Philadephia Basics Meet the Beach at Olde City Grill in Pacific Beach

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The Olde City Grill recently opened doors with the goal to bring a piece of Philadelphia to Pacific Beach.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, the owners, Kenny Casciato, Zach Cotler, and Chris Kelly established themselves in the San Diego restaurant business with the popular Sunset Italian Ice shop in Mission Beach. Their latest venture in the San Diego restaurant scene, Olde City Grill, is an opportunity for the threesome to share their home with San Diego.

Although located on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, Olde City Grill offers a refreshingly unique atmosphere. Instead of the Spanish architectural fad common in San Diego, the walls are lined in brick and accented with metal features. The red and brown color scheme gives the grill an industrial look, softened by comfortable leather booths. The outdoor seating and outward facing bar bring the Grill back to beach-side basics, making the Olde City Grill a perfect spot to grab lunch with good friends in Pacific Beach.

"We wanted to integrate our menu with the California lifestyle," Kenny says, "while still trying to appeal to everyone."

The Olde City Grill menu reflects Kenny's vision. With a widespread range, the menu offers a taste of everything, from Philly cheese steak sandwiches to fresh salads.

The traditional Philly cheese steaks are made with 100% American Kobe beef and are paired with authentic bread imported from Philadelphia three days a week. This triple bypass-causing cheese steak is also topped with pepperoni, Italian sausage, American cheese, cheese "wiz", fried onions, and sautéed mushrooms. And priced at only 7 dollars for a 6 inch sandwich, guests still have lunch money left over for a late afternoon beer.

The menu's universal appeal spans above and beyond cheese steaks. The Olde City Grill serves tuna and turkey hoagies, chicken and veggie cheese steaks, pizzas, and huge healthy salads. And for late-night eaters looking for a good meal after a long night at Pacific Beach Bar and Grill or Moondoggies,the Grill is open until 3am Thursday through Saturday. And trust us--there's no better post-bars grease fix than gravy-topped fries, onion rings and cheese fries.

Italian Ice desserts are also served at the Grill. These fat and cholesterol free treats are made fresh every day at the sister-shop, Sunset Italian Ice, in Mission Beach. And with real fruit and no cream, it's the perfect guilt-free sweet to follow a hearty cheese steak.

The owner entourage Kenny Casciato, Zach Cotler, and Chris Kelly take a hands-on with the Grill. All three specialize in cooking cheese steaks and pizza--and do so with pride.

"We love cheese steaks and pizza and we love to make people happy," says Kenny.