ABOVE: The roast pork hoagie at Paesano’s.
PAESANO’S: 152 WEST GIRARD STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA
8/23/2010
Settling on a place for lunch in Philadelphia was an agonizing experience.
I’ve been meaning to visit a friend who recently moved back to her home city and since I was down that way shooting a wedding Saturday, this was my chance to catch up.
My guide, reporter Devon Lash, is an unapologetic booster of her hometown, so after being bombarded with links to Philly food blogs and magazines for restaurant ideas, she made a command decision.
We were going to Paesano’s.
In a city where the hoagie is a symbol of civic pride, being named the best in town at just over a year old is quite an accomplishment and deserving of a visit.
Sure, I’ve been to Philly before so I’m familiar with the cheesesteak. I’ve had Pat’s and Geno’s. I’ve had a few steaks on South. On this trip, I was even introduced to Dalessandro’s, a cult-favorite in North Philly. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert in this arena, but let’s just say I’m familiar with the ways of Cheez Whiz.
But the hoagie is a different beast altogether and Paesano’s outclasses the competition.
Roast pork is the dark horse favorite in Philly and at Paesano’s it comes from a roasted whole suckling pig, is topped with broccoli rabe and seasoned with a touch of red chili flakes. It’s giant, it’s $8 and it’s awesome.
I’m not going to tell you this is the best hoagie in Philly because I’m obviously not qualified to make that call, but it’s damn good.
Oh yeah, and the roasted potatoes ($2), dripping with fat and garlic are worth the drive to Pennsylvania alone.
–CP
Looks delicious, in the past I had a 5$ lunch rule. After being in Europe for last ~3.5 months, that looks like an amazing deal.
Comment by SHABL Rob — August 30th, 2010 @ 4:52 am
Yes its very true that Settling on a place for lunch in Philadelphia was an agonizing experience.
I also have an amazing experience with Philadelphia lunch..Sam`s Philly Steak
Comment by teju patel — January 19th, 2012 @ 8:01 am