PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

Being a Jersey girl, I am constantly on the lookout for new sandwich shops. When I moved out west, there was a void in my life when I could not find one sandwich shop that lived up to my high standards. Sadly enough, I have since lowered my standards - until I visited McMaster's Steak and Hoagie shop in Isla Vista.

When my friend and I first got there on our lunch break, I noticed that there were barely any people sitting inside and eating so I got a little nervous. However, as soon as I heard the unmistakable Philadelphia accent from the owner, I felt my nervousness subside. Finally, an authentic sandwich shop! We decided to split a Philly cheese steak with mushrooms and peppers and a side of fresh cut fries. While I was waiting for my food, I began to notice that it was in between classes at UCSB and people were coming in and out on their bikes and picking up to-go orders and that they were actually quite busy during the lunch hour.

The shop itself was very clean and had an open kitchen area. The owner/cashier was extremely friendly and efficient. There was also a condiment area with different sweet and spicy peppers, some of which I had never seen before. The sandwich was very good, probably the most authentic Philly cheese steak I've had on the west coast. My only complaint is that they didn't put a lot of meat inside (maybe this is because they use rib-eye, a more expensive cut of meat). When we looked over the menu when we ordered, I noticed there was an option for adding "double meat/double cheese" but I am not too much of a carnivore so I assumed we would have plenty. The French fries were also good and very fresh – think In-n-Out, but a little thicker.

After passing our taste test and proving worthy, my friend and I were still hungry after only eating a half so we ordered seconds! This time around, we tried just the cheese steak with mushrooms and no sauce. This one was just as good and with less veggies and a little more meat. Altogether, I was pretty impressed with this place. My recommendation for others who stop by McMasters is to definitely order a whole one to yourself and if you are a big eater, get the double meat/double cheese.