New Kansas City-area restaurant serving cheesesteaks opens: ‘The real deal’
Less than a mile over the Kansas-Missouri border, thin strips of steak sizzle on a grill.
At 3920 Rainbow Blvd., across from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, the smells of onions and beef fill the air. A Vietnamese restaurant and boba tea shop has been replaced with a new fast food chain — this one serving Philly cheesesteaks, burgers, and meatball Parms.
Famous Philly Cheesesteak opened its first metro location in KCK, throwing open the doors Monday in the former Bambu spot.
Employees at the restaurant told The Star its most popular items are the original Philly (classic cheesesteak with grilled onions and white American cheese for $10.79) and the Reuben (corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut and Thousand Island on marble rye for $15.49).
Other options for Philly cheesesteaks include the mushroom Philly (grilled mushrooms, onions, and white American cheese), buffalo chicken Philly (chopped chicken, onions, franks, ranch and white American cheese) and “the works” Philly (grilled onions, mushrooms, bell peppers and white American cheese).
Burgers include the BBQ bacon cheddar cheeseburger, green chile cheeseburger, and mushroom and Swiss burger.
Cheese curds, battered mushrooms, New York-style cheesecake and chocolate chip cannolis are also available. (Employees noted that the cannolis are made fresh in-house.)
Famous Philly Cheesesteak’s parent company, Taste of Philly, was founded in 1993 in Denver. Sister brand Famous Philly Cheesesteak joined the company in 2019. Several more locations opened up across Colorado before the brand eventually ventured into a few other states (Arizona, Utah and beyond).
Today, Taste of Philly has more than two dozen restaurants between its two brands. The company’s website boasts that its cheesesteaks are “the real deal. If you’re looking for some soggy, bland imitation — keep it moving.”
The KCK spot will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Bambu, meanwhile, opened at least seven years ago, selling banh mi, boba, coffee, mochi and more. It’s been closed for several months.