Sarcone's Bakery ★ 4.7
Sarcone's Bakery in Philadelphia is the 1918 Italian Market brick-oven bakery on South 9th, with tomato pie by the square for 4 dollars and a queue every morning.
Try: Tomato pie by the square
History
The hoagie was born in South Philly's Hog Island shipyard during the First World War, when Italian-American shipyard workers (called Hoggies) brought submarine-style sandwiches to lunch. The roll, the cured-meat layering and the oil-and-vinegar finish were codified by Italian-Market salumerias like Sarcone's, Esposito's and Cosmi's. In 1992, Mayor Ed Rendell declared the hoagie the official sandwich of Philadelphia. The defining variables are the bread (a long, crisp-crusted Italian roll, Amoroso or Sarcone's), the meat stack (mortadella, capicola, hot or sweet salami, prosciutto) and a careful drizzle of oil and red-wine vinegar with dried oregano. Ordering it 'Italian' means all of the above; 'tuna' or 'turkey' hoagies are a parallel tradition.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 long crusty Italian rolls (Amoroso style, 25cm)
- 60g mortadella, thinly sliced
- 60g hot or sweet capicola, thinly sliced
- 60g Genoa salami, thinly sliced
- 60g sharp provolone, thinly sliced
- 60g prosciutto, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large white onion, paper-thin sliced
- 1 tomato, sliced
- Iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
- Pickled long hot peppers, optional
Method
- Split each roll lengthwise but do not toast. The bread must stay soft inside and crisp outside.
- Layer the cheese first along the bottom half of the roll (it acts as a moisture barrier). Follow with the meats in this order: mortadella, capicola, salami, prosciutto. The stack should be three layers high.
- Top with onion, tomato, then a thick blanket of shredded lettuce.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1.5 teaspoons vinegar across the lettuce. Shower with oregano, salt and pepper. Close the roll, press, slice on a strong diagonal, eat. Pickled long hots on the side.
Tip from the editors. Salt the lettuce, not the meat. The dressing should hit the leaves and run down through the layers as the bread absorbs it.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat philadelphia hoagie
Philadelphia hoagie in Philadelphia
John's Roast Pork ★ 4.8
Why locals love it: The 1930 South Philly counter at Snyder and Weccacoe that locals defend as the city's best roast pork while tourists queue at Pat's a mile north.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Go before 11:00 for lunch counter; cash and cards both work.
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen ★ 4.5
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen in Philadelphia is the 1923 Queen Village Jewish deli running pastrami-and-eggs brunch on 4th and Bainbridge, with a chocolate-chip cookie at the door.
Order: Pastrami and eggs; chocolate-chip cookie at the door on the way out
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