Jake’s Sandwich Board

Oh sweet glorious Jake’s Sandwich Board!!! These by far are the best sandwiches in center city and are a must go to for an awesome inexpensive lunch.
I have never had a bad sandwich from here and consistently eat the monthly special. This month’s was a Johnny-​Frank special with turkey brisket Russian dressing and coleslaw and pickles and as always it delivered. I got a side of farm fries which have sharp provolone meat and gravy on top with beef so that I could inhale all three meets in one sitting.
My wife got her usual Mensch sandwich a brisket with horseradish spread, onions that are perfectly Carmelized and a mild provolone. To round out her order she got the mixed basket which allows you to have the best of both worlds, French fries and crunchy onions.
At the end of this meal I definitely feel like I don’t need dinner and that is truly was a decadent treat well worth having and even more reasonably priced than most other places. Well worth a visit and can compete for a spot on the Mt. Rushmore of Philly sandwiches.

Jake’s does there braised beef really well. It’s cooked to just the right consistency. Unfortunately it’s not seasoned intensely enough and the bread to meat ratio is way to high. Their buns are far too much for the amount of beef you get. This screwed up our food tour and left us with unsatisfactorily wheaty bellies.

I’m not a fan, the horseradish was overpowering on the Mensch and needed more caramelized onions to balance out the saltiness of the brisket. I trumped it up to the sandwich just not being good but my poutine like Farm Fries weren’t any better. I threw out the rest of my meal when I got back to my rental.
The restaurant itself was a great design and setup but I didn’t like the food and don’t want to try anthing else.

I’ve been here twice and have had nothing but outstanding experiences both times. Food was amazing and the staff was great. At my most recent visit, I had the Turducken sandwich (sandwich of the month) which consisted of: turkey, creole roasted duck, chicken, sweet Italian sausage, cranberry-​apple sauce, and potato pancakes. The Italian sausage and mini potato pancakes were nice, flavorful touches.
My girlfriend had The Barnyard sandwich (pork, arugula, sharp provolone, crushed chili, roasted garlic spread, and cracklings), which she said was «one of the best sandwiches she ever had.» Of course I had a few bites of her sandwich, and I couldn’t have agreed more with her.
They have a good food challenge that I want to go back to try and complete:
— 3 pound sandwich
— 1 box of Tastycakes
— 24 Peanut Chews
— 4 soft pretzels
— 1 cherry soda

Be prepared to feel bloated. Their pork is super succulent and well seasoned. Good portioning with the sandwiches. If you’re not feeling a sandwich, try the ‘build your own haystack’ which is fries + meat + three toppings + sauce. Again, you’re gonna feel like crap when you leave, but so very satisfied.

Went here based on the reviews and was not too impressed.
We ordered the barnyard sandwich and fries for $ 10. Sandwich was pretty small for the $$, it was a good thing this was a snack. The seeded roll was tasty But was pretty greasy and pork was not too flavorful. The fresh cut fries were great.
Probably will not be back.

Last stop in Philly before rushing on a bus back to NYC. Despite the plethora of good reviews, this spot was deserted on a Saturday night. Good for me since I needed to get in and out as soon as possible.
Ordered the Brisket Cheesesteak ($ 10) to go. Large, meaty hoagie topped with caramelized onions and provolone cheese. Sesame bread toasted well and all the ingredients blended together to make a pretty meal. I wouldn’t say it was one of the best cheesesteaks I’ve had, but it really hit the spot. Also got the orange soda ($ 3.50) to wash it all down.
I would say it’s a good sandwich, nothing more or less. The service here though is extremely quick and friendly, thus the 4 stars.

Ordered delivery. Was right on time. We ordered midtown turkey, 50/​50, and farm fries. I’d say the fries were the best!

Hit this place up during lunchtime on a Monday for their five dollar build your own pork sandwich deal. Got the pork sandwich w/​garlic sauce, chili paste, caramelized onion, sharp provolone w/​fire sauce on a seeded bun.
Sandwich looks great out of the bag. The pork itself was relatively tender and flavorful, definitely not as dry as Dinic’s to me. Otherwise, the sandwich was a little too creamy but that may have to do with the combination of toppings I ordered. Bun was chewy and delectable.
Overall 75 percent as good as Paesano’s at 50 percent the price. I’ll take it. And I’m curious to try their gamut of other sauces and toppings. Will definitely be back again on subsequent Mondays, and possibly other days to try their non-​pork specialty sandwiches as well.

Jake’s was a decent eatery. It’s offerings were a unique take on sandwiches in a city known for the Philly Cheesesteak this place does its heritage just fine.

Disappointed.
I was walking all over philly looking for somewhere to eat and this place caught my eye.
With the positive reviews on Unilocal I figured I found a profound philly spot… NOPE.
So, I went with the midtown… turkey, avocado, roasted veggies and picked onions on a whole wheat sub. Everything was fine except the bread. The bread was old. There was nothing fresh about it. I still devoured my sandwich because I was starving but if your a sandwich place, I need you to have fresh bread. It goes hand in hand, Sandwich=Bread.
I doubt I would come back, maybe on a random whim but doubtful. I’d rather deal with the crowds at reading terminal.

I saw some rave reviews on Unilocal and had high expectations. After a good streak of strong Unilocal referrals, this time I was let down.
I was excited to try the «Charlie Brown» — a peanut butter, bacon, and brisket sandwich. First, it is incredibly skimpy and sparse on meat for a $ 10 sandwich. Then, it was dry and almost flavorless. I still felt very hungry after finishing it.
My friend got the BBQ Sandwich and also said his was dry and dull.
I am probably the least picky and one of the most generous reviewers on Unilocal.But I just cant think of anything good to say about this place. They do have some good concepts and food creations there, I guess. Maybe I just went on a bad day? For that I will bump from a 2 to 3 stars.

«We proudly prepare and serve ridiculously creative sandwiches, made with house-​roasted meats and veggies all hand carved to order.» So says the sign at Jakes. For most places, a declaration like that might just be paint on the wall, but I get the feeling that it is more like a religion for those that work at Jakes.
Located a little off the well worn tourist track in Center City, a Jakes is still a convenient short walk from the Avenue of the Arts or the Convention Center — and a walk well worth it.
You step in off the street and your nose is immediately greeted with a nice bouquet of roasted meat combined with a BBQ sauce finish. The dining room is comfortably modern with USB charging outlets at each table just under the big roll of paper towels. The table also features a bottle of sriracha and a bottle of heat called Jakes hot sauce that is not for the timid.
We ordered three sandwiches to share among 5 of us and we were satisfied. We got the Skinny Turkey — I thought the veggies were a little over roasted, by the dw thought they were awesome. We also got a BBQ — plenty of brisket although they included a huge hunk of fat that I thought would not have made it through the trim. We ended up requesting an extra side of bbq sauce but I am sometimes known as an over-​condimenter. Our third sandwich was the 50/​50, which was the star of the group and a 2012 Best of Philly winner. The sharp provolone set off the sandwich and the blend of chopped pork and bacon was poetry. I am not usually a fan of seeded buns, but the extra toughness of the roll was a complement here.
We also grabbed a farm fries with beef gravy which was a little extra dose of decadence that can easily take the place e of dessert.
I really wanted to try the turbacon too, but not ordering it makes me want to get to Jakes for my next visit sooner rather than later.

Whoops, looks like I had this one in my drafts for about 6 months… let me continue.
As a native of Philly, the place was a nice find and certainly one that I would recommend to anyone in the area. Typically when I’m downtown, I do everything I do to make it to the Reading Terminal Market, but they are not open later in the evening. SO I had to branch out, and I am glad I did!
The cheesesteak was delicious, and the bread (most important part) was phenomenal. Its more on the ‘gourmet’ side, not the true-​grit of Pats in south philly, but still very good.
Food: 5
Drinks: n/​a (dont think they even have alcohol… so maybe 1)
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 4 (its a walk up counter situation)
Price: 3
I’d recommend it if you’re in the area. But if its lunch, go fight the crowds at Reading Terminal, its worth it.