Hot Philly

Prepare yourself for another blurb about how I’m busy and don’t have time to blog. Excuses I know.. But being a food blogger is not easy with a new job, 2 spring courses, and trying to find time to actually go on food adventures!

One of the recent places I’ve ventured to this past month is Hot Philly. Located in the northside in the Namao area, it’s one of those places you’d find yourself always driving by but never noticing it. The inside of the vibrant interior states that it has “world famous Philadelphia cheesesteak”. Well was that true? I wouldn’t say so, maybe famous by Edmonton standards but definitely not Philadelphia. It’s funny cause the poutine, recommended by a friend, was actually what brought me to this place. Their menu is filled with cheesesteaks, wraps, sandwiches, poutines, and appetizers. I found it to be a bit overpriced for “fast” food because the whole meal costed $30 for two people.

Large poutine, perfect for sharing with another person. It basically tasted like the same poutine that I used to eat at my high school a few years ago. And no, this is not a bad thing because EVERYONE was addicted to the poutine there. At Hot Philly, it was served steaming hot. The fries were nice and crispy while the gravy wasn’t too salty or bland. The cheese curds melted and were not still frozen thankfully, like some other places. Not bad, Hot Philly.

Of course each of us had to try this so-called famous cheesesteak. I actually had mine without cheese since I’m somewhat lactose intolerant and it’s a hit or miss with certain cheeses for me. I ordered mine with BBQ sauce but I found the sauce to be overwhelming. The sauce helped with the dryness of the steak though. There were fried onions in the cheesesteak as well and you could choose from either a whole wheat or white bun. I ordered the small size and it was too small of a portion for how much it was (around $6). 

I also ordered a small size of mac and cheese wedges for us to share. Well, I ended up eating the whole thing because it was too good to be shared. These little deep fried wedges had small pieces of macaroni noodles inside and it wasn’t too cheesy. I would come back here only to order these!

So is Hot Philly worth going to? Well if you’re northside then sure because every northsider knows that good food is very rare in this side of the city. But Hot Philly is decent so give it a try if you’re close by!