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

Had a chicken cutlet Italian on 11/25/25 and a bacon cheesesteak on 11/28/25: The chicken sandwich was one of the best of that kind I've ever had - not only tasty and prepared perfectly - it was large enough to fill me up for the day. The steak was excellent and also filling. Will return. read more

So for me the cheesesteak is a pass but the chicken cheesesteak was very good. I thought the cheesesteak was a lower quality meat and pretty bland. Plenty of cheese and not dry. I liked the seeded roll. The chicken cheesesteak was pretty good. Flavorful and moist. Good cheese ratio and again the roll was good. I would go back and try the cutlet and some other things. read more

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. read more

Shanks Original - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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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! read more

Shanks Original - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I had never heard of Shanks, despite growing up in the region and living in the city for some of it. When heading up and down Columbus Blvd on trips to IKEA, AAA, and U-Haul after my moved back to the city, we noticed it and gave it a try. If this is a visitor's only experience with cheesesteaks or roast pork, they might not get the hype. There's nothing wrong with these sandwiches, but they weren't as good as others I've had. I even thought, "Huh, I've been away for a few years, and maybe I don't like cheesesteaks anymore." I don't eat cheesesteaks or roast pork often since that is not a good idea. So when I eat one, I want it to be worth the extra calories and fat. I am, however, very interested in going back to try "scrapple fries" when I want a heart-stopping indulgence. read more

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. read more

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Tried them on my last jaunt to the city. Did it make my top 10 cheesesteaks in the city? Not quite. But it might be #11 and a strong honorable mention. It's a very good sandwich. Excellent with the Cooper Sharp cheese. Maybe a little too much pepper on what I ate. But my son and I devoured ours happily. I'm told I have to come back for the chicken cutlet. I have a reason to return now. read more

I'm not a cheesesteak guy but I gave this place a try today for lunch. It was just okay. What irked me was the leaflet menus by the order window with $11.25 as the cheesesteak price. When my order was ready I asked the young lady why it was $14.50, (pointing at the menu price), and she replied, "oh sorry, our prices have gone up"). Well, perhaps print new menus with the increased prices. They also surcharge for credit card payments, (they don't tell you unless you ask). At almost $15 for a run-of-the-mill cheesesteak sandwich I won't be rushing back! read more

Great food, quick service and a cool place to sit outside on a nice day made this a great part of the trip down to the area. Parking is easy, which isn't something easy to find in the area. Very much recommended. read more

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. read more

Shanks Original - Cheesesteak Sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Awesome cheese steak ( I got the Philly Special)really enjoyed the lunch. The people were very nice and I can't wait to try all the sandwiches. Thanks for the Philadelphia experience. read more

Came here with my boo after walking around the area exploring. It was my first time here and I was excited to try a cheese steak from here. I looked at the Yelp reviews before chomping in to my sandwich and saw that they had a lot of 4 star and 5 star reviews which was a great thing to see. Had the cheese steak and it was really big and full of meat. It was hot and fresh and flavorful. i was really happy with the taste and the size, me and the boo ended up sharing it since it was so big. As I was eating it, I was savoring each and every bite because it tasted so delicious. Looks like they sell breakfast as well, so if I'm ever down here for breakfast time, I would definitely try it. read more

We ordered a chicken cutlet sandwich with sharp provolone and spinach, a chicken cutlet hoagie and a cheesesteak with copper sharp and fried onions. All of our sandwiches were delicious, everything was fresh and perfectly put together. Do yourself a favor and stop by Shanks for a sandwich, you will not be disappointed. read more

Had a roast pork with Cooper sharp on a seeded role. Seeder roll was the hero and pork and cheese were just good, but much less spectacular then I had heard about it in comparison to dozen of others establishments. Family enjoyed a quick meal by the water feeding the birds with provided stale bread. Not sure I'll return for a roast pork, maybe a cheesesteak next time. read more

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. read more

Shanks Original - Fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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

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Stopped here the other day for lunch after hearing about it on WIP, and Yelp! They take plastic which is key because I had no cash on me. I would have been out of luck and hungry, thank you technology. Parking is street and they have a small lot which was free, also a plus. In the winter you go in the little tented area to order your sandwich, in the summer you order at the window. Now to the sandwich - I ordered the Chicken Cutlet Italiano (voted best hot sandwich of 2010). Wait time was about 5 minutes ans I was waiting I saw they had a choice of bread seeds or no seeds, and I quickly asked the cashier if I could change my sandwich to seeds, he said yes but it would be 50 cents no big deal. The roll was delicious. To me the roll either makes or breaks the sandwich. The chicken was breaded perfectly with broccoli rabe, it also comes with sharp provolone but I abstained being so far from home. Seating is outside with a few tables over looking the Delaware river. I ate half outside but it was too windy so I ate the other half in the car, can't wait to go again to try other sandwiches. read more

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. read more

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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 read more

Shanks Original - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Simply the best roast pork sandwich in the city HANDS DOWN!!!! Full of flavor and juicy Nice amount of fries also read more

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. read more

Shanks Original - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great sandwiches with a great view and on-site parking. Make sure to ask for seeded roll! read more

Shanks Original - Great sandwiches with a great view and on-site parking. ! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

YAAAS!!! THIS PLACE ROCKS! Fast, hot, deliciousness all on a sub roll. Friendly yet quick service. Walk up window service. A little bigger than a food truck. Cheesstakes to roast pork to fries to now even breakfast. Ordered the chicken cutlet, broccoli rabe, provolone on a seeded roll. Awesomeness. Will definitely come back again. read more

Shanks Original - The shop. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Skip The other place a few blocks away and go here. That other joint doesn't even have broccoli rabe. They put spinach on their roast pork. Wha? Awesome roast pork. Everything about it is great--the bread, the cheese. Really, really good. People are friendlier too. I stopped today for a breakfast sandwich. Was expecting it on a Kaiser roll. This thing was over a foot long, and on the same roll you'd get with a steak or roast pork. Best breakfast sandwich I've ever had. Go! read more

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.

I've gone past this little shack on the waterfront near Penn's Landing many times over the years, wondering if their cheesesteaks were legit. I finally had a chance to find out. I'm happy to report that they are legit! Big juicy, messy, cheesesteaks on a nice soft roll. They have covered benches outside, making this a good spot for hanging out and having a cheesesteak outside on a nice summer day. It's too bad it's too far from Penn's Landing to get noticed by the crowds there. The place would be packed if more people there knew such a good cheesesteak was a short walk away, read more

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

We love the cheesesteaks and fries! They are one of the best in the city. Great service and very friendly. Hope to stop by again soon. read more

Terrible customer service!! Haven't even tried the food and don't even care too. Both ladies behind the counter should just quit their job if they hate being there that bad. read more

Had a meeting minutes away from Shanks and needed lunch so stopping at Shanks was a no brainer. I first tried Shanks at the WIP sandwich contest held several years ago at the bar across from the Reading Terminal. They won for the Chicken Cutlet Italiano . I remember the Shank's models even more - handing out coupons and encouraging ballot stuffing for the fan favorite title that they won running away. I wanted a roast pork and didn't feel like driving to John's Roast Pork since the entrance to 95 was right there so Shanks was the choice. I ordered the pork combo with sharp provolone and homemade hots on a non-seeded roll. It wasn't great - it wasn't bad. In any other town but Philly it would be a home run. With Tommy DiNics - my hands down favorite, John's, the ORIGINAL Tony Luke's, Paesano, High on Market to name a few - it's not best of but it's still good. read more

Shanks Original - Beautiful view - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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First time here. Have been wanting to visit for a while. Closer to 3.5 starts. The cheesesteak was juicy. Roll was okay. The fries were too salty. If I come back here, I will ask for no salt on zee fries. Nice staff. read more

Amazing little place!!! Doesn't look like much & small w/somewhat limited hours...but don't miss it!! It may be small but sone of the BEST Philly Cheesesteaks & Roast pork sandwiches anywhere!! Allfood is great!! Surprisingly large menu!!Friendly service & delicious sandwiches, etc., overlooking the water!! read more

This was my first attempt to get an original cheesesteak in Philly. I have to say this met whatever standard I needed to set for when I plan on coming back to Philly. I ordered the Cajun Fries and they tasted so fresh. I like where this is located because on a nice day (I came when it was raining you can get a better sight of the river. The service here was ok, you better know what you're ordering before you get the cashier's attention, there were several times I got "raised eyebrows" when I just wanted to make sure I was ordering things correctly. Whatever....we are up north, I laugh that stuff off. Luckily the food made up for it, I got a Philly with Mushrooms, Onions, and Whiz and it was great! After eating one-half of the sub, I realized I would fall into a coma on the drive back south, so I tucked it away to snack on later. Winning. read more

I'll save the boring story...when you say you're open at 10AM, and we're the first people in line - you would expect a hot sandwich right away, wouldn't you? NOPE. It means the cooks get there at 10 too, so they gotta turn the burners/stoves etc. on, wait for it to warm up - THEN you'll get your chicken cutlet sandwich (which everybody here raves about). They'll make a cold deli sandwich, sure.....but c'monnnn. How about turning the stoves on at 9:30 when nobody is around, then when 10 comes and you got your first customer - BOOM - ready to go! Yea - that makes more sense to me too.Had to wait a good 15-20 min for our sandwiches despite being first in line, literally. That's the negative one star. I sincerely hope they'll fix that as it's a very simple solution to a simple problem - who knows - maybe it was just that one day, this is why I'm not trashing them, but instead starting off with the one sticking point in an otherwise WONDERFUL experience. Now - on to the FOOD REVIEW. The chicken cutlet that everybody here was raving about was ON POINT. Absolutely delicious. I also split a chicken parm sandwich with my wife; VERY very good. The place is a small little joint off the delaware river with a nice view and good seating/atmosphere. I'd def. go again despite fierce competition from DiNics/Tony Lukes/Sarcones etc. I've added a few pics. Nice work guys, just please try to fix the timing issue. You're one of the few joints that are open in time for a 1pm kick to an Eagles game on Sundays! read more

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I'm from nyc and my wife and I are thinking about relocating to philly so we took a drive down here and drove around. We got hungry so I suggested cheesesteaks at Geno's/Pat's to complete our Philly experience. I had been to Geno's/Pat's many times but usually late at night. During the day on a holiday weekend the line at both places had to be an hour or more. We immediately said no way and started to proceed home. Then we saw this little shack on the side of the road and I had a good feeling about it. The steaks (chicken and philly) were great! I am no cheesesteak gourmand but these seemed really good. We had them in less than 10 minutes with a nice place to sit and eat . TLDR: skip the lines and get a great steak at Shanks! read more

It's located where? Blink and you pass this place. Situated in a nondescript parking lot off Del Avenue, this joint looks much like a shack or trailer from the outside. Giving them props for putting the effort into their menu. VERY good chicken cutlet & chicken cheesesteaks. They have decent seating outside if the weather cooperates. Quick service, good deal. A MUST to pickup for the Birds or Phils game. read more

I used to go here quiet frequently, so it would only be a given that I ordered off of ubereats with it being so close to my house. It was also a nice, quick, and cheap bite to pick up (on penns landing but a very odd location), so whenever i was craving, i tried to get. All was perfect. Alas, everything has its downfall. When i ordered off of uber, my fries were spilled and cooked to hell. The roast pork sandwich, which is usually my favorite, was extremely dry with soggy bread? Most of the time, i try to over look these one bad days, however, my drink was missing. I didnt want to be a bother, but i did pay for it. Therefore, i called and got connected with someone immediately. I asked for a refund for the drink, and got a "sure" and they immediately hung up on me. This was 3/15, it is now 3/23. Upsetting really. *i work in the food industry, so i know they could have went on the app and refunded it in a matter of seconds. Wouldve took a few business days but not over a week 6/15/2018; still no refund read more

Great location with picnic tables and plenty of parking. Sadly the Chicken Cutlet Italiano lacked any flavor. No seasoning on the chicken and the spinach was flat too. Only bright spot was the view and the sarcones seeded roll. No comparison to the sandwich at Tony Luke's. read more

I never seem to get to this place before they are closed for the day. Which is the worst but that is my own fault. I USED A GROUPON TO MAKE MY PURCHASE AND THEY KNEW HOW TO USE IT. So I didn't even pay out of pocket more than about $5. Anyway the food was fresh, but you didn't have to go through the madness of Philadelphia to get a meal. They were quick, and friendly. I have been back 3 times since the first visit and this seems to be the place for me. read more