The Best Hoagies in Philadelphia

RestaurantsThe Best Hoagies in PhiladelphiaThese eight local spots capture the soul of Philadelphia’s other prized sammieBy Adam Erace Photography by Elliott Jerome Brown JrJune 8, 2026Gary Sauce hovers over a vat of boiling oil, frying chicken cutlets. We’re in the rear kitchen of Antonio’s Italian Specialties, the three-year-old South Philly deli a block from Jefferson Methodist Hospital, where I was born. It’s where Sauce (real last name: Gerace) and his younger brother Joey make beloved hoagies like the Damien, which stars the restaurant’s thoroughly seasoned and fried-to-order cutlets. “What is the secret?” I ask Sauce. Dina Smith, who owns Antonio’s with her husband, Franco Saija, answers for him. “Cutlet Jesus,” she deadpans.

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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Bon Appétit.