amount of cheese while not drowning your pizza in sauce. The crinkle fries are seasoned perfectly with the right amount of crunch to them and the serving sizes will leave you satisfied. Prices are about as fair as they can get with a sub combo coming out to a little less than 13$ and a personal pizza with a drink for about 9$.
I recommend the Philly Special, a cheese steak with provolone and Philly cheese with fries and the personal pepperoni pizza. One bite into the sub and your mouth will be watering for more. The one downfall is the texture of the ranch. While I prefer a more liquid ranch at Yo Philly Cheese Steak & Subs the ranch has a buttermilk texture.
Overall I give Yo Philly Cheese Steaks & Subs a solid 4.6 out of 5
IF YOU GO
Where: 3314 E Surfside Blvd.
Contact: 361-452-8750
Hours: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Mon.- Sat., 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sun.
