Beloved eatery Roy's Cheesesteaks in Smyrna has closed for good. The restaurant, located at 2900 Highlands Parkway, just off I-285 at South Cobb Drive, did not explain its closure but did recently update its website to confirm the disappointing news. "ROY'S CHEESESTEAK IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED." All other components of the website i.e. About, Menu and Media are seemingly disabled, with the website now essentially just a splash page with the closure notice.
For those unfamiliar, American Deli got its start at South DeKalb Mall in 1989 and today has several dozen locations across Georgia and more than 100 franchises nationwide. The restaurant serves a wide variety of food, ranging from wings, salads, burgers and Reubens to gyros, fish fillets and even fried rice and Philly cheesesteaks! That said, it's hard to have faith in the quality and authenticity of a restaurant with such a dizzying variety.
Roy Brostrand, the South Jersey native who founded the Philly Connection in the early '80s, opened his namesake eatery in 2007 and quickly grew to have an almost cult-like following. The restaurant by no means had an "in your face" location, but his authentic food and generous portions drew fans from Smyrna and the greater Atlanta area.
While Roy's may have closed, locals still have several options for authentic cheesesteaks in metro Atlanta. Options include Woody's CheeseSteaks in Midtown and Buckhead, The Mad Italian in Chamblee, and Big Dave's Cheesesteaks downtown at the Healey Building on Forsyth Street, among others.
For those wishing to give the Philly at American Deli a shot, they plan to open their new location in October.
Are you sad that Roy's Cheesesteaks has closed? Have you ever been to American Deli? Who in metro Atlanta do think makes the best Philly Cheesesteak?
Please share your thoughts below