Best of Philly

Best Cheesesteak

2025 Best Cheesesteak

Nicky’s and Ant’s

For a while, the best cheesesteak in the region was being served out of a truck at a small brewpub in Gilbertsville. But when Nick Moccia and Anthony Billetta packed up and left Sunset Hill Brewing for a brick-and-mortar location inside the High Street Terminal in Pottstown, their new place, Nicky’s and Ant’s, became the spot. The sandwiches are massive — the kind where the meat that falls out of the side is enough to fill a second sandwich. The steak is rough-chopped, gooey with melted Cooper Sharp; the bread is ridiculously good; and together it’s worthy of this cheesesteak-obsessed city. Read More »

300 East High Street, Pottstown, PA Website

2025 Best Jim's

Jim’s West

While the touristy South Street Jim’s was under renovation after a fire, leaving the underwhelming and generally rude Delco Jim’s in Springfield to be the only one around, a guy who grew up around the corner from the original in deep West Philly reopened that first location. An amusing legal battle ensued, and Jim’s West emerged victorious, in the court of law and the court of Philly Mag opinion. The cheesesteaks here are packed with the correct cheese-to-meat ratio and just the right amount of salt and greasy deliciousness. Pro tip: Don’t skip the banana pudding. Read More »

431 North 62nd Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2025 Best Take on a Cheesesteak

Omega’s Ms. O’s Famous Jerk Salmon Cheesesteak

Don’t get caught up in the semantics of whatever you think a cheesesteak is supposed to be. Chef Omega Ellis, a Corinne’s Place alum, is showing us what a cheesesteak can be. Her secret blend of fiery jerk spices adds a smoky kick to this seafood variation. Made with chopped jerk salmon and sautéed peppers and onions, all pulled together with a gooey slice of American cheese to cool down the heat, it works in an unexpected and surprising way. Read More »

27 South Center Street, Merchantville, NJ Website

2024 Best Cheesesteak Innovation

Sahbyy Food’s Lemongrass Cheesesteak

This isn’t just a reinterpretation of a Philly classic; it’s a symbol of our city’s ever-evolving identity. With its lemongrass-tinged beef smothered in cheddar cheese sauce and topped with zesty papaya salad and crispy pepper, it’s an innovation that truly showcases the rich diversity of our culinary landscape. Find it at FDR Park’s Southeast Asian Market. Read More »

Website

2022 Best Cheesesteak More People Should Be Talking About

Jaxx Steaks

When Delco native and Cheesesteak Adventure purveyor Jim Pappas bit his way through his 1,000th different cheese-steak earlier this year during a live Fox 29 broadcast, he also announced his favorite: the traditional cheesesteak at this 3rd and Wharton spot, known as Charlie’s Roast Pork until a July name change. And we can’t argue with him — seeded Carangi roll, melted provolone throughout, juicy meat that just won’t quit. Open since July 2019, Jaxx tastes like it’s been a part of our lives for decades. Read More »

1301 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2021 Best Cheesesteaks

Delco Steaks

We know we’re about to start a major Philly-vs.-Delco conflict by bestowing this coveted title on a joint that’s not only in Delco but is named after the goddamned place. But we just call ’em as we taste ’em. Since March 2020, people have been jamming the phone lines on a nightly basis for the Delco, a decadent two-foot-long masterful monstrosity of pulled prime rib eye packed into a seeded roll from South Philly’s Carangi Baking Company. They’re so popular that the shop had to find an additional rib-eye provider after the Chambersburg farm it was buying from couldn’t keep up with the orders. Read More »

2567 West Chester Pike, Broomall, PA Website

2021 Best Vegetarian Cheeseteak

Shroomwit at Frizwit

The meatless cheesesteak — treated as an afterthought in most Philly steak shops — is given the reverence it deserves at Frizwit in Pennsport. The mushrooms are local (from Mycopolitan, a mushroom farm that supplies some of the city’s finest chefs) and the cheese is made with local Abundantly Good cheddar (a do-good cheese that benefits Philabundance), and along with some onions, it’s all stuffed into a hoagie roll baked by Merzbacher’s in Germantown. Most importantly, the shroomwit eats like its meaty counterpart: unabashedly greasy, impossibly cheesy, and as junky and delicious as it ought to be. Read More »

100 East Morris Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2019 Best Cheesesteak

Salmon Cheesesteak at Sister Muhammad’s Kitchen

As Philly’s Muslim population grew, so did the popularity of the salmon cheesesteak. It’s become essential to any aficionado’s checklist. Start here. Read More »

4441 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA | 215-621-7250 | Website

2018 Best Twist on a Cheesesteak

Gojjo

Instead of a late-night trip to Pat’s or Geno’s, head to this Ethiopian bar – open till 2 a.m. – where they transform Philly’s iconic sandwich with spicy berbere seasoning for a hybrid delicacy. Read More »

4540 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA | 215-386-1444 | Website

2015 Best Cheesesteak

Philly’s Finest Sambonis

These Northeast Philly buddies, who debuted their food truck on the Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race, have dreamed up a new model of cheesesteak: They hollow out the roll so each bite is light on bread, heavy on beef, cheese and fried onions, and much less of a dribbly mess. Read More »

Various locations; follow @SamboniBoys