The 5 Spot

The sandwich was nothing special. Restaurant was kind of dirty. I'm only giving 3 stars because the kid making sandwiches seemed like a decent guy. [Edit in response to owner: I was in town for marathon, so my visit was a few weeks ago. Even though I'm a Boston sports fan, I think it's cool you guys have a satellite hangout for Philly fans. I used to live far from home, too, and it's nice to create a slice of home away from home. I hope my experience was an anomaly. Cheers.]

Unbeknownst to me, I walked in right as they were closing- I didn't want to be rude and was about leave but the owner insisted that I stay and he personally made my girlfriend and I amazing cheese steaks. I've been searching for a good, authentic Philly cheese steak in Maine for a long time and have finally found one! Even in Philly this cheese steak would be considered top notch. Friendly atmosphere, A+ service and A+ Food.

One of the great new lunch spots in town! I will admit, at first I was skeptical of the "cheese whiz" but wow, I've gone 2 days in a row and will definitely continue to frequent the shop. The owners are very personable and knowledgeable. I read a few reviews about portions, not sure what the heck they received because I was extremely full and I can eat a lot of food. Was busy both times I was there, seems like they are doing very well.

TL;DR - It's a home-y place, but the prices are too high for a product that is unfamiliar and doesn't really stand out amongst nearby competitors. Constructive Review: It's a friendly spot, permeating with local atmosphere and energy. The 5 Spot does a very great job with customer interaction and appreciation. The food is decent, but the their star attraction, the cheesesteak, isn't something to write home about. The meat is decently seasoned, but it's unfortunate it is met with drab components that don't really make the sandwich exemplary. I think if they put in more effort using the griddle, buttering and toasting their bread, and switching from cheese whiz to mozzarella, they could create a better sandwich that would be much more appealing to the popular local flavor palate. Unfortunately I believe the classic cheese whiz style of southern cooking is lost among clientele here, as a cheesesteak in New England traditionally is mozzarella. To better the business overall, I believe it would help to do the above-mentioned things, while also considering adding peppers or their delicious coleslaw to the sandwich, not only to drive down the high menu prices, but to impart a lower business cost of production overall. I think a better sandwich and marketing approach could really put The 5 Spot on the map to a bigger clientele, and a known name. Best of luck!