Sonia's Kitchen - San Jose

All brands of a fantastic philly cheese steak: warm, greasy, gooey and stuffed with lots of meat, all too cheap trips.

Who does not love a good cheese steak? Everything in it is melty goodness! I was able to try a local establishment called Sonia's kitchen that has been part of San Jose history for almost forty years, serving since 1981. When the original owner wanted to sell it, Ms. Elpidia Bataclan Barrera was convinced by her Mom to purchase it. Elpidia is over eighty five years old and still shows up to work every day. She was super nice and helpful when I ordered my sandwich. They have four metal tables for outside dining, but I opt to take it home to eat since we are still shelter in place. I ordered the large combo steak sandwich, which included steak, bell peppers, onions and provolone cheese. I also added mushrooms top of everything else. First off, the sandwich was huge! I had to use a can of Coke for size comparisons. I love how toasted the bread was, it makes every bite crunchy. There was plenty of meat in the sandwich. The meat was tender and was perfectly cooked. There was a great balance of flavor, it was perfectly spiced. They have great locations, right next to SJSU off of E William St. And S Eight St. in San Jose, CA. They are opened from 11 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, closed on Saturday and Sunday. It's cash only some come prepared. If you are in downtown SJ and looking a quick meal, this is a great spot. It took only less than ten minutes to make my sandwich.

Been eating here as a kid in the 90s. Place always put a smile on my face. The owners are real sweet and welcoming. I always loved the steak and mushroom sandwich growing up, still do! Highly recommend!

Interesting tidbit, grandparents actually used to own the market across the street (though without any name really). Almost every time we came to visit them in store, we would hop on over to Sonya?s for some steak sandwiches. Beautiful taste every time, I loved them as a wee child. The lady that owned it was also wonderful. It?s been a long while since I?ve been back there, but I hope to take a trip down memory lane.

I got here at early an hour before they opened 10:am. I was waiting out front in parking spot, they opened 30 min early for me. I ordered a family size steak sandwich with provolone half w/onions. The cost was $25 w/tax. It was about 2 feet long they had cut it in half to fit it in the a bag. The bread was so soft fluffy. The steak itself was greasy but great tasting a lil fatty. All in all it's a great spot to get a fast bit to eat thats going to fill you up. I come to Sonia's every time I'm working in the area. A must try if you never have!