Disclaimer : I’m behind in posting reviews because life, getting old and work decided to beat me up these past few weeks. We went to Gino’s August 24th.
Have you ever seen a restaurant with such an incredible social media presence that you knew you had to give them a shot just based off of their Facebook posts alone? That’s Gino’s Cheesesteak & Onion. These guys have such wild and fun social media interaction and posts coupled with an almost cult-like following that we knew we had to make it out there. Queue the post that triggered the trip which can be found here. The long and short of it was a Freudian slip made by a customer that ignited an entertaining story and a conversation with Chelsea about how she has never had In-N-Out let alone heard of “Animal Style” before and also never had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. So off to Gino’s we went to give Chelsea a proper cheesesteak as well as a variation of one of the things that made In-N-Out such a sensation. For those not in the know, “animal style” refers to cooking the burger at In-N-Out in yellow mustard and serving it with grilled onion and Thousand Island dressing.
Chelsea, not being a fan of onions, ordered “the sandwich from the post just no onions” and with cheez wiz. I went with the Fireman’s Cheesesteak with cherry peppers, jalapeños and provolone cheese. We also ordered two deep fried honey buns and parked ourselves at a table outside while we waited for our food.
Chelsea got her cheesesteak and almost dove in without getting a picture because she was so excited, and I can’t blame her. These looked GOOD. She took her first bite, smiled and danced a little in her seat. She offered me a bite of hers and it reminded me of all of the drunken trips to In-N-Out when I lived in Arizona, just needed more mustard and the grilled onions for my taste. But for her first foray into cheesesteaks AND In-N-Out all in one, she thoroughly enjoyed every bit. The Thousand Island worked really well with the salty, delicious shaved beef and cheez wiz. Add in the crunch of the hoagie roll and this was a solid sandwich.
My sandwich wasn’t nearly as hot and spicy as I was hoping, but I’m not mad at it. There was enough cherry peppers and jalapeños to make my sinuses open, but I’m a glutton for punishment with spicy food and it could have used a healthy amount more heat for me. Provolone cheese paired with the seasoning of the beef and the heat of the peppers made a really nice combination of flavors. As someone who has eaten at John’s, Angelo’s, Cafe Carmela and Woodrow’s (side note, John’s is the best and I don’t care what anyone says) in Philadelphia at various times in the last two decades, this ain’t a TRUE Philly cheesesteak. But it is a really solid sandwich and probably about as close as you’re going to get short of taking the drive down to Philly and getting the real deal.
The honey buns were dangerous. Crispy fried and borderline impossible to eat without making a mess, these suckers were smothered in hazelnut spread and strawberry preserves. They are definitely VERY sweet, but oh so tasty. We could have ordered one and split it with no issue, but we didn’t know how big they were going to be and decided not to take the risk of getting a smaller honey bun and getting just one bite each. The honey bun alone is worth the trip and I feel like it belongs on a list of “Things in Syracuse You Should Eat At Least Once” or something of the sort.
In the end, we both left happy and full. I’m no cheesesteak afficionado, but I can say that this was the best cheesesteak I have had in Syracuse. Chelsea is now officially a fan of cheesesteaks AND animal style, so that alone was worth it. 10/10, will go back and devour more sandwiches.
511 E Genesee St
Fayetteville, NY 13066
(315) 637-BEEF (2333)