Top 20 Cheesesteaks in the Philly Region

This list is the culmination of over two years of eating at least one cheesesteak just about every week. While it wouldn’t have been possible for me to make a serious attempt at trying every steak in the Philly region, I did my best to get to all of the places that are known to be among the best by those who are serious about such things.

I considered four factors when determining which cheesesteaks belong on this list:

1. The Roll:  We all have our own preferences. Some like softer rolls. I prefer them sturdy and don’t mind a crispy crust, although it’s not necessary. I also don’t want the roll to be too doughy.
2. The Meat:  I prefer the meat to be chopped, moist and generously seasoned. A lot of places fall short on the seasoning. 
3. The Cheese:  The cheese should be well proportioned to and blended in with the meat. It should also be evenly distributed throughout the steak. I don’t want it to overwhelm the beef. Rather, it should lightly coat and compliment it. 
4. Overall Taste:  I gave this factor a bit more weight than the other three. Ultimately, it’s what matters most. 

In general, I prefer a cheesesteak in which the meat, cheese, and roll are all proportionate to each other over steaks with massive amounts of meat, cheese, or both. That preference led to several very popular steak shops not making the list.

Numbers 1-8 are the steaks that I consider to be in my top tier. Perhaps surprisingly, at least to me, 14 of the 20 places that made the list are in the suburbs. Many of those are relatively new, which shows the extent to which the sandwich’s popularity is arguably going through a growth spurt in the region it calls home. There are more good cheesesteaks than ever and a constant stream of new steak shops aiming to be the best.

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20. Lucatelli’s Pizzeria  (Doylestown, PA)  

Lucatelli’s gives Doylestown, the seat of Bucks County, a cheesesteak worth driving for. The Liscio’s Bakery roll was soft but fresh and sturdy enough to handle what appeared to be around 12 ounces of chopped ribeye. The Cooper Sharp was perfectly proportioned and beautifully blended in with the meat. A bit more seasoning would have moved it up higher on the list.

19.  Jay’s Steaks  (Royersford, PA) 

Jay’s Steaks also uses soft Liscio’s rolls, but again, it was fresh and had a nice chew along with being sturdy enough to get the job done. The steak featured 10-12 ounces of well-seasoned chopped ribeye. While there was a bit more Cooper Sharp than I prefer, it wasn’t too overboard and it was blended in with the meat nicely. The meat-to-roll ratio was close to ideal.

18. Loretta’s Cafe  (Bristol, PA) 

The highlight of my cheesesteak at Loretta’s Cafe was unquestionably the crusty semolina roll provided by a New York City bakery. If I were to revisit the top five steak rolls list I put out last year, Loretta’s would be on it. In addition to its high quality and great taste, the roll was wider-than-average, allowing it to hold more meat and cheese without seeming overstuffed. And there was indeed at least a pound of chopped ribeye with a large amount of Cooper Sharp on it. This steak had a lot going for it, but the overall flavor didn’t pack quite the wallop I expected.  

17.  Nipotina  (Philadelphia) 

The steak at Nipotina of South Philadelphia featured a Liscio’s roll that was again on the soft side, but fresh and sturdy enough to hold the meat and cheese without any difficulty. What made this steak stand out was the roughly 12 ounces of coarsely chopped ribeye that roll held. It was some of the most tender, juicy and flavorful meat I’ve ever had on a cheesesteak. My only qualm was that the Cooper Sharp wasn’t distributed as evenly as it could have been throughout the steak.

16. Alessio’s Seafood Grille  (Warrington, PA) 

Alessio’s Seafood Grille is a full service restaurant with a large menu – not the sort of place I’d expect to find a great cheesesteak. But they do a fantastic job of seasoning what appeared to be at least close to a pound of chopped ribeye. There was also a nice amount of American cheese blended in with the meat and the onions had some caramelization. My biggest complaint was that the seeded roll was toasted, something I generally don’t like for steaks.

15. Guido’s Steaks  (Bensalem, PA) 

I’m not sure where Guido’s gets their rolls, but they are top notch and have a bit of crustiness that I enjoyed. The chopped ribeye and Cooper Sharp were perfectly proportioned and nicely blended. The only slight let down, which dropped them a few places from where they were on last year’s list, was that the overall flavor didn’t pack quite as much of a punch as I remembered from my previous visit. It probably needed a little more seasoning.

14. Lorenzo’s Steaks on the East Side  (West Chester, PA) 

Lorenzo’s made a minor change to its name earlier this year, but thankfully their steaks remain as good as ever. They use a soft roll that was fresh and had a pleasant chew. Although it didn’t appear to be the case at first glance, the chopped ribeye and Cooper Sharp were blended very well and in perfect proportion to each other. Cheese-lovers may want to order extra here, but I thought the meat-forward flavor was fantastic.

13. Stoli’s Steaks  (Philadelphia) 

The owner of Stoli’s of Northeast Philadelphia, which just missed last year’s list, changed roll suppliers twice in the past year. The first switch – to Sarcone’s Bakery – was a great move. But the newer semolina roll, which comes from a bakery in North Jersey or New York, is even better. The chopped ribeye and New Yorker American cheese were ideally proportioned. My only issue was that the meat needed a touch more seasoning.  

12. Cockadoodle Dan’s (Moorestown, NJ) 

While the seeded rolls at Cockadoodle Dan’s are merely solid, their steaks have a fantastic overall flavor because the grill chefs there do such a great job of seasoning the meat and proportioning all of the ingredients.

11. Joey’s Pizza  (Thorndale, PA)

Joey’s, which serves my favorite pizza in the region, uses soft Liscio’s rolls, but they are a bit crustier than most of the seeded rolls I’ve had from that bakery. The chopped ribeye was moist and lightly coated by the Cooper Sharp throughout, just the way I like it. Like several other steaks between 11-20, this one may have moved up a little higher if the meat had been seasoned just a touch more generously.  

10. Jaxx Steaks Taproom  (Philadelphia) 

Jaxx Steaks Taproom of South Philadelphia serves the only steak on this list that featured Whiz instead of Cooper Sharp or some other kind of American cheese. They offer American, but I prefer their steaks with Whiz. What makes them stand out from just about every other one I’ve ever had with cheese sauce is how well the grill chef proportions and mixes it in with the coarsely chopped meat before placing it onto the roll. And that roll is an excellent crusty and sturdy one from Carangi Bakery.  

9. Lillo’s Tomato Pies  (Hainesport, NJ) 

Lillo‘s is an exception to my more-meat-isn’t-necessarily-better rule. They use a pound of chopped ribeye and it was beautifully seasoned. The Cooper Sharp was nicely blended with it throughout the length of the steak without overwhelming the meat’s flavor. They also apply a garlic spread to the roll, which I expected to be lightly toasted based on last year’s steak. Yet it didn’t seem to be. Regardless, the various components of this cheesesteak combined for a great overall flavor.  

8. Bleigh Street Cafe at the Port Richmond Pub  (Philadelphia) 

The Bleigh Street Cafe operates out of the Port Richmond Pub, which is named after the section of Philadelphia in which it sits. This is the lowest ranking steak in my top tier only because the roll was softer than I prefer. Yet it was fresh and had a nice chew. More importantly, the meat was extra juicy and seasoned extremely well. There was a lot of Cooper Sharp, but it was blended in nicely and didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the beef. It all combined for a tremendous overall taste.  

7. Mercatino Italiano  (Quakertown, PA) 

Mercatino Italiano was called Giacomo’s when I posted about them earlier this year. They made the change due to a dispute with a similarly named restaurant. Their steaks come on a slightly shorter than average and somewhat soft but very sturdy roll. It comfortably held what had to be around a pound of very well-seasoned chopped ribeye and a proportionate amount of Cooper Sharp that was blended in perfectly throughout. I marveled at how well the ingredients were packed onto the roll. To have that much meat and cheese on a relatively small roll with hardly any drippage during eating was remarkable.  

6. Da Vinci’s Brick Oven Pizzeria  (Feasterville-Trevose, PA) 

I’ve visited Da Vinci’s perhaps as often as any of the other steak shops I’ve posted about over the past couple years, and they are remarkably consistent. It starts with their house-baked seeded rolls that have a bit of crustiness and are very sturdy. The grill chefs season ten ounces of chopped ribeye as well as anyone, and the Cooper Sharp always lightly coats the extremely juicy meat, which is left to be the star of the show, just as it should be. The onions are also caramelized, which adds an extra layer of flavor.

5. Steaks  (West Chester, PA) 

Steaks opened recently and made an immediate impression on the cheesesteak-loving public, myself included. They get their rolls from a local French bakery and while they aren’t as crusty as I expected, they pack a lot of flavor for a steak roll and have a wonderfully chewy texture. There appeared to be at least 12 ounces of chopped ribeye on it and it was both juicy and beautifully seasoned. As is the case with most of the steaks on this list, the Cooper Sharp was also used in moderation, but it was distributed nicely throughout.

4. Gazzos Steaks  (Pottstown, PA) 

Gazzos is expected to move from the truck that they’ve been operating out of for a little over a year to a brick and mortar shop soon. That will make for more pleasant year-round cheesesteak eating. And their steaks should be eaten by all who love Philly’s most beloved sandwich. They feature a locally baked high quality roll that was more chewy than crusty. It held roughly 12 ounces of chopped ribeye that was extra juicy and flavorful. The Cooper Sharp was also nicely proportioned and blended in with the meat throughout.  

3. Goomba’s Pizzaria*  (Colmar, PA) 

Goomba’s is the top steak shop in Philly’s suburbs in part because of their tremendous rolls, which they get from a bakery in their area. They have a fantastic crust and are extra-wide, which enables them to hold 14 ounces of moist and beautifully seasoned chopped ribeye and just the right amount of Cooper Sharp cheese without seeming the least bit overstuffed. They also do a great job of caramelizing the onions.

2. John’s Roast Pork  (Philadelphia) 

John’s Roast Pork of South Philadelphia is the only one of the big-name old-school steak shops that still lives up to its reputation. They use crusty and sturdy rolls from Carangi Bakery and fill them with 12 ounces of juicy and exceedingly flavorful chopped beef, which is coated with a healthy but not overbearing portion of American cheese. The fact that they use a milder cheese than Cooper Sharp enables them to put more of it on their steaks without impacting the flavor of the beef. The caramelized onions are the icing on the cake.  

1. Angelo’s Pizzeria  (Philadelphia)

And then there is the king. For the second year in a row, my number one cheesesteak in the Philly region is from Angelo’s Pizzeria of South Philadelphia.  Anyone who has sampled one knows that their greatness starts with the house-baked rolls on which they are served. They are more like something I’d expect to be served to open a meal at an upscale restaurant than any other steak roll I’ve ever had. While it appeared that there may have been too much Cooper Sharp initially, the chopped ribeye was so juicy and flavorful that it managed to avoid being the least bit overwhelmed by the cheese. Rather the two ingredients complimented each other magnificently. The overall package was simply unbeatable.

*That’s how Goomba’s spells Pizzeria. 

**Tony’s of West Reading was not considered, as it’s outside of the Philadelphia region. Their cheesesteaks would have at least been a contender for the list if they were geographically eligible. 

Those of you who would like to browse through my cheesesteak posts can find them all here.