Bradley Cooper is proving himself as a “Maestro” of the Philly Cheesesteak in the East Village.
The Oscar-nominated actor and director’s recent leading role has been as a restaurateur and occasional chef at Danny and Coop’s restaurant in the East Village—a joint operated with limited hours announced on the eatery’s Instagram page.
Danny and Coop’s was open again this weekend at 151 Avenue A in Alphabet City, drawing lines of hungry patrons several hundred people long, and stretching around the corner from the restaurant.
Cooper, a famous Philadelphia native, teamed up with Danny DiGiampietro, owner of Angelo’s Pizzeria — a joint in the City of Brotherly Love known for its Philly cheesesteaks. The eatery teased the public with a little pop-up preview last year, Dec. 20 to 22, and has been open on a limited-time basis lately.
This weekend, Cooper returned to the kitchen for an occasional star turn, with fans lining up to catch a glimpse of him in kitchen apron and black gloves.
Matthew Paul Pomykala from Passaic, NJ, came by to try out the Bradley Cooper cheesesteak spot.
“I heard that the cheesesteaks are good,” Pomykala said while waiting in line. “I’m excited to see if Bradley Cooper’s in there cooking food. It seems like a good place to go on a date on a Saturday morning.”
Cooper manned the griddle that day, helping several employees make cheesesteaks. The restaurant stayed open that day until it sold out.
Some say the sandwiches truly are the star, packed with beef, onions, and Cooper Sharp American cheese (the brand is not related to the actor) on fresh-baked sesame seed buns made in-house.
“It’s no surprise that the cheesesteaks at this narrow, counter-service spot are excellent,” is how TheInfatuation.com put it, thanks to the partnership.
Workers wear black Danny and Coop’s Cheesesteaks T-shirts with the company logo and prices visible on the wall. A cheesesteak at Danny and Coop’s costs $17.45, while a bottle of water costs $1.84.
Although it’s still new, the restaurant already has 74,000 followers on Instagram happy to see an East Village restaurant star being born.
After 11 reviews, the place has four out of five stars on Yelp, and the reviews will continue to flow.
The question is whether the shine will remain even if Cooper isn’t in the kitchen and whether the Philly cheesesteaks will be enough to keep crowds lining up on a New York City sidewalk, where the sandwiches may eventually become the stars.
Follow instagram.com/dannyandcoops for details on their next shift.
