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Shanks Original

3.6 (160 reviews)
Closed 7:30 am - 3:30 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

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Shanks Original Photos

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SHANKS ORIGINAL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Shanks Original

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Reviews With Photos

Cole D.

Solid! Lots of meat, soft bread, good onions, hearty portion, relatively decent price. Hot too. I got the Philly cheesesteak with American cheese. Loads of soft chewy meat and it was generous. Enjoyed every bite. Also got these spring roll/cheesesteak kinda things which were surprisingly good. Had a cookie too that was very tasty. Basic, but extra good if it cooks in the sun a bit and melts. Nice service at the window. Cole beverages.

Brad R.

TLDR: Super convenient location for your on-the-go cheesesteak fix. Try the "Philly Special", which is a cheesesteak with scrapple fries mixed in! Vibe: 5/5. Located literally right off I-95 near South Philly on the Delaware River, Shanks is an excellent choice for those passing through Philly in need of a quick cheesesteak. The restaurant itself is a stand, with a few outside bar tables and a counter to dine at. Parking is free and ample, with plenty of room on the side of the street near the stand. The stand butts up directly to the Delaware River, so you can sit and enjoy your food on the water. Service: 5/5. The staff and overall operation at Shanks is great! On the Sunday I visited, I placed my order on my phone via their website and it was ready in about 15 minutes after confirmation. When I got to Shanks, the order was hot, ready and bagged up waiting for me. The staff was very friendly and punctual in getting me my order and making sure I had everything I needed to enjoy my lunch. No complaints here! Food: 5/5. SOLID example of a cheesesteak in a town littered with them. Pricing is also very reasonable, with a foot long sub coming in around $12. For our Sunday lunch, we ordered a regular cheesesteak wiz wit, a side of fries and onion rings, and their "Philly Special" sub which consists of their regular wiz wit cheesesteak but topped with scrapple fries. Let it be known, the "Philly Special" at Shanks is the way to go. This is the first time I have had scrapple mixed in with a cheesesteak, but it certainly won't be the last. The spiced, unique flavor of the pork scrapple adds a little more umami to the ribeye. Paired with the wiz and fried onions, this is just a heavenly combination. Shanks also uses seeded hard buns, which was the perfect vessel for the heavy handedness of the meat. The original cheesesteak was also tasty in it's own rite and can stand toe to toe with any of the top contenders in the Philly cheesesteak scene. Fries and rings were also tasty, though need to be enjoyed immediately to avoid sogginess. Overall, if you are looking for a unique take on the Philly steak, definitely give the "Philly Special" at Shanks a try!

Chicken Cheesesteak wiz wit
Pete B.

Our second Cheesesteak stop in Philly landed us at Shanks. This one came recommended by someone that comes into my job. Right out of the gate..... Plenty of parking!! Right on the water. This is a little hole in the "pier" joint that can not be overlooked!! They take both cash and cards here too!!! A rare thing. My wife and I shared a chicken Cheesesteak wiz wit and the boys shared a Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak. The chicken Cheesesteak was OUT OF THIS WORLD. It was flavorful. Right amount of cheese, onions done right. Just amazing. We also got fries with old bay seasoning. You can't miss! If you're in the Philly area..... Yeah... stop here before hitting the sights.

Cheesesteak Sandwich
Abraham K.

Solid steaks. Great bread that's pretty thin and hallowed out so you can taste the meat. Steak has smaller ribbons and has a good juicy bite when you go in. Overall, would come back. They also take credit card.

Fries
Richie H.

The cheesesteaks are good. It begins with quality meat that they use (unlike some other cheesesteak places - Pat's/Geno's). We got the Groupon for 2 - includes two cheesesteaks, 2 fries, and 2 drinks for $20. It's a pretty good deal considering two cheesesteaks are 20 bucks. This place is definitely better than Pat's / Geno's. The fries were disappointing - needed an extra 3-4 minutes. I'm surprised that this place is still here given that there's little foot traffic.

Sign selfie
James P.

Great cheesesteak and you can't beat sitting by the river. Meaty and cheesey!! I will be back for the Scrapple fries!!!

Cajun fries
Emery G.

This place did not disappoint me. I bought the groupon literally fifteen minutes before I showed up. Go Groupon!! The philly cheese steak I had was huge and delicious. The bread they put it on was soft and the american cheese was great. The fries were super crispy! They are thin like McDonald's fries. So good. Come here if you can a decent lunch. If there is a groupon buy it because it does say you a lot of money.

Cathy F.

Incredible! We walked from Hilton, (.5 mile) and savored every bite of our breakfast sandwich. Hubby got a cheesesteak to go (lunch) and we enjoyed a nice view of the water. They are a breakfast and lunch business only/ FYI

David I.

Shanks was another stop in my continual quest for Philly cheesesteaks. Very slow and a bit chaotic; decent steak. We may have just hit an off day, so I'll say the steak was decent enough where it might be worth a shot, but this place isn't high on my cheesesteak list.

Great sandwiches with a great view and on-site parking. !

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6 months ago

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8 months ago

Another local Philly spot off of the touristy beaten path. Try the scrapple fries, they're delightful

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

One of the best cheese steak I had in a long time . Meat to roll ratio is perfect. Had scrapple fries is a definite yes. Will be back.

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4 years ago

The absolute best Italian hoagie EVER. There is no other place that even comes close!

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Tony and Nick's Steaks - Curly Fries

Tony and Nick's Steaks

3.9(2.2k reviews)
1.5 mi
$$

IGNORE ANY REVIEW THAT IS BEFORE 2022, those are from the original shop, not this one…read more Don't be fooled (like I was) This is not a variation on Tony Lukes... The name confused me to begin with and I should have gone with my gut and saved it from this assault of fatty glob. I used to come here and bring visitors to Philadelphia for a taste of a great Philly cheesesteak on the way to the airport. Won't make that mistake again. Meat was overcooked, not juicy at all. Lots of fat and grizzle, almost inedible. If I wasn't in Philly (and you know how it can get) I would have asked for my money back instead of tossing half in the trash. Save you tastebuds and go anywhere (seriously anywhere in philly) and you can get a much better sandwich. Nicks roast pork makes a better cheesesteak and its only up the street near 10th (8 blocks)

So I visited Philly today. Decided to make a short list of cheesesteak spots to try. This was one…read moreof them. Ordered their cheesesteak hoagie. People online were raving about their cheesesteak and some were not feeling it. So mixed reviews. Got back to my hotel room with this football sized sandwich. It looks overwhelming in size. They didn't event cut it in half. I feel like due to the bread this could easily feed 3 people. Anyway, I just was not feeling it. The flavors were not great. Some cheese on it. I prefer the cheese to be mixed in. Yeah I would not come back for this.

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The Original Pat's King of Steaks

The Original Pat's King of Steaks

3.2(4.9k reviews)
0.9 miPassyunk Square
$$
Established in 1930
Family-owned & operated

There's a Reason It's a Landmark - so good, even reheated six hours later!…read more - - - - - - - - November, 2025 Visit We were in town for a family baby shower and decided to enjoy some Philly steak and cheese for a late breakfast / early lunch. Good call. I wanted to compare both establishments at the x-shaped intersection of 9th & Passyunk. I ordered a Philly with Swiss and mushrooms - it was really really good. Due to the cool morning and other factors we left before finishing the sandwich... after a quick day of sightseeing we were visiting family for dinner and I popped the Pat's into the oven for 10 minutes and it was GREAT for dinner... we cut it into pieces and shared - fantastic!! Both are really good, and I will nod my cap to Pat's, who is also the original location. Pat's is open 24x7 and has picnic tables on the sidewalk (none inside); there is no onsite restroom. Good food; Thanks, Pat's! ----- ----- -----

Pats outside area was more worn down but had a sign on top with a crown saying best cheesesteak…read more The guy at the front talking our order was a little rude and seems like he didn't want to be there. 6/10 We got our food really fast and not a lot of care to cooking it fresh. Let's get to the food. Bread was a nice fresh and gave the food a good taste- 7/10 Cheese- The cheese was ok but did give the cheesesteak and a good flavor Steak- no flavor 5/10

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Cheese fries

Shanks Original - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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