For any of those who know Philadelphia...

roenman

roenman

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I will be in Philly for a week coming up soon. Where is the best Cheese Steak place at among any other good eateries and sites?
 
Well, Geno's and Pat's are the most popular; of which, I prefer Pat's.

Honestly, just go around and look for small "hole-in-the-wall" type joints. They will have the best Cheese Steaks.

Also, if you like beer, check out Monk's Belgian Cafe
 
If you must go to the tourist dreck, go for the experience only, and don't expect a quality steak. Pat's, Jim's, and Geno's all serve a halfway decent but altogether underwhelming steak. The only "locals" who eat at those tourist piles of crap are suburbanites who don't know any better, or frat boys who want to show their "bros" how down they are with the philly scene (and who can't find anyone else open late night after they have been pounding natty ice for a few hours).


The best steaks will be at small holes in the wall, or crappy little food trucks scattered around the city. Best Chicken Cheesesteak in the city is from a gray truck with a tv stand on the outside, usually parked on the Drexel University campus. If you've gotta go with a somewhat famous place and want a traditional cheesesteak, Tony Luke's, on oregon avenue, just next to I-95, is a damn good cheesesteak. His pork sandwiches are also absolutely awesome - try both. I also recommend whiz on your steak. A lot of out of towners want "real" cheese - the crappy, rubbery, fake processed cheese product is part of what makes a cheesesteak what it is. That and bread baked with Schuylkill river water....




Also worth hitting while you're in the city - Monk's Cafe, on 16th and Spruce. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING little restaurant / beer emporium. The owner is a complete expert on good beers, and he always has a phenomenal selection of really great stuff. Monk's is where I learned to love good beer. They specialize in Belgian beer, and there's a lot of Belgian inspired food on the menu - much of it cooked in fine beer. They have a lot of game available - the rabbit, pheasant, and smoked trout are all excellent. And you HAVE to try the mussels. I can't emphasize that enough. If you go to Monk's Cafe and don't purchase a pot of mussels steamed in beer, you are committing sacrilege. And to really enjoy your pot of mussels, dip the provided bread in the broth. Pure heaven, I guarantee it.
 
Buy a paper bag of soft pretzels from someone standing on a corner.
 
Great info guys, keep it coming.....
Anything good in Reading Terminal Market?
 
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Lots good in Reading Terminal Market - don't know if you have many Amish in your part of ohio, but there's plenty of PA specific foods that can be had at the market. AP Cakes, Shoo Fly Pies, and Scrapple all are worth getting. Homemade scrapple is SOOOO much better than the store bought kind.
 
MustardMan said:
Lots good in Reading Terminal Market - don't know if you have many Amish in your part of ohio, but there's plenty of PA specific foods that can be had at the market. AP Cakes, Shoo Fly Pies, and Scrapple all are worth getting. Homemade scrapple is SOOOO much better than the store bought kind.
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Mustard Man, have you or anyone heard of DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market?
 
I've heard of it, but sadly never ate there when I lived in philly. By all accounts, their pork sandwiches match Tony Luke's for quality - so I say try both if you get a chance, and decide for yourself :D :thumbup:
 
roenman said:
Mustard Man, have you or anyone heard of DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market?
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If you are going to the reading terminal market, you should go to Delilah's and get the mac and cheese. Best mac and cheese around.
 
MustardMan said:
The best steaks will be at small holes in the wall, or crappy little food trucks scattered around the city. Best Chicken Cheesesteak in the city is from a gray truck with a tv stand on the outside, usually parked on the Drexel University campus. If you've gotta go with a somewhat famous place and want a traditional cheesesteak, Tony Luke's, on oregon avenue, just next to I-95, is a damn good cheesesteak. His pork sandwiches are also absolutely awesome - try both. I also recommend whiz on your steak. A lot of out of towners want "real" cheese - the crappy, rubbery, fake processed cheese product is part of what makes a cheesesteak what it is. That and bread baked with Schuylkill river water....
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I'll 2nd Tony Lukes. I have made many a trip up to Philadelphia and stop there every time. I like there bread and how they do there meat. Also its almost never as busy as the very popular "trendy" places like Pats and Geno's. It doesnt look like its in the best part of town (its not necessarily in a "bad" part of philly) and its pretty much right under the highway but its worth the stop.
 
Ha. Had some Scrapple at RTM last summer. And a cheese steak. Gimme a regular cheese steak from New England any day.

What an odd city. Stuck in 1977 for sure. It was like stepping 30+ years back in time. All over!
 
If you're an Iron Chef fan you should check out Morimoto's Restaurant in Philly.

As far as Cheese Steaks go, I've only done the tourist drek and like Geno's (if only for their "order in English" policy :) ).

Here's someone with some thoughts on the subject:

http://www.bestcheesesteaks.com/
 
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