Ralph's of Philly

The boys are back in town. And, if the Sports Illustrated cover isn’t a jinx, it is going to be a great season for the Phillies. 

Our family loves the team, and for opening weekend, we ordered a ton of take-out to eat in front of the television as we welcomed Cliff Lee back into the fold. 

The Fightin’ Phils play in South Philly, but we didn’t have to go downtown to eat like we were there. Willow Grove has Ralph’s of Philly, which, according to the menu, is, “A Taste of South Philly in Willow Grove.” 

The building does have a downtown feel, despite it being on York Road. The walk-up to order window is flanked by stools and a three-bay area for cars. The night of the game we picked the food up, but we have had the food delivered, for a $1 up charge, on other occasions. The driver was prompt and courteous. 

To start our Phillies feast, we ordered a traditional pizza, which was available in small, medium, large and monster sizes. To do it right, we simply had to have the monster ($12.95).  It was 20 inches in diameter; nearly the size of Citizens Bank Park!  It barely fit flat on my lap in the front seat on the way home. The crust was thin with Italian herb-spiked tomato sauce and a scant layer of bubbly cheese, pleasantly burnt towards the crust. This pizza was a hit with the kids, who ate multiple pieces each.

We also ordered some wings (12 for $7.25), and were given the choice between mild, hot and barbecue. If you choose hot, like we did, you’ll find that they aren’t kidding. “Hot” was truly hot! The accompanying floppy celery had seen better days, but the wings were crispy and served with a generous to-go cup of tangy blue cheese dressing for dipping. 

The menu gave homage to the suburbs by naming the hoagies after surrounding areas. The Abington ($6.25) was prosciutto, roasted red peppers and shredded parmesan cheese served on a crusty sesame seed roll. The meat was earthy and toothsome, but the undressed sandwich needed mayonnaise. 

The Glenside hoagie ($6.25) was, conversely, pleasantly sodden with pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and coleslaw, while the outside of the seeded roll remained crunchy. It was a tasty sandwich.

And how could we order from Ralph’s of Philly without ordering Philadelphia’s signature sandwich, the cheesesteak?! Ralph’s serves its cheesesteak ($5.75) on a soft Italian roll with the cheese mixed in to a half pound of shredded rib eye steak.  They offer Whiz, but I chose American cheese.  This thinly cut, slightly salty steak is more reminiscent of a sandwich you could get at Jim’s Steaks at Fourth and South, rather than the thicker-cut meat versions at Pat’s or Geno’s on Ninth and Passyunk. 

The other quintessential Philadelphia sandwich, roast pork and greens, can be ordered from Ralph’s of Philly with spinach or broccoli rabe ($5.95). We chose the classic bitter broccoli rabe and were not disappointed. The tender pork was spiked with black pepper and red pepper flakes , and the juices dripped enticingly into the long roll.   

To accompany the sandwiches, we ordered Ralph’s Famous Fries ($2.50). They were served with tomato sauce and cheese on top, which gave them the exact flavor of mozzarella sticks. Unfortunately, they were soggy by the time we reached home.

After several unsuccessful attempts to get some background information, confirming Ralph’s of Philly’s connection to the South Philly neighborhood proved to be as elusive as Eagles season tickets. 

On one visit, I did discover that this is the restaurant's only location.  It's not affiliated with the famous Ralph’s Italian Restaurant in South Philly, the one that has been in business for 100 years, and that Frank Sinatra crooned was one of his favorites.

Even if this pizza and steak joint doesn’t have roots that go back to Packer Avenue, I understand that the phrase “of Philly” gives it a certain traditional, if misleading, connotation. 

I have suburban roots, and am proud of it. Ralph’s should be, too. A good pork and greens sandwich is still a good pork and greens sandwich, no matter where it is from.  Even if it were from a place called Ralph’s of Willow Grove.

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Ralph’s of Philly receives 2 out of 5 Whisks for making Philadelphia classics available on the north end of Broad Street.

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Second Helping of Information:

Location – 318 York Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090

Hours – Monday through Thursday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Phone – 215-659-7760

Reservations – Take out or delivery, or grab a stool out front