...best cheese steak in Philly? I have not been back in years and I know there are others besides Pat's and Geno's. A friend here in Va is going to be visiting soon and wants the BEST! Your opinion please!!!
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Steve's The Prince of Steaks in the Northeast. They are the best!Tony Luke's or forget the cheese steak and get a DiNic's roast pork sandwich
...best cheese steak in Philly? I have not been back in years and I know there are others besides Pat's and Geno's. A friend here in Va is going to be visiting soon and wants the BEST! Your opinion please!!!
Steve's The Prince of Steaks in the Northeast. They are the best!
JIm's. South Street, in South Philly....best cheese steak in Philly? I have not been back in years and I know there are others besides Pat's and Geno's. A friend here in Va is going to be visiting soon and wants the BEST! Your opinion please!!!
JIm's. South Street, in South Philly.
First, don't even think about Pat's or Geno's. They are tourist traps, and serve terrible cheesesteaks.
Second, there isn't a consensus on the #1 cheesesteak. Every year or two there are blind taste tests, and a different location will win the competition. In that context, I'm going to recommend several locations, and your friend can pick one or more and will be quite pleased.
Beyond that, it depends where your friend is staying. Philadelphia is pretty big, and every neighborhood in the city has local favorites that warrant consideration. However, I wouldn't recommend many of those locations to a tourist that is staying in or around Center City.
Absent knowing where your friend is staying, here are some options. They are all excellent, so let him choose one that is convenient to where he's staying, or where he's touring (listed in random order):
Center City:
a) Jim's Steak
400 South St (at 4th St)
Philadelphia, PA
- probably the best crowd experience, especially at night. Parking can be somewhat tough, South Street is popular spot for strolling along, and a stop at Jim's is well worth it
b) Sonny's Famous Steaks
228 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA
- if your friend wants to combine visiting the historic area (Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, etc.), this would be a great lunch stop or dinner stop. Like Jim's the lines can be pretty long (which in itself is an endorsement)
c) Steve's Prince of Steaks
41 S 16th Street
Philadelphia, PA
- this would be my recommendation if your friend was in the middle of Center City. This is not far from City Hall. Parking in this area is terrible, so I would only recommend this if your friend is staying near Steve's or was walking in that part of Center City.
d) Ishkabibble's
337 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
- these guys make an excellent cheesesteak. That said, they are a block from Jim's, and I would always recommend Jim's over Ishkabibble's. I believe they were the 1st place to come up with a chicken cheesesteak, but now that is available at most locations.
e) Campo's Deli
214 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA
- these guys make some of the more creative cheesesteaks. It's a combination deli and cheesesteak joint, which is a strength and a weakness -- depends what you want. They have more seating than many of the places listed. They are on the same block as is Sonny's (listed above). I prefer Sonny's, but if your friend wants to sit where they order the cheesesteak, this could be an excellent choice if your friend is touring or staying in the historic area.
There are lots of great places to get a cheesesteak that I haven't listed. I think one of the above, or one of the below, are that good that they are worth serious consideration by your friend.
South Philadelphia
a) John's Roast Pork
14 Snyder Ave
Philadelphia, PA
- their roast pork sandwiches are outstanding, and their cheesesteaks are every bit as good. If your friend is with anyone, I would recommend they each order one of the aforementioned, and then split them in half
b) Tony Luke's
39 East Oregon Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
- another great choice. Tony Luke's and John's Roast Pork are the best options around the sports stadiums
As mentioned above, I would not send someone to a Philadelphia neighborhood for a cheesesteak, unless they were staying there/visiting there. Many people think Dalessandro's makes the best cheesesteak, but I wouldn't recommend a tourist travel out to the Roxborough neighborhood just for one of their cheesesteaks. Steve's makes a good cheesesteak, but it's not worth driving out to Northeast Philadelphia for. As listed above, Steve's Prince of Steaks has opened a location in Center City. I've never tried a cheesesteak from this location, but it should be on par with their Northeast Philadelphia location.
I hope the above helps.
Has your friend been to Philadelphia before? Have they had a cheesesteak in the city before? If not, ignore the others and take him/her to Pat's. It would be like going to Buffalo and not eating wings at the Anchor bar. Geez, the steaks aren't that bad...in fact they are decent, just not the best. However, I'll bet he would love getting his picture taken there with Pat's in the background and be able to tell people he ate a steak at the "original". After, walk up 9th street to the Italian market. I'd have him stop at Isgro's at 10th and Christain for some pastries and then just browse around the area. He should go to Sarcone's bakery for some Italian beards and some steak rolls to bring back to Virginia on the day they are leaving town for home.
Then, on day 2, I would take him/her to Jim's on South St.
First, don't even think about Pat's or Geno's. They are tourist traps, and serve terrible cheesesteaks.
Center City:
a) Jim's Steak
400 South St (at 4th St)
Philadelphia, PA
- probably the best crowd experience, especially at night. Parking can be somewhat tough, South Street is popular spot for strolling along, and a stop at Jim's is well worth it.
...best cheese steak in Philly? I have not been back in years and I know there are others besides Pat's and Geno's. A friend here in Va is going to be visiting soon and wants the BEST! Your opinion please!!!
...best cheese steak in Philly? I have not been back in years and I know there are others besides Pat's and Geno's. A friend here in Va is going to be visiting soon and wants the BEST! Your opinion please!!!
I've been to Dalessandro's but I've never had the guts to try Chubby's across the street. Are they any good?
Here's a couple lists. Both have a place called "John's Roast Pork" as their top cheesesteak.
http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/top-10-spots-for-authentic-philly-cheesesteaks/
http://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/10-best-cheesesteaks-philadelphbia-0/slide-11
Has your friend been to Philadelphia before? Have they had a cheesesteak in the city before? If not, ignore the others and take him/her to Pat's. It would be like going to Buffalo and not eating wings at the Anchor bar. Geez, the steaks aren't that bad...in fact they are decent, just not the best. However, I'll bet he would love getting his picture taken there with Pat's in the background and be able to tell people he ate a steak at the "original". After, walk up 9th street to the Italian market. I'd have him stop at Isgro's at 10th and Christain for some pastries and then just browse around the area. He should go to Sarcone's bakery for some Italian beards and some steak rolls to bring back to Virginia on the day they are leaving town for home.
Then, on day 2, I would take him/her to Jim's on South St.
Italian Hoagie is the better sandwich. I would tell him to go to Delisandro's in Roxborough. It is two minutes off of 76.