Will this popular cheesesteak spot’s new Center City location be a hit? You be the judge.
This new Shay's location, operated by a hospitality company, will keep late hours as it expands its offerings beyond cheesesteaks with a breakfast sandwich, a cheesesteak egg roll, and other items.
Shay’s Steaks, a prominent new Philadelphia cheesesteak shop, has opened its second location in Center City.
Although this Shay’s, like the original, is also offering “elevated” sandwiches with cuts of filet mignon and prime rib, its calling card is a breakfast sandwich called the Shaygel, which piles chopped rib-eye, Cooper Sharp cheese, and scrambled egg atop an everything bagel.
The cheesesteak roster includes a classic steak made with prime rib, Cooper Sharp, buttery steakhouse seasoning, and sautéed onions; a “Durkin” (chicken cheesesteak with buffalo sauce and Cooper Sharp); the “Big Ben,” with American Wagyu, black garlic, truffle seasoning, Cooper Sharp, and sautéed onions and peppers; and the “Dreamchaser,” a tribute to Meek Mill made with filet mignon, Cooper Sharp, red garlic jalapeño seasoning, and onions and peppers. A cheesesteak egg roll is offered after 10 p.m.
The new location, replacing a shuttered Bagels & Co. outpost six steps above street level at 1526 Sansom St., is in the middle of a nightlife-heavy area, next to Ladder 13 and Oscar’s Tavern, beneath Pulse, and down the block from Midnight & the Wicked. Accordingly, it’s serving a wider menu and has much longer hours than the original — from early in the morning through dinnertime on weekdays and till 3 a.m. on weekends — hence the name Shay’s Steaks & More.
No Name Hospitality Group — which owns the Old City restaurant Frame and its lounge Unframed and is in the process of buying the nearby Revolution House — said it operates this Shay’s under a licensing agreement with founder Jackee DiClaudio.
DiClaudio’s husband, Scott DiClaudio, a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge, recently was accused by the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board of violating the Code of Judicial Conduct for what it said was abusing “the prestige of the judicial office” for personal gain and allowing the cheesesteak shop — which opened in February 2024 at 16th and Race Streets — to interfere with his judicial obligations.
Shay’s, named after the judge’s late mother, Sylvia “Shay” Di Claudio, is included on The Inquirer’s list of great cheesesteaks. Critic Craig LaBan found the one made with N.Y. strip to have “a noticeably fat-marbled savor and enough bite in its texture to give the rest of the sandwich a measured bounce that propels the other flavors.”
Jackee DiClaudio was not available for comment, but Scott DiClaudio expressed pride that she and the shop “have accomplished so much in a short time.” He said she cried with joy when No Name owner Wayne Shulick approached her with the idea of licensing the name.
This summer, No Name also plans to open what it calls an “old-school” diner with similarly long hours in the building’s basement, where the nightspot Chika was before it closed in March during the collapse of the Glu Hospitality empire.
Besides cheesesteaks and the Shaygel, which is unique to this location, the new Shay’s serves other breakfast sandwiches, cold-pressed juices, salads, wraps, shakes, and fries and onion rings.
Shay’s Steaks & More, 1526 Sansom St., second level. Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.