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CHEESESTEAK WARS: Skinny Joey Merlino Says He’ll Never Step Foot in Angelo’s, Takes Shots at Owner Danny DiGiampietro

By Kyle Pagan

Published: May 22nd, 2025 · 4:32 PM EDT

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Victor Fiorillo at Philly Mag did an interview with Skinny Joey Merlino. They talked about everything from Joey’s days in the Philly mob, his betting convictions and murder acquittals, and of course his new cheesesteak place – which he claims is the best in the city. This prompted Fiorillo to follow up and ask Merlino about Angelo’s, which many obviously think is the gold standard in the city. Merlino wasn’t shy:

What is the second-best cheesesteak in Philly? The current viral sensation is Angelo’s. What’s your review?

I’ve never been to Angelo’s. And I’m never setting foot in Angelo’s. [At this point, Merlino goes into a long and winding and profanity-filled tirade about Angelo’s owner Danny DiGiampietro that, for the sake of length and out of legal concerns, we’ll leave between the two of them.]

First off, you have to publish the answer! What the hell kind of journalism is this? You’re in the content business! It’s all about eyeballs! Do we have to FOIA the recordings? What could Merlino possibly have said that would result in legal concerns? If Skinny Joey doesn’t mind saying it on a recorded line, then who cares, right? Listen to the dude’s podcast one time and you know he doesn’t give a shit about what people think. The people need to know, no, they deserve to know Skinny Joey’s thoughts on Angelo’s. Why doesn’t Joey like him? What did he say that was so inflammatory that it couldn’t be repeated? Did he threaten to harm a hair on Bradley Cooper’s beautiful head? All valid questions I have now that Philly Mag doesn’t want to do journalism. I can’t believe they’re just going to shelve potential Pulitzer-winning stuff.

Man, I love this shit! No one takes shots at anyone anymore in the media. That’s the kind of stuff that built this site into what it is today. We haven’t had good public beef since Josh Innes and Mike Missanelli were competing on the airwaves. RADIO WARS has become stale. Is Cheesesteak Wars the sequel? Are Pat’s and Geno’s going to advance their Cold War? Will Dalessandro’s finally have had enough and firebomb Chubby’s across the street? You want real journalism, check out this very real and very impartial review of Skinny Joey’s: