I'm from California and was in Pittsburgh for less than 24 hours to meet some people. If I can't go to Philly might as well settle for something in Pittsburgh! Please see my attached photos. I bought 2 Philly Cheese steaks and they were AMAZING! I don't know what kind of fries he uses but they were fantastic. I ate half of one and took the remainder back on the plane with me....IN MY CARRY ON!!! The staff was friendly as well.
Bad neighborhood? I don't think so, come to they Bay Area and I can show you bad neighborhoods. It was safe enough for me, a Central Asian, to go in, have my order freshly prepared and leave my uninsured rental car outside.
FYI: The place is closed Friday 1-2:30pm (or was it 2:15, I can't remember).