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A ‘Little Philly’ in Tahoe: Authentic cheesesteak restaurant opens on South Shore

Claire Cudahy
ccudahy@tahoedailytribune.com

Authentic Philly cheesesteaks just got 2,700 miles closer.

Last week brothers Joey and CJ Saenz reopened Little Philly Cheesesteaks two years after they closed up shop in Stateline.

In their new location on Lake Tahoe Boulevard by Whiskey Dicks, Little Philly Cheesesteaks has received a warm reception from customers who missed the restaurant’s namesake sandwiches — so much so that the restaurant closed down for two days in its first week because it ran out of food.



“We’ve been slammed,” said Joey, who lived in Philadelphia for 15 years. “People keep coming back for more.”

CJ, the head chef, roasts rib-eye steak everyday for the sandwiches, which range from a South Street Philly with house-made cheese whiz, mushrooms, onions and green bell peppers, to more creative concoctions like the Jalapeño Bacon Philly. Each sandwich is made with rolls from Philadelphia-based bakery Amoroso’s.



“Everything is made from scratch from fresh ingredients every couple of hours,” said Joey.

Also on the menu are a selection of panko-crusted chicken sandwiches, clams sautéed in white wine, a slew of fried veggies, and gigantic (no, really) chicken wings.

“We call them pterodactyl wings,” said Joey.

The wings are coated in one of the restaurants three homemade sauces: habanero, BBQ or buffalo.

And if customers don’t fill up on the foot-long, heaping sandwiches, the cheesecake is a can’t-miss item.

“The cheesecakes are New York style. It’s more like a yogurt or ice cream texture,” explained CJ, who makes them fresh daily with a rotation of flavors — Heath Bar, blackberry, strawberry and raspberry, to a name a few.

“In the past we’ve had people ask us to freeze them and mail it to them no matter the cost.”

In their no-frills location (decorated with “The Godfather” movie poster, of course), Little Philly Cheesesteaks lives up to its tagline: “We’ll make you a sandwich you can’t refuse!”


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