'We're cash only!' — Jim's Steaks is back in business on South Street, with expanded space and hours

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Jim’s Steaks , a popular cheesesteak shop on South Street, has reopened nearly two years after a devastating fire .

At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, more than 100 eager patrons were lined up outside. They had been there for hours. Then — a snip of scissors, a round of applause, and … “Come on, folks. We’re open!” The ceremonial ribbon was cut, and the door was opened.

“We’re cash only!” a worker yelled out.

And just like that, Jim's Steaks rose from the ashes of the 2022 fire that gutted the 50-year-old business and Isaiah Zagar's Eyes Gallery next door.

Many customers said they missed the sandwiches. Stephen Roselli of Plymouth Meeting was first in line and the first to finish his steak sandwich, whiz wit’.

Marianne Squilla Ciotti from Bella Vista knew what she wanted — she just didn’t know what it was called.

“I’m going to get a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and some gravy — gravy. I call it gravy. Not sauce — gravy,” she said, referring to one of the main ingredients of a pizza steak. “Red. Yeah, gravy. Italian, South Philly gravy.”

Squilla Ciotti said she is hopeful that the re-opening of Jim’s will increase foot traffic to the entire South Street business corridor.

“It’s great for the neighborhood. We have so many closed businesses. We don’t want it to go that way. We want to see the street revitalized.”

Ken Silver, the owner of Jim’s Steaks, says there was an overwhelming groundswell of support after the fire.

“From the street, to the neighborhood, the fellow cheesesteak owners, and everybody was very supportive and couldn’t wait for us to get back open,” he said.

Silver bought neighboring Eyes Gallery to expand seating space. Now, the two sites are merged in a blend of black-and-white tile, colorful mosaic, and the iconic fragrance of steak and onions.

“We were about 2,000 square feet total, and we added another 2,000 square feet — so, we literally doubled in size,” Silver said.

That’s not all that expanded. The prices have gone up a little, and the hours have been extended. Steak sandwiches cost $11.99, and cheesesteak sandwiches are $13.49. And Jim’s is now open until 1 a.m. overnight Sunday through overnight Thursday and 3 a.m. overnight Friday and Saturday.

“We are going to bring late night dining back to Philadelphia.”