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I'm a Philly native who tried 4 of the city's best cheesesteaks in one day - here's the verdict
I'm a Philly native who tried 4 of the city's best cheesesteaks in one day - here's the verdict
Tyler LaulettaApr 4, 2019, 19:15 IST
Tyler Lauletta / Business Insider
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The humble cheesesteak is Philadelphia's most iconic meal.
Raised in the Philly suburbs, cheesesteaks were an essential part of my adolescence, with Pat's, Geno's, Jim's, and Tony Luke's serving as my go-to spots in the city.
Recently, I returned on a personal pilgrimage of sorts, taking down four cheesesteaks in one night to determine which sandwich reigned supreme.
The Philly cheesesteak is not an enigma.
A coalescence of cheese, steak, bread, and sometimes fried onions, a good cheesesteak creates a whole supremely greater than the sum of its parts.
But despite its simplicity, the sandwich evokes strong emotions amongst Philadelphians. Like any food a local community takes pride in - pizza in New York, tacos in Los Angeles, or barbecue across the south - cheesesteaks are plentiful in Philadelphia, with many outlets vying to be the best in the city.
Raised in the Philadelphia suburbs, cheesesteaks were a fairly regular staple of my childhood diet. Trips into the city, whether for concerts, movies, or Phillies games, were often capped off with a trip to one of four spots for our favorite sandwich - Pat's, Geno's, Jim's, and Tony Luke's.
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In college, I would go on to learn the beauty of John's Roast Pork and Dalessandro's, but in my youth, these four were the greatest cheesesteaks that existed on the planet, and in Philadelphia fashion, I was ready to fight anyone that disagreed.
Our journey of cheesesteaks began at the Tony Luke's located inside Citizen's Bank Park.
As you can see, the line was long, filled with Phillies fans looking to get their cheesesteak fix. In addition to cheesesteaks, the ballpark menu also included their popular roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe and provolone.
Sandwiches were $13 each — a bit steep, but hardly unreasonable when accounting for the stadium tax that accompanies any purchase at a ballpark.
I ordered my usual "whiz wit" along with a Yuengling to start the day.
Tony Luke's was at an immediate disadvantage compared to some of the other cheesesteaks that would be eaten this day, as their sandwiches are pre-wrapped to make for a more efficient purchasing process at the stadium.
This meant that the fried onions came on the side and that the cheesesteak lacked a bit of that "fresh of the grill" brightness that is a vital component of the sandwich.
After some work, the cheesesteak was satisfying, especially given the atmosphere of the ballpark.
That said, once I had constructed my cheesesteak with onions and a few hot peppers, it was a delight.
The ratio of meat-to-cheese was sound, and while it wasn't as fresh as you'd typically desire a cheesesteak to be, the ambiance of the ballpark and a Phillies win went a long way to make Tony Luke's a positive experience.
I would not ordinarily recommend starting your day with a cheesesteak, but after skipping breakfast and dealing with car trouble on the way to the stadium, Tony Luke's was a beautiful and tasty respite from a chaotic day.
Next, I headed north on Broad and down Passyunk Avenue to try out Geno's.
After completing a Phillies-Sixers double-header by the stadiums, my traveling companion and I headed north to the cheesesteak epicenter of Philadelphia — Passyunk Ave.
First, we went to Geno's, answering the siren's call of its bright lights and delectable offerings.
Geno's bright lights make it impossible to miss from a few blocks away, though things weren't too busy when I arrived.
Geno's is located catty-corner to Pat's King of Steaks, with both restaurants standing in a fierce rivalry with each other.
In my experience, the preference of Philadelphian's between these two purveyors of cheesesteaks comes down to which you tried first in your youth.
While many heated debates have been had over which reigns supreme, I can tell you with total confidence that both make a fine sandwich. If you have a strong preference either way, by all means, patronize one over the other, but should one line be absurdly long, shuffling to the other side of the street won't come as a disappointment if you're in a rush.
I ordered "wiz wit-out" too save myself a bit of onion breath, which cost an even $10.
Geno's made a fine cheesesteak.
Its freshness stood out compared to that of Tony Luke's, but again, that was too be expected due to the stadium experience of my first sandwich of the day.
Like Tony Luke's, Geno's opts for a slightly thicker cut to it's steak, with hefty slices of meat lining the sandwich, providing a series of satisfying bites throughout the meal.
By the time I wandered across the street, I was already fully satiated by my cheesesteak consumption, despite being just halfway through my night of indulgence.
After Geno's, I ventured across the street to Pat's.
Pat's King of Steaks identifies itself as "the originator and inventor of the steak and cheesesteak sandwich," owned and operated by the Olivieri family since its founding in 1930.
Signage implores customers "don't eat a misteak" with a healthy dose of side-eye directed at Geno's across the street.
While in line, Pat's has a helpful sign that informs customers how to order either "wit" or "wit-out" fried onions, and encourages them to practice their order before arriving at the window.
In line to order, customers will encounter this helpful sign instructing first-timers on the correct way to order their steak, explaining their options for cheese — whiz, provolone, American — as well as the distinction between orders "wit" or "wit-out" fried onions.
When I was younger, I was confident that an incorrect order at the counter would be met with a court-order and a month-long stay at the jail underneath Veteran's Stadium. But in reality, as long as you know what you want and are communicating your order, things will be fine.
Just don't ask for recommendations, especially when there's a line of hungry Phillies fans standing behind you ready to eat.
For $11 I ordered another steak "wiz wit-out" for my third meal of the day.
First, apologies for the photo quality on this shot — with our car parked next to Geno's, I had run back over once I made my purchase at Pat's, but felt uncomfortable eating Pat's steak at a Geno's table. Some lessons learned in my younger years have stayed with me.
Regardless, Pat's impressed. While the distribution of cheese could have been a bit more even, the cheesier side of the sandwich was divine — next time I might order extra cheese, though, given my goal of four steaks in one day, the idea seemed ill-advised at the moment.
The bread was superb, allowing for all parts of the sandwich to meld together in harmony, and the steak came a bit more chopped than that of Geno's or Tony Luke's, but still offered plenty to chew on.
More than any sandwich so far in the day, this one came ready to eat just seconds off the grill, and was devoured almost as quickly as it was prepared.
Finally, I ventured up to South Street to visit Jim's.
Feeling full, but unfinished, my cheesesteak journey forged on to South Street and a stop at Jim's.
Its diner-like exterior served as an inviting beginning to the finale of my cheesesteak adventure.
The cheesesteaks at Jim's were again in the $10 range, depending on any additions you ordered. I went back to "wiz-wit" while my friend opted against onions for his final steak of the day.
Despite being the fourth cheesesteak of the day, my cheesesteak from Jim's was still a highlight.
Jim's distinguished itself from the pack with a much finer chop to its steak than the three previous sandwiches of the day, and a hearty slathering of whiz that seeped all the way through to the bread, making it the most balanced cheesesteak of my marathon of muchies.
If anything, there was a bit too much meat, but after a few bites and a bit of encouragement across the sandwich, everything evened out in perfect harmony.
After trying four of the best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, the winner was clear — me.
In conclusion, Philly cheesesteaks are not a land of contrasts.
They are a concoction of bread, meat, and cheese, that join together in beautiful simplicity, and can be enjoyed in a myriad of places and a myriad of ways.
For some peculiar reason, the magic disappears outside of Philadelphia's city limits — venture to New York, and suddenly you'll be offered cheesesteaks with lettuce and tomato or some other terrifying configuration of an already perfect sandwich.
Personally, Jim's reigned supreme looking back on my night of indulgence, but in the City of Brotherly Love, it's tough to go wrong.
At the Phillies game and in need of something a bit heartier to go along with your Chickie's and Pete's crab fries? Head over to Tony Luke's!
In town for just the night and eager to compare and contrast the offerings of the city? Shoot over to Pat's and Geno's and do a taste test of your own!
Downtown after a movie or show and looking for a satisfying meal in and of Philadelphia? Indulge at Jim's.
The cheesesteak is a working-persons sandwich with mass appeal. If the idea of meat, cheese, and bread triggers a salivatory response, you're in for a treat.
My only word of advice is that attempting to eat four in one night is probably best left to professionals.
