Fred’s Downtown Philly – Allen, TX Philly Cheesesteaks
I’m going to end my long blogging hiatus here by writing about a totally off-topic subject. (It’s not totally off-topic though, because if you’re in Wylie, TX, and you’re looking for good Philly cheesesteaks, then Fred’s Downtown Philly in Allen, TX is worth the drive.) Fred’s Downtown Philly is located on the northwest corner of Bethany and Greenville in Allen, Texas. The actual address, if you need it, is 740 S. Greenville Ave., #400, Allen, TX 75002. And their phone number is (972)359-0958. Fred’s Downtown Philly is closed Sundays, but they’re open every other day of the week from 11am to 9pm.
I’m not from Philadelphia, and I’ve never been to Philadelphia, but I LOVE Philly cheesesteaks. In fact, it’s one of my favorite foods. And I’ve found no restaurant in the DFW metroplex that serves a better cheesesteak than Fred’s. That’s right; I’m saying that Fred’s Downtown Philly has the best Philly cheesesteaks in the Dallas Fort Worth area. (Anyone who wants to lay claim to serving a better cheesesteak sandwich is welcome to contact me and invite me over for a sample of their competing cheesesteak.)
According to Fred’s site (Yes, there really is a Fred.) he was born in Philadelphia and moved to Dallas in 1982. So he ought to know something about cheesesteaks. He opened his first location in 1995 in Plano, but the location where I eat is quite a bit newer than that. I think it’s been open for a couple of years, tops.
On their website,they point out that their business is family owned and operated, and that the service you get there is the kind of service you’d expect from a family owned restaurant. I can vouch for that. I’ve eaten there at least once a month since Fred’s cheesesteak restaurant opened, and the service has always been friendly and casual.
Fred’s is not a big restaurant. The place only has 9 tables, and if it’s busy, almost all of them are occupied. We often get cheesesteaks to go and bring them back to the house to eat. I always order their #4, which is the double meat, double cheese steak sandwich. I used to order the 10″ sandwich, but my weight is pretty out of control right now. So I’ve switched to the smaller 6″ version of the sandwich, and it’s filling enough.
Besides cheesesteaks, Fred’s also serves hoagies: cheese, turkey, Italian, cappacola, pastrami, and salami. They also serve several different burgers: mushroom, bacon, and pizza. They also have a vegetarian menu, which includes veggie burgers, sandwiches, and salads. I hate to admit it, but I’ve never had anything on the menu but the cheesesteaks; they’re SO good that I wouldn’t want to waste a trip there eating something else.
Fred’s Downtown Philly has a fridge full of sodas and water, and they also sell fountain drinks. If you have a sweet tooth, they sell TastyKakes. And they offer chips and french fries as sides to their sandwiches. The most expensive sandwich on their menu is $8.85, and that’s the Po Fred, which has both steak and Italian sausage on it. Most of their sandwiches average five dollars for the six inch versions, and seven dollars or so for the ten inch portions.
If you decide to give them a try, tell them that Randy Ray from Eerie Books sent you.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 at 11:21 am and is filed under Friends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.