Calvin’s World Famous South Philly Cheesesteak

I only got to interact with the owner once before he passed and this closed shortly after. We were on the way to the Sharks game and needed to get a quick bite. Refusing to pay the outrageous food and drink prices at the tank, we hit them up. Full works cheese steaks and fries. Damn that hit the spot. As my friend says «that did not suck» To the owner, may you rest in peace.

Hubby and I came to Calvin’s because my brother went on and on about how wonderful it was… so we get there, and I’m a little weirded out… there are a bunch of people outside trying to get us to buy perfume and stuff? WTF? haha anywayyyyyy.
We get inside and it takes a minute to get someone’s attention. We order (I got a regular philly cheesesteak and hubby got one with mushrooms. We also split an order of chili cheese fries). I was weirded out because they didn’t give me a receipt, but thankfully I charged it (so I can always contest it if they tried to charge me like a million bucks or something). As they’re making the fries, we get a little worried because we hear one of them say to the other «Where’s the chili?» «Its in the microwave! Just nuke it for another 30 seconds».
Our food comes out and we decide to eat at home (too scared of the place, hahah). When I take my first bite of the sandwich, my first reaction is «Where the hell is the cheese?» There is like NO cheese in this damn sandwich. The fries are decent, but the chili had too many beans for my liking. Overall just very «meh».
Sorry, loved the history of the place and stuff, but we won’t be back.

I liked this place. The staff is super friendly, it’s really clean inside, and they provide cute little tables for kids. Definitely has a «families welcome» vibe.
B and I ordered the cheese steak with peppers and ketchup, salt, and pepper only. This place is the only one I’ve been to that offers mayo and mustard too. Our friend went with the peppers and mushrooms and held all the sauce.
I really liked what we ordered. The bread was fresh and fluff and they were generous with the meat. Half was totally enough for me. B and our other friend felt that the sandwiches might be missing a little something but were still overall pleased and said they would eat here again.
The one thing that really set this cheese steak apart for me is how UN greasy it was. I could almost trick myself into thinking I was eating healthy ;) OH, and the basket of fries that were sent over on the house… awesome surprise and they were tasty too!

Calvin’s is a family establishment, which is an important ingredient for a fabulous Philly cheesesteak. The bell papers, steak, onlons, and cheese must be handled with love.
Best place in San Jose to get your Philly fix.

I was pretty bummed to hear that the proprieter of this place passed away — he was a nice guy.
He always tried to encourage me to include grilled onions on my sandwich telling me it was much better that way. This always annoyed me a little because I had after all been eating cheese steaks for twenty-​five some odd years and was pretty sure I knew what I liked.
I haven’t made it to the location on W San Carlos, but The Alameda shop was a homey little place. Had a couple seats outdoors for nice days.
Honestly, in my opinion, the sandwiches were only so-​so — not a whole lot of meat and it was prepared differently than I generally like it. Still, a mediocre cheese steak is still pretty yummy.
I’d stop here if I’m in the direct neighborhood, but generally I’d prefer to head to Amato’s or the Cheese Steak Shop.

Will be missing your smiling face. Cheese steaks in SJ won’t be the same without you.
Hubby and I are bummed as he is a Philly native (turned NorCal).
Rest in peace Calvin. Vaya con dios

Calvin sure can make ONE MEAN ASS Cheesesteak Sandwich!
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO SAD to see Calvin’s is closed due to a fire the other day though. Hopefully he will have his doors open to us once again.
My roomies & I love to roll off the couch, hop in the car («wait… who’s drivin this time») and roll on over to the Alameda to see Calvin.
There is only enough meat on the sandwich if Calvin makes it himself. My favorite is the Chicken Cheesesteak. MMMMM!
I’ll be driving by again in a few weeks to see if anything is happening there as far as renovations. & I hope that fire isn’t the end of Calvins…

We’ve been going to Amato’s for years and decided to try Calvin’s. So I go up to the lady and try to order a cheesesteak whiz wit (just to see if she knows the ordering code in Philly) and she doesn’t know what I’m talking about. Then I just say Cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and onions and then she’s asking me if I want cheese like American or Cheddar. WTF, I already asked for Cheez Whiz! Then she asked if I wanted salt and pepper and I said suuuure. Why are they even asking me this, or any restaurant for that matter? If you don’t know how to season food, you shouldn’t be in business!
That wasn’t the worst part. Worst part was the cheesesteak. They build it like Geno’s (as opposed to Amato’s or Pat’s style that’s huge!), but there’s less meat and less seasoning (didn’t even taste the salt and pepper). The saving grace is the bread (the one thing I liked better than Amato’s.) It’s baked fresh, soft on the inside perfection. The Cheez Whiz was oozing out and I liked that too.
Fries were good. Three of us shared a small with leftovers.
After reading the other reviews, is the only time to come here when Calvin is working? If so, what’s his schedule? I’ll have to give it another shot.

I love me a cheesesteak. I really do. And I think if you are going to eat them they need to be good, meaty and super cheesy. Otherwise, they are not worth the caloric intake.
The sandwich was big but not filled with enough goodies. This left a lot of extra bread-​y bites and for me that is not a good thing. Price was not worth it for this sandwich. I paid about $ 12 for a mediocre meal with a canned soda.

Yea this place was cool. The meat is a little different. Almost like roast beef. The sandwiches are big, but they weren’t cheesy enough for me. We also got the chilli cheese fries which didn’t come with cheese initially. When they gave it to me, the cheese was only on one side. wth?
Service was cool, but a little confusing. The inside of the shop looks like a museum with old pictures and stuff everywhere. I felt like i stepped into someones garage when we walked in.
Maybe I’m biased because I’m used to the more common forms of cheesesteaks out here. Amatos, the Cheesesteak shop, Steve’s are what I’m used to. If you wanted something a little different, you can try this place, but I don’t think I’d be coming back.
To be honest tho, I don’t even remember Philly cheesesteaks tasting like this when I went to Central Philly. I just remember Philly cheesesteaks weren’t as big as Amatos and came with marinara if you wanted some. I do remember them being really good tho.

I’m a huge fan of cheese steaks and this place… wow.
What can I say and where on earth can I begin? I wish they were a bit more generous with the meat, but the seasoning and the bread… out of this world.
I ordered a mushroom cheesesteak and added onions. Hubby ordered the same and we split a large fries. The large fries was so huge we honestly could’ve shared it with other people. Maybe we’ll have to order a small or medium next time.
Food was burn your mouth, piping hot goodness.
Definitely the best I’ve found so far.
Two thumbs up!
Small note: Parking can be a pain and seating is extremely limited. It can be a bit of a bother with those 2 factors but once you get a bite of that cheese steak and their fries, it’s well worth the hassle.

I saw Connie C.‘s review of this place last month and it made me crave cheesesteaks. Now I finally came to try this place out.
There was street parking and I actually found a bunch but that’s because I had a late lunch with my brother. I’m pretty sure parking will be hard to find around noon or so.
This place was small and about 8 seats inside but a bunch of seats outside. There were only three people working — one of which was «Calvin» the owner of the store.
I ordered the Pizza Cheesesteak and a can of soda for $ 11.74 total. My brother ordered the Mushroom Cheesesteak, small fries, and a can of soda. We waited a few minutes before they brought out our orders. I tried half of my brother’s Mushroom Cheesesteak and he tried half of my Pizza Cheesesteak. The Mushroom Cheesesteak was good, but I felt the Pizza Cheesesteak tasted better. I was full after I finished so it was a good thing I didn’t order fries.
When we were eating, «Calvin» asked us how our food was and asked that to the people that ordered before us, too. My mouth was full so I couldn’t respond with words but with a thumbs up.
This was a good place to get some cheesesteak if you don’t mind sitting outside (inside seating might be full) or searching for parking.
A couple of pictures I took were blurry because the heat from the food fogged up my camera’s lens but whatever. lol

This little restaurant shouts out Philadelphia as soon as you walk in. The décor is a celebration of all things Philadelphia with a majority of it dedicated to the sports teams in Phillie. The baseball Phillies, the football Eagles, the basketball 76ers and the hockey Flyers are all well represented inside the old school interior.
Inside it’s a pretty tight space with two tables for two and counter seating for a handful. There is more seating outdoors. Walk in and order at the counter. There is a well worn copy of the menu sitting on the counter. Order what you want on your sandwich not what you don’t want. The menu claims they hate it when you order a sandwich with «everything» so know your preferred ingredients when you order here. Had I known my cheesesteak sandwich was going to be as bad as it was I might have asked for «everything»!
They use white American processed cheese here. No Cheez Wiz. No Provolone. Sandwiches are served on a toasted 8 inch (barely) hoagie roll. I ordered a cheesesteak with grilled onions and asked for cherry peppers. Peppers are 50 cents extra. The soda fountain was out of order so I opted for a canned beverage. They have a large selection of canned beverages including some exclusive ones from the Philadelphia area. They have several varieties of TastyKakes sitting in old boxes on the counter. Just looking at the boxes will make you lose your appetite because you’ll be hoping the TastyKakes inside aren’t as old as the boxes they are stored in.
My sandwich (
) wasn’t very satisfying. The portion of beef was not very generous; although, there were lots of soft, grilled onions in my sandwich. Had I ordered an onion and cheese Phillie I would have been quite happy. They forgot my peppers too. The beef was sliced big and not seasoned. If ever I’ve tasted a sandwich with beef that seemed boiled this was it. Had I known the sandwich would have been as bland as it was I would have at least asked for salt and pepper. This was far and away one of the worst cheesesteak sandwiches I’ve ever had. It’s way overpriced too at $ 8.75 each.
Friendly service and a cool atmosphere. I just wished the sandwich was better. A lot better! They have a frequent buyer card where if you purchase 10 sandwiches your 11^th one is free. The nice lady gave me two stamps for my one visit. Anybody want my frequent buyer card before I toss it?
Flyers fans, the shop is about a 15 minute walk from the Shark Tank. Hope you enjoy your crappy sandwich here before watching our Sharks kick the crap out of your Flyers!

pretty good cheesesteak sandwich, wouldnt say the best. But I guess the owner is really from Philly since everything in his place has something to do with Philadelphia. The chili cheese fries were good at first bite, but the chili was a bit too dry. Gotta have a bit more sauce with the chili and more cheese please! overall its not bad, but damn it sure is pricey haha!

Ok… I liked the cheesesteak my boyfriend got BUT I’m not a huge cheesesteak fan so I decided to just go with a side of chili cheese fries.
How in the world can you go wrong with chili cheese fries?!
The fries were extremely cold and soggy. The chili consisted of all beans, little meat but no chili sauce. So it was really dry. Just a bunch of flavorless beans with sparse pieces of meat scattered on top of soggy fries. There was about half a handfull of cheese on top of the dry beans but other than that it was a complete failure.
The only reason why we came to Calvin’s in the first place was because we Unilocaled «chili cheese fries». I was craving some and since my boyfriend loves cheesesteaks we decided that Calvin’s was a perfect match to cater to both of us.
I would go back for a cheesesteak one day, but I’ll never. EVER order the chili cheese fries again.
p. s. when i ordered the chili cheese fries the man behind the counter (I’m assuming the owner) looked at me and said «really? thats it?»… Now I think I know why he said that.):

Calvin’s Philly Cheesesteaks are as mean as he is! And I say that in a good way.
I’m usually not a fan of onions on my sandwiches, but thank goodness Calvin hyped them up and made me give in to peer pressure. It totally makes the sandwich that much better! And while he is all about the original cheesesteak, I loved mine with mushrooms and dill relish. Mushrooms make everything tastier!
The roll was perfectly soft and crunchy, and the steak was delish. I do wish that there was some more meat though — then I’d bump this up to a 5 star review!

Calvin– I owe that very deserving extra star!
Why you may ask?!?
Because I definitely went back to Calvins the very next day to try the Italian hoagie I heard so much about on my first trip!
HUGE serving of Italian meats, provolone, basalmic, oil, mayo, onions, and the works on a soft but yet crunchy italian roll. First place I can actually say I have had a great Italian hoagie (and yes it is a hoagie not a sub) here in the Bay.
Calvin you did it again and now that there is Temple Foam Finger in the shop– it is a must for everyone to try :)

Came here again and remember why I loved it the first time. Let me say this again this place is one THOUSAND times better then Amatos. Forreal.
The owner is so nice and always make us feel welcome. Hes a real cool guy. We ordered 2 cheese steaks w/​onions, salt n pepper n whiz. Again. he gave us some crap about wantin the whiz instead of the american cheese but its all good. The BF got some vanilla cream soda and the owner said it was from Philly. It was really good. I just got a water. Total for that was $ 24 and change. A little pricey but the sandwiches are BIG. I can never finish one. And he threw in free french fries which was extremely generous of him.
He brought the food out to us and we went outside to eat. It was delicious of course and the fries were AWESOME. I’m obsessed with french fries they are like my weakness and these were so good. nice and crispy and whatever seasoning he used was great.
He came out halfway thru our meal to ask how it was which was really nice of him. And when I wrapped up my sandwich he came outside with a bag and some napkins & packed up my sandwich for me.
Awesome Service. Awesome Cheesesteaks. Awesome Fries. We will definitely be coming back.

I’ve been a bad friend lately, so I treated one of my best friends out to lunch a couple of weeks ago. After considering different options we decided to try a new place, and Calvin’s World Famous South Philly Cheese steak (
) became our destination. I quickly looked it up on Unilocal and it had pretty good reviews, so I was excited to try out this new spot.
Between the two of us, we ordered:
–Mushroom Pepper Cheese steak Sandmiche (
)
–Mushroom Cheese steak Sandmiche (
)
–Beer Battered Onion Rings (
)
— Fresh Cut Fries (
)
–2 Sodas (
)
5 Stars: Gimmie more baby!
Mushroom Cheese steak Sandmiche — Steak sandmiche on an 8 inch roll. Wow, such a wonderful work of art! The roll was very fresh and soft. The meat was thinly sliced, seasoned, and offered superb flavor. Say cheese, because omg it was fantastic and flawlessly melted to perfection.
Beer Battered Onion Rings — Can you say delish and extremely flavorful? They were crispy out on the outside, yet soft on the inside. Even as I began to get full, I still managed to eat a few more pieces of these delicious onion rings.
3 Stars: A-​Ok
Fresh Cut Fries — My friend really enjoyed them, but I thought they were just okay.
Price (–1 Star): For everything I listed above, the total amount was a little over $ 30. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the food was excellent, just a bit over priced for what you get.
Summary (4 Stars) Juicy and extremely delicious Philly Cheese steaks! A bit on the pricey side, but we still left as happy campers.

Mushroom cheesesteak = fantastic. The place is a small hole in the wall. It’s got little to no seating available. It’s a mom and pop shop. People who complain about the service, inept cashiers, or the place running out of cheesesteaks should take a look around and judge it for what it is. True authentic philly, right in san jose.
Of course they ran out of cheesesteaks — didn’t you know that they slice their own beef right there in the kitchen instead of using ‘steak-​ease’™ from smart and final?
Of course you’re going to have to wait to get your food — did you think this was steak escape at the mall or some other sort of fast food joint?
Of course you need to specify if you want salt and pepper on it – didn’t you know that a philly cheesesteak is just the roll + meat + cheese?
⁵⁄₅ because the cheesesteak was so great.