Legendary | Worth driving from anywhere
White House Sub Shop
Review by: Michael Stern
A legendary sandwich
You will find excellent sub sandwiches in and around Philadelphia as well as in other locations throughout the Delaware Valley, but once you’ve dined at The White House Sub Shop, everything else is second best.
What should I eat at the White House Sub Shop?
Our favorites from the menu are the fancy white tuna fish sandwich, meatball sandwich, and the classic Philly cheese steak. The signature “White House Special” is a tide of cold cuts — Genoa salami, ham, capicola, and provolone cheese — all tightly packed inside a long loaf, lubricated with olive oil, decorated with lettuce and bits of sweet pepper.
Everything is fresh!
The ingredients are excellent, but submarine connoisseurs know that it’s what’s outside that counts. White House bread, obtained throughout the day from local bakeries, is robust and soulful. It is not nearly as dainty as the loaves used to make po-boys in New Orleans, but is similar to what’s used for Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago.
The sandwich the celebrities love
White House likes to boast of a stellar clientele. Pictures of celebrity customers line the walls, inscribed with praise for the excellence of the cuisine. News clippings tell of the time the astronauts came to eat subs, and how Frank Sinatra once had a bunch of subs shipped from New Jersey to a movie location.
A humble sandwich shop
For all its stardust, the White House sub shop remains a humble Naugahyde-and-neon sandwich shop with a row of booths along the wall and a counter up front. The lighting is harsh, the napkins are paper, and the service is lightning fast: it would be a sin to sell subs any other way.
Directions & Hours
Information
| Price | $ |
| Seasons | All |
| Meals Served | Lunch, Dinner |
| Credit Cards Accepted | No |
| Alcohol Served | No |
| Outdoor Seating | No |
What To Eat
White House Sub Shop Recipes
Discuss
What do you think of White House Sub Shop?
5 Responses to “White House Sub Shop”
Jim Rigotti
July 3rd, 2008
I walked to White House Subs from the Tropicana, which was a nice distance to work up an appetite. I arrived there only to find the line outside the door and down the sidewalk. I enjoyed the 45 minute wait, just hanging out with the other sub lovers. Once inside the door I found you can get the subs for takeout, and you can eat in the park across the street (a great idea to cut down the wait time).
I was told to only get a half of a White House Special (Italian sub) but as I waited in line I thought, when will I next get a chance to try one of these? I made the decision to get a whole. It was at least two feet long and packed with meat and cheese. The best sub I have ever had!!! I was able to eat about 3/4 of it and was full the rest of the day.
I highly recommend the wait for, and the experience of, getting a White House Sub. Bring your own drink: the only available drinks were from a soda machine in the rear of the store.
Danielle Barnabei-Bright
May 12th, 2008
If you’re ever in Atlantic City, I suggest you eat at White House Sub Shop on Arctic Avenue. My family is originally from Jersey and I had never been there. It is such a fantastic place to go, and not only for the food; the atmosphere is key. There’s nothing like watching the guys behind the counter cooking the cheesesteaks and making the hoagies. The walls are covered with pictures of famous actors and singers who have all had the White House Special.
While waiting at the counter for over an hour just to place an order, we sampled top-notch salami and cheeses. I loved watching the guys make the food; they have such a way about presenting the meat and cheese. It is all laid out in fresh bread in a special order. You can tell there is some kind of detailed training involved.
The White House is worth the wait and I would stand in line five hours to eat there and enjoy the photos. It’s a small place with maybe five booths; eat in the street if you have to. Just eat there. It will be worth it.
Cliff Shockley
March 24th, 2008
My first visit ever to White House: we arrived 8:30pm on Easter Saturday. I’d say it was probably a slow night for them. There were two counter seats and two booths open; the line did run the entire length of the restaurant. The waitstaff was very friendly, but the kitchen staff seemed extremely inefficient. I’ve been to plenty of carryout places that are just as busy, if not busier, and they handle it much better.
I ordered a chicken parmesan sub and a turkey sub, both without cheese (as I’m allergic). My friend ordered a cheesesteak. The chicken parmesan was the best I’ve ever had anywhere. The grilled chicken was very tender and cooked thoroughly, and the sauce was flavorful. The turkey was cheap quality, but at least it was very clean/white; I’m very picky about deli turkey and it was good. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh, not bagged at a factory with a chemical taste. The hot peppers were very good; I thought I detected a little cilantro in the peppers. The bread didn’t seem very fresh to me, but perhaps I was expecting too much after the reviews here; it sufficed. I was expecting the bread to be slightly warm, tender inside, with a slight crunch. What I got was very cold and tough.
Now, the negative: the cheesesteak was the worst that my friend has ever had. She has had better at gas station delis; heck, a microwaved Steak-umm would be better. I could tell from the looks that the meat was very poor quality and very tough. The meat had no flavor at all and, to make it worse, there was absolutely no seasoning at all. They could have at least sprinkled some salt and pepper on the meat. If the meat had some flavor then perhaps they wouldn’t want to spoil the meatiness but, considering how bad the steak was, it could have used lots of seasoning.
The waitress seemed annoyed at the stupidity of the kitchen staff. My turkey sub was turkey, no cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, raw onions and hot peppers. First they tried to put fried onions on it (she came over before bringing it to me, incredulous, saying “I’m sure you didn’t want your onions fried”; we both laughed over it; she said she’d set them straight). When the sub came, it was slathered in mayo. I hate mayo, did not order mayo, and the ticket was very clear, nowhere did it say mayo. The waitress was very embarrassed, and was very quick to get me a correct sub.
Overall, considering there is no other place to eat in all of Atlantic City, it is well worth the trip to White House. Stay away from the cheesesteak; I’d say the cold subs are much better. If you want something hot, get the chicken parmesan, chicken cacciatore, or perhaps chicken steak.
S. J. Lieberman
April 19th, 2007
If you want a sub with the most flavorful and freshest ingredients you can imagine, and if you want that sub loaded beyond your imagination, and if you want bread that has been made no more than one hour before your arrival, White House is the place for you.
Beware, there are large lines at meal time and very limited seating. Don’t let the neighborhood or the look of the establishment turn you off. The secret is to order your sandwiches to go. There is a large parking lot around the corner and pick-ups don’t wait in line (too long). The best thing about their “to go” items is that they do not get soggy.
Oh yes, by the way, their steak sandwiches and cheesesteaks are also phenomenal.
Akavar Dylutra
April 5th, 2006
If you crave a good Philly cheesesteak, Whitehouse Subs in Atlantic City makes a great one. This sub shop was started by a highly decorated New Jersey veteran of World War II immediately after he returned from service in late 1946. They have been making great sandwiches ever since.
I arrived just before the noon rush, and had a chance to watch as the staff prepared for lunch. As I was sitting at the counter, a man rang up a large bag of sandwiches he was taking back to his coworkers for lunch. The bill came to over $215.00. Needless to say, Whitehouse Subs does a huge volume of business. There were between six and eight men, working in close quarters, making sandwiches during the entire time I was there. They struck me as sandwich-making craftsmen who took their work seriously, not just men who were making sandwiches because they needed a job.
Whitehouse Subs serves the freshest bread you will find on any sandwich. The bakery is across the street and delivers bread several times a day. Two large bags of bread were delivered at 11:45 AM for the sandwiches to be made that day for lunch. You cannot get any fresher than that. In order to conveniently fit the cheese steak filling on the bread, the sandwich master actually slightly hollows out the roll for the cheese steak. Then they add an appropriate amount of their slowly grilled steak filling. When closed, the sandwich is much easier to eat because some of the bread has been removed.
Rather than the usual Cheese Whiz used in most Philly cheesesteaks, Whitehouse uses a slightly tangy provolone cheese. This cheese is served in a generous portion and is melted over the steak and onions. It pulls slightly as you eat it. I’ve become accustomed to Cheese Whiz in Philly, but found that I much prefer the real cheese at Whitehouse Subs.
I think that onions are an important part of a cheesesteak. They are not a dominant part of the White House steak. The onions are mostly hidden under the cheese, but they do make their contribution to the overall taste. You look at the sandwich and wonder where the onions are, then take a bite and find they are there and hold their own.
Whitehouse Subs makes a great version of the Philly cheese steak. The bread is fresh, the meat is moist, and the cheese really ties the whole sandwich together. Do yourself a favor and get to Atlantic City for one of these great sandwiches.