Sarcone’s Deli

Great sandwiches. Poor service. Never have orders ready when they say they will. Often times run low on ingredients and can’t do certain menu items. But the sandwiches are really good.

I wish I could give Sarcone’s 6 stars. I live in the neighborhood and do not get hoagies from anywhere else. The meat is great quality, the portions are large, there is a ton of variety, and they have fantastic sides. Pro tip: order the long hot spread if you like spicy hoagies.
Also, these are hands down the best rolls in the city. Anyone who complains about the roll being stale is uninformed because IT IS A HARD ROLL. Go to a Greek place if your mouth is too sensitive for a real hoagie.

4.5 Stars
Sarcone’s, I hate to say it, but you might be slippin… at least on this visit!
The previous 3 – 4 times I have been here, the hoagies have been amazing. They were definitely some of the best hoagies I have ever had, anywhere in the USA! We were driving back to Philadelphia to catch our flight back home and I wanted my last meal in PA to be a good one. What better way to end an East Coast trip than to eat a great hoagie, right? About 11:30 am, I called in and placed an order for pickup at 1pm. We went with a large Old Fashioned Italian and a medium Junkyard Special. The lady took down my name and phone number and said she would see us at 1pm.
We hit a little bit of traffic on the way down and arrived on S 9^th St around 1:10pm. I pulled up, my brother jumped out of the car to run in, pay and grab the hoagies and then we were going to take them with us to the airport. I pulled around the corner and was sitting on the corner with the engine running. I figured he would be out in 2 to 3 minutes tops. 3 minutes later, still sitting there. 5 minutes later, still there. I put on my flashers, get out of the car and go up to the deli to open the door and tell him that I am on the corner. Finally, about 15 minutes after we had arrived, he comes running out with the bag of sandwiches. The whole reason I ordered them in advance was because we were in a little time crunch. My brother told me that they didn’t even make the hoagies until he paid for them. WTF is the point of ordering ahead of time if you aren’t even going to make them until you get there? The whole reason I ordered them in advance was so that they would be ready when we got there and all we had to do was pay for them and leave. Anyways… we had our sandwiches and headed to the airport. We got situated, took the bag of hoagies out and were about to grub. I had been looking forward to these since the last time I was in Philadelphia (3 ½ years ago). Here is how they were…
Junkyard Special– This hoagie has been featured on «The Best Thing I Ever Ate» and it sounded delicious. I had always wanted to try it, but could never stray from The Old Fashioned Italian. Since we had more eaters today (me, my mom and brother), we could get multiple sandwiches. Anyways… this hoagie has turkey, prosciutto, sauteed spinach, roasted red peppers, sharp provolone, fresh mozzarella, red wine vinegar, oil and dry herbs. I took a bite and right away I could tell 2 things. A. The bread was a little bit off today. It was still a good loaf to throw a sandwich on, but the outer crust of the bread was soft and not crunchy/​crispy like all Sarcone’s bread I have had in the past. That’s usually what makes a Sarcone’s hoagie so good… the bread! Today that bread was just ok. B. The flavor combination was awesome! Sarcone’s uses chunks of cheese in their sandwiches. I got some pieces of mozzarella and sharp provolone in my first bite and it was delicious! The turkey, prosciutto combo was nice and their veggies are always fresh. The roasted red peppers are bomb! I scarfed down half of this sandwich and gave the other half to my brother. I would definitely get it again!
Old Fashioned Italian– This is my «go to» hoagie. I have ordered it every single time I had been here in the past, and lord knows, I was definitely going to order it again today! We got a large one (basically 2 mediums) and I dug in. This hoagie has prosciutto, hot sopressata, hot coppa, sharp provolone, herbs, oil, vinegar, lettuce, tomatoes and onion. Took a bite and noticed the same thing with the bread. Good, but too soft and not as crisp/​crunchy as all previous visits. Almost seemed like the bread was not made fresh that morning. It wasn’t bad in any way, just not nearly as delicious as it should be! The flavors of all the ingredients were awesome as usual and its still better than 90% of the sandwiches out there, I just wish it was as good as past visits.
Overall, it was still a solid last meal in Philadelphia! Hopefully today was just a «one off» with regards to the bread. That, and the fact that my sandwiches weren’t ready (even made yet!) when we got there to pick them up, drops this down from a perfect place, to an almost perfect place ;-). I will definitely be back the next time I’m in Philadelphia and hopefully the bread will be up to snuff on that day and bring this back to a 5 star joint like it deserves! We shall see!

Best Italian hoagie in the coming from a hoagie snob! Quality meat, cheese and fresh baked rolls with a little crust. The old fashioned was great!

Had Sarcone’s delivered and ordered their Italian Hoagie after googling them and finding out that it was one of their signature and most famous sandwiches. The Italian Hoagie included thinly sliced prosciutto, hot capicola, hard salami, provolone cheese, oil, vinegar, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. It was a good sandwich but definitely nothing out of this world.

It’s all about the bread. I always get the Italian. My recommendation is stay away from anything with sharp provolone. The taste and scent of the cheese takes over the whole sandwich. In my opinion, a perfect sandwich is all about balancing the meats, vegetables, and bread. Why else would you put all this together? The Italian does just that. The old fashioned Italian and anything else with sharp provolone destroys the balance.
So here is what you do: call in advance and order. If they tell you 15 minutes, get there in 20. Pay in advance so once you get your sandwich you can dive right in.

As you walk into Sarconne’s deli there is a sign that reads, «its all about the bread»! Yes, and I would agree 110%. And the bread used in our hoagies was stale, hard and dry. So, as it all about the bread, the hoagie was all about ‘not good’. I would say the meats and cheese used were tasty and of good quality, but if you almost break a tooth biting into the roll, it kind of diminishes the overall experience.
Add to that they are not overly friendly, and I will say, there are plenty of other, better, nicer places in which to partake this Philly tradition. Press on…

If you’re looking for a good, old-​school Italian deli, this place has you covered. First of all, the bread. The breaddddd. So good. When they say the cheese is sharp, they aren’t playing, so if that’s not your thing… The meats were fresh and they don’t skimp on it. I had turkey and it was great. My friend had something with prosciutto and said it was a little bland, but not bad overall. Good experience in general, but the wait WAS a little long.

I’ve been coming here for years. Great hoagies with fresh Italian seeded bread. I always want to order something other than the classic Italian but can’t imagine ever leaving the store without one. Rocky used to run down this street to cut weight and the smell of the bread that he couldn’t eat is largely responsible for his ferocity.

Sarcone’s Deli is definitely an Italian Market favorite. Its the go-​to sandwich spot for everyone in the area. Just like everyone else’s reviews you go here for their bread. Baked fresh everyday just a few doors down.
they have small/​medium/​large as size choices… the large is 2 feet! it’s a little on the pricier side ($ 9 for a medium) but its worth it because its an authentic Italian sandwich.
If all their sandwich varieties are just like the old school Italian i had then IM IN! Cant go wrong with a neighborhood favorite!

If you are going to have a hogue for brunch… this is the place! Bread is the best we have had in Phily! Roasted peppers and the spinach were an awesome addition to the sandwich! Hungry? Go… eat. enjoy!

Bread is the best part to Sarcone’s hoagie. Tried the American Italian and the Booch the other day. Excellent flavor and value!

Five star hoagies. One of the best, if not the best I’ve ever had. I’ll be back for more soon to try another of the specialty sambones.

I’ve heard a lot about this place and finally gave it a chance today. I had «The Chooch,» which has roast pork, sharp provolone, and roasted peppers, and it was delicious. I’m looking forward to going back to try other sandwiches. Note: hoagies come in small, medium, and large. I found the small to be perfect/​more than enough for one person; a medium is good for sharing with someone.

LOVE this place. Such great sandwiches with fantastic bread that they get from their bakery down the street. They pack in the meat/​veggies/​cheese and have a good balance of all three. The junk yard special and original italian are my favorites. My girlfriend always gets the roasted veggie, which I’ve had a few bites of and is also very good. They do take a little bit to make your sandwich, so I would just call ahead or order through their website. Or just order and go walk around the Italian Market.

$ 10.50 for a hoagie? Really? Nothing special here peeps, move on. Very bland hoagie and as good as the rolls are, there are soooo many other places in the city and its surrounding areas to get a good/​great hoagie. Very disappointed.
Service was fine, shop was empty so I didn’t have to wait long like some others have stated in their reviews.
Pricey
Couldn’t believe the blandness of the hoagie, nothing really popped out at me.
I got the medium, was substantially smaller than the medium Primo Hoagie and the ones from Pastificio.
Tried, not going back.
That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

I have been living away from Philadelphia for 2+ years now, and crave good sandwiches more than ever. Whenever I am home, I need to have a cheesesteak or hoagie. During this visit, I was really craving a good hoagie and wanted to get one from the Italian Market.
Fast forward, approaching Sarcone’s on Black Friday. Parking is on the street, whatever you can find. We were lucky to snag a spot very close. We entered Sarcone’s (party of 4), each ordering something different. I got a small Italian hoagie. Our order took around 15 minutes (with one other party in front of us). It appeared there were 2 people making hoagies.
Since Sarcones has very limited seating (around 6 seats between indoor and outdoor seating), we ate in the car. I unwrapped my masterpiece and dug in. Sarcone’s tagline is «It’s All About the Bread», which is very true. I crave Philly sandwiches because we have the best bread in the world, and Sarcone’s is very representative of this fact. The bread was amazing. When will the rest of the world learn to craft this deliciously firm and chewy bread? The ingredients in the sandwich were delicious. I noticed that the tomatoes were extremely fresh, even though it is not the best time of year for fresh tomatoes.
This was the best hoagie I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to be back whenever I have the chance!

We had walked by there multiple times while we were in Philly a couple of weeks ago. Finally we made it a point to stop and get some Hoagies for our plane ride back. Their tag line is «its all about the bread» and DANG it is all about that bread.
We bought the sandwiches (turkey & the old Italian) earlier in the day then we had them during our long flight back. I was concerned that they would be a little soggy but they were perfect. We split them in half so that we could taste each others sandwiches.
They are a MUST for a good hoagie sandwich. Definitely a repeat– so the staff didn’t even attempt to say the name on the bag– and really did say, «I’m not even going to try.» Classic Philly.

It’s all about the sandwich they say? I’ll say no… I went to this spot because of great Unilocal reviews. There were 3 of us ordering. I ordered a very simple sandwich «The bruno» I waited. while waiting I told myself I’m glad I came early because the line became so long. 15 minutes has passed still no sandwich. 2 guys after me got their sandwich first… Unbelievable. 25 minutes has passed still nothing. 2 more guys got their orders again. So I came up and said whats up? And of course the lady just started to make my sandwich. I was hoping the sandwich could make up for these headaches? IT DIDNT! THE BREAD WAS HARD! VERY HARD to chew on!!! I had the bread from their bakery and it’s not like this. It also has some smell to it that it smells like old bread… I didn’t bother to eat it anymore I just threw a $ 10 sandwich… Beware… Lousy service and hard to chew on bread.
Sorry for all the fanboys/​fangirls out there… My experience here sucked.

It is not what is in the sandwich, all about the bread.
Right now they are very crowed and hope we get the order soon.