Cheesesteak Near You

The cheesesteak is Philadelphia’s signature dish. This sandwich is made with slices of beefsteak, cheese, and a hero roll.

Usually, thin cuts of ribeye or round are used for the meat. As for the cheese, the typical choices are Cheez Whiz, provolone, and American Cheese. And Amoroso rolls are the most popular brand for the hero rolls. They’re soft, long, and a bit salty.

Toppings that go well with this dish include hot sauce, salt, ketchup, fried onions, and black pepper.

First, the meat slices are cooked on a griddle until they turn light brown. After that, they get scrambled into tinier bits with a spatula. Next, the cheese is put and melted over the meat. Finally, the blend gets pressed into the hero roll and the sandwich is ready.

The cheesesteak was invented by Pat and Harry Olivieri in the early 1930s in Philadelphia. The two brothers owned a hot dog stand. And one day, Pat got the idea for a new sandwich. They bought beef from a nearby butcher, grilled it with onions on top, and put it on a roll.

Apparently, a cab driver came by and noticed the new sandwich that Pat was eating. He asked if he could have one as well. He liked it so much that he suggested they stop selling hot dogs and sell the new sandwich instead.

Word spread quickly about the Oliveiri’s new dish. And soon, many people were buying it. By 1940, Pat and Harry made enough money to open their brick-and-mortar restaurant. They named it “Pat's King of Steaks”. It is still open today in South Philadelphia.

Initially, the sandwich was made without cheese. It was mainly steak and onions put on an Italian loaf. According to Oliveri, it was Pat’s manager Joey Lorenza who introduced cheese to the mix in the 1940s. It was provolone.

However, some believe that it was Joe Vento who first added cheese in the 1960s. He opened Geno’s Steaks in 1996. The location was very close to Pat’s restaurant. And the menu was almost the same. This resulted in a friendly rivalry between Pat’s and Geno’s.

The sandwich is iconic in Philadelphia. And now there are many cheesesteak restaurants that sell it. These include Tony Luke’s, Jim’s Steaks, Barclay Prime, and more.

We also recommend ordering it from Lazos Pizza & Grill. They have some of the best steak dishes in the city!

Moreover, ordering the sandwich in Philly involves the use of interesting phrases. So, for a sandwich without fried onions but with provolone cheese, the phrase is - “One provolone without”.

There are also alternative versions of the sandwich. For example, the chicken one has chicken rather than beef. Whereas the vegan version has ingredients like seitan and soy-based cheese.

In addition, the steak milano comes with oregano and fried tomatoes. And there is even a pizza steak version with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce.

If you’re in New York, we suggest trying a steak dish in La Vera Pizza! They have a few mouthwatering variations of Philly.