Who makes the best?
or
Dalessandeo’s
steve’s. but i grew up in the northeast. go vikings!
I vote for Jim’s on South Street! 
we went on a cheesesteak crawl and sampled Pat’s, Geno’s and D’Alessandro’s same day. (1/2 sandwich each place)
D’Alessandro’s won by a mile
D’Alessandro’s is the best. John’s also good. There’s another place I am blanking on, off the beaten track that my local friends rave over but they keep funny hours and I’ve not managed to get one. Several time a year the local Philly papers run a “who’s got the best …” feature and usually Google can bring this up.
Pat’s & Geno’s are for tourist’s and the cheese whiz crowd. Glad I went there once but not been back since (and I have been to Philly many times). Or perhaps @ 2:00 am when you are hammered …
Another not to be missed Philly treat is a Tony Luke’s Pork sandwich with sharp Provalone & Rabe. Epic!
On this thread, showing a picture of Pat’s and Geno’s and saying “the best?”…doesn’t logically flow. I guess you’re asking two questions: which is better between the two…and which steak is “the best” in the area.
The Travel Network, Food Network (which seems to mirror/copy the Travel network with new shows on gargantuan eating experiences and on comparing places doing similar things) love to focus on the Pat’s/Geno’s “contest”. It is easy, as they are accross the street from each other (not directly) and have similar crowds. Both seem ok, though I prefer Pat’s as it was/is my introduction to the Whiz cheesteak, when I first came to Philadelphia to go to college in the very late '60s. (I had never heard of a cheesteak before, though I grew up a mere 70 miles away.) Pat’s has more history and the steak is certainly ok/good, if expensive for what it is. (Attempts to franchise over the years have failed miserably, so it is the grease at that specific location that is the real charm.) Cheese-whiz, though it might sound gross…is actually a good sauce for such creations; as a sauce rather than a topping, it permeates every bite. It is most typical of the genre, for sure.
The place I consider “the best” (which might be the place David S. is talking about) is Mama’s…on the close outskirts, which does keep weird hours (Wed-Sat and Tues only for lunch). It is the DRC of cheesteaks in quality and in price…though you get a fair amount more filling food for the price than at the others.). It has been around since 1957 and this Thanksgiving week is not the best time to go there, as legions of people who grew up with Mama’s Pizza (their pizza is not good and no one seems to buy it) swarm to the place when they get home for the holiday. http://www.yelp.com/biz/mamas-pizzeria-bala-cynwyd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (I live near the place and am proud to “only” go there 4-5 times a year…and smell the onions cooking as I jog by in the morning …on those limited days they’re open.
RE:d’Allesandro’s…it’s ok, IMO…in the Pat’s /Geno’s mold…but not, IMO, as good or special. (John’s, known for its pork…and recently on the Food Network’s new “wars” show…is good, too. But, for me, it’s all about the bread there: they use a crisp, crusty sesame-seeded bread (not Sarcone’s) which , for me, is the perfect resting place for all Phila sandwiches: hoagies, roast pork and cheesesteaks…
I hate to agree with Yak-ov (ok…Yaakov) and so I won’t. But, my younger son (who is 17) thinks Steve’s is the best he’s ever had. I think it is certainly the best of the Pat’s type places in terms of quality of the meat…and, therefore, quality. (Not at Mama’s levels, but…nothing I know of is; it’s a different animal). (Now that I know he’s from the NE…it all makes “sense”. ![[whistle.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/87d24eb81ec6dc01d84f3d6c19fa9a357e90218e.gif "whistle"){kind=small}
Class of '88 here!! And yes, Steve’s is undoubtedly the best.
But, if I had to choose between Pat’s and Gino’s it would be Gino’s.
+1 (if you are in the city)
Although Pudge’s on Rte. 202 is the best.
John’s Pork Shop on Snyder has a great cheesesteak but even better is the pork sandwich with broccoli rabe. Eat one of these and you will be hooked for life.
Though everyone has his/her favorites, I think it is safe to say 
that other than Mama’s and maybe John’s (only because of the bread; they are also incredibly systemless for ordering)…all those mentioned are more or less fungible, ie, interchangeable. Slight nuances, but basically all the same thing: tons of meat cooking on a flattop, waiting for some of it to be scooped into a sandwich roll of no distinction, wid or widout onions and some sort of cheese. It’s usually more or less the location, and experience that distinguishes that group from the others. Not bad stuff…but arguing which is the best among them is like arguing which is the best among Miller, Bud, Rolling Rock, etc. etc…not that any are bad…but…they’re all more or less the same. That’s why no one ever agrees on this stuff.
Mama’s is very different…in almost every way, including the roll, which is nothing special, unlike John’s.
Mama’s on belmont (just off of city line). next to this either dellasandro’s or jim’s
Pat’s is better than Geno’s but there are better steaks in the city. That being said I would send an out of town visitor to the Pats/Genos corner simply for the experience.
I certainly agree with your last statement.
I prefer Pat’s…but…haven’t been to geno’s in ages. The fact that the owner of Geno’s buys commercials blasting illegal immigrants/raising money for the Arizona law…doesn’t make me want to go there, frankly. Geno’s Raises Money for Arizona Immigration Law – NBC10 Philadelphia" onclick=“window.open(this.href);return false; and his campaign during the Republican convention here years ago to “order in English only” …didn’t help their image. Roman Catholic | Fox News” onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
FWIW, Pat’s tastes good and is way older…and with lots more character anyway
worth a visit to experience Pat’s and its immediate area at any rate! the long lines will confirm you’re not alone…even with the locals. And, it’s fun to eat at Pat’s.
Funny. His pro-America/English speaking has driven tons of people his way. Not to mention his steaks are better (and less greasy) than Pat’s.
Yeah, Matt, but it’s hard to eat even a less-greasy steak without taking your white hood off.
small world. '93 here.
Pizza is better.
Not in Philadelphia, unfortunately, Bernie. It’s not really too good of a “pizza town”. There are at least 3 between here and Boston that are “better”, IMO.
Stuart, that’s a pretty disgusting and offensive statement. A deletion would be appropriate.