Where to Find Cheesesteaks in Charlotte NC

 Where to Find Cheese-Steaks in Charlotte, NC

Part One

Cheddar Provolone Cheese Steak with seasoned fries

When I am on the go on a weekend evening, I want to eat something substantial that can be prepared quickly, yet still relatively whole and unprocessed. Types of fats and calories don’t really concern me at that point, because I am just looking to assist my stomach with soaking up various excess macro-brews and cider. Cheese-Steaks fit squarely into my overlapping agendas. I decided to check out a few places around town and give you my thoughts. Here is part one of a two-part list.

Luigi's Pizza

Shops at Whitehall Commons 

8170 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28273 
(704) 504-2015

I heard these guys didn’t fool around when I comes to subs and so forth and this intelligence was most definitely confirmed. I ordered my sandwich and sat through a considerable wait, due to several gigantic pizzas being made. But when it arrived, the wait was worthwhile. The sub was ridiculously hot, but that also means it's fresh and once it cooled down I sprinkled some Parmesan on it and tucked in like I was waiting on a bedtime story. It was authentic NY style, just like the pizza. I recommend stopping by.

Steak & Hoagie Shop

903 Eastway Dr. - 3401 South Blvd. - 1542 Stallings Rd.
steaknhoagie.com

This place has been an old standby location since Time immemorial. They have an entire Greek menu as well, formerly known back in the day as “Greekos”, which has now been absorbed into the unified Steak N' Hoagie name. I always customize my order, even though they have a lot of sandwich options, and I typically order the Chicken Philly but I stuck with the steak format and ordered a small “south street” and a small “New Jersey” so I could flip the ingredients around a little on either. Both were good and worth the moderate wait. 

Letty's on Shamrock

2121 Shamrock Drive Charlotte NC 28205
(704) 817-8702
lettysonshamrock.com
I heard about this place from some friends who live in the area and it looked so down-home comfort style that I decided to give it a try. I read that they had a cheesesteak on the menu and when I called to order it I spoke directly with the cook who described it very well. The wait was moderate, but the atmosphere is old-school and pleasant, so I enjoyed a bottled domestic beer, which was on special, while I waited. I have to say that it was one of the best cheesesteaks I ever had. The cheddar cheese on top of the provolone set it off straight like that. Even the fries were good (they were seasoned) and I don’t usually eat fries. If you are in the area I highly recommend them for takeout or stay for a quiet casual meal for two. 

Jack Beagles

3213 N. Davidson St. Charlotte, NC 28205
(704) 334-5140
jackbeagles.com
I was strolling around NoDa after some meetings and was looking to cop some lunch with a cold beverage. I walked into Jack Beagles and sat at the bar. It was very inviting and the staff was friendly. As I checked out the menu, I noticed that they gave many of the dishes colorful nicknames. That could really go either way, I thought to myself, just as I saw the cheesesteak they had called “the stugots”. Italian slang for a variation of “stu cazz” or “stu cazzo” i.e. “My d*ck” or “my balls”, or “my d*ck and my balls” used interchangeably to express defiance or disbelief. It featured grilled pepperoni in addition to the steak. How could I pass on that? I asked the chef to add green peppers as they were not listed in the description. The result…sha-boong. It kicked off like a loose forward. JB's has a good beer selection as well. Highly recommended.

American Deli

3126 Milton Rd, Charlotte, NC 28215

(980) 585-1237

This place is near my house and it's almost always busy. It's located in East Town Market, which makes it a destination location for me unless I need sneakers or baby clothes or overpriced domestic beer from Compare Foods. Traffic is always nuts and people drive and park like a blind monkey with no arms. But none of that matters when you cop hold of this mid 90's meat-fest they call a sandwich. I actually felt bad for my colon. But that's the way the news goes. The wings are pretty good too.

Portofino's

3124 Eastway Dr, Charlotte, NC 28205

(704) 568-7933

There are several Portofino's locations around town, but to get the best cheesesteak, visit a location in a more ethnically diverse area (Sorry, gentrified slapsters). To get the full effect you have to visit a location where the pizza literally sticks to the box. If they hand you a bag with grease spots on it, you know you have something there.

All of the places mentioned have chicken-philly sandwiches and they are just as good as the steaks.

Stay tuned for part two!

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