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Forget the service and decor. At least their steak sandwiches should taste good, but they don't.

I'm not from Philadelphia, but I have been through many times and had many cheesesteaks there. Carl's is about the best I've had outside of Phily. Pro's: great rolls (very authentic), great toppings (I got the works; onions, mushrooms, peppers and whiz). Meat is very tender and juicy. They make enough sandwiches there that the meat is always cooking - personally I think that is one of the secrets to great cheesesteaks. I.e. the meat "stews" in their own juices for a while. Meat is chopped, some people like it more sliced, like Geno's or Pat's. I like it both ways :-). Con's: The only complaint I have is the hot sauce. It is pretty much just tabasco. Geno's and Pat's have a great hot sauce; not sure if they make it themselves or buy it, but it is much better.

I ordered the special which comes with a cheesesteak, fries and a 24 oz soda for $13. They give you a good amount of food and I had to force myself to finish, but this doesn't seem like an outrageous bargain for a cheesesteak. The food itself is not bad, but the steak is definetely on the greasy side. There is no service to speak of and the atmosphere is like reminiscent of a pizzeria.

Being from Philly and having had more than my share of Cheesesteaks, I can attest that in New York City Carl's is the best cheesesteak and comes the closest to original Philly greatness. Meat is very tender and they have got the bread down pat, crusty but holds on to the grease. Could use a little more wiz, but that's a minor complaint as every other steak I've tried they screw up the whole dang sandwich. Service is as nasty and bad as in Philly, for me this feels like home. Value is good for NYC, you pay about what you would pay in Philadelphia. Atmosphere is ok, a quick eat joint. But hey, it's a cheesesteak place! Bottom line, you're here for the sandwich, and for a Philly Cheesesteak, Carl's is the best in NYC.

I have to say, they make a cheese steak just as I like it. I got "The Works" and it was awesome. Plus it came pretty darn quickly to my office. I am now a huge fan. Steak wasn't chewy or stringy like some are, it was cheesy, the peppers were hot, and everything else made it tangy. And what a deal. I highly recommend!

I love cheesesteaks but the cheesesteaks from Carl's are very bland. Quite frankly, You can get a much better cheesesteak in Pittsburgh which is further away from Philly than NYC. So what's your excuse Carl? I am very disappointed in a city that seems to have some of everything, the cheesesteaks leave much to be desired. Also, although I'm not from Philly, I don't believe that Philadelphians are snobs. They just know a good cheesesteak, which isn't that hard to make. It's not rocket science, use quality ingredients, season your food and voila, you have a wonderful product!

Well, I really do love Carl's steaks, but I just waited 1 hour and 28 minutes for my food and I'm a bit perturbed since I live less than a mile from the restaurant. I won't be ordering from them again.