Jason Magowan (left) and Steve Iliescu (right)

Philadelphia iconic cheesesteak brand Steve’s Prince of Steaks announces the grand opening of the company’s fifth location this Friday (October 19th) in Hamilton Court at 3836 Chestnut Street. The royal “Prince” Steve Iliescu and business partner Jason Magowan will give away free cheesesteaks, fries and sodas for lunch and dinner in University City, between 12:00pm and 2:00pm and 4:00pm and 6:00pm. Students with valid college identification from Penn, Drexel and University of the Sciences can enjoy free cheesesteaks all day as well - even beyond those hours. The newest Steve’s outpost is approximately 2,300+ square feet, features a dining room, and is the only Steve’s to have a liquor license with beer, cocktails, spirits and frozen drinks on the menu. On top of Steve’s signature cheesesteaks, chicken cheesesteaks, hamburgers, hot dogs and hoagies, this will be the only Steve’s location to expand the menu with pizza and chicken wings. Steve’s will also be joined on Friday by the grand opening in Hamilton Court by I-CE-NY Philly and The Creamery Cafe, both of which will give away free thai rolled ice cream, milkshakes and gourmet soft serve during the same hours. All three are part of the brand new restaurants and retail shops at Hamilton Court by Post Brothers. For more information about Steve’s Prince of Steaks in University City call (215) 921-6494 and visit www.stevesprinceofsteaks.com.

“Steve’s Prince of Steaks is proud to bring the region’s best cheesesteak to the bustling neighborhood of University City,” said Iliescu. “As our motto says, one bite, and you'll be a loyal subject for life! We use the highest quality ingredients, and our team is the fastest and friendliest in the business. There is no other well-known or iconic cheesesteak company in University City. We want to offer you a quality sandwich, made before your eyes, at a fair price. Now, with our new location, you can sit in the dining room and relax with a beer. Money’s tight and you deserve to have it all done right - and we are excited to bring Steve’s to a new part of the region. We bring nearly 40 years of experience to this region. We hope students, business people and our new neighbors see the Steve’s difference!”

This new University City location will become the only Steve’s with a full dining room and liquor license. The 2,300+ square foot space is the largest location for the locally owned family business. The University City location will operate similar to other locations with two main windows - one for cheesesteaks and the other for fries/sodas. In between the two windows, customers can watch the “show” with cheesesteaks cooked before their eyes. Down from the ordering windows, and into the dining room, look for counter high top seating for up to ten people plus table seats for 20+ people. In the open dining room, customers will watch pizzas being made as they wait.

On the menu, look for Steve’s classics, like cheesesteaks (wit or witout, whiz or american, extra toppings bar), chicken cheesesteaks, pizza steaks, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, pork roll, hoagies, veggie “cheesesteak,” french fries, cheese fries, soda, pizza, wings, mozzarella sticks and more.

Pizza and wings are new for Steve’s and only available in University City. Pizzas will include a selection of favorites like pepperoni, sausage, buffalo chicken, barbecue, plus Steve’s Cheesesteak pizza and “The Works” with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers and onions. Steve’s in University City will offer seven types of wings, including barbecue, spicy barbecue, “Sweet Heat”, medium, hot, garlic parmesan and teriyaki.

“Due to the dense population in University City, and the diverse clientele of businesses, hospital workers, faculty, students and neighbors, we really wanted to offer more options to serve our new community,” said Magowan. “We wanted a menu of products that could better serve requests we were getting, plus offer more catering and delivery options. Pizza shops have cheesesteaks, so why not have pizza and wings at a cheesesteak shop? They are a natural pairing! We wanted to be a one-stop shop for all three.”

At the bar counter, look for bottled and canned beer and ciders as of this week, plus frozen drinks, spirits and cocktails coming soon. All are available for dine-in and beer is available for purchase for take-out. Magowan added, “We knew college students and especially grad students would be interested, but we are finding out this week that the drink options are even more popular with the neighbors. We are seeing guests come in who live above us and in neighboring buildings. They kick-back and catch the game on the televisions in the dining room. Some spend an hour or two with us - which is new for our type of business. They seem to really be enjoying the dining room and being able to sit with friends and co-workers.”

Throughout the location, look for a vibe that is energetic and fun with the crisp, cool and bright interior. The location and set-up was designed for the show and getting orders in quickly on the window side, while offering a welcoming, relaxing dining room for friends to connect, business people to enjoy lunch, and locals to enjoy a beer and the game. Magowan said, “We wanted to create a bright, clean, lively and interactive atmosphere. I want Steve’s in University City to be not only a hotspot with the college students, but I want to connect to the local community and be a casual option for our neighbors. Like in the other locations, I want you to run into people you know, be welcome at all times, and interact with our friendly and outgoing staff. They work hard to put on a high intensity show while putting together your sandwich. We want everyone to get to know our team and your new University City family.”

Outside, Steve’s will offer tables and chairs for up to 10-15 people for sidewalk dining and taking in the views. The seating is open now and will continue to be available until the weather changes.

THE STEVE’S DIFFERENCE

Steve’s steaks feature ribeye trimmed differently than any other steak spot in Philadelphia. They layer the various cuts for a truly unique and memorable experience.

Steve’s model is focused on quality, with rolls baked fresh and delivered daily, premium quality produce, steaks prepared to order (not sitting out on the grill), toppings fresh and replenished often, hand sliced steaks not chopped, meat hand-trimmed, lean tender steak, and meats and deli cold cuts sliced fresh every single day.

The bread for the cheesesteaks is made from a 100-year old recipe, made the same exact way for 100 years. The bread is made exclusively now for Steve’s and sourced from JBG Distributors.

HAMILTON COURT NEW FOODIE DESTINATION AND FOOD COURT

Steve’s new location is located on 39th street on the first level of the exciting new food court and retail space of Hamilton Court - a new project brought to you by Post Brothers. The project when finished will have at least ten restaurants and retail shops, including I-CE-NY Philly (opening also this Friday), The Creamery Cafe (opening also this Friday), Halal Guys, Bon Chon, Tea D - as well as a new karaoke and speakeasy bar, plus other concepts yet to be announced.

When asked why University City and why Hamilton Court, Magowan said, “We had been looking for a location to potentially partner on. We love the energy, the growth, the neighborhood in University City. When Post Brothers presented us with the option to open here we jumped at the opportunity. We are part of an exciting new food destination on the 3800 block of Chestnut. We are excited to introduce Steve’s to young students and the future loyal subjects. But we also want to become the everyday place for neighbors and business people. Parents who visit the campuses around us will also be able to enjoy their favorite local cheesesteak they grew up with in the Northeast.”

NEW PARTNERS FOR A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD

For his fifth location, your highness the Prince Steve Iliescu partnered with co-owner Jason Magowan. The two met about twelve years ago, when they both bought bread from the same bakery, Vilotti Pasinelli. Magowan is still the bread distributor and owns JBG Distributors. Over the years, Magowan and JBG took over the entire distribution and acquired the 100 year old bread recipe. They then became the sole provider of bread for all Steve’s locations. The two in working together had a great relationship and chemistry - and they decided to go into business on this new location. For Magowan, this is the first brick and mortar he owns. He brings years of history in the restaurant business from spots such as Champ’s Americana and Peddler’s Village. Both partners share similar values, including the way they think about business operations, believing in high quality products and service, and not sparing costs for quality. When the opportunity came up in University City at Hamilton Court, both partners jumped at the chance - to bring Steve’s to a new neighborhood and to go into business together.

OPENING HOURS AND SERVICE

Steve’s Prince of Steaks in University City will be open seven days a week - with lunch, dinner and late night service as follows: Monday through Wednesday 10:00am to 12:00am, Thursday through Saturday 10:00am to 3:00am, and Sunday 10:00am to 11:00pm.

Steve’s will be open for take-out, dine-in and delivery starting this Friday. For delivery to start, call directly at (215) 921-6494. Later in the fall, look for a delivery launch being explored through Caviar. Delivery will extend to the 30th Street and a mile around the location. The Center City location of Steve’s delivers west up to that border. Look for expanded delivery options down the road.

GRAND OPENING SPECIALS

Steve’s Prince of Steaks in University City will celebrate the grand opening with a public ribbon cutting at 11:00am this Friday. Everybody is welcome to come celebrate! Starting at Noon through 2:00pm, and again 4:00pm to 6:00pm, Steve’s at this location will give away free complimentary-size cheesesteak, fries and a soda, one per person. Students can enjoy this special ALL day on Friday with valid student identification.

HISTORY

Iliescu founded the first Steve’s Prince of Steaks back in 1980 with his Bustleton Avenue location. Since then, he has expanded with three other locations including Center City (41 S 16th Street), Comly (2711 Comly Road), Langhorne (1617 East Lincoln Hwy), and now University City (3836 Chestnut Street). Steve’s is a family business that is run by Iliescu with his son Ross Iliescu and daughter Abbe Arno. Steve’s also partners with David Sinclair at the Langhorne location.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow the Prince of cheesesteaks on social media: Facebook at Steve’s Prince of Steaks, Twitter at @princeofsteaks and Instagram @stevesprinceofsteaks.