Here in Philly, cheesesteaks are more than just a sandwich.
They’re a civic icon, a tourist draw, a debate topic, a cultural obsession and an acceptable dish for any meal. While often imitated around the world, an authentic cheesesteak is rarely duplicated successfully outside Philadelphia.
Our mission: Help you find amazing cheesesteaks in the city.
What Is a Cheesesteak?A traditional cheesesteak — one word (and no need for “Philly” or “sandwich”) — consists of sliced or chopped rib-eye beef, melted cheese and optional sautéed onions on a soft-but-crusty long roll (which is different from a hoagie roll).
For many, the cheese of choice is “whiz” — melty cheddar-style cheese sauce, not spray cheese — with white American and provolone as admissible alternatives. Common toppings include ketchup, mushrooms, mayo, sweet peppers or Italian “long hots” peppers (with bell peppers typically shunned). And most shops offer alternatives like chicken steaks, pizza steaks, vegan steaks or cheesesteak hoagies.
Scroll down for our guide to the most essential steaks in Philly, including the famous, the classics and the up-and-comers.
Interested in a deep dive into cheesesteak history or tips on how to order? Click below.
Click for Cheesesteak Pro Tips
How to Order a CheesesteakYou may he heard the stories or seen the videos. At many spots in Philly, there’s a very specific, very Philly way to order a cheesesteak to keep the lines moving. So when that cheesesteak cring hits, first consider two critical questions before you get to the counter:
What kind of cheese do you want? Do you want grilled onions or not?Once you decide, Philly cheesesteak culture offers a shorthand language to convey your order. First, ask for the kind of cheese you desire, “whiz” or otherwise. Then state your onion choice: “wit” means with onions, and “witout” means without.
For example, if you order a “whiz wit,” you’ll get a steak with Cheez Whiz and grilled onions. Asking for an “American witout” scores you a steak with white American, no onions. And if you’re ordering a specialty variation like a pizza steak or cheesesteak hoagie, mention that first, as those often come with standard topping options.
Then finish with “here” or “to go.” And if they’re in different spots, quickly move along from the ordering counter to the register to let the next customer order.
Cheesesteak HistoryThe cheesesteak’s origin dates back to 1930 when, during one fateful lunch hour, South Philly hot dog vendor Pat Olivieri cooked up some leftover beef on his stand’s grill and slapped it on a bun. A cabbie driving by sniffed something delicious, leaned out his window and requested his own.
It didn’t take long for news of the creation to spread. Other taxi drivers came to the vendor requesting their own steak sandwiches. Soon after, Olivieri opened a permanent shop on 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue — Pat’s King of Steaks — to sell his invention to the masses.
The steak sandwiches featured grilled onions from the start, but what about the cheese? It took another decade before (according to legend) a bored and hungry manager at Pat’s named “Cocky Joe” Lorenza threw some provolone onto the creation, and the cheesesteak was born.
Cheese Whiz was invented in 1952 and it didn’t take long for that to make it onto a cheesesteak as well. The popular chicken cheesesteak variation came along in the 1980s, most commonly attributed to Ishkabibble’s on South Street, creating an entirely new category of alternative cheesesteaks.