Going on Monday

Pat's or Geno's?

I did that a number of years ago and didn't eat again for about two days after.

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Both. Their next door to each other. Grab one from each have give it the ol' Pepsi Challenge.

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This......and prepare to be greatly disappointed. If you have time, try Tony Luke's as well. The pork sandwich at Johns in the marketplace is the real deal.

FWIW - my friend lives right by there. She said they only go when there is no line and it's not worth the wait. Her quote was "any diner in town has better."

I've never been to either of them myself.

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Both. Their next door to each other. Grab one from each have give it the ol' Pepsi Challenge.

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This......and prepare to be greatly disappointed. If you have time, try Tony Luke's as well. The pork sandwich at Johns in the marketplace is the real deal.

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This is not unusual. It's weird how people will automatically assume something is awesome simply because of location. I see this all the time with things like clam chowder, Buffalo wings, etc. Location has very little bearing on whether or not something is really good outside of ambiance or nostalgia.*

*I've never had an authentic Philly cheese steak, so I don't know if they are good or not.

The facebookz are saying either both or neither and go to Jim's.

Thoughts on Jim's?

Geno's and Pat's are garbage. Dalessandro's or Campos in olde city are light years better. The best steak in the area is actually across the bridge in Haddonfield. Lived in the area for 7 years so I've tried them all.

If you're stuck between Jim's and Pat's or Geno's, Jim's all the way.

If you are able to go north end of town at all, there is a place called McNally's Taven in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia. They have a "cheesesteak-type" sandwich there called "The Schmitter" that is outstanding. If your final destination of the trip is anywhere north of Philly, it is worth the stop. Great sandwich and a beautiful area of town.

http://www.mcnallystavern.com

Avoid the tourist traps!

The reason I recommended both Pats and Genos is at least you're checking it off the list. Any time your trip to Philly comes up, this discussion will as well, "Oooh, are you a Pat's or a Geno's guy?" I think it's worth at least having a half a sandwich from each. I think what you'll also find is that a year from now, you won't be able to remember which sandwich you liked better anyway.

I have heard from a friend who's from Philly that Jim's is better than both of those, but no one is going to ever ask you about Jim's.

Having said all of that, If you're looking for a good lunch, go to Dinic's in the Reading Terminal Market and get the pork sandwich with broccoli rabe on it. Incredible.

If you're looking for an experience...do the Pat's and Geno's thing. Have fun.

Pats and Geno's are not the best cheesesteaks but they're not trash either. They're part of America's culinary history and that's worth the trip alone. I've only been to Pats and it was a fun experience.

Get yourself a falafel pita sandwich from the food truck guy down in Center City. Much better than any philly cheese steak from any location in Philly.

Steve's in center city is superior to both. By George and Dinic's in Reading Market are both superior sandwiches, but they don't do cheese wiz, which is what people normally think of in a philly cheesesteak.

We're going to do the half Pat's, half Geno's today after church. Then off to Independence Hall.

Thanks for your thoughts!



PS, if going to independence hall, you now need tickets (haven't been in 10 years)

You've already decided, but as a former Center City resident of several years, I would seriously advise to hit up Reading Terminal Market on your trip if able. DiNic's is legit- and it isn't the roast pork you get- it's the Italian Pulled Pork with rabe and provolone.

Jim's is the tourist trap that masquerades as being a non-tourist-trap version of Pat's and Geno's. But South Street, where Jim's is located, is a fun walk.

The cheesesteak at John's Roast Pork is greatness. Someone else mentioned Dalessandro's, which is also legit but the family sold the business a few years ago and I don't know if quality dropped off. Best part of going to Dalessandro's is that Chubby's is right across the street- and doing a comparison of the two is also fun. On the Old City side of town, I preferred Sonny's over Campos

Towards the end of my time in Philly, the Pat's/Geno's thing was just something you accepted. Between the two, I go with Pat's because it was the first.

Ate at both.



At Pat's, there was some concern about ordering as their sign says "If you make a mistake, don't panic, just go to the back of the line and start over."



Despite successfully giving the order, "one provolone witout," it came out wit. Not a problem, for me, but our friends with us didn't want the onions.

At Geno's, the cashier was quite friendly and helpful. He gave his recommendation, one whiz wit, and I gladly got it. We also got one provolone wit and one American witout.







We did of course speak English.


Geno's one whiz wit


Geno's one provolone wit

We ate across the street along a fence against a basketball court, chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool.

Verdict? Pat's. Better tasting meat.

The ordering system at Pat's is just stupid and meant to make people feel more on edge than they need to be. Literally no other place outside of these two give a **** about the lingo a customer uses to order a sandwich.

Glad you liked Pat's

This thread made me remembered how amazing the roast pork sandwich at Reading Terminal was. Need to go back soon.

This past spring I had a quick 3 day stop in philly. I was determined to try as many as possible. These were the best I had

Tony Lukes
Johns
Jims
Ishkabibble
Dalessandro's
SpOt

But the best sandwich I had in philly was the italian roast pork at DiNic's in Reading Terminal. Get it with sharp provolone and rabe. Thinking back, it might be the best sandwich I've ever had.

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But the best sandwich I had in philly was the italian roast pork at DiNic's in Reading Terminal. Get it with sharp provolone and rabe. Thinking back, it might be the best sandwich I've ever had.

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I've been able to get reasonable approximations of a cheesesteak outside of Philly

I have never had anything come close to the perfection of the Italian pulled pork from DiNic's

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Pats and Geno's are not the best cheesesteaks but they're not trash either. They're part of America's culinary history and that's worth the trip alone. I've only been to Pats and it was a fun experience.

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Yes, they are. They're on par with the Steakums you get in the freezer section. You can get better at Chili's.

I'd ask the locals and go with what they say. Pat's and/or Geno's may have been good once upon a time, but they're nothing more than tourist traps now. Pat's was the worst cheesesteak I've ever had. Geno's was only better because I got Whiz instead of provolone like I did at Pat's.

If the cheese is the best part of your steak sammich, it ain't a good sammich. Especially when it's not even real cheese.

I seem to remember one having much better fillin's and one have much better bread.

Jim's Steaks.

Adam Ag 98's backyard grill

Cooking up some cheese steaks today. Buy a thick ribeye, toss in freezer for 30 minutes, slice paper thin on meat slicer.

Heat flat top on gas grill, cook veggies on right side, steak on left. Today I'll be cooking the veggies (onion, bell pepper, jalapeo) with some ground chorizo, then topping the steak with pepperjack.

What do I win?

Went to DiNic's at Reading Terminal Market yesterday. I don't get it. The pork was flavorless and the broccoli rabb was horrible. Stick to cheesesteaks.