Gaglione Brothers Steaks and Subs: More Cheese Please

It all started back in 2003 when the Bay Area native Gaglione brothers, Joe, Andy and Tony, took a trip to the East Coast to visit their father and huge extended Italian family. After many treks to the neighborhood eateries of Buffalo, New York, the brothers returned home to San Diego with a master plan. 

Inspired by the authenticity and art of the East Coast sandwich experience, the three San Diego transplants sought to fill the void in the San Diego sandwich scene and bring the concept of steaks and subs to the West Coast. 

Soon after opening their first shop in Point Loma in 2004, it didn’t take long for the Gaglione brothers to prove that you don’t have to be from Philly to make a great cheesesteak sandwich. Word quickly spread and the shop soon began noticing lines out the door. So the young entrepreneurs did what any intelligent businessman would do: open a second location the following year in Mission Beach.

In order to achieve their award-winning status, each Gaglione Brothers sandwich starts with fresh imported rolls from Amoroso Baking Co., the famous Philadelphia bakery that serves as what many argue, the idyllic foundation for every true cheesesteak and specialty sandwich. 

Popular specialty sandwiches include The Turk, a tribute to their late father and a holiday-inspired treat served year round, which includes the perfect blend of homemade turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayonnaise; and The General, named after the brothers’ diminutive Italian Grandmother, features thinly sliced hot pastrami, melted Swiss cheese, homemade Russian dressing and fresh coleslaw. 

Of course, the cheesesteaks have gathered a cult-like following over the years as well. The spicy Pepper Steak boasts a combination of juicy steak, grilled onions, cheese and your choice of cherry peppers, crushed red peppers or pepproncinis. The one and only Whiz Steak includes a clever blend of thinly sliced steak and grilled onions topped with the fundamental ingredient of any true cheesesteak experience: Cheez Whiz. 

With the garnered success of their Mission Beach and Point Loma locations, the Gaglione Brothers decided to expand their winning recipe and open a third location in San Diego. The new 1,300-square-foot sandwich shop is slated to open in mid-July, 2010 in the Friars Village Shopping Center and will offer increased indoor seating, including counter barstool seating, and the addition of beer and wine to the menu. And of course, the menu will feature the same mouth-watering cheesesteaks, speciality sandwiches and fries – recipes that have garnered the small, family-run business a huge loyal following and accolades from hardcore cheesesteak purists citywide. 

“We are thrilled to expand our family business and share our recipes to a new area of San Diego,” says Joe Gaglione. “Our customers will be pleased to know that we stand by our original goal to be hands down the best sandwich shop in the city.”

For more information on Gaglione Brothers Famous Steaks and Subs including all three San Diego locations, menu items and hours of operation, please visit gaglionebros.com.

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