DUNEDIN, Fla. — Tampa might be famous for its Cuban sandwich, but Philadelphia has the cheesesteak. There might not be a better place to get a real-deal Philly cheesesteak in Tampa Bay than at Delco’s in Dunedin.
Cindi Bowers and Ed Crowley brought that taste of Philadelphia to Tampa Bay.
“We ship everything in from Philly: the meats, the rolls,” Crowley said.
“It comes on the freight truck three times a week,” Bowers added. “We use the ribeye steak and Amorosa Rolls. Everything is pretty much from Philly that you get on the cheesesteak.”
A trip to Delco’s is like a sports-themed trip back to Philly. The walls are lined with sports memorabilia from the Phillies, Flyers, 76ers, and of course, Eagles.
Bowers favorite Eagles’ item is the framed photo of the “Philly Special,” the game-winning play in the Eagles win in Super Bowl LII.
“When they won the Super Bowl. Over there,” she said. “When they beat New England. And Tom Brady.”
But with everything on the line this Sunday between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Eagles in the Wild Card game, don’t think for a second that this Philly connection hurts business.
“I know, I can’t believe it,” Bucs’ fan Dennis Briggs said. “I should go, but we love the owners. For one week I’m not going to like them.”
“As the week goes on, everyone will start showing up in their Eagles gear,” Crowley said. “Then you’ll get the people showing up in the Bucs gear trying to get that little back-and-forth going.
Bowers and Crowley have lived in Tampa Bay for 23 years. First and foremost, they are football fans and now Bucs’ season ticket holders.
“We’re junkies. We go to all the games, so we have a fondness for the local teams,” Crowley said. “So this game means we win no matter what happens. Either our hometown team from Philadelphia or our new hometown team wins.”
