Will be in Philadelphia next week and would like to find the best cheese steak sandwich in town, I have eaten them there before but can't remember where.

here's the list from hollyeats.com

http://www.hollyeats.com/Philadelphia.htm

enjoy

Jim's Steaks, 4th and South Sts.

It is THE BEST.

I agree. Jim's is the place to go.

We were in Philadelphia last year and we walked down to Jim's.

The only one we tried and it was very good.

Surprisingly civil process.

An Internet search for
"cheese steak" best philadelphia
got 18,300 hits -- it's a REAL source of debate. As I mention to visitors to this area, you can walk up to a random Philly resident, say nothing but the four syllables, "Pat's or Geno's?", and then get an earful (this is not recommended if you're traveling with children).

I agree that you should visit these two places in South Philly only for the atmosphere, not for the steaks. For a variety of opinions of where you SHOULD go, do the search I noted above.

Pat's or Genos: Do you want to have to hunt for parking in a neighborhood that has very little; sit and eat outside with pigeons walking all around and not have access to a bathroom?

Jim's is better, and not just for the above reasons.

The fanciest cheesesteak? The $100 kobe beef one served at Barclay Prime on Rittenhouse Square.

The best (cheap) cheesesteak? Jim's on South Street. But learn how to order correctly so you can keep the line moving quicker for the locals.

The cheesesteak with the most gristle and fat? Pat's

The "Oh my God! It's even worse than Pat's" cheesesteak!"? Geno's

Unless you are dying to see the plaque in the ground that shows where Sylvester Stallone once stood (covered in grease, dirt and bird crap) at Pat's, or you hope to meet the owner of Geno's who caused such a media stir when he put up a sign demanding customers speak English when ordering, you'll find little atmosphere regardless of when you go - just a lot of tourists and drunks who don't really care what they are shoveling into their mouth. If you really want a South Philly experience - then go to Tony Luke's (and even then, order the roast pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe over the cheesesteak as that is what they do best).

"The fanciest cheesesteak? The $100 kobe beef one served at Barclay Prime on Rittenhouse Square."

I'm sitting her dumbfounded at why anyone would take great Kobe beef and turn it into a cheesesteak -- just too much money to burn? That's almost like saying "I only buy the best caviar, then love to pour Heinz catsup on it".

And yes, I LOVE Philly cheesesteaks, just can't get over the idea of starting with Kobe beef.

Just don't order it with Swiss cheese.

"Mr. Kerry made the mistake of ordering a cheese steak last August and requesting Swiss cheese -- when the choices included Cheez Whiz, American and provolone -- for which he was widely lampooned."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200707140001

For all you want to know about cheesesteaks:

http://www.cheesesteaktown.com/

I recommend the appetizer-size philly cheesesteak at the Four Seasons Bar.

I tried them from 5 places when I visited. The best by far was from Jim's on South Street, with Rick's (in Reading Terminal Market) a respectable but somewhat distant second. Found the Tony Luke's one at the baseball park just OK, and was not taken with those at either Sonny's or Campo's.

Tony Luke's on East Oregon Avenue, basically under I95. Outside and also a new one directly across the street which is more like a sports bar. http://www.tonylukes.com/restaurants.htm

dave