Bon Appétit Thinks It’s Found the 8 Best Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia

A cheesesteak I had last week at Dalessandro’s, which landed on Bon Appétit’s list of the 8 best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia. (Photo by Victor Fiorillo)

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Bon Appétit Thinks It’s Found the 8 Best Cheesesteaks In Philadelphia

There seems to be more talk than usual of late about who has the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia. Recently, both the Inquirer and Barstool Sports ran contests that allowed readers to pick their favorite cheesesteak in Philadelphia via brackets. The winner in both: Dalessandro’s. And now national food mag Bon Appétit weighs in on the age-old debate.

Bon Appétit‘s best cheesesteak list is, at the very least, an interesting one.

In addition to some old school spots like John’s Roast Pork and Rocco’s Italian Sausages & Philly Cheese Steaks in South Philly and, yes, Dalessandro’s in Roxborough (they need to give their publicist a bonus!) you’ll also find an Ethiopian restaurant, a Mexican cafe, and some Korean flair. Plenty to argue about.

Personally, based on my experience at Dalessandro’s last week (that’s when I snapped the above photo of the apparently winningest cheesesteak in Philadelphia history), that sandwich doesn’t deserve a place on this list. But, hey, that’s just my opinion. And you know what they say about opinions.

Anyway, all of the Bon Appétit winners, in no particular order:

• Gojjo, West Philly
• John’s Roast Pork, South Philly
• Café y Chocolate, South Philly
• Dalessandro’s, Roxborough
• Korea Taqueria, South Philly
• Rocco’s Italian Sausages & Philly Cheese Steaks, South Philly
• Saad’s Halal, West Philly
• Donkey’s Place, Camden, NJ

No doubt Angelo’s lovers are going to have something to say about the Bon Appétit list. As will Old Philadelphia, which generally believes that gochujang chipotle mayo has no place on a cheesesteak. As for the poppy seed-covered sandwich at Donkey’s, which is in New Jersey, well, Anthony Bourdain certainly liked it.

You can read the full story here. And before you go complaining that some New York-based media outlet has no business picking the best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, I should tell you that the writer grew up and still lives in the Philadelphia area.

Speaking of National News Outlets Writing About Philly’s Food Scene

Not sure where to eat and drink this weekend? The New York Times does a solid job planning your itinerary, though doesn’t exactly come up with any surprises. Honestly, I think they just read Philly Mag’s food reviews to compile these things.

Jeff Brown Pulls a Donald Trump at Last Night’s Debate

As municipal election debates go, Tuesday’s mayoral debate hosted by Fox 29 and Temple University was a pretty good one.

I enjoyed the “lightning rounds” where candidates indicated their answers using cards on their podiums. When asked if they supported stop and frisk, they had “YES” and “NO” cards available to them. Helen Gym, Amen Brown and Rebecca Rhynhart all held up “NO” cards. The other candidates held up nothing. Then one of the panelists asked them to write their grade for Mayor Kenney on a card. Kenney fared best with Cherelle Parker, who generously gave Kenney a C. Amen Brown, who has nothing to lose, doled out the worst possible grade: an F-minus. Ouch.

Of course, there was no way ShopRite mogul Jeff Brown was walking away from this debate without responding to the news this week that the Philadelphia Board of Ethics has raised some serious questions about his alleged involvement with a super PAC that’s been funding him. Brown called the whole thing a “political hit job.” “This is about the political establishment not wanting the change we so desperately need,” he added. I was waiting for him to call it a witch hunt. He stopped short. If Brown followed the Ethics Board’s activities over the years, he might realize that the Ethics Board has gone after members of that very political establishment time and time again.

Derek Green also got a nice jab in against Jeff Brown, saying, “Selling a lot of Froot Loops doesn’t make you qualified.” Ouch again!

Jeff Brown is also under fire for some harsh comments he made about Chester (seriously, Chester is having some big, big problems) when asked about sending Philly’s garbage there.

My key takeaway from the debate is that Cherelle Parker came on strong. I haven’t decided who I am voting for and probably won’t come to a final decision until I step into the booth on May 16th. But I will say that Parker slid up on my short list a bit after the debate. But it’s anybody’s race at this point. Well, almost anybody’s. Seriously, Amen, maybe just step aside.

The Sixers Have a New Hype Video

And I’m really digging it:

Note that the song is “Feet Don’t Fail” by South Philadelphia musician Suzanne Sheer.

By the Numbers: NJ Edition

2,500 acres: Size of the New Jersey wildfire

$6.6 million: Asking price for a fairly spectacular Margate manse once owned by the woman credited with bringing opera to Philadelphia.

5 percent: Decline in Atlantic City casino profits from 2021 to 2022.

20 percent: Increase in profits over the same time period for Ocean Resort & Casino (nee Revel), which fared much better than most.

$265.75: Average cost of a room at Ocean in 2022, the highest of all the casinos in Atlantic City.

Philly Sports Desk contributor Sandy Hingston is on break this week. And, therefore, so is the Sports Desk.