Carmen`s Famous Italian Hoagies & Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia

I got a cheese steak and it was average at best. We were staying across the street so we just grabbed something to eat there and I expected it to be better. It was kind of bland and nowhere close to the best I've ever had.

Great service, great cheese steak

Best Cheese Steak in the Market!Been coming here for years, and when showing off the city, I always make a point to stop here to allow people their first Philly Cheese Steak to be authentically amazing.Through many visits, the lovely cashier (Red Head) kept pushing "The Franklin" option on me. I was very resistant. Finally she succeeded in getting me to try, and I'm a changed person.The Franklin is a Cheese Steak with White American Cheese, and also Philadelphia Cream Cheese spread on the roll.WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO LONG FOR THIS TO HAPPEN?!?!It's absolutely amazing, and now I order my cheese steak in this fashion, even when I'm not at Carmen's.Cheers for your innovation Carmen's, you're worth the wait!ORDER THE FRANKLIN!

Every time me and my friend go to the #ReddingTerminal he always gets cheese steaks from this place. While I typically don’t dabble in cheesesteaks, the pizza cheese steak I had was alright.

Came from out of town looked at a few places and ended up here. Good Philly Cheesesteak sandwich but expected more for what I got. Went w/ 2x meat mushrooms onions sweet and spicy peppers came to $20ish with %15 tip. I was fairly hungry and after I was done still needed more. I went 2x meat because the standard portion is lacking. My buddy got the standard amount and was a little disappointed. Friendly staff working hard. GET DOUBLE MEAT FOR $4 or $4.50 more, you'll thank me later.

Went here as a tourist about a week ago.. the cook guy, chubby white male was very rude while we were waiting for our order... made me wanna throw the sandwich at his face with his nasty attitude. Don’t ask someone what the heck they are waiting for obviously food?? Why else am I here??

The Franklin is amazing! Was also awesome to talk to Carmen! Super friendly guy!

This place is great. My review is based upon the vegetarian cheese steak I got. Fried just right, hots and cheese. Pretty dead on. They even cleans the grill before making it. A lot of places might not do it. One of the best parts, which s holds true for and sun, is the bread. The bread amazing. I know it is crowded, I know it is a tourist spot but definitely check it out!

Went for a vacation to Philly with my boyfriend and we couldn’t wait to taste a classic philly cheese steak so we found carmens and decided to test it out. We were both instantly extremely disappointed , the fries were soggy and you could tell they weren’t fresh. The soda we were given was flat. Most importantly the sandwich was very soggy along with the fact that the lettuce tasted as if it had been sitting out. Very disappointed!

The special Italian cheese steak with sharp provalone and broccoli rabe is perfect! Carmen is a hoot, and his staff knows their stuff! Their new location across the aisle is much more spacious....and now the have fries too. We just love this spot in our most favorite place in Philadelphia, the Reading Terminal Market. This is a must see for travelers who want to experience the real Philadelphia...it lives at Carmen's!

Suggested by a former colleague and foodie - Carmen's is her go-to. The nice thing from the get go, I noticed they take credit card, which is awesome. Most Philly cheesesteak places take cash only. The first couple of pictures, is to give an idea of the location of Carmen's from the street and inside Reading Market itself.Watch out when ordering! The gent is quick when taking the order, yet starts listing a bunch of option to add in addition to the sandwich. As more is added, so does the price of your cheesesteak! I had the Kamikaze Cheesesteak and it was wicked. Not terribly spicy, but leaves a slight sting without a drink. A nice proportion of the spiced peppers, meat itself and cheese. I would definitely recommend to try it! Seating is limited to two sides of the shop. Queue can get quite lengthy depending on the flow of people.

Best cheesesteak downtown hands down Carmen's is the place to be I was amazed by how long the line was the cook Jamie was very patient and professional he even took a picture with me my new favorite place

Excellent sandwiches. Would recommend if you are visiting Philadelphia.

Taste good. But 1 Hr waiting. It isn't taste to wait one hour.

The cheesesteak was fantastic, of course, but the service was actually what made this a five star review. Although they were extremely busy when I arrived, my order was prepared quickly and well without any of the employees appearing to be stressed. In fact, they were actually extremely friendly still. A wonderful place to eat, but seating is limited. I'd recommend getting a seat before you even get in line to order, or you might not have a seat. Definitely worth it though.

Good cheesesteak but the consistency is somewhat inconsistent. For example, half my sandwich barely had any cheese but the other had a good amount. Some came out much more toasted than others. In my opinion, the steak could have more seasoning.

Very good, lives to it's name.

Yup, it’s a must stop. Don’t get anything other than a cheesesteak. It’s worth the wait. It’s worth the time.

Ordering and service was slow. Ordered the tuna hoagie that was served on a shorti roll with small quantity. Less than average sammy that was overpriced at $12.00 plus an additional charge for a side of store bought peppers. Save time and money and buy Primos

I had an incredible Italian hoagie there today. I highly recommend. Order taker was genuine and polite.

First time ever at the reading Terminal Market i May be the only Philadelphian that hasn’t visited the reading Terminal Market but boy oh boy if you haven’t checked out Carmen’s Famous Italian Hoagie you MUST besides the fact that our dear and beloved former President went and ate here, their cheesesteaks are actually pretty good I honestly had better being a Philly girl it’s no cheesesteaks like the hood cheesesteaks ex/ Max’s and Falones. But for a very busy spot I liked it. I had a cheesesteak and chicken steak me and my friend split kinda pricy 13 plus tax each. I’d recommend anyone to go there if ever downtown and want some cheesesteaks! What makes it unique is after you order that give you a card and they call the card number for you to pick up your food.ConsThey could’ve had more mayonnaise and ketchup on the roll although the steak is juicy, you literally get a lite swirl of the condiments making it a little dry! Thank Goodness I asked for extra cheese!

We were told that Carmen's was one of the best places for a Cheesesteak so we ordered one from here and also from By George. This was was pretty good, but I must say that By George was better.

one place which is always on my list whenever i visit Philly! Great service and the philly cheese stakes tastes amazing!

I got the cheesesteak. Yes, I enjoyed going to Reading Terminal and getting a very tasty Carmen's CS. Mr. take 25 minutes to buy woopie pies saved me $25 on sweets I did not need and Crying baby reminded me why I hate crowds. Luckily I beat most of the crowd, If there had been a crowd I don't think I would have enjoyed my CS as much. It was a very good CS.

Everytime I come home, I have to stop through and grab a Chicken Ala Rocco 🙌🏽#RIPRocco

No trip to Philly is complete without a cheese steak and these guys don’t disappoint. You can see exactly how they cook a cheesesteak with their open kitchen and each one is cooked to order. It can get a little busy here but what do you expect when you get good food. Service level is a little low, more like a fast food place but again it’s in line with what they sell.

This place has the best vegetarian cheesesteaks. The staff are friendly, especially Michelle. There's often a line but it's worth the wait!

I'm going to start this off by saying everything is good when you are hungry. That being said the original cheese steak was pretty good, my partner had the chicken one which they said was very good as well. The meat was well seasoned but there wasn't enough cheese. Of course the line was long and to be honest, being from New Orleans where waiting for food is apart of the culture, it wasn't worth the wait. Not to say it wasn't good, just wasn't great.

Bun was a little tough and it didn’t have as much flavor as I expected. Staff was very friendly!

It was ok but not outworldly...

First Philly cheese steak in my life and not disappointed! Had the Franklin with onion, which is apparently they're best seller. Meat was juicy and tender and great combo with the 2 cheeses. Melt in your mouth!! Service was also great. Would go back again if we had time.

Definitely one of the best cheesesteaks I’ve had in Philly. Juicy and Seasoned well.

It's my 9th year in Philadelphia and I tried a lot of cheese steaks. I had THE BEST experience at Carmen's. This place is my #1 vote for Philly cheesesteaks.

A classic #cheesesteak restaurant. The line is legitimately insane, but if you want the best, you need to be patient. What's cool about Carmens is that even though the line is huge, the staff still take their time to make you feel welcomed to their establishment and city!

This place does accept credit cards, despite the description. The line is long. Its inside the food terminal, so at least there's air conditioning. The sandwich itself, the bread is very nice- not too hard, but not too soft. Just right. The meat was a bit bland, felt like I needed salt and pepper. I got just cheesesteak with provolone and onions.

Don't waste your time if there is a long line. My cheesesteak was ok but overpriced at $11+. Service was rushed and disorganized. "The line is over there now over here.... don't wait over there". Staff was a mix of nice and rude.... I kind of felt I was being waited on by a nicer "soup nazi". It usually doesn't happen but i fell for this tourist trap because of the long line.

Great cheesesteak while in Philly. Inside the terminal market. Definitely recommend.

This was my first time in Philadelphia and I had to have a “World Famous Cheese steak” at the same place President Barack Obama ate.Being from Seattle, Phillies Cheese Stake on Madison was the standard, and I must say.... They still are the best to me.Carmen’s was great! The taste was good, I had both chicken and steak, but it lacked the Pop I was hoping for!I will be back to try again!!

Awesome American cheese steak! Good portion size. Half American cheese steak shown.

-1 star for the incredibly long lines (1 hr during lunch). -1 star for the rude cashier (very pushy) and slow staff. Otherwise the Franklin Philly cheese steak sandwich was awesome.

I been here a couple or more times ,, however I won't be back ... I ordered the "The Classic Cheesesteak" menu price $10.50 on the board .. which has onion mushroom, peppers hot or sweet ....I asked for sweet peppers and ketchup ,, charged me $12.25 .. do the math when you add tax 7% is around $11.15 .... so i get no receipt so the hidden charge is a hidden charge ,,, a buck is meaningless to me but you won't see any more business from me ... The cheese steak wasn't bad ,, but real messy to eat ,, but not worth the value even if charged not the overcharge ... I will go to "By George" , a better value that is more of a cheesesteak or Spataro ...

I guess all Philly cheesesteaks are good... when it's from Philadelphia. Legit!... I could no longer taste the difference from one store to another.

Always fabulous. Much prefer this place to Genos

Absolutely delicious sandwich. I came here for a true cheese steak and they delivered. Their pickled peppers were fantastic and added a depth of flavor that was highly desirable.Come early because there will be other hungry folks in front of you. I would suggest going to the back of the market, get a beer, then wait in line. You will not regret it.

Great cheeses steaks and the staff are out of this world friendly. They take just enough time to make you feel welcome and not like just another customer. The lines are long, but there's a good reason for it. Looking forward to my next visit.

Five stars if the bread was better. Otherwise excellent.

Stopped in while visiting Philadelphia, I really enjoyed the atmosphere aswell and the cheese steak if I'm in the area again I will definitely stop by again.

Super awesome staff and super tasty chicken cheesesteak. So tender and so delicious. Tip for locals: Call in your order so you do not waste 30-50 minutes waiting in line (literally). Tip for everyone: The French fries are mediocre at best. Save the near $4 and the calories for something you truly love. I got the fires and ate some, but they were very lame (and soggy) and just got in the way of my stomach digesting the delicious steak sandwich. 4 stars and not 5 only because of the long and slow line and the subpar fries. That aside, I rarely eat products that have gluten in them anymore, but I am already looking forward to my next sandwich from Carmen’s. They are that delicious.

Great Cheesesteaks! Maybe not as good as Jim's or Pat's by a very small margin, but the best cheesesteak you'll find around center City for sure! Plenty of room in the Reading Terminal Market to sit down and eat as well (as long as you don't mind large crowds, the market can get very busy around lunch time). You get a playing card instead of a number for your order and the staff are always nice and polite. Overall it's a laid-back and quick experience if you're looking for a good sandwich for lunch and are in the Center City area......#cheesesteaks #hoagies #phillycheesesteak #sandwiches #philly #readingterminalmarket

Vegan Philly cheesesteak was just O.K. 3-star