One Shop’s Constant Quest for a Better Cheesesteak

It’s always great to see a restaurateur for whom “good” isn’t good enough, and the owner of Stoli’s Steaks in Northeast Philadelphia unquestionably falls within that category.  When I first posted on Stoli’s last year, my main issue with their cheesesteaks was the soft roll they used. Then I returned earlier this year after readingContinue reading “One Shop’s Constant Quest for a Better Cheesesteak”

Revisiting a Genuine South Philly Legend

The weather gods finally smiled upon me Friday when it stopped raining in South Philadelphia just in time to go forward with my intended lunch at John’s Roast Pork, which has very limited indoor seating. They are the last of the steak shops from my top ten cheesesteaks list that I had to revisit inContinue reading “Revisiting a Genuine South Philly Legend”

Checking Out a Hot New Pizza and Steak Shop

It’s not often that a cheesesteak purveyor gains a big reputation so quickly that I feel a sense of urgency to get there before they are even a month old. But that was the situation that confronted me after seeing a series of online raves about the steaks at Verona Pizza of Maple Glen, Pennsylvania. Continue reading “Checking Out a Hot New Pizza and Steak Shop”

Where to Go When Craving Whiz Wit’

The first cheesesteak I had at Jaxx Steaks Taproom of South Philadelphia back in 2021 – when they were still called Charlie’s Roast Pork – was impressive enough for me to name it the best steak that I ate that year. That was before I had sampled most of the steaks that would wind upContinue reading “Where to Go When Craving Whiz Wit’”

Revisiting One of Last Year’s Best

Starting back in late February I began revisiting the steak shops that made my top ten last year in an effort to gauge whether they still deserve a spot when I revise that list in a few months. I’ve also been including the five honorable mentions in that process and it was one of thoseContinue reading “Revisiting One of Last Year’s Best”

Will a New Steak Shop Live Up to Its Hype?

For this week’s cheesesteak I visited a South Philadelphia sandwich shop that opened just a few months ago with high expectations driven by local media coverage. Nipotina received the spotlight due in large part to its owners having already achieved notoriety with popular pizza and burger-centered restaurants. The question was whether they could make aContinue reading “Will a New Steak Shop Live Up to Its Hype?”

Too Famous to Ignore: Pat’s and Geno’s

It was roughly ten months ago that I set out for South Philadelphia’s most famous intersection with the intention of eating cheesesteaks from both Pat’s and Geno’s. But not all plans come to fruition and after eating what was unquestionably the worst steak I’ve had since starting this blog at Pat’s, I couldn’t bring myselfContinue reading “Too Famous to Ignore: Pat’s and Geno’s”

Taking Visitors for Their First Good Cheesesteak

It’s only been a month and a half since the last time I posted about Goomba’s. While I wouldn’t normally return to any cheesesteak purveyor so quickly in light of how many other steaks I have to get to, there was a special reason for doing so Tuesday for lunch.  My friend Louis had drivenContinue reading “Taking Visitors for Their First Good Cheesesteak”

First Bite Leads to Unfortunate Surprise

For this week’s cheesesteak I visited a corner deli that has been on my radar for a while. Mi-Pals sits at 16th and Wolf Streets in South Philly and is better known for their hoagies, which often pop up on local best-of lists. But online photos I had seen of their steaks also appeared promising. Continue reading “First Bite Leads to Unfortunate Surprise”

Return to Lillo’s for More Steak and Pie

Many of you already know that there are a lot of restaurants in the Philadelphia area that serve both cheesesteaks and pizza and that I do my best to try each when going to such a place. But there were only two eateries that made both my top ten list for cheesesteaks and top fiveContinue reading “Return to Lillo’s for More Steak and Pie”