Siddiq Kancey figured 80 cheesesteaks would be a solid number for his new shop's first day in business. Tanya Jo's Cheesesteaks sold 200 instead, and the Historic Overtown spot has been chasing that momentum ever since, including a grand opening celebration set for Saturday with Philadelphia podcast personality Wallo.
Tanya Jo's Cheesesteaks sits at 801 NW Third Ave., Suite 101, in a space Kancey's family already owned, according to the Miami Herald. The 30-year-old Kancey named the shop after his mother, Tanya, who was born in Philadelphia, and he grew up visiting the city with her as a kid, where he picked up strong opinions about cheesesteak bread — he favored Ishkabibble's in South Philadelphia for the sandwich itself and D'Alessandro's for its rolls, per the same account. Saturday's grand opening celebration will feature an appearance and book signing by Wallo, born Wallace Peeples, the Philadelphia native and co-host of the podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game, according to a release distributed via EINPresswire. Wallo will sign copies of his book, Yes to You, No to Them, and customers who buy a cheesesteak will get a free copy as part of the giveaway.
A Philly Craving With No Local Fix
Kancey told the Herald that his family used to travel to get their cheesesteak fix growing up because there was nothing in Dade County to satisfy it. That gap is central to the shop's pitch: a menu of sandwiches named for Philadelphia neighborhoods and landmarks, including the Germantown Steak, Down Nouf Steak, Souf Philly Steak, Atlantic City Steak and Plain Jain Steak, according to a report from 22Miami. The sandwiches are made to order and come alongside sides like cheesesteak egg rolls and steak fries, the outlet reports.
The shop is already building a following beyond its opening-week surge. Overtown native Racquel Williams said her cousin found Tanya Jo's on TikTok before passing the recommendation along, and one regular has already bought four cheesesteaks in four days, per the Herald's reporting. Kancey said that kind of repeat business is the real goal, noting that customer loyalty really begins after someone's second or third visit. He's betting on late hours to help build that habit, keeping the shop open into the evening — Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the shop closed Sundays through Tuesdays.
Two Decades of Family Groundwork in Overtown
Tanya Jo's Philly Cheesesteaks LLC is listed in Florida filings, according to Sunbiz. House of Wings is the family business that Kancey's father, Musaddiq Muhammad — known locally as the King of Poultry — founded in 2003 just two blocks away at 1039 NW 3rd Avenue, building a menu of more than 60 wing flavors and Bahamian-style seafood, per the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Before returning to Overtown, Kancey graduated from Gulliver Preparatory Academy in 2014 and Howard University in 2018, then moved to Los Angeles to work in the music business, curating playlists for Spotify. When his father decided to expand House of Wings to Los Angeles in 2023, Kancey launched House of Wings L.A., which went on to land a vendor spot at Rolling Loud, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel.
Opening Amid a Broader Overtown Push
Tanya Jo's debut comes as restaurant guide The Infatuation named it one of the most exciting Miami restaurant openings for fall 2026, citing the sandwich shop's blend of authentic Philadelphia style with Overtown roots, per the release carried by EINPresswire. The neighborhood itself sits within a redevelopment zone managed by the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency.
Historic Overtown's location just west of Downtown Miami, with transit access through the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theater Metrorail station and nearby MiamiCentral, gives shops like Tanya Jo's a shot at both neighborhood regulars and the downtown lunch crowd, per 22Miami. For Kancey, the bigger test now is whether the shop can keep up with demand beyond its sold-out opening stretch while building the kind of repeat visits he says will define its success in Overtown.
