As any East Coast transplant can attest, a good cheesesteak is hard to find in the Valley.

Enter Corleone’s Philly Steaks (15040 N. Northsight Blvd., Suite 106), a newly opened north Scottsdale eatery, which claims to serve up an authentic taste of the city of brotherly love.

Owned by Giovanni Caranci, who also owns a cheesesteak joint in Philly, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. And Caranci has gotten such a positive response from patrons — Philly transplants and native Arizonans, alike — that a second location is slated to open on Mill Avenue and Sixth Street in Tempe in late October.

Asked what sets his products — including cheesesteaks and hoagies — apart from the competition, Caranci says, bluntly, “Experience. I’ve been doing this my whole life.”

That much is clear to patron Bobby Wallace of Scottsdale, who says Corleone’s is “obviously doing something right.”

“This is the best sandwich I’ve found,” says Wallace, who grew up just outside of Philadelphia. “Most places claim to be Philly-style, but they can’t back it up. I think it’s the meat — (Corleone’s) got the meat right.”
Since relocating to Arizona last year, Caranci says he’s tried other Philly eateries, but claims, with a laugh, “they weren’t even close to the real thing.”

“People come (to Corleone’s) to experience a real Philly sandwich; a real taste of the city.”

Sandwiches — including the chicken steak, Italian chicken, pizza steak and traditional Philly — are priced at $4.99 for a six-inch and $6.99 for a foot-long. Corleone’s also offers a selection of Tastykakes — arguably the best thing to come out of Philly since Rocky Balboa. The Kakes are priced at $1.35 a pop.

And while the Tastykakes certainly draw their fair share of customers, it’s the cheesesteaks that steal the show at this airy, casual eatery.

“Hands down, the best,” says Alison Cordova of Scottsdale. This sentiment is seconded by the restaurant’s giant mural of Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone in the 1972 classic, “The Godfather.” Sandwich in hand, Brando, peering down at diners on this Monday afternoon, says:

“We’ll make you a cheesesteak you can’t refuse.”
And hey, who’s going to argue with The Don?

Corleone’s Philly Steaks
Where: 15040 N. Northsight Blvd., Suite 106, Scottsdale
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday
How much: Sandwiches are $4.99 to $6.99
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