Philadelphia: Home of the Cheesesteak

I have always known Philadelphia is famous for their cheesesteaks, but I’d never had one. This past weekend, I hopped in the car with some friends and headed to South Philadelphia. I made sure to save my appetite so I would be able to finish the entire cheesesteak.

Pat’s King of Steaks © Jay Reed | Flickr

We pulled up and to our left was Pat’s King of Steaks and to our left was Geno’s Steaks. Deciding which one to go to was definitely the hardest decision of the day. Both restaurants are famous for their cheesesteaks, and the rivalry between them is strong. My friend who had been to both made the executive decision and said Geno’s.

My friend taught me how to order, “You either say whiz wit! or whiz witout!” Not knowing what that meant she explained “Whiz wit” is whiz cheese with onions and “whiz witout” is whiz cheese without onions. Although there were other cheeses to choose from, my friend insisted I get the whiz cheese, so I told the cashier whiz with. Twenty seconds later my cheesesteak was done. Definitely the fastest restaurant I have ever been to!

Geno’s Steaks © Paul Hakimata | Dreamstime

I grabbed my cheesesteak and headed to the outdoor seating. The first bite was to die for and by far the best cheesesteak I have ever eaten. The taste of the thinly sliced steak topped with the whiz cheese and onions exploded in my mouth; my taste buds were going insane! I managed to finish the entire cheesesteak within seven minutes, and I must say it was an abnormally large cheesesteak. I may be biased towards Geno’s at the moment, but the next time I am in South Philly, I’ll have to try Pat’s and then I will tell you the real winner.

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