This is the Hyde Park location. The original is on the Drag.
This place is a surrogate for a Philadelphian delicacy that doesn’t have too much of a Central Texas spin on it; namely drowning it with jalapenos. Thankfully their cheesesteaks don’t give you the other horrifying side effect several hours later. If you’ve never eaten an actual Philly cheesesteak, ask someone who has, I don’t want to go on in graphic detail.
Texadelphia was another restaurant Lee “Doc” Rhea took me to during my first few weeks in Austin. I hadn’t eaten a real cheesesteak since 1987 but I figured these people wouldn’t be much better than those ones you see in every mall. Well these guys may not be close but their modifications are very appetizing and terribly unhealthy. Who would’ve guessed how awesome a cheesesteak tastes when it’s topped with pepperoni and ranch dressing. Definitely a vegetarian’s nightmare. The default side is tortillia chips (or some would call nachos) because fries are more likely to compound the artery hardening. What puts them above the mallsteaks is they grill the meat in a similar fashion to what I remember from Jim’s on South Street. Yes, I know Philadelphians, the real thing is at Geno’s on 9th Street and I plan to go there when I visit.
Recently, Texadelphia has been expanding with new franchises around Austin and the suburbs. The one in the picture is in Hyde Park which is across the street from my first Austin apartment. I know there’s been one up in Cedar Park but hopefully they’ll put in one in Pflugerville or on Wells Branch. I think it would be a great treat for their 25th anniversary for me and them.