After reading about the lasagna bolognese sandwich in the Endless Simmer's Best New Sandwich Guide, we knew Paesano's had to be the first stop in our Philly Sandwich Quest.
It's a shame it took us so long to visit Paesano's. It’s also a shame that Philly’s cheesesteak reputation hides places such as Paesano’s from sandwich and food lovers. People are missing out on a gem in both food and atmosphere. I’m not sure what I enjoyed more - the old school charm with a fellow paesan running the place or the sandwiches. Paesano’s reminds of the hoagie joints of a time gone by - simple, unpretentious and delicious.
Paesano's is located on Girard Ave near Northern Liberties. It is a small, crammed place with a blend of mostly locals and others on the hunt for a great sandwich like us. There is also a location near the Italian Market across from Fante's. Paesano's is actually the brainchild of Peter McAndrews of Modo Mio.
You can see the full menu here. We went with the Bolognese and the Paesano. The Diavlo and the Arista are other popular sandwiches based on what we heard others ordering.
The bolognese (below) consists of fried lasagna, meat sauce, sweet peppers, mozzarella, provolone and a fried egg. You will not have a sandwich like this anywhere and it is stunningly good. All the ingredients work perfectly together. For Italians like me, this is a home run and I wonder why I haven’t seen anywhere else.
The Paesano (below) is the perfect blend of beef brisket, horseradish mayo, pepperoncino, roasted tomatoes, provolone and a fried egg. The brisket was perfect and I loved the kick of the pepperoncino. The egg and the roasted tomatoes are perfect additions to this sandwich.
It is difficult to choose a winner, but after switching between bites of each sandwich, the Paesano got the last bite for Bradd. Kristy preferred the Bolognese. Surely, you can’t go wrong with either. I’d order both and see what you can finish.
Thank you Paesano’s. Keep doing what you are doing. You’ve done Philly proud and proven we are more than just cheesesteaks. As evidence, check out the long distance love found on Paesano's wall below (and some more pics of our visit). Follow Paesano's on Facebook.
The cooks hard at work. Love the front of the shirts, which say "Jaeatyet?" |
Plenty of folks waiting in line to pick up their lunch. At 3:00 pm. |
Gotta focus on every bite, otherwise chaos will ensue. |
The menu is below... don't have a half-second heart attack when you walk in and think that they no longer offer the Bolognese because its not on the big chalkboard. It's on a smaller chalkboard below the main menu. Under that below is a close up on the side dishes. Curious what this crepe is like.
Be ready to get messy! Bradd's mess (little ball of paper) vs. Kristy's mess (wads of napkins, puddles of egg yolk and layers of foil).
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