Hoagie Quest Heads to South Philly for the Pastificio Classic Italian

Hailing from South Philly, the epicenter of great hoagies, and preceded by rave reviews from friends, Pastificio was one of our most anticipated Hoagie Quests.

After a long run to prep for the Broad Street Run I was ready to fill the calorie void and devour a great hoagie (plus half of whatever Kristy ordered).

The expectations swelled once we entered and saw a long line of locals, fresh bread and cheeses, and a selection of meats that would make any Italian pleased. I was sure this hoagie would be as memorable as Matt Stairs' moonshot home run against the Dodgers.

Instead this quest was more like Matt Stairs in the broadcast booth - solid with room for improvement - and certainly no match for Hoagie Quest leader Salumeria.

Pastificio hits many of the basics, such as slicing the mortadella, salami, prosciutto, capicola and provolone for each order. The Abruzzi bread is also high quality, a must for any good Philly sandwich.

This should have been the making of a great hoagie, but it fell victim to two unacceptable flaws...

First, the provolone lacked any of that sharp salty, bite that makes a good provolone so memorable, and instead resembled any old bland version from Acme. Second, the meat ratio was amiss. It’s hard to tell if they used all the required meats. I’m actually questioning if they gave me the wrong order by mistake...

I should have lowered my expectations when I was asked if I wanted mayo. You broke my heart, Pastificio!

Pastificio's Italian hoagie will beat many neighborhood shops, but it’s not even close to Salumeria or the Daddy Wad at Paesano's. The comparison below is Tyson versus Glass Joe really.

Salumeria Italian Hoagie

Pastificio's Italian Hoagie

Kristy ordered the chicken cutlet club, with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and bacon, which was quite good and lived up to Pastificio being a superb place for cutlets. For now, I'd stick with cutlets and skip the hoagie. All that said, Pastificio's marketing is actually all about their meatballs and pasta - if you've tried them, are they worth a trip back?