Ziggy’s Cheesesteaks

it’s not there anymore it’s closed

Stopped by Ziggy’s for lunch today to find out that they are NOW OUT OF BUSINESS !!! They opened in October 2010 so it was a surprise to me since they were in business for a while. I thought their cheese steakes were decent. Joey’s in Southgate is one of my favorite cheesesteak places but I don’t get out to that side of town that often.

Was really excited about trying this place out. I never see cheesesteak sandwiches around here done in true Philly style. So I went there only to find that they are no longer in business. There is a bbq joint coming soon in this location. I really could of gone for a cheesesteak:(

It wasn’t bad. I’m a picky eater and a harsh critic of food so I may be under estimating how good it really is. I do like that they cook everything to order! That was a plus! I must say that the fries were absolute perfection!
I do wish that the cheese was on top… I got regular cheese cause I don’t like cheese whiz.

I came in here a couple times a year or three ago and was really impressed with their Philly-​style cheesesteak. The #2 «Whiz Wit» (for those who understand cheesesteak vernacular) was easily the best Philly-​style cheesesteak I’d eaten outside of the greater Philadelphia area. All the ingredients were authentic, no detail spared, right down to the perfect Philly hoagie roll. Moist, juicy, flavorful, delicious. The guys physically making the sandwiches didn’t seem to understand the lore of the almighty cheesesteak (don’t think I didn’t try to chat them up about it), but the sandwiches they were making sure tasted like they did.
I stopped back in recently and was really unimpressed. I ordered a #1 «Provolone Wit» and it was okay but a 2-​star item at best. The roll seemed a little dry/​stale and the meat was either cooked too long or not juicy enough in the first place (and not adequately chopped and mixed up with the cheese).
I’m hoping they just had a bad day but if I give these guys another shot and the experience is closer to the recent experience than the early experiences, I definitely won’t be back.

Ziggys! What happened to you! I’ve been coming here every couple months for a couple years now… but the last two times (today and in September) I have been really disappointed! Your food is soooo different then what it used to be… the cheeze wiz — ew. What happened to the other stuff??? It was SOOOO much better! The bread — yuk. The other break was sooo good I could eat it plain! The meat is dry and everything is just so different! I understand you probably wanted to cut costs but I’m sure your going to loose more customers then just me because of your cheap nasty food choices, then eventually have to close! You should have just increased the prices! YES, I would have paid more to have the same value of food to eat! I used to tell all my family (we’re eastsiders) they HAD to go to Southfield to try Ziggys, but now I hope they dont waste a trip and blame the bad food on me!
Sorry Ziggys! Wish you wouldn’t have compromised your food for more profit in your pocket! You’re going to loose more in the long run. Sorry to say I won’t be back again.

Im like a cheese steak fanatic. Ive driven to that spot in Southgate even. Forget the name offhand (ok — looked it up, Joeys, surprisingly, they were just ok). Most philly cheese steaks and spots arent very good. I really wanted to like this place since I live close by. First time I went whn they first opened I vowed never again. Decided on a second visit over a year plus later but its still the same. No more. It seems authentic but is not. Owners not from Philly. The meat looks great whn u see it cooked, but is bland whn served. The bread is not as good as I hoped. The cheese wiz is bland, cold, and not the tasty cheeze wiz I know. The onions arent diced fine enough. Skimpy on the meat since it doesnt fill the bun.
Some might like this but you cant fool me. I will stick to Leftys. Gabriels is good but too far. Both are not perfectly authentic but both are damn good steak and cheese sandwich spots.

Cheesesteaks: yes, Yes, and more yes.
Fries: Yuuuuuuuup.
I don’t know what people have against this place, or perhaps maybe things were different on the day I went, but I had zero problems with getting served in a timely manner, getting my order taken, getting the right order, or any of the other issues I’ve seen noted here… and I was here at peak lunch rush time.

They need to get a better system of taking orders. As I waited for my food I watched the next 5 customers order and wait, and each person was asked later if their order was for here or to go, and if they had ordered fries! The receipt shows dine in so I am not sure what the issue is. The place was not busy and orders were coming out very uneven and slow.

Just waited 33 minutes and payed $ 22 for two sandwiches and a burnt fry.
Food tastes like rancid oil and the sandwich is all bread. Nothing like a philli. More like nasty on wonder bun.
The kid behind the counter and the guy taking orders aren’t even communicating. This place is a DISASTER. Do not go!!!

Ordered a combo with drink and fries. Staff was friendly and efficient. This is a good philly cheese steak fast food place.
Unfortunately some of the details seem to be missed. I ordered take out today and two of the fountain drink options were out of order, one of the napkin dispensers was empty and there were no to go condiments anywhere to be seen.

One of the best cheese steaks I’ve ever had. Good service, I think it’s family owed. The staff is always super nice and helpful. I’ve ate there 3 or 4 times and have always been treated well and received good food.

All bread. Overpriced. If you have only one cashier they should speak english. My last review was three stars but I went back yesterday and their credit card machine didnt work, I had a fifteen minute wait because our ticket didnt print. Whats funny is the cook is standing directly behind the cashier but he didnt make our food because the ticket didnt print. I wont go here again.

Not prepared for lunch rush– took 30 min to get a sandwich at noon on a Friday. Would not recommend unless you have time to waste. The sandwich was pretty good though and the people are friendly.

I was hoping for a good experience similar to my fav out in San Diego, Gaglione Bros. Waah, waah, waah. No such luck. I ordered the chicken cheesesteak with green peppers and onions combo with onion rings. Dine in please. I’ll get back to the food in a minute.
The dining room was in decent shape. I’d like to see a condiment table where I can get hot peppers, mayo, etc. All of the condiments are either handed out from behind the counter or on the tables. Nothing for take out folks or if you prefer not to bother the busy staff. Oh and napkins. Why are they so hard to find? 2 tables didn’t have any in their dispensers and the ones at the counter and the pop station were empty. And it looked like that was intentional.
Okay, so I get my order in a bag not on a tray. I saw this happen to the 3 before me too. They were nice enough to take it out and put it on the tray. I imagine after doing this a few times it adds up to a bunch of waste. Maybe fix this. I’m not basing my review on these items btw.
Alright, the food. Yuck. The chicken tastes mealy. Like old mealy cooked chicken. The peppers were over powering and didn’t seem to be cooked well with the onions. Way too much bread. It was soft, which I like, but huge.
I really wanted this to be better and I think they can be.

I’m sure if this place was a food truck or in a refurbished 1920’s barbershop and the food was served by a guy with a curly mustache, all the foodies and hipsters would talk about how amazing this place is.
Listen, it’s a small fast serve restaurant in a strip mall bringing the taste of Philly to metro Detroit. It is what it is. It beats the heck out of Tubbys/​Subway/​Quiznos any day.
I got the classic with onions and cheese whiz and it was a good sandwich. It wasn’t the best thing I ever ate, it won’t be on Food Network, but it was a nice $ 10 lunch.
If you check in on Unilocal or Foursquare, you can get $ 1 off or a free pop.
Will I go back? Absolutely.

Not gonna lie — I have been to both Pat’s & Geno’s in South Philly (both on the same night), and if this place was anywhere near there it would not get 4-​stars from me. But let’s be real — not many places in the «D» really set out to make their version of the Philly Cheese-​steak — so I still give these guys kudos for having a dedicated spot just for The Almighty Cheese-​steak.
Let’s start with the «good.» I got their 9-​inch #2 South Philly, the way I like it wit grilled onions and Whiz (Cheese Whiz) on a white Italian hoagie roll. They offer wheat but you don’t wanna do that on your first visit. The sliced rib-​eye was tasty, not heavenly. Not overly greasy like in Philly but I suppose that’s intentional if they want repeat customers and not just one-​hit wonder touristy eaters. Also, there is a supple amount of meat but not loaded in there like in Philly. The amount of cheese was a little lacking — I believe in favor of keeping the sandwich dry to the touch and not too messy to eat. They don’t mind that in Philly. The meat had a few fatty pieces that most would spit, but I swallowed. The fries with Whiz are awesome — they make a great fry here. The meat, Whiz, grilled onions all mesh well to form that trifecta — producing just the minimum amount of cheese-​steak juiciness the wax paper can catch.
The «bad» is simply that nothing about the cheese-​steak really stands out here. It’s a good cheese-​steak but only one that Will Smith or Rocky balboa would scoff at. Then again, they don’t have to settle for a Southfield cheese-​steak so who cares?
The «ugly» is that the place has a real corporate feel inside. In one way it’s nice because it is very clean, unlike any urban sandwich shop. And I am sure that’s what keeps them having loyal lunch traffic. But the seating inside is kind of awkward and uncomfortable — it is obvious they are presenting it as an ideal take-​out joint. Very minimalistic décor and corporate vibe inside. I mean the framed pictured of downtown Philadelphia is not only cliché but you can practically see the JCPenney tag hanging from it. Stock photo on the frame is Philly?! Score!
Overall — I give this place a generous 4-​stars because I am a cheese-​steak sandwich lover and to have a place dedicated to it like this in the D and follow some basic «authentic» guidelines on making it is very much appreciated. I don’t pass through Southfield while starving often — but when I do I will think of Ziggy’s! Also the pricing is very fair. Hungry? Expect to pay around $ 8 give or take. Starving? Maybe $ 10’ish. I recommend you at least try this place.

Update… I am so glad this place closed… the food was so bad, just knowing they were still open when I passed by was a problem.
For a place like this, you want good, fast service with a decent quality of food. The staff is friendly, but the steak taste old and lacks flavor. I could not eat more than three bites of my sandwich. the first bite was my first experience. The second bite was to confirm how bad the first bite was. The third bite was out of disbelief that this sandwich was that bad. Ziggy’s has the cheese but the steak is the worst. If you want a cheese sandwich they can help you out.

Felt super corporate. The walls had minimal décor and it felt like a place to carry out from– definitely not dine in.
I stopped in here for a solo lunch and it was quiet which was nice– especially if you are looking for a quiet uninterrupted lunch. Not sure if they had WIFI– I am thinking not because I was using 3G.
The good:
I wasn’t worried about cleanliness.
The food came out hot and in a timely fashion.
THE FRIES! Favorite part of the meal. I would come back just for these.
The bad:
I ordered the original cheesteak and it was bland. The cheese was at the bottom and the amount of onions in my sandwich was enormous. Half of them fell on the floor while i was eating on accident… (My bad…)
I tried to save the sandwich with mustard and franks. Nothing made it better. The steak was chewy and a few times I had to spit the fatty pieces out.
It just didn’t feel very authentic… I think this place has potential but I’m not sure I’ll keep it in the mix for my lunch places.
A sidenote: They kept advertising that they use Cheez Wiz cheese. Isn’t that they spray can cheese? I debated ordering that but it just sounded disgusting… I don’t think an original Philly resident would use Cheez Wiz.

Out running west side errands & was craving protein !, and have heard ‘Stoney’ on 97.1 give it some Phillie Love
It was very good!
Joeys down in Southgate is the areas most authentic though