He plays a Philly deli store owner on Hulu, but he’s never had a hoagie until now

Asif Ali plays the son of a Philadelphia deli owner on Hulu’s hit comedy Deli Boys. His character, Mir Dar, is a Drexel graduate who inherits his late father’s South Philly convenience store — but in real life, Ali had never eaten a Philly hoagie.

The other week, in town for a three-night stand-up run at Punch Line Philly, Ali set out to try some of the city’s best hoagies for the first time — with this reporter tagging along for the ride.

First stop: Ricci’s Hoagies in South Philadelphia. Inside the old-school corner shop at South 11th and Annin Streets, Ali hovered near the counter, scanning a menu full of options he had seen only on screen.

Thankfully, Ricci Pagliarella, the sandwich shop’s namesake and founder stood behind the counter. “Get what I’m havin’ right here — tuna with sharp provolone and long hots,” he shouted over the bustle of the shop.

Ali opted for a turkey hoagie, with sharp provolone, plus hot and sweet peppers.

“I feel like I’ve had sad knock-off [hoagies],” he said. “This is legit stuff — the general vibe in here is that these people are very serious and they’re not here to play games."

Hoagie in hand, he stepped outside the century-old shop and took a bite.

“It’s all about the bread, and this one is fantastic,” he said. “The pickles are great, and the cheese is really good, too. They got the basics down really, really well. No frills, just high-quality stuff.”

He ate about quarter of the sandwich and rated it “a solid 7 out of 10 — but I have to taste the other ones to then make an assessment.”

Next up: Middle Child in Center City, on 11th between Locust and Spruce. The comedian doesn’t eat pork, so he ordered the Phoagie, a vegan spin on the classic sandwich.

» READ MORE: The hoagie is Philly’s true sandwich icon. Here are the best places to get one.

“One thing I noticed about hoagies in the city is that every store takes their packaging very seriously,” he said, admiring Middle Child’s unique design. “Ricci’s had their own thing — this is more of an updated, interesting kind of deal.”

As he unwrapped the Phoagie, he took in the bright avocado and saucy eggplant.

“We’re tasting eggplant; we’re tasting the sauce — I want to say it’s like a soy sauce-y type thing," he said in between bites. “The bread is thinner and crispier, which I think really suits the fact that it’s eggplant and veggies and stuff.”

Ali, mid-hoagie analysis and four big bites in, added: “I feel like people who are really crushing hoagies have big heads — and I think if you have a big head, you shouldn’t take it as a negative," he added. “You should take it as a positive that you can down these hoagies in a way my little head can’t. If you’re a compact person, you’re gonna want to come down to Middle Child.”

The final stop required a traffic-heavy trek 13 miles north, to Dattilo’s Delicatessen in Northeast Philly near Bustleton Avenue and Rhawn Street — a shop Ali said reminded him of A.B.C. Deli, the fictional shop at the center of Deli Boys.

“This is a deli but also a full-blown store, Tastykakes and all — kind of like A.B.C. Deli," he commented. (In the show, a Tastykake tip leads to an FBI investigation into the deli’s underground activities.)

After exploring the store and ordering a roast beef hoagie packed with peppers, cheese, and veggies, Ali nestled into the patio seating out front to dig into the last hoagie of the day.

“Look at that,” he said in awe of overstuffed sandwich basking in sunlight. “This is absolutely a stunning piece of art, dare I say.”

“It’s perfectly seasoned,” he continued after taking a bite. “We’re getting the peppers, the cheese — very equal distribution. The roast beef is very soft. This is the perfect amount for me, actually. I like it being packed with veggies. And they’re not skimming on the meat."

Ali deliberated his final rankings aloud, polishing off half of the hoagie. “Of all the places I went to today, this would be my No. 1,” he said. “I don’t know if I can give it a 10, because I don’t have as much experience with these hoagies — but I would give this a 10."

Dattilo’s came out on top, Ricci’s took second, and Middle Child came in third.

“You can’t lose with either of these — but if you want a classic hoagie that’s packed to the brim, it’s Dattilo’s," he said.

“The thing that’s great about this city is that all of the ingredients were great,” Ali added. “The difference between them is the distribution of ingredients, and I guess I’m an abundance guy because this [Dattilo’s hoagie] is really hitting.”

With his mission completed, Ali headed off to the Punch Line for his show.

“I just ate three hoagies in Philly, and this has been the greatest day of my life,” he said. “I will probably be sitting down for this show tonight.”