A Real Philly Experience at Billadelphia’s July 2, 2007

I am not from Philadelphia.  I have never even been to Philadelphia.  But a little thread on Chowhound provoked me to chase down this supposedly authentic, amazing cheesesteak right here in DFW at Billadelphia’s.  Having never had an authentic Philly cheesesteak and thus not fully understanding the enthusiasm for them, driving to Bedford for a sandwich seemed silly.  But when I found out that Billadelphia’s opened a second location in Arlington less than two miles from UTA campus (where I was taking an all-day class on Friday with a lunch break), I knew that was my opportunity to indulge.

The Arlington location of Billadelphia’s is located in a typical Arlington strip mall right across the street from the future Cowboys Stadium. 

If that “open” sign reminds you of anything, you’ll soon realize where that familiarity comes from as soon as you walk through the door.  Billadelphia’s in Arlington is a converted Quizno’s, complete with the green and red pendent lamps, green and red stools, pepper/hot sauce bar, etc.  In fact, it’s only along the south side wall that the Philly flavor comes through in the form of Eagles paraphernalia. That wall is lined with booths, each with its own 13″ TV on some sporting event. 

The menu is comprised of cheesesteaks in several variations (original, chicken, pizza steak, etc), other hot sandwiches, and something called Panzarotti, which is apparently an inside out pizza popular in Philadelphia.  The description of it sounds a lot like a calzone.  I was intrigued.  But this being my first visit, I stuck to the basics, a 10″ Philly cheesesteak ($6.75).

Before I start talking about this enormous sandwich, I need to put in a disclaimer.  I am no cheesesteak expert.  The only cheesesteak I’ve had outside of cafeteria fare was from Texadelphia.  Though greasy Texadelphia cheesesteaks were great hangover cures in college, even a cheesesteak stranger like me could smell something fishy with the slogan “the original Texas cheesesteak.”

With that being said, this petite girl ate her entire 10″ greasy cheesesteak sandwich because it was melt in your mouth tender, flavorful, and juicy.  The cheese wasn’t just piled on top but rather mixed in well with the tender, finely chopped steak.  It was a lot of food, and I did feel a bit nauseous afterwards, but I’m almost certain the post-lunch comatose state I experienced for a couple of hours was worth it.  Billadelphia’s slogan is “we’ll make ya’ll into yo!”  Well I’m not sure about that, but I will certainly be back, perhaps even with other ya’ll-sayers.

Other Philly specialties like scrapple sandwiches, soft pretzels, TastyKakes, and Goldenberg’s Peanuts are also available at Billadelphia’s.

If you’re not convinced by this cheesesteak stranger, then just go try Billadelphia’s yourself.  I, for one, am on the bandwagon with all the Philly-native turned DFW residents on this one.

Rating: 4 / 5 

Billadelphia’s
1112 N. Collins St
Arlington, TX 76011