Food Review - Charley's at Kirtland AFB Base Exchange

I was craving a Philly cheesesteak for lunch today. I know that living in the Southwest, finding a "true" cheesesteak is difficult to do but I decided to give my quest a try. I went to Charley's at the Kirtland AFB Base Exchange (B/X). Charley's sells sandwiches in two sizes, regular (8 inch) and large (12 inch). They also sell salads and gourmet fries which are topped with cheese and grilled vegetables. 


For my lunch I tried a regular size Philly cheesesteak deluxe. What does the deluxe give you? It adds onions, grilled peppers, and mushrooms. The cheese on top of the steak was mild provolone, true cheese-steaks are topped with cheese-wiz from a can. The steak was thinly sliced with good flavor and moist. The bread consisted of a white baguette, more of a torpedo than a sub roll. I enjoyed the vegetables as they were still crunchy after being cooked on the flat top. 

Charley's cheese-steak

The sandwich was definitely nowhere near a Pat's or Geno's from Philly, Pat's is still my favorite although people from Philadelphia will argue this point. What makes Pat's so good? It's the use of a full-size freshly made submarine size 12-in bread, layers of freshly sauteed beef and peppers, and of course - cheese-wiz!


The total bill for my regular-size sandwich was $5.19. While it was a decent sandwich, I would recommend the cro-magnum from Baggin's or a french dip from Le Quiche if you are desiring a sliced-beef sandwich.


Rating: 4/10 (good but not great)