There is likely no other cheesesteak that I’ve written about more often than the one at Cafe Carmela in Northeast Philadelphia. It’s one of the most highly regarded steaks in the area based on what I regularly read on social media. Yet I have consistently thought that their flavor is slanted too heavily toward the Cooper Sharp cheese, which always seems to overwhelm the ribeye.
I tried one with light Cooper Sharp during my last visit, but that still didn’t do the trick for me. As much as I’ve enjoyed other items on their menu, I couldn’t warm to their steaks and was prepared to give up on them. But they opened a second location convenient to where my step-mother lives a few months back and we made arrangements to check it out Tuesday for lunch.
While I’ve always appreciated the atmosphere at Cafe Carmela’s original location, their newer spot, which is in Huntingdon Valley, PA – just outside of Northeast Philly – is even nicer.
The menu is identical to the one at the other spot. My step-mother only wanted a chicken Caesar salad and I didn’t have the appetite to consider sharing a pizza or appetizer in addition to the cheesesteak.
I’m not a glutton for punishment and had no intention of ordering another steak with Cooper Sharp. But they also offer a house-made cheese sauce and I requested a light portion of that along with fried onions. It came on a seeded roll by default.
The Caesar salad was almost comically enormous, especially considering my step-mother’s limited appetite. She’ll probably be eating the leftovers for at least a couple more days. Aside from the portion size, she mentioned that it was good and that the chicken was warm and tasty.
When my cheesesteak arrived, the first thing I noticed was that the meat wasn’t evenly distributed between the two halves, with one having considerably more than the other. But that turned out to be the only negative aspect of this sandwich.
Going with their cheese sauce instead of Cooper Sharp finally got me over the hump for Cafe Carmela’s steaks. Although it didn’t appear to have been mixed in with the meat on the grill, the two ingredients increasingly intertwined as I worked my way through each half. There was a lot of drippage, with the cheese sauce making for a messier eating experience, but it was proportioned fairly well. Requesting a light amount of it was the right move. Its milder, slightly salty flavor didn’t overwhelm the meat, which was nicely seasoned and extremely tender.
The seeded roll, which I believe came from Carangi Bakery of South Philadelphia, was also fantastic. It was both crusty and extremely fresh.
Persistence paid off for me with Cafe Carmela’s steaks. I’ve finally discovered a way to order them that satisfies my taste buds.
Given the location of this newer spot, it’s likely that I’ll be back there periodically. I’ve threatened several times to try their house-made pasta and also want to get to their meatball sandwich at some point. You’ll read about that when it happens.
My plan at this point is to eat two or three more cheesesteaks before putting out my list of the Philly region’s 20 best two weeks from now. I’ve also got a pizza outing of significance scheduled for Friday which I’ll post on early next week.
BZ Maestro Eats 
The original also has the same cheese sauce? I admire your trying another sauce.
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Yes. Perhaps we should have had one each with sauce and Cooper instead of what we did. But that’s not how I was thinking at the time.
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Granted, the flavor of the sauce was probably affected by the beef, but how would you describe it? Any particular flavors you could pick out? I like to use a little bit of Worcestershire when I make one.
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It was like higher quality Whiz – a little on the salty side.
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