Cheesesteak Wars: Who Makes The Best Steak in Philly?

No visit to Philadelphia is complete without sampling the city's most beloved food -- the cheesesteak. If Seattle is known for having a coffee shop on every corner, then Philly has a cheesesteak joint on every one of theirs. But not all cheesesteaks are created equal, and anyone who has spent much time in Philly has an opinion on whose steak is best. Since I was in Philly for two days, I decided to try two.

The steak on the left is from my first stop - Jim's Steaks on South Street.

Jim's was recommended by a dear friend who is a Philly area native, and she swore it was absolutely the best steak in the city. Apparently a lot of other people feel that way too, because the place was PACKED and it was late in the afternoon before I got around to having lunch.

At Jim's, you get a birds eye view of the guy assembling your steak as you order, and it's a delight to behold. I ordered a steak with provolone, lettuce and tomato.

First, the cheese went on the bun, which then got pressed face down on the grill for about 5 seconds. Then a flick of the wrist was all it took to slap a healthy portion of meat between the bread and finish with the lettuce and tomato.

Let's see that again, but bigger!

The steak at Jim's had amazing flavor, plus the bun was nice and soft from those few seconds on the grill. It probably soaked up a nice little bit of grease as well, which made it all the more tasty.

The next day, I checked out Pat's King of Steaks.

Pat's is located in a hardscrabble working-class South Philly neighborhood right out of Rocky. In fact, one of the scenes in the movie was filmed at Pat's, so they have a little plaque to commemorate that.

Pat's was founded by the Oliveri Brothers, who according to Wikipedia are "generally credited as the 1933 co-creators of the Philly Cheesesteak." When you ask most casual visitors to Philly where to go for a steak, they'll normally mention Pat's or Geno's, which is right on the opposite corner of the street.

Since they get a lot of tourists, the Pat's gang are also kind enough to give you instructions on how to order a steak. Who knew there was a right way?

I ordered a "steak wit provolone." No good visual on the guy making your steak this time, just the dude leaning out a small window to take your money. And the other interesting thing about Pat's was the ordering process for anything else BUT a steak -- that all happened at another window, with a separate register. That one was a head scratcher, but I guess the guy taking the steak orders needs to stay focused.

The Pat's steak was good, but didn't come close to matching Jim's. The meat quality was about the same, but the bun just didn't have that same softness and flavor. And looking at both steaks side by side above, it's pretty clear Jim's gets you the bigger portion. All told, Jim's was the big winner for me.

Regardless of what steak you prefer, here are some final tips to get the most out of your Philly cheesesteak experience.

1. Bring plenty of cash. Neither of these joints take credit cards and a steak plus a drink will run you about $10. There is an ATM around the corner from Jim's, but not a cash machine in sight near Pat's.
2. Have patience, especially if you're going during a busy time. Both places can get really busy.
3. Seating can be a little tricky, so be prepared to eat on the fly if needed. Of course, you can always get it to go.

Sadly, my Philly cheesesteak experience was not complete because I never had a steak the "traditional" way -- with Cheese Wiz. Guess that means I gotta go back. Life is rough sometimes...