tl;dr the fish po' boys at this Mount Airy sandwich shop are fantastically delicious and hearty, overshadowing even the terrible service Gilben's is a family-owned soul foodery best known for its signature po' boys. The 3 interconnected shops -- the Bakery, the Creation, and the Smokehouse -- collectively sport a brown-and-pink storefront, immediately popping out from a dull and industrial block. The stores are all slightly tacky and run down, but each is otherwise uniquely decorated. The takeout-only Bakery (home to sandwiches and baked desserts) has lime-green walls decked with large, sentimental paintings. Wall-mounted flat screen flash pictures of menu items with Microsoft WordArt text. The bakery display is relatively barren, and Christmas decorations have yet to be taken down. Old-school R&B playing up front clashes with modern rap blasting from the open kitchen. GIlben's seafood hoagies called to me as the perfect Lenten eats, and a buddy and I recently journeyed to Mount Airy for late Friday lunch. We had no trouble finding free street parking just across the street. We split 2 sandwiches: the Fried Shrimp Po' Boy and the Fried Fish Po' Boy, both upgraded with melted cheese and sauteed onions. While you can't go wrong with either protein option, we agreed that the shrimp was more flavorful, while the fish was more texturally aesthetic. The monster sandwiches -- each at least twice the size of an ordinary po' boy -- were half-wrapped in aluminum foil and then squeezed into the largest Styrofoam takeout boxes I've ever seen. The seafood was lightly battered and heavily seasoned, then stuffed alongside shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes into extra-large, toasted French rolls (accurately described as "garlic bread"). They were then hosed with a house rémoulade that had a vibrantly rich, tangy flavor to match its neon-orange color. The end product was as delicious as it is messy -- but, notably, no napkins are to be found without a dedicated search. Why one star off? The painfully inefficient service. I had placed my order 30 minutes in advance. Not only was it not ready at my scheduled pick-up time, but the staff hadn't even done anything beyond printing out the ticket. The cashier shrugged and quoted us another 15 minutes. Other patrons placed their orders in person (so at least 30 minutes after we had ordered) and received their food at the same time as us. And, after we did have our meal, most of the few two-seater bartops were taken by employees taking personal phone calls, and trying to wave down a staff member for a napkin felt like searching for water in the desert. Lastly, the queue at the Smokehouse was shockingly long even during the off hour: some folks stood in line during the entire duration of my visit. The sandwiches start at about $15, raising in price with upgrades (such as additional toppings or premium protein options), and each can fill you up for an entire day. Although GIlben's is a takeout-centric operation, I can't imagine the po' boys holding up against even a short trip home -- the sandwiches began descending into a soggy mess before I had even taken a bite. Regardless, Gilben's po' boys are unbeatable when fresh, even compared to New Orleans. read more

Gilben's Bakery - Fried Shrimp Po' Boy - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

If I could give a negative 5 starts I would!!! My friend's mother passed away and she went to this so called restaurant and placed an order for a $1000. Only 34 minutes after she paid my friend found out that the venue didn't except outside caterers. She quickly called this restaurant back to cancel her order. She paid the money in cash. She couldn't get them on the phone when she called back 34 minutes later. She finally made contact 13 hrs later. The restaurant refused the cancellation and said that she couldn't get her money back. Now there was no cancellation policy discussed at the time of the transaction. My friend was willing to pay any cancellation fee. This restaurant refused to give her back any money at all!!! The restaurant claims that some of the food was prepared. Why would any catering service prepare any food six days before an event? If that's the case never use this restaurant for any catering!!!! read more

I had awful experience at gilbens smokehouse located on Stenton Avenue! I ordered $1000 worth of food for my mother's repass on May 14 at 7 PM. I put $800 down crystal with adamant about me paying in I have a receipt with no return policy attached there was no contract sign.I the received a call from the church secretary she stated that she was sorry for the late return of my but informed me that that i couldn't bring the outside food. I called to cancel the order 34 minutes later she did not answer , her name is Crystal Brown. I proceeded to call the next morning. She still did not answer the phone. It's now 13 hours later i had to have my elderly father go into the restaurant and put me on speakerphone so I can tell her to cancel the order. I was in Maryland at a funeral home planning my mother's funeral. I expressed that to Crystal and explain that we were paying out of pocket and that I needed the refund so I can get food from the church, she refused to give me a refund. I her offered to pay a cancellation fee. It was only 13 hours after I given her the money but she refused to return it. She said I had to take the food or I get nothing but the food wasn't prepared yet. She tried to lie and say she did, but if she did do so it be spoiled because the food was ordered to be cooked for the 20th. The food serve save safety laws. State that prepped macaroni and cheese should not be refrigerated no more than three days or it will spoil and has to be in a airtight container. I was a cook for 18 years so I am quite aware of the food safety regulations Miss Crystal was very ignorant and disrespectful because when I expressed we were paying for the funeral out of pocket, her response was I don't care if your mother died. That's not my problem. It's yours so you either come Wednesday and get this food or you get nothing ! I have never in my life experience, such a thing very unprofessional. I recommend that no one patronize her. i was already going through a tough time grieving and paying for funeral expenses out-of-pocket she was so inconsiderate and cruel not a good business person! plan to take her to court That's not the right way to do business so everybody out there think twice before you patronize this unfair and professional restaurant, Tina Money. read more

This is a hidden gem for sure. There are many places that serve soul food but it's not always good and the derive isn't good also but this place is not like that at all. The food is all displayed buffet style so you can see what you are getting. Everything was hot, I wanted whiting fish so it made fresh, so it was a little wait. The staff was very friendly. I would suggest take out because it is only a small bar top table with 2 stools for seating. I will be returning very soon. read more

Gilben's Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This places sucks i would not recommend eating here unless you hate yourself .The food was old and left a bad taste in my mouth

Best soul food in town my GOD everything is on point and really satisfying to the needs

Good food but horrible customer service. The wait after you order is at least 30 minutes. 2 people working in the front would be helpful to move the orders faster. My food was not checked before given to me so when I got home my order was wrong. Money wasted. read more

Don't let the name fool you this is not your average Bakery! This Bakery feeds the Soul and brings a taste of the South to the North! If your like me and have been looking for a GOODT Fish Hoagie (Po'Boy) look no further!! And what's really is nice is that the quality is excellent, you have lots of options and the prices are right. They have a variety of Po'Boy options like grilled or fried buffalo chicken, sweet chilli shrimp and much more. I ordered the fried salmon Po'Boy but i was also in the mood for some skrimps (shrimps lol) and Gilben's allows you to add them for an additional charge but it's minimal. I love that for two people you can spend about 30ish and if you play your cards right you can even have some left over *wink emoji*. This Bakery also serves a mean Ooey Gooey Cheesesteak!! Hands down the BEST i've had in a very long time. The meat is very tender, moist and well seasoned. It comes with all the right fixings to really add or take away, although unlike a lot of folks I LOVE raw onions so I added them to mine. Sometimes cooked onions tend to be a bit to cooked for my liking. The raw onions mixing with the hot steak and gooey cheese actually end up cooking the raw onions just right. I like my onions "al dente" *laughing emoji*. Ok as if everything else wasn't the BEST part about this place, the ABSOLUTE BEST part is the bread or roll that your Po'Boy and steak are served on! It's a taste of heaven! The roll is lightly toasted and seasoned with butter and herbs. Just a word of advice, as you eat your Po'Boy or Cheesesteak you'll want to hold it along with a plate very close to your face as it might start to fall a part. The Po'Boy and Cheesesteak are pretty dense so the contents can start to be a little too heavy for the roll to maintain it's integrity. If you can eat it without it falling a part you let me know because i've tried it and it's impossible! lol But it's ALL good, so good you'll have to maintain self-control from inhaling it or scarfing it down too quickly! read more

Gilben's Bakery - Ooey Gooey Cheesesteak - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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The bread that they use for cheesesteaks is heavenly. Buttery with a hint of garlic, I think. I definitely recommend trying the chicken cheesesteaks and po boys. read more

They have great food and service. The food may take long sometimes, but it's worth the wait.

I stopped going here years ago due to their crappy customer service. And years later nothing has changed. We ordered po boys using their online service. Big mistake. We ordered online at 2:45PM, it's 3:55 and we still don't have our food. And the funny thing is they have a sign that negative attitudes are not allowed... and yet the lady at the front was unpleasant to say the least. She said they got their money but didn't get our orders. How does that work? She also said it wouldn't take 30 min, but we could leave and come back if we wanted. It's been 35 minutes so far... They don't apologize for inconveniencing you nor do they offer you anything for the inconvenience... they treat you like, "take it or leave it", even when they're the ones making the mistakes... terrible. Also got one of our sandwich orders wrong, that we paid an extra $5 for! Won't be back again for good this time. I've learned my lesson! Update since eating the food: it's not like it used to be. It was just ok. Definitely not worth the price, nor the wait. Just like the other review said, money wasted. In addition, in placing our order online we paid a $5 online ordering fee, just to wait longer for our food than people who arrived after us... and again we paid an extra $5 for the salmon and shrimp po boy that only had salmon on it. So not only does the terrible customer service leave a bad taste in your mouth, but so does the mediocre taste for $87. As stated earlier, I've learned my lesson and won't be back. read more

This review is for a delivery order. I haven't been to Gilben's for a while. I was so excited that they have delivery now! Their sandwiches are just like I remember, absolutely delicious! Delivery was on time and my sandwiches were still warm. All of their hoagies come on nice fresh garlic toasted rolls with their special sauce. You don't have to add anything else when they get through making your sandwich. We ordered a Gooey Beef Cheesesteak, Buffalo Fried Shrimp Po Boy, and a Fried Fish Po boy. All of these sandwiches were delicious. They put so much shrimp or fish on your sandwich that it's enough for another meal. Full of juicy flavor that I haven't seen duplicated anywhere else. The only complaint I have is they could back off of the salt a little bit. We can always add more if we want it! I've noticed they've added a lot of other items to their menu since I've been there, so I have a lot of catching up to do! Even if you don't live in the neighborhood I think it's worth the trip to go to Gilben's. read more

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I love that they have a variety of options. You can order baked goods, a steak sandwich with fries, a salad, or soul. They offer you options in their three restaurants that are located right next to one another. I have tried their beef cheesesteak, chicken cheesesteak, fried shrimp po boy, a grilled shrimp po boy, and a shrimp scampi po boy and not one of them disappointed. I enjoy the garlic flavor of the toasted roll. My sandwiches always have the right amount of cheese or applicable sauce and the portion size are quite filling (I usually only eat half of whatever I order and finish the other half later). My recent order consisted of a cheesesteak and a grilled chicken salad with ranch dressing. I ordered this for lunch and shared it with my cousin who was visiting. It was her first time trying their food and she said it was delicious. read more

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Knowing my affinity for cheesesteaks, a friend recommended popping into Gilben's Bakery. From the photos they shared, the food looked like something I needed to get my hands on. How that played out was a little harder than expect, but was all good in the end. I attempted to call in an order for pick-up, but was immediately put on hold. When I finally got through the team member prompted me to just use the online portal. Their site was east to maneuver through, but they do tack on a few small fees "ordering online fee" which I usually try to avoid. After waiting around for a few minutes, I was able to get my food and took home a few baked goods for the road. The cheesesteak was great! Flavorful meat, creamy cheese, well seasoned. I was pretty impressed and would put this steak up against any of the well known cheesesteak places. Will for sure be back to try some of the other menu items. read more

Gilben's Bakery - Cheesesteak - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Truly disappointed in my entire order!! I ordered a cheesesteak, a shrimp po' boy and an order of buffalo wings and nothing was edible. the cheesesteak had a glob of cheese that was so thick. The po' boy had all my shrimp on one side of the roll but one shrimp. It wasn't evenly placed and it had so much sauce, that I couldn't bother to divide the shrimp evenly. The presentation was just a mess.. not to mention the garlic bread rolls were toooo over powering. It was too many issues to unpack with those sandwiches. The Buffalo wings were breaded with a well seasoned breading and then dipped in Buffalo sauce which made them so salty, we couldn't eat them. unfortunately nothing was edible. total waste of food and money. They need to bring back whomever was cooking there years ago or revise ingredients on those food items. read more

Gilben's Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ordered through their website which was quite easy and straight forward. The estimated time that the food was given to be ready was a lot later than what was that actual time the food was ready. I received a call 15 minutes after placing an order that the food was ready. A bit inconvenient as I wanted the food to be hot when I got it so I had to adjust my plans. It's located in the Mount Airy section so parking wasn't bad. I went on a Friday late afternoon and didn't have any issues. Customer service was spot on. I was greeted by several people and everyone appeared to be in a good mood. To the food... The Po'boy had me feeling like I was back in New Orleans. Plenty of shrimp, nice house sauce which came dressed on top. You can customize your po' boy however you like as there are many options. The garlic bread that is used was delicious. Different taste but a better taste! Go for it if you're looking for a New Orleans flavor with a twist. The Grilled Salmon Po'Boy was just ok. The salmon was quite as seasoned. It had a mild taste but wasn't bland. If you're looking for something that has more of a gentler flavor but on more on the healthy side than this is it. The Cheesesteak...best Cheesesteak I've ever had in my life. By far the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia. It was seasoned to perfection. Rarely have I bitten into a piece of food item and experienced a euphoric feeling. This right here is it! Everything is reasonably priced except for the cake slices I ordered Deserts I ordered two slices of cake..one double chocolate and the other red velvet. The slices are pretty thin. I believe an older lady cut them while I was there. For $5 it isn't worth it. The double chocolate tasted a bit stale but the red velvet was very moist and good. It's a must visit if you're looking for different. The cheesesteak will leave you mesmerized. read more

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Heard so much about this place. People raved about their PoBoy sandwiches. I was hungry annnd tired so I decided to order. Parking: street metered. The area to park is very tight. Be aware, your car could get side swiped. Store: workers didn't have mask on. They suggest you wait in car until your order is ready and they will call you. They did have hand sanitizer around. Service: Staff was nice. Food: Ordered the fried salmon po boy which is just a hoagie with hot meat. I should have read what a Po Boy was. I added cheese & onions. It wasn't bad. Flavor was light. The bread is like a Texas toast. The fried salmon are chunks so everytime we tried to bite the sandwich, the salmon fell off the bread. The bread was soggy so I suggest getting the toppings on the side. Dessert: I ordered 1 brownie, 1 macadamia and 1 oatmeal cookie. The cookies were $.75 each. I felt that was expensive especially for the size. The cookies fell apart when picked up. The brownie was moist and tasted good. Overall the food was ok. I would go back and try something else. read more

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This was a must stop after watching one of my favorite YouTuber's review it. I could visit Philadelphia and not try this place out. They get busy. I arrived on a Saturday afternoon, and because of social distancing, we waited outside. They only allow 3 patrons in at a time. The cheesecake looked AMAZING. Huge slice, topped with fruit. I'm so disappointed that I didn't try it, but I did get a piece of strawberry shortcake. Huge piece. I could only eat half, but it's probably because of the fried shrimp po'boy. The shrimp were large, seasoned to perfection and deep fried. It's served on buttery garlic bread with lettuce, tomato and grilled onions and a special sauce. It was so delicious. This place is popular, be prepared for a wait, maybe up to a half hour or so. read more

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What a hidden gem!! We stopped here last weekend on our way back from New Jersey. Only three customers allowed in the store at one time. All orders need to be placed online. There was a steady line the entire time we waited for our food. I really wanted to go inside to checkout the bakery items, but it was always at capacity. The cheesecakes I could see through the window looked amazing. There are about ten different po' boy options and I was overwhelmed! All of the subs are served on garlic bread which has a light toast from the grill top. The garlic bread takes it to the next level! Soft and chewy on the inside, crunch on the outside and doesn't overpower the shrimp. There are so many components going on within this sandwich, but it all works. The shrimp are plump, the seasoning isn't overpowering, the scampi sauce, onions, lettuce, tomato....hands down one of the best po' boys I've ever had. Can't wait to come back and try something new! With a piece of cheesecake. Make sure you have plenty of napkins. read more

Gilben's Bakery - Fried Shrimp Scampi Garlic Po' Boy - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Something was Spoiled in this sandwich!!! I ordered a cheese steak with fried onions, mayo on the roll, salt and pepper. Upon the first bite it tasted as if someone dumped the entire salt shaker on the sandwich. I said ok, try to get past that. As I tried to eat the sandwich after the third bite I started to taste something real foul. I couldn't make out why it tasted that way and then upon further inspection of using my sense of smell, it smelled bad as well. I'm not sure if the bread was molded or the cheese was bad, the mayo, IDK. It was just bad. I spit it out tried biting around it at the top to try to get my money out of this purchase. The top didn't have that taste or smell but closer to the bottom of the roll, I just couldn't put myself in any danger of food poisoning so I gave in and threw it in the trash. All I can say is, be careful!!! read more

Gilben's Bakery - Cheese Steak - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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This was my mom and I first time at Gilben's, we have heard how good the Po Boy's are. But we didn't come come for that, next time! My mom wanted to get some food from here on our way to visit family. We walked into the salad bar portion of the facility and that's what my mom and I wanted, A GOOD SALAD. Now before I get to the nitty gritty Gilben's has a good layout. On the other side of the establishment is a whole food bar of home cooked Sunday style food; Mac'n' cheese, yams, collards and cabbage, stuffing, mash potatoes, wings, meatloaf, ribs an more. The whole sha-bang, it's literally like walking into your grandma's on a Sunday after church. Everything smelled really good! Before my mom ordered she showed one of the employees working the salad bar a picture of salad on Gilben's Instagram. It was a picture of a GRILLED chicken Caesar salad with pineapples and it actually looked pretty good. The salad bar has six(6) signature salads and the standard C.Y.O. salad option. Both my mother and I had gotten the spinach salad from their signature menu with GRILLED chicken. I added avocado and cucumber to my salad. This salad was hella disappointing. I had my mouth set on a good healthy fresh meal and this was not it. First off all of the ingredients were not bite size. I took all of the veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado) out an had to cut everything down to bite size portions. I don't think anyone enjoys shoving large almost whole size veggies into their mouth. The red onion was old and was not cut properly, I had the ends of the onion in my salad, not okay! I also had the stem of the avocado still attached to it in the salad as well; choking hazard. Sour Granny Smith apples that were brown. Apples oxidize very quickly, keeping them in water with acid (lemon juice) keeps them fresh and brown free. Personally a pink lady or sweeter apple would have been a lot better than a bitter one. And the real dissatisfaction was that we didn't get GRILLED chicken. We had chicken that was cut into small pieces overcooked in garlic and butter, that is not what we asked for. The salad bar needs some attention in a lot of ways. I worked at salad bar where we prepared everything fresh with the proper bite size cuts. The ladies working the salad bar were very nice, unfortunately they didn't know all the prices of add on's. This was an $18.00 salad and I could have made two(2) of these salads for $20.00. My mother and I love supporting local black establishments, we will be back, just not for the salads #respectfully read more

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I heard great things about the po boys here. Garlic bread, great seafood. Yelp pics were looking right. Yum! We couldn't wait to try Gilben's. I ordered the grilled shrimp with sautéed onions, hubby ordered the fried salmon with cheese and onions. We called the order in and pickup was easy and smooth. About $30 for both poboys. The poboys looked delicious and were tasty. Only...two issues. The second being brought on by the first. 1) Unfortunately, 3 quarters through my poboy...a hair. Ugh. Not like an eyelash... like a long hair. 2) Calling in to alert management, who was said to not be available..."Delores" asked which sandwich the hair was found in and stated that there was no one working on that sandwich with long hair. Wow. I find that to be interesting. But was told someone would call me back. Eh, I'm good. Who wants to deal with that kind of response. I only called hoping that they would take precautions to ensure others wouldn't have that experience. Anyways. Here's a pic. If you like delicious sandwiches with the probability of hair buried deep between layers of garlic bread, grilled seafood and lettuce and tomatoes...do try a Gilben's poboy... read more

Gilben's Bakery - Beware of the hair. Otherwise...tasty. - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Have the best gooey cheesesteaks in Philly they have it on garlic bread which is different the cheese is super cheesy and not thick enough meat to feed two it's a must try read more

I got the cheesesteak with fried onions. I liked, and I know I will get criticized for it, that it came in styrofoam. If you put that much effort into your roll do not destroy the roll by wrapping it up tightly in deli paper. I loved the roll but I guess it is the way they bake them that the top and bottom weren't crusty. It was like the top and bottom were sliced off. It was more perplexing than taste damaging. Very good amount of cheese mixed through the cheesesteak and an extra ladling of cheese across the top. I assume it was a Gilben's made cheese sauce. This was a very well seasoned cheesesteak. read more

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Fried shrimp po boy was good. Only able to eat half before getting food coma. Brother had the other half and enjoyed it too. Added cheese and onions but didn't taste the cheese. I think it was extra for that so that I would skip next time. read more

This hidden gem is worth the drive up Broad St away from the downtown hustle and bustle. This was my first time here, but a heads up for ordering during Covid times you can order in person or through their website. The ordering process was very simple and even gave an estimated pickup time about a 45 minute wait. I arrived a couple minutes early and my order was ready. The staff was friendly, welcoming and busy cooking up the good stuff. I ordered the shrimp Po boy sandwich and it was bursting with flavor. The presentation was beautiful it was funny trying to figure out exactly how to tackle this beauty without dropping all the goodness out. The shrimp were cooked and seasoned perfectly and the italian roll was a good garlicky crunch. I actually could have the sandwich served not put together just so you can separate the flavor bombs from the fried shrimp to the bread. I would definitely come back and would like to try their other options and perhaps give another slamming review. When I called they informed me they close at 8pm, BUT stop taking orders at 7:30pm. read more

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Good food and service. Been there a few times now. The bread on the sandwich is the best part. Traveled back home about 45 minutes and the sandwich bread was still good and not soggy. read more

If your thinking about eating from here I would highly recommend reading this review before you do. I ordered in-store with only two people in front of me in line, and it took a half hour or longer before I was even greeted. Once my order was taken the food was served from a buffet-style setupThis Platter was not good AT ALL. Twenty-plus dollars went right in the trash. Waste time driving to and from. If I'm rating this place from a 1-10, it's a 1 for sure. I wouldn't return even if offered a free meal. Try your luck if you're feeling lucky ‍ read more

Gilben's Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My daughter brought a Cheesesteak with mayo, fried onions & hot peppers. The steak was seasoned well and tender. The roll was soft and fresh. So glad I tried her Cheesesteak it was one of the best. I will be ordering my own real soon. read more

Stopped in for a cheesesteak, had heard about Gilben's Bakery on Stenton just off Washington, I'll be back! Great cheesesteak, quality steak and the roll was super fresh, crusty and soft, hey it's a bakery! 4 stars. read more

Stopped in here yesterday at the recommendation of a friend. The staff was pleasant and friendly. Gilben's was not completely foreign to me as I drive by this place every week on my way to my barber, but I never went inside. Yesterday all that changed. I ordered the shrimp po boy and fish sliders. OMG! The shrimp po boy was delicious. Fresh ingredients, buttery garlic bread, sautéed onions, cheese and special sauce. The garlic bread and special sauce are the kicker. The fish sliders were good as well. Made with fried whiting with lettuce and tomato on a soft bun. I added a little hot sauce when I got home to make them perfect. The cheesecake was amazing too. Soft and creamy. I opened the container just to take one bite, but I couldn't stop eating it. I will definitely be back and will recommend to others also. read more

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So when your husband calls you to ask you would you like a sandwich for lunch from a bakery it kind of make you pause. I did but I went with it anyway. I'm glad I did to a degree. I had a choice of a shrimp or fried salmon po' boy sandwich. It was really good, packed with fresh fish fresh ingredients I mean it was totally packed and worth the money. The only problem is the sandwich was way too salty. I wouldn't be able to come back to this restaurant to order the sandwich again as I have high blood pressure. If I didn't the sandwich would surely send me into a high blood pressure frenzy. After eating the sandwich I read other reviews and it seems to be the common thread regarding the salt. I hope that someone will tell the owners in person to cut back on the salt or read yelp! read more

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Hidden gem for cheesesteaks and poboys! I'm so glad they have something like this right in Mt Airy! read more

Gilben's Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A bakery you can count on for delicious sweets and food! I love this cute bakery. It's warm, bright and neighborly. There's plenty of sweets to choose from like sticky buns, cinnamon buns w/cream cheese, pound cake, danishes, assortment of cakes and cheese cake flavors, cookies and cupcakes. Then there's the food. For breakfast, they offer sandwiches and chicken & waffles (I need to try). For lunch, there's sliders, po' boys and more. Just Scrumptious. Great for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The service is very friendly, reasonable prices and a good flow of patrons. read more

They didn't have change for a $10, so I wasn't able to complete my purchase! Smh... I honestly don't know how some people manage to stay in business. read more

The first time my husband picked their food up we did not like it which was shocking because we heard so many good things about them. we decided to give them another try and glad we did, food was excellent. We went back 3 times and still great. However, we ordered 3 platters and extra sides last night 1/29/25 and it was horrible. Rappers delight sung "macaroni soggy, peas are mushed and the chicken taste like wood" this is no exaggeration. We had smothered chicken, salmon platter and wing platter. They gave 2drumsticks and a thigh in the smothered chicken platter. For a 20+ platter it should be a better meat selection. They chicken was so tough and old the gravy couldn't cover it. None of our sides were done. Greens tough, macaroni was not bonded together by cheese but oil, even the yams were hard. Limas we're ok just salty. I am not sure if the weekend food has better cooks or they just are serving old left overs but I won't be back. For one, this is no cheap platter and two, me and my mom woke up with the runs bad!!! I am writing this review from the toilet because this is my fourth time pooping and no lie, my mom is upstairs going. I normally don't write reviews but I feel this is the problem with soul food places using old food. I am willing to wait for it to be cooked fresh but don't get my family sick and waste my money. We didn't even eat half of the platters. Trash! My mother is in her 80's she not afford to have food poisoning. please do better GIlbens, for the next customers because we won't be back. read more

Delicious food ! Great vibes! & they're black owned . I love it here. The gooey cheesesteaks are my fav. So much flavor. Coming from a Philly native, they have the best cheesesteaks in the city. The deserts are amazing. 10/10 read more

Gilben's Bakery - Gooey chicken cheesesteak - Bakeries Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I couldn't be more proud to see this business take up the block! Gilben's stretch three stores wide across Stenton Ave. One store is the bakery where you can find bake goods ready to go or place an order for a larger scaled event. In the bakery you can also order one of their finest creations, the po'boys! I ordered a fried shrimp po'boy which surpassed my expectations! Any other that I've tasted doesn't even come close, not even the ones in New Orleans. Then they have a salad and smoothie shop where I was greet by two woman, with welcoming smiles and warm attitudes. I didn't even want anything, I just came in to browse but their energy was so good that I ordered a salad to go. Last they have a soul food shop that seemed to get majority of the traffic. I ordered a few platters from there as well AND THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! I love seeing my people win and they are killing the game. This place is a whole vibe. read more

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I was really looking forward to having a good-quality fish po' boy sandwich, but I was disappointed this time. The fish was overcooked and too tough to enjoy. I couldn't even finish it. I hope things will improve in the future. Please cook it like you used to when you first opened - everything was top-notch back then. read more

The food is delicious but the customer service leaves something to be desired. Being nice to the customers goes a long way.