It is a family affair with the Pagans who moved from Philadelphia to Pacific Beach bringing authentic Philly cheesesteaks along with them.

The family is celebrating their fifth anniversary at Steak N Fries, their second home at 1039 Garnet Ave., in October.

Angel and Angela Pagan along with their daughter, Zullette, and their in-laws, feel comfortable now in PB near the beach.

What brought them here?

“The amazing weather,” answered Angela adding her family relocated in 2016 to establish Steak N Fries a year later.

Comparing the vibe in PB to the East Coast, daughter Zullette noted, “It’s not aggressive but it’s more like, ‘Let’s cut to the chase (there). It’s more slow-paced in San Diego, calm, easy going, laid back.”

Angel and Angela are co-owners of Steak N Fries and Zullette noted she is, “Everything else. I take care of things behind the scenes doing cashiering and expediting. Everything truly is family owned and operated.”

Zullette said her sister Maria cooks and runs their social media. Her husband, Chris, helps out by taking shifts. Her mother-in-law, Maria, also helps out on Sundays.

“It’s just been us rockin’ and rollin,’” said Zullette adding there are usually two family members on a shift except for Fridays and Saturdays when there are three. The busiest time is the weekends, Friday and Saturday nights, and all day Sunday, she said.

Being open late on weekends now, Steak N Fries serves nightlife crowds grabbing a bite before returning home. “We’re used to it,” confided Zullette pointing out, “It’s kind of surreal just to be here for five years. New people walk in every day.”

For its fifth-anniversary Steak N Fries is doing a cheesesteak giveaway. “Every year we do a raffle,” noted Zullette. “This year we’re going to select five lucky winners, and the whole meal is on us. Usually, we do three winners. But this year we decided to do five (one for each year).”

Why Steak N Fries has been successful is no secret. “The customers know they can expect freshness – you’re going to taste it,” replied Zullette. “That’s a big deal for us. Nothing is made ahead of time. We slice our meat in-house. Things take a little time. But everything is truly made to order.”

Steak N Fries likes to keep things uncomplicated.

“The menu is simple and it’s a simple process to order,” explained Zullette. “It makes life easier on the customer as well.”

There have been some additions to their standard menu, like the barbecued chicken cheesesteak and the barbecued chicken fries introduced this year. The top-selling item is the cheesesteak followed closely by the loaded cheesesteak.

Philadelphia sports memorabilia adorn the walls of the restaurant, as do the first bills, including foreign currency, that the Pagans made at Steak N Fries. The restaurant menu is also painted on the walls in the company’s trademark orange, along with its logo.

What makes a Steak N Fries sandwich stand out? “Our meat, that’s what separates us from any other place in San Diego – or Philadelphia,” concluded Angela.

It was a bit of a struggle making the transition to San Diego and the West Coast said Zullette, but she was quick to add: “Just seeing how far we’ve come as a family, and what we’ve been able to accomplish … We love Philadelphia and our hearts will always be there, but we’re in San Diego now.”

The ambiance of Steak N Fries is what keeps people coming back.

“They end up feeling like they’re part of our family,” concluded Zullette.

Steak N Fries

Where: 1039 Garnet Ave.

Contact: steaknfries.com, 858-352-6600.