But, in Philadelphia, it’s the cheesesteak sandwich that’s a point of culinary pride.
I tried six of them and ranked them from my least favorite to the absolute best.
Let’s see which chains are all sizzle and no steak and which are the beefiest.
Photo: Canva. Design: Eat This, Not That!
From a Pepperoni Pizza Meatball creation to its Spicy Cajun Chicken, nothing is off limits.
The look:Miniature, flattened, and somewhat uninspiring.
The meat is sliced uber thin and kind of looks like gyro meat in texture.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Small dollops of mayo and cheese coat the upper half of the golden roll.
The taste:Don’t sound the flavor alarm quite yet.
It’s not necessarily a flaming failure, but it definitely needs some more fire.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Of these, the Ciabatta Cheesesteak stands as the beefiest, stuffed with marinated sliced steak.
A half order cost me $9.19, but a whole version is always available as well.
The red peppers are also accounted for, just hiding under the weight of the rest.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:When I think of a cheesesteak, I think of a sandwich overflowing with meaty shreds.
This Panera creation falls short of those expectations, it’s simply not stuffed enough to make the cut.
Subway
Subwayis stocked with every breed of sub sandwich under the sun.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
So, it should come as no surprise that the world-renowned chain has a cheesesteak on its books.
The classic variety is part of the Subway Seriesa collection of the chain’s subs all flaunting baseball-inspired titles.
The look:This Philly hits it out of the park appearance-wise.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
It’s exactly the look I imagine when I think of the iconic Sammie.
Long and fluffy roll-like bun?
Brown meat infused with melted white cheese?
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Peppers and onions poking out from the sides?
The taste:Straightforward but subpar.
The main issue I have with the recipe is with the peppers and onions.
Neither are cooked before joining the sandwich’s other ingredients, so they are raw and unfavorably crunchy.
Like all Jersey Mike’s subs, it’s offered in either a regular or giant size.
For my stomach’s sake, I stuck with the regular for $9.55.
The look:Even at the “smaller” regular size, this thing is massivea certified big-mouth sandwich.
The taste:A bit of a mess, but tasty on most fronts.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lot of bread.
But, it’s balanced out by a heavier portion of what tastes like gyro meat.
Onion and pepper pieces are caramelized and cooked all the way through.
But hey, sometimes that’s unavoidable.
Overall, it’s a standard build with satisfactory execution.
Is it the real deal?
Eh, maybe not.
A filling big deal, though?
Don’t get me started on that sandwich’s rich deliciousness.
But, the restaurant’s trademark sandwich and certified fan-favorite is actually its Philadelphia-style Cheesesteak.
It standardly comes with 100% U.S.D.A.
I paid just $3.59 for a snack size.
The look:A poor showing.
I knew it would be itty-bitty from my past experiences with Penn Station’s snack size.
But, I didn’t know how sad and unkempt it would look overall.
The meat is scarce, mixed in with slivers of onion, few mushrooms, and gloopy white mayonnaise.
Then, the white roll is a tad too toasty.
It’s well-seasoned with flavors of garlic and onion powder, and has that right-of-the-grill tang.
I do believe they both add a level of complexity though that would be missed in their absence.
So, my hopes and expectations were stacked high for this Columbus, Ohio-based shop.
I grabbed a small order of the motley mash-up for $7.49.
The look:The most appealing of the bunch.
Carved and chopped steak sits atop one side of the toasted roll, glazed with softened cheese.
It’s an inviting sight to behold.
An oversight and decision I now regret.
I also very much enjoy the veggie toppings here.
Plus, the hoagie roll is to die for.
Similar to a soft and fluffy French baguette, I could eat it all by itself.
