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Gilben's Bakery

3.5 (161 reviews)
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GILBEN'S BAKERY ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Gilben's Bakery

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Rasheda ..

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.

Ooey Gooey Cheesesteak
Summer B.

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!

Fried Shrimp Po' Boy
Austin B.

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.

Fried Buffalo Shrimp Po Boy
Delores M.

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.

Chicken Cheesesteak
Sherri W.

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.

Cheesesteak
Christopher B.

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.

Malika B.

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.

Cheesesteak was the best I've ever had. Has to be the best in Philly.
CJ L.

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.

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4 months ago

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

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10 months ago

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

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1 year ago

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

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Ask the Community - Gilben's Bakery

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The Sweet Life Bakeshop

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4.8
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I thought I'd written a review about this place before but to my shock I had not…read more I have been coming here since the day they opened, infrequently beacuse I am diabetic but when I want to spoil my body with delicious sugar, honey, this is *IT*. Now I could tell you all about how perfectly tasty everything is. From the classic banana puddings (I prefer the caramel version myself,) to the cookies, to the pineapple upside-down mini cakes. Yes, I could tell you that. But I want to speak to something deeper. I want to speak to belonging and community; and to fairness. As a biracial person with a brown sister, I feel the pull to support black and brown businesses. It's not a secret. And sometimes you do it, and sometimes you privately think "Damn. I wanna be supportive but this place is a mess." Then there's Sweet Life. NOT that. FILLED with good product at a great price, delivered by owners and staff who actually give a damn about being loving and supportive to all different types of people. And did I mention the sweets are POPPIN'? And to that statement of fairness. Today I came in to place an order, and when the price came up, for a moment I thought "Damn. That is a lot higher than I remembered, but I am not about to question them. They set the price and that price is what they deserve." So I paid. But then I noticed there was more in my bag that I'd asked for, and that there had been a miscommunication. When I tell you that this miscommunication was corrected with swiftness *AND* a smile. No shade. No drama. Just an "Ooops, oh well, here's your refund on the balance." I know this seems very basic but we all know it isn't. We have all been in that awkward situation where as a customer we have to point out an error, and the vendor turns it into a Shakespearan tragedy. Not Sweet Life. "Oops. Sorry! Fixed. Love you." So, to recap: Stunningly delicious sweets. Prices fair as hell. Communicative, inclusive staff doing the right thing. You need to take those money dollers and haul your ass over here TODAY. Now...where did I put my insulin pen?

You would pass by it if you are moving too quickly. Don't pass though! Small shop inside. The space…read moreis truly for baking these fine delights. I ate way more than this pic shows because each flavor is its own unique flavor. The No Nana banana pudding (not shown) is the truth!! If you struggle with dairy and miss banana pudding--- get it. It was my favorite delight. I got my wife the pineapple upside down cake. She loved it! Sweet, slightly gooey and perfectly portioned. The people there are great. That make you feel like you're picking a wedding ring. Giving personal recommendations and the extra sophistication you wouldn't expect at a cupcake place on south street. They have it all and i will go back for more and i highly recommend them, especially the no-nana pudding (not pictured).

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Exterior
Exterior
The Sweet Life Bakeshop
Original Banana Pudding

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Original Banana Pudding
Lily Of The Valley Cupcakery and Café

Lily Of The Valley Cupcakery and Café

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Lily Of the Valley Cupcakery & Cafe' was on my list of places to try for Black History month. Owned…read moreby Terrance & Rashida Baldwin. I had the pleasure of meeting Rashida during my vist. She was very friendly and I felt a women living her dream. Nestled in the heart of Germantown, my GPS took me right there! Once inside we were greeted by employees that let us know the items for sale were in the back of the store. I found that to be a bit different, that all the baking is done upfront, so you can see things being made from scratch. I wanted to try everything, but the waistline nor the pocketbook would allow that. Between me and my daughter, we decided on the Bread pudding (delicious), Peach cobbler (my favorite), taste like homemade! Turkey Bacon cupcake ,they candied the bacon on top. The cupcake was moist and delicious, but could of been a little bigger. I didn't taste the banana pudding, but my daughter said it was also delicious. They make cakes for special occasions, like wedding, baby showers etc. They also have a few special events there (check their website). The hours are: Sun-Tues *closed Wed-Fri 11am-5pm Sat- 9am-3pm I enjoyed all my baked goods and will differently go back.

I believe Rihanna said something to the extent of, "Where have you been all my life..." After…read morevisiting Lily of the Valley, I asked myself this same question. Where has this place been since I have been living in Philadelphia? When you walk in, there's an older gentleman who has his wet and dry ingredients in bowls and ready to be mixed and concocted for whatever is on the menu that day. Now how often do you enter a bakery and see all of the ingredients on the table and made right in front of you? I went to the back where all of the precious desserts were being shelved and stored and my eyes grew large. I had asked the young lady if their chocolate cookies were soft and she told me they were pretty popular. Needless to say, I bought a dozen alongside the three cupcakes at the bottom. There was even a woman who entered and said she had just bought some of their oatmeal raisin cookies and had to come back and get more. Those cookies were hands down the best I've had and they trump 4th street cookies by a few miles. Soft, buttery, and full of fresh ingredients I couldn't help but to eat a few on the way home. I'm just a bit sad... how did I miss this place since I've been in Philly? Well, good thing I know now.

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Part of the Bakery
Part of the Bakery
Peach Cobbler
Peach Cobbler
Front of Lily Of the Valley Cupcakery & Cafe'

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Front of Lily Of the Valley Cupcakery & Cafe'

Gilben's Bakery - bakeries - Updated July 2026

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