East Coast Subs in Salt Lake City: How a New Jersey Kid Brought Real Philly Cheesesteaks to Utah at Beast From The East

The smell hits you first—shaved ribeye sizzling on the flattop, onions going translucent in their own sweetness, Cheez Whiz melting into something that shouldn't work but absolutely does. This isn't another Utah sandwich shop trying to approximate what they think an East Coast sub should taste like. At Beast From The East Sandwichery, Kris Davis is cooking the exact sandwiches he grew up eating in Collingswood, New Jersey, just across the river from Philadelphia. As one customer put it after trying the JD Philly Cheesesteak, "I drove here to try it out based on previous reviews. I'm stuffed and glad I did." That's the thing about authentic East Coast subs in Salt Lake City—when you finally find the real deal, you know it immediately.

From South Jersey Pine Barrens to Utah's Mountains: The Journey of "The Beast"

At 16, Kris Davis was absolutely certain about one thing: he wanted nothing to do with restaurants. He'd worked as a host at a chain restaurant in New Jersey and declared the food industry dead to him. Funny how life works. After that teenage declaration, something shifted when he found himself in a fine-dining kitchen where precision mattered, where technique wasn't optional, where the rigid structure and over-the-top customer service standards actually made sense. He fell hard for it.

But here's the thing—when you grow up in Collingswood, New Jersey, surrounded by the Pine Barrens where the legendary Jersey Devil supposedly lurks in the mist, you don't just leave that behind. His Italian grandmother was teaching him how to make proper meatball subs and chicken parm before he could see over the counter. Those recipes, passed down through generations, were tattooed on his taste memory. After years in upscale Jersey restaurants, Kris took off to explore Ecuador and the West Coast before landing in Utah. Geography changed. The craving for real East Coast sandwiches didn't.

When Kris and his wife Megan were dating, he made her a Philly cheesesteak. She'd had plenty of what Utah calls cheesesteaks—loaded with bell peppers, drowning in marinara, unrecognizable. What Kris put in front of her was revelation: bread, shaved ribeye, cheese, grilled onions. That's it. Five ingredients. "Everybody tries to overthink stuff," Megan explained. "He's, like, 'it's simple.'" On a long drive, Kris woke up from a nap and announced to Megan that he'd one day own a place called "Beast From The East Sandwichery"—a tribute to the Jersey Devil, that mythical creature from the Pinelands of his childhood. Since he was 16, he'd dreamed of opening a sandwich shop. In November 2025, that dream materialized at 1702 S. Main Street in Salt Lake City.

The Real Deal: What Makes These East Coast Subs Different

Walk into Beast From The East's new location—painted dark to evoke that East Coast aesthetic, long and narrow like a neighborhood spot you'd find in Philly or Jersey—and you'll notice Philadelphia Eagles paraphernalia covering the walls. The space previously housed Loco Burger, but the Davises painted over those bright yellow walls with something that screams "East Coast" the moment you walk through the door. It connects to Manny's bar next door, where you can grab one of Kris's sandwiches alongside a cold beer if that's your vibe.

The menu here isn't trying to impress anyone with creativity. It's executing classics the way they're supposed to be executed. The JD Philly Cheesesteak ($10.25 half, $16.50 full) is the bread-and-butter, featuring thinly shaved ribeye chopped and seared on the flattop, tossed with grilled onions, your choice of cheese (Whiz, American, or provolone—though locals will tell you Whiz is the only correct answer). As Ted Scheffler from Utah Stories put it, these sandwiches come in two sizes and "I can barely get through a half-size sandwich from the Beast since they are stuffed to the gills." A City Weekly reviewer noted that it's "as good as any cheesesteak I've had in Utah and better than some I've eaten in Philadelphia."

But Kris's Jersey roots run deeper than just Philly cheesesteaks. The Camden Chopped Cheese ($9.50 half, $15.75 full) brings that specific New York/New Jersey deli magic: seared ground beef chopped up on the flattop with caramelized onions and American cheese, dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo. One reviewer called it "probably one of the better sandwiches I've ever had. Every bite was delicious and flavorful." Another customer couldn't contain their enthusiasm: "These subs are wild, in the best way! So much flavor."

The cold subs follow the same no-nonsense philosophy. The Godfather ($10.25 half, $16.50 full) packs the classic Italian deli lineup—Genoa salami, ham, capicola, pepperoni—with provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, seasoning, vinegar, and olive oil. It's so loaded that the bread barely contains everything inside. "It's perfect for anyone looking for an old-world deli experience," according to City Weekly's review. The sandwich earned recognition as the "don" of the cold sandwich menu, which feels appropriate given the name.

Local Sourcing, East Coast Standards

Kris isn't just recreating the sandwiches—he's sourcing ingredients the way a serious East Coast shop would. He gets his sausages from Gerome's Market, a local spot with generational roots in Philadelphia. There's a farm up the road growing some of his produce. Sharp provolone, broccoli rabe, capicola—these aren't ingredients you compromise on when you're trying to nail authentic hoagies and subs. "This isn't your normal bar food," Kris explained. "We use fresh ingredients from local vendors. That's the caliber we're going for."

The attention shows up in less obvious places too. The Sports Fries come dusted with Old Bay Seasoning—that distinctly Mid-Atlantic spice blend that tastes like summer on the Chesapeake. The cherry pepper mayo on the Subway Screamer (a turkey sub loaded with roasted turkey breast, red onion, American cheese, pickles, and fresh cilantro) is so good that customers keep suggesting Kris bottle and sell it. The Legend ($16 full, $10 half), a chicken parmesan sandwich with parmesan-crusted chicken breast, mozzarella, and house marinara, carries the ghost of his nonna's recipe—simple but executed flawlessly.

South Salt Lake's Answer to East Coast Hunger

Beast From The East now anchors the corner of 1700 South and Main Street in South Salt Lake, a permanent home after starting out inside Cruzrs Saloon in Holladay. That original location was 21-and-over only since it operated within a bar, which meant families couldn't get their hands on these sandwiches. The new spot fixes that—it's all-ages during the day, with a connection to Manny's next door for anyone who wants the biker-bar vibe with their sub.

The Davis family (including Kris's parents, who now live in Murray) runs the operation with that fine-dining discipline Kris learned in New Jersey. Fast service, generous portions, simple flavors done right. They've built a cult following through social media and a clever marketing move—hiding "Beast Bucks" throughout Salt Lake County that entitle finders to free subs. Kris has become something of a local celebrity, known on Instagram as "The Beast."

The restaurant scene in Salt Lake has expanded dramatically over the past decade, with more authentic regional cuisines finding homes along the Wasatch Front. But East Coast sandwich culture remained underrepresented until Beast From The East opened. Jersey Mike's and Capriotti's offer corporate approximations. Moochie's has its own loyal following. But Kris is bringing something different—the sandwiches of his childhood, the recipes his grandmother taught him, the five-ingredient cheesesteak that Megan fell in love with on their early dates.

Planning Your Visit to Beast From The East Sandwichery

Address: 1702 S. Main Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84115

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-10pm, Sunday 12pm-9pm, closed Mondays

What to Order: Start with the JD Philly Cheesesteak with Whiz and grilled onions—it's the signature for a reason. If you're hungry, the half sandwich ($10.25) is already substantial. Add Sports Fries for the full experience. For cold sub fans, The Godfather delivers that Italian deli experience. Adventurous eaters should try the Camden Chopped Cheese or anything with broccoli rabe.

Insider tip: The restaurant is still settling into its new location and currently running a shorter lunch menu all day. They make food until they sell out, so earlier visits guarantee more menu availability. The space connects to Manny's bar next door, giving you the option for that bar atmosphere if you want it, but the main sandwich shop is family-friendly.

Parking: Street parking along Main Street and the surrounding neighborhood. The spot is easy to find on the corner—look for the dark exterior that replaced Loco Burger's bright colors.

Follow: @beastfromtheeast_subs on Instagram for menu updates, special promotions, and the occasional Beast Buck treasure hunt

Why This Place Matters to Utah's Food Scene

There's a specific homesickness that comes with missing the food you grew up with. For East Coast transplants scattered across Utah—and there are plenty, especially in the tech corridors—finding a proper cheesesteak or Italian hoagie has been a multi-year scavenger hunt with disappointing results. Kris Davis gets it because he lived it. When you grow up eating sandwiches a certain way, anything less than authentic just makes you miss home more.

Beast From The East isn't trying to reinvent East Coast subs for Utah palates. It's cooking them exactly as they're made in South Jersey and Philadelphia, with the ingredients that matter, in the proportions that work, without the bell peppers and marinara that somehow became standard in Western interpretations. One reviewer who clearly knows their East Coast sandwiches said it best: "Beast from the east Sandwichery is the real deal, no bones about it. You absolutely can not get a better cheesesteak in several days drive in any direction."

That's the standard Kris is holding himself to—not just better than Utah's other options, but legitimate enough to compete with the sandwich shops back East. It's working. The lunch rushes pack the place. City Weekly ranked it just south of Moochie's in their cheesesteak rankings. Local food writers keep coming back. And most importantly, people who know what these sandwiches are supposed to taste like are saying it's legit.

In a food scene that's increasingly sophisticated and diverse, Beast From The East fills a specific gap: authentic, no-frills, East Coast sandwich culture executed by someone who learned it from his Italian grandmother in New Jersey. No overthinking. No fusion experiments. Just shaved ribeye, Cheez Whiz, grilled onions, and a proper roll. Sometimes simple is exactly what you need.