The Cheese Steak Shop

Vacaville, CA

When there's a five hour power outage in your city, you can't go grocery shopping, you can't cook and even the In and Out is closed, what do you do? Well that's the question that Chu-Toro and I faced this Sunday and we opted to head West towards Vacaville for some window shopping. As we drove over, our stomachs rumbled, realizing we had skipped lunch. Vacaville is chain central, but at least there are decent chains. On our way to Amici's for some garlic knots and solid chain pizza, we encountered The Cheese Steak Shop. I had been craving a cheesesteak for some time so we decided to give it a try instead. The interior had about 8 small tables and framed photos on the wall paying homage to Philly. A Dr. J jersey, a picture of Geno's and Pat's, and of the original Cheese Steak Shop in Pinole lined the small interior. Behind the counter was a metal shelf with large jars of hot and sweet peppers aligning each level. You can order a 7, 10, or 15 inch cheesesteak and get the classic (steak, cheese, grilled onions, hot and/or sweet peppers) or a variation with additional toppings (like the Hoagie, Mushroom, Pizza, Pepperoni).

Half of the 15" Hoagie and steak fries

We decided to share the 15' hoagie, comes with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise with a small side of steak fries and a drink. The sandwich was made fresh, was quite large and pretty darn tasty. The hot and sweet peppers in particular made the cheesesteak satisfying. The meat and melted cheese combined well in soft roll and filled us up pretty good. My only minor complaint was that the contents weren't really pushed down into the roll, making each bite imbalance, too much meat in one bite, and too much lettuce and bread in the next. For $14 bucks, it was a solid meal and we ended up skipping dinner that night because we were still full. It's not a place I would ever go out of my way to have again, but if I'm ever in the mood for a cheesesteak in Vacaville, I'd come back to the Cheese Shop. 

Rating 6.5/10
November 7, 2010