The Fit Foodie Presents: The Dos and Don'ts of Cheesesteaks
Jeffrey Golden
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With friends and colleagues descending on Philly this month for multiple conferences, I want to share an article I wrote a few months back for National Cheesesteak Day (March 24th).
Most people know I am a fitness fanatic, but hailing from Philly, our favorite local sandwich is also extreme passion of mine and my inner child absolutely controls my diet! In November, 2020 my friends and I were trying to find ways to hang out while social distancing and supporting small businesses. With so many shops in close proximity and most having takeout windows, we started doing cheesesteak tours, trying the famed sandwich at multiple locations every other Saturday. To ensure we could survive the day, we get each sandwich cut in thirds, and all served identically for fair comparison: Roll, Meat and American cheese only. After trying 129 different cheesesteak shops in and around Philadelphia, I consider myself a Cheesesteak Guru.
Without further ado, here are recommendations of places to (and not) to go when in Philly, and the Do’s and Don’ts of Cheesesteaks
Do: Use a high-quality roll
Amoroso may be known around the country as the best roll for cheesesteaks, but the quality is down since moving into central Jersey and mass producing for national retail. The best shops are making their own bread or having a small shop produce custom rolls, and seeded Italian rolls have become the gold standard. Most reading this are located outside of Philly, so hit your local bakery and get a nice Italian or French bread, and you’ll be in good shape for a base.
Don’t: Eat a cheesesteak at PHL airport just because.
While there are several places to get a cheesesteak in the Philadelphia International Airport, getting one there is going to result in disappointment. They are franchises run by Aramark for one, and they are a turn and burn business with zero focus on quality. In addition, they are sub-par to the stand alone locations and those places aren’t top 100 already. Pro Tip: Bud and Marilyn’s at the top of Terminal C has fantastic cheese curds and my son loves their burger!
Do: Use quality American cheese.
While the first cheesesteaks used provolone cheese, the melt point is too high and it doesn’t spread well. American cheese is the best option because it melts quickly, spreads well and essentially becomes a sauce when combined with the juices from the steak and onions. Cooper Sharp cheese is starting to be the go-to cheese for the best shops…it’s as if American and Provolone Cheeses had a baby. It’s gooey and salty, smooth and sharp. A must try. Land O Lakes and New Yorker are two great brands if you can’t get Cooper at your deli.
Don’t: Call it a Philly
It’s just a cheesesteak. “Fillys” are female horses and “Phillies” are the local baseball team and what places outside the region call a cheesesteak to gain credibility, but they almost always have peppers (an absolute no-no), mushrooms and/or sauce on them. Good cheesesteaks don’t need help from other ingredients and great ones are ruined by them. If you see Philly, or any other city, in front of the word “Cheesesteak” or if it is “Cheese Steak” (2 words), you’re bound for disappointment. I went to a concert at Met Life Stadium where the NY Giants play in 2021. My wife says, “Oh look, babe. New York Cheesesteak!” I gave her the look of, “Thanks a lot. Now I must try it…” I’ll spare you the gruesome details, but it was the worst sandwich I’ve ever eaten.
Do: Use high quality, freshly shaved meat.
Any butcher will shave a steak for you, and most don’t charge extra to do it. It’s a pro move to use fresh, unfrozen meat with a higher fat content like NY Strip, but ribeye is the best meat for a cheesesteak. Have them cut it super thin so you can give it a rough chop in the pan or on the Blackstone if you have one. While steakums and other frozen options are available nationwide, this is the lowest quality meat, often mashed and reformed into slices.
Don’t: Fancy it up
A cheesesteak is a simple creature, not needing help from vegetables and sauces. All you need is a good roll, quality meat and cheese, and some caramelized white or sweet onions if you like them. It stands alone as a great sandwich. As I stated previously, a good cheesesteak is ruined by sauces and a great one is ruined by it. It doesn’t need peppers or mushrooms, and please, please, please try it without sauce before adding ketchup or marinara/pizza sauce.
Do: Eat it how you like it!
Despite the above don’ts, it’s your food and if you want to sauce or veggie it up, or you live somewhere where getting a quality sandwich is impossible, make it your way and enjoy! I’m just a purist from Philly with unrestricted access to the greatest sandwich ever created.
If you do come to Philly, here’s a list of spots you should definitely try, and some you should avoid despite the hype!
Top 5:
This James Beard Award Winning sandwich shop is a must try. The only shop on my definitive list of must try steaks not using ribeye. He uses Loin Tail, and the flavor of the meat is what makes this one a top spot. He is also known for serving fresh rolls, and when they run out (which is often by noon) they close for the day, so go here early! As the name suggests, the roast pork sandwich is phenomenal, but the cheesesteak is arguably #1 anywhere.
Newer to the cheesesteak scene, Angelo burst into top contention immediately, boasting homemade rolls made in a $65,000 oven that injects water during the baking process. He also turns out one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had, and the best in Philly.
Head across the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and into the land of Pork Roll and sports rivalries and you’ll find another contender for #1. They shave fresh Argentinian ribeye, bake their own seeded rolls, and use only high-quality Cooper Sharp American cheese. The last time we had this place, they rivaled even Angelo’s, but to be fair the rolls had just come out of the oven.
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Curly got his start as a grill cook and eventually opened a tiny, 10x10 kitchen in a local member’s only club. After outgrowing this spot, he procured a closed Checkers and the rest is history. Curly goes through 4,000+ pounds of meat a week, and everything he serves up is a belly buster. The cheesesteak is 1 pound of fresh ribeye, 5-6 ounces of Cooper Sharp American all served on a Carangi Bakery roll (funny story about this roll is no one would sell to him because he was too small, and now they all have salespeople in his shop weekly, but he is as loyal as they come). Other amazing foods here are his hush puppies, mac n cheese, the boneless wings (6 piece is MASSIVE…as in 6 birds were sacrificed to make this), and if you go on a Friday his crabcakes could be served at any 5-star restaurant.
About an hour West of Philly is a small urban center called Reading, and in West Reading resides a true Italian who prides himself on serving only the best. Like me, he has been to over 100 shops for both pizza and sandwiches, and the culmination of the best of the best is this sneaky good spot in the land of pizza sauce and or peppers on every cheesesteak. The “Passayunk Prime” is fresh, prime ribeye, homemade Cooper Sharp cheese sauce, caramelized onions, all served on a Carangi roll (his cousin drives to Philly 4 days a week just to get these rolls). A true family man, he is open from noon-7 Thursday-Saturday, so order ahead online and be on time. Pro Tip: Tony’s wife makes some of the best cheesecake I’ve ever had!
Honorable Mention Near the Stadiums:
On Oregon Avenue between 13th and Broad is another newer spot, but easily serving up an 8.5-9 out of 10 cheesesteak 22 hours a day. The Big Ave is the way to go, boasting chopped ribeye, Cooper Sharp cheese and a seeded Liscios roll (Liscios is the best commercial roll out there!). Their pizzas are also great, and we often get The Gritty Pie made with a la Vodka sauce instead of red, and definitely get yourself a Florida Style Inside Out which is a fried stromboli, but better.
Bottom 5 Despite Their Fame:
Pat’s and Geno’s:
Despite their fame for starting the cheesesteak trade, these shops couldn’t care less about quality and it shows. “Cheesesteak Vegas” as we locals call it, is where you drive by on your way to really good shops. If it isn’t warm enough meat to melt American cheese, it isn’t worth eating it
Jim’s Steaks on South Street:
Jim’s is well known because of it’s location on the famed South Street. They used to be great, but when you are busy regardless of how good the food is, they stopped caring. They burned down a year ago and recently reopened, and I jokingly tell people the fire started when the over-chopped, dry as a desert meat spontaneously combusted. If you must try this shop, do it as part of a “Philly Taco,” grabbing a slice of cheese pizza from Lorenzo’s across the street and wrapping it in the slice.
Dalessandro’s Steaks in Roxboro:
This place used to be #1. My dad and I would go and share a beef steak from here and a chicken cheesesteak from across the street at Chubby’s. Well, the original owners sold about 15 years ago, and they’ve slowly slid off the quality clif. What was once a 9.5+ cheesesteak is maybe a 7.1 on a good day, and being so far from the actual city it just isn’t worth it.
Philips Steaks:
The only cheesesteak in the Philly area to ever make me nauseous…twice. This shop is on many people’s top-10 list, but I couldn’t disagree more. I gave it 2 chances, and both times it tasted like chemical cleaners and was gristly. It is close to the stadiums, so a lot of people go here before or after hitting a game or concert.
Recommendations Near Center City/CRAACO, Mobile, DPHARM, and Fierce Clinical Summit
This is one of the more bougie steaks I’ve tried in the last 4 years. With options including their feature truffle cheesesteak and being just a few blocks from Independence hall, this is probably the best option for a top 30 cheesesteak that definitely won’t let you down
Oh Brother! and Sonny’s:
These two shops are a nice walk or short Uber from the conference hotels, and both are top-20 cheesesteaks on my list. Sonny’s features the classic hoagie roll while Oh Brother! offers seeded (a personal favorite). Bring a friend, order one from each the same way (request the cut them in half or they may come uncut), and do a group taste test. (Pro Tip: Campo’s is right between these two…skip it as it isn’t at the same level as the other two.
Hop on the Broad Street Line heading south and get off at Oregon Avenue. Walk a block east and this shop is on the left. They’re open nearly 24/7 and everything is fantastic from the Big Ave cheesesteak and the Power Pork Sandwich to the Gritty Pie and a favorite of ours and local treat the Florida Style Inside Out (fried stromboli).
The Reading Terminal Market:
Due to its proximity, many will head here for food, but I don’t recommend grabbing a cheesesteak as they aren’t the best options.