Visiting Wilmington and saw a post about this restaurant on Instagram that was rated 9.5 out of 10. Is was very slow at 11 and service was quick and friendly. It's a very laid back place with lots of tables and a party room.. yes it has a pinball table. The food came quickly and was hot. I had the Philly Cheesesteak Hoagie and my partner had the ham, turkey and cheese grinder. We also had some wedge cut fries that are extra. The sandwiches were good, but weren't close to a 9.5. The meat was almost hamburger consistency and the cheese seemed to come out of a can. It was edible, but would disappoint if you wanted a realistic Philly steak and cheese. The grinder had a but with all the meat laying on top with toppings underneath. It was a knife and fork type of sandwich. It was worth trying but not sure if we'll return. read more

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Won't be back again was recommended to try them for there Philly but I was let down it's sit yourself when you come in .the waitress do stay on top of you to make sure that you're hydrated and if you need anything else service was good now just get to the food. Let's start with the appetizer appetizer. We got fried mushrooms, 3 out of 10 fried mozzarella sticks 3 out of 10 Onion rings 7 out of 10 Chicken fingers 7 out of 10 Chicken Philly, 1 out of 10 (taste it like canned chicken no flavor at all) Philly cheesesteak 3 out 10 same no flavor or seasoning read more

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Decided to try their meatball sub today and really enjoyed it. Everyone was friendly including the cook & kitchen staff which I personally made it a point to stop by them on my way out to let them all know how much I enjoyed the sub. They seemed to be appreciative of receiving my positive feedback :) read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Meatball sub with a side of frips & ranch dressing - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

I've only been to Philadelphia once but when I did I had some of the greatest cheesesteak I've ever imagined. A friend of mine told me about this place and it's about the closest you can get to a real Philly cheesesteak in North Carolina. The bread is shipped down from Philadelphia. I was in Wilmington recently so I stopped by and it looked like a Philly institution on the inside. The people were all super nice and I was immediately taken to my seat and brought my drink. I was disappointed that they did not have cheese whiz as an option as that is the best option when you're in PhiladelphiThey said they did make their own provolone cheese mixture to go on the steaks I was I ordered that to go on the steak. I was not disappointed at all as the food was just simply amazing. I can't recommend this place enough and if you're in Wilmington or even in North Carolina looking for an authentic Philly cheesesteak you definitely should go here read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Cheesesteak - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The dining room isn't anything special, but the cheese steaks are delicious. I recommend getting your food to go, but definitely give it a try. I also recommend the fried mushrooms and don't forget the pickle spears! read more

I love this place. Been going for over 20 years. Always a classic. Fried Mushrooms - 10/10. Ranch - 10/10.

I made a group order with my co workers. We all ordered cheesesteaks with cheese fries and a drink. The cheese steaks were soggy and the fries didn't have the cheese on them. I hate when I have to dip my fries in the cheese. My coworker is allergic to onions and they put onions all over his cheesesteak. I always have a way better experience when I dine in. I'm very disappointed in how this pick up order turned out. When I dine in the service is great, the food is great, and the ambiance is great. Idk what happened today. Very disappointed. read more

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I like an air conditioned place, but this place was freezing cold; which made our food cold in an instant!! I don't not like cold fries and onion rings!! We had to ask our server to speak up several times... what's up with the whisper? Very disappointing service, ambiance, and cold food! read more

Very rude over the phone many things missing from a big order ordered two ham and cheese and they were cold missing chicken off a chicken salad missing chilly cheese fries. ordered a philly and egg and it came with no egg. they didn't have the drinks even listed and told me i HAD to order them with the combo meals very disappointed and will NEVER come back read more

The food has always been excellent. spent many years eating there. BEST philly cheese steak there is . We moved to Texas so no more J Michaels for me. Im so sad. Have started making them at home , they are good, they are close but NOT the same. Everything they have on the menu is yummy. Alison S read more

This place is unsanitary. The entire time that the cooks were making our sandwiches, they were talking all over them. I DO NOT WANT SPIT DROPLETS IN MY FOOD. If you're not talking about the food then SHUT THE HELL UP. I saw workers/cooks consuming food all in the kitchen and every last one of them looked unsanitary and unkempt. One worker unwrapped the cheese slices and placed the cheese on his shirt. THE CHEESE THAT GOES ON FOOD! Not one hair net to be found anywhere near ANY of the cooks and the floors were nasty. We got our money back and won't be patronizing that business again. NASTY. read more

Called in a order to the monkey junction location.... they were out of ham. Ordered grinders and cheese steaks and Italian subs. Italian was good even without the ham. Chees steaks are great. But when I got to the location I was told that their oven was broken...so no grinders...they became subs. you couldn't tell me on the phone when I placed the order?! I'll give them another shot, but not that location. read more

Great Philly sandwiches, great service and atmosphere. Onion rings, mushrooms top it off perfectly.

We were in town for a couple of days and were looking for a really good Philly Cheesesteak. Although others were closer, google and locals were pointing us to J Michael's...so we drove the extra 20 minutes. There is not one good thing I can say about the meal we received. The steak was chewy and bland and the french fries had very little taste and what they had, was not impressive. I'm not sure what other people have experienced to make this place "number 1" but that was not our experience. read more

It has been a few years since I have eaten at J. Michael's. I have always loved their chicken cheesesteak. I compare every other one I have tried to J. Michael's. My waitress seemed rushed. There was a gentleman, I guessed he was the manager, that kept checking on everyone and was very nice. My food was really good. Fries & sandwich were hot. The only thing I noticed is that my sandwich did not have as much cheese as I remembered. read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Chicken cheesesteak, potato wedge fries & sweet tea. - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

don't be fooled by the underwhelming decor, this is a legit east coast deli diner with above average food. we loved the philly frips, wedge fries, tasty hoagies and attentive service. we will be back and are already looking forward to it! read more

My wife and I had a craving for cheesesteak and gave J Michael's a try. (Please be aware, the shopping center is being renovated but JM's is going still open and going strong. Great cheesesteaks and wedges delivered quickly. Amazing service. Felt like I was back on South Street! Can't wait to return! read more

No more roast beef on the menu?!! Got a ham sammich (2nd fav) and ewww. How do you mess that up??

On my search for the best Philly Cheesesteak in North Carolina I tried out J Michael's Philly Deli in hopes to find a find a great Cheesesteak. I will start by saying the seasoning they use on the steak is delicious, but the beef they use was definitely lacking a good beefy flavor. The cheese sauce was made of white American cheese and was pretty tasty. The bun was soft and could have used a slight toast, but was good nonetheless. The fries were quite disappointing, they were warm when I received them but were lacking seasoning and tasted a bit like old potatoes. The service was great and we got our food fairly quickly. Overall I would rate the food as average and nothing that blew me away, but at a fair price point. read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Philly Fries - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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This is one of my favorite restaurants. I love their fried mushrooms, and our mozzarella sticks are all-time favored. Is the Philly cheesesteak with ham and add the ranch which is homemade they make their homemade ranch with their secret recipe. You have to try. read more

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Very cozy and nice ambiance. Seems family oriented which is always a good sign in my opinion. It's seat yourself which is cool. Service was good. Servers walk around and make sure everything's good along with staying on top of drinks. Menu is easy to read and food came out quick! The food itself was pretty good. Mozzarella Sticks had the best cheese pull and were very hot when they came out. Marinara sauce was full of flavor and also very good! Got a turkey and provolone sandwich was also, very very good. They did not skimp out on the turkey which was very nice. Kinda hard to eat just because there was so much on a small roll but still, ate down! mozz sticks forever read more

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Good food. Great prices friendly staff. Its a sandwich shop that always consistent Its a regular stop for us

Me and my boyfriend LOVE eating here, Amira (i think that's how you spell it) is an awesome waitress she has 10/10 service! Favorite location too. read more

I have been in Wilmington all my life and have NEVER received the TERRIBLE SERVICE that I received today!! We waited over 20 minutes to be acknowledged. Meanwhile a Caucasian party came in and were attended to in less than 3 minutes of them sitting down! Our money is green just like theirs!! The qualittle of the food had fell off in the recent years and now the service is UNACCEPTABLE! They will NEVER get my money again!! read more

This continues to be a mixed review- the staff here were all super nice and my order was fresh and delicious. However, the front of the restaurant feels super crowded- I sat on this bench waiting for my food (I ordered when I arrived) and felt like I was stuck in a corner. The restaurant is crazy busy which means they're staying (yay!). My small Philly cheesesteak salad was absolutely perfect, the mozz sticks were warm and crispy, and my boyfriend's sandwich was massive and filling. I'll definitely get food here again but will probably order ahead. read more

To be honest, when walking into the restaurant I didn't have high hopes. It's not dirty or anything it's just nothing special and kind of boring-looking. BUT our food was INCREDIBLE! Best Philly I've had in a long long time and tasted like a genuine Philly. Not to mention they are HUGE. The melted provolone is ‍ Our waitress was super nice and I liked that I could see who was cooking my food. The staff are exactly the type of people you'd want cooking your food overall fantastic experience and we will definitely be back. read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Philly Cheese Steak with peppers onions banana peppers and loaded cheese Fries - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

they are too busy to take an order at 4:25 in the afternoon. They hung up on me twice don't waste your time. They don't want your money.

We had lunch at the Monkey Junction location today. The food was delicious and portion size, lets just say they don't skimp. The waitress we had, Jessica was totally awesome. We will definitely be going back. read more

Convenient location with good basic sandwiches. Service was fast and reasonable prices.

I can't believe my favorite Philly Cheesesteak is in NC rather than Philly. And believe me, I've had a lot of them. In fact, less than 24 hours before I had this, I was in Philly being disappointed by another well-known Philly cheesesteak place. Service is pretty slow, but I wouldn't chalk a point off because it just looked like they were very short staffed. In addition, our server always kept on checking up on us and was very nice. read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Philly Cheese Steak - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Worst hoagie if we can call it that ever. Apparently, they are using a cheese whiz type of pump instead of sliced cheese. The sandwich was drenched in the cheese sauce so it made the bread soggy which in turn caused the sandwich to fall apart. The fires had no flavor bc they didn't bother to salt them. I grew up eating at this place from childhood; it has changed drastically. They use to wrap the sandwiches in foil, this was thrown in a take out tray. I don't know if they are under new management or changed recipes or suppliers BUT this was trash. My hoagie was so soggy I couldn't finish it. I didn't bother with the fries; the best part of the meal was the pink lemonade. This place has gone down hill. read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Has really gone downhill over the last few years honestly. Got lunch yesterday and brought home the leftovers, went to eat it today and there was a big hunk of a black latex glove in it. Absolutely disgusting. called manager and was offered a refund, but still that shouldn't happen. read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The word delicious does not adequately describe the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich here. I ordered a half-sandwich while my son and his wife ordered a whole one to split. When the waitress put a sandwich in front of me, I said "No, this is theirs." She giggled and said, "No, this is your half-sandwich." I was blown away, and the damn thing was huge and just sooo good. Keep in mind that I am a native Burgher (that's someone born and raised in Pittsburgh) and we rarely say anything good about Philly I'll add that the onion rings, which Philly certainly cannot claim, were just spectacular as well. If you are a displaced Pennsylvania Yankee you will love J Michaels and if you are from anywhere else you will discover true culinary bliss. read more

It's totally wrong that this place has only 2.5 stars. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to write reviews. This place is amazing! Based on the reviews I read I got the half steak and cheese. I added onions and peppers and got fries too. The sandwich is SOOO GOOD! And the fries are excellent. They're like a steak fry, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. My husband got the whole sandwich and it was almost too much for him but he enjoyed it so much he finished it off. We're not from around here, just passing through and I'm so glad we have this place a try. It was busy inside so that told me all I needed to know. We'll def be back! read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Half Philly steak and cheese with peppers and onions (minus 2 bites) and fries. - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Worst food and customer service I've experienced in the state. You can almost always tell when someone has an attitude. The young girl at the counter clearly didn't want to be there, got the order wrong and when the food was ready didn't acknowledge it as I hear my name get called out and watched my order go into a storage container for her to go get it 5 minutes later after sitting there doing nothing. Told the girl we heard our name get called, she said "yeah" and stood there not doing anything for a few more minutes till she decided to go get it. In the front there is a sign that says to check and make sure your order is right... I never have seen a food spot promote incompetence like that. The food wasn't great. Bad vibes here, it makes sense though. Wouldn't recommend anyone helping keep this place in business 1/13/24 read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Philly Cheese Steak and Egg - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Worst Cheesesteak Hoagie I have ever had! Meat was bone dry and it had hardly any cheese. One slice of tomato cut in half for an entire sub.

Honestly the food here is pretty good. I have just had one too many issues with their takeout. I think of the three times we've gotten to-go food it has been wrong twice. Part of this is our fault for not checking the bags before we left however it still shouldn't be happening this frequently. If you're going to get J Michael's I would do dine in as the food is good. We have just ordered delivery and it was wrong again. Called and they basically said we could come pick up what was missing. What is the point of delivery then? I will never spend my money here again. read more

If the actual food was not solid this would be my only 2 star review on Yelp. Service and sanitation were not acceptable.. and multiple guests around us agreed and left before their food was delivered. Our group waited it out. Perhaps it was a bad day with server coverage issues, as the food that arrived very late was above average with good flavor and presentation. read more

Upon walking in we instantly were seated which is a plus but they only had 2 servers. I asked for fries and never received them, other guest on my party also received items we didn't order and was never able to tell anyone as the waiter never returned. I finished my drink and ended up waiting over 30 minutes before getting a refill.. TL;DR : the service was quite lousy for having 5 parties only, the food was very plain, and not what we ordered, had to wait long times for drinks edit: got home to realize my drink had a hole when I got it and leaked all over the car read more

Words can't express how comforting it is to have grown up in Wilmington, and come to visit family all of these 40+ years later .... and get a J. Michael's Philly Cheesesteak, an order of Fried Mushrooms with Ranch dressing to dip them in, and a Dr. Brown's Cream Soda. Same location/storefront, same dining room -- heck, even same menus!!! This place is an ILM institution! And I am so grateful to everyone there! SO TASTY and a nostalgic meal every time! read more

J Michael's Philly Deli - Cheesesteak, fried mushrooms + ranch, and a cream soda! EVERY time I visit!!! - Delis Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina