As you travel from one region of the country to the next, you’ll come to find that each state and even city has its own specialty cuisine. In Louisiana–and, more specifically, New Orleans–restaurants and households are cooking up dishes of Cajun and Creole influence like jambalaya or gumbo. Mainers are all about their lobster rolls, oysters, and other seafood, and in Chicago, deep-dish pizza reigns supreme.
But, in Philadelphia, it’s the cheesesteak sandwich that’s a point of culinary pride. This iconic sandwich is made with thinly sliced steak, melted cheese, and optional other ingredients, all sitting on a long hoagie-style roll. It’s savory. It’s filling. And, it’s become so popular that it’s spread to nearly every national sandwich chain you can think of, and even to regional chains that have absolutely no ties to Philly whatsoever.
Of course, each Philly cheesesteak recipe looks slightly different from the last as each establishment attempts to put their own spin on the classic. Being a fan myself, I set out to find the absolute best fast-food chain rendition out there–the one best suited to satisfy those juicy cravings and do Philadelphia proud. 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 beefy best.
Firehouse Subs
Nutrition: (Per 1 Small Sub):
Calories: 420
Fat: 25 g (Saturated Fat: 7 g)
Sodium: 1,340 mg
Carbs: 28 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 4 g)
Protein: 19 g
The Firehouse isn’t afraid to turn up the heat with its own sizzling versions of your favorite subs. From a Pepperoni Pizza Meatball creation to its Spicy Cajun Chicken, nothing is off limits. The shop similarly takes you on a journey to the great city of Philadelphia with its Firehouse Steak and Cheese. The sandwich is loaded up with sauteed steak, melted provolone cheese (and tons of it gauging by the picture on the chain’s website), caramelized onions, green bell peppers, mayonnaise, and deli mustard–an intriguing addition certainly unique for a Philly. I paid $6.99 for the small size, although both mediums, larges, and combo meals are also available.
The look: Miniature, flattened, and somewhat uninspiring. The meat is sliced uber thin and kind of looks like gyro meat in texture. Small dollops of mayo and cheese coat the upper half of the golden roll. But the mustard, onions, and peppers all appear to be missing–it turns out they were hiding under the meat the whole time, although I was concerned there for a minute.
The taste: Don’t sound the flavor alarm quite yet. Even though I was initially enamored by the pillowy softness of this roll, my compliments toward this Philly rendition essentially end there. The meat between the bread goes beyond mild and into the flavorless zone—like it was hosed down with water and absolutely no other seasonings during the preparation process. The taste of the veggies is also nonexistent, leaving just the cheese and condiments—mostly the mayo—to do the heavy lifting. It’s not necessarily a flaming failure, but it definitely needs some more fire. And, since it could really be any kind of protein from roast beef to chicken hiding sheepishly under the sauce and cheese, I don’t think it’s cheesesteak worth praising.
Panera Bread
Nutrition: (Per 1 Half Sandwich):
Calories: 570
Fat: 30 g (Saturated Fat: 9 g)
Sodium: 920 mg
Carbs: 46 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 6 g)
Protein: 27 g
Panera has always been known for salads, soups, and, of course, sandwiches sitting on its famously fresh bread. But, the bakery chain has recently been padding its Sammie portfolio even further with cold deli specialties and new hot takes. Of these, the Ciabatta Cheesesteak stands as the beefiest, stuffed with marinated sliced steak. It’s not identical to the East Coast specialty but is Philly-esque, covered in provolone cheese and additionally topped with caramelized onions, zesty sweet peppers, and garlic aioli on a loaf of Ciabatta. A half order cost me $9.19, but a whole version is always available as well.
The look: The crusty Ciabatta is large, in charge, and charred on the edges–I think its trip through the toaster was just a few seconds too long. I counted six total pieces of beef nestled in between the bread, all coated in creamy aioli and sitting atop a gooey cheese layer. The red peppers are also accounted for, just hiding under the weight of the rest.
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. The steak succumbs to the sheer size of the crisp bread, so it never gets to show off its tender nature. The caramelized onions and sweet yet tangy peppers, on the other hand, are something to be admired, adding a touch of uniqueness and a modern twist to this time-honored sandwich. However, a good cheesesteak is not built on toppings alone, and I just don’t think I can justify calling this innovative iteration one of the best on the market.
Subway
Nutrition: (Per 6″ Sub):
Calories: 500
Fat: 25 g (Saturated Fat: 9 g)
Sodium: 1,310 mg
Carbs: 41 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 28 g
Subway is stocked with every breed of sub sandwich under the sun. 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 Series—a collection of the chain’s subs all flaunting baseball-inspired titles. Apparently, the name The Philly was already baseball-y enough though, so it was not awarded a clever nickname. It was, however, honored with a standard recipe, including juicy steak and a double dose of American cheese toasted onto an artisan-style Italian bread and then garnished with green peppers, red onions, and mayonnaise. Instead of a $5, $5 footloooong (which isn’t really $5 anymore), I just ordered a standard 6-inch for a price of $6.29.
The look: This Philly hits it out of the park appearance-wise. It’s exactly the look I imagine when I think of the iconic Sammie. Long and fluffy roll-like bun? Check. Brown meat infused with melted white cheese? Check. Peppers and onions poking out from the sides? Check, check.
The taste: Straightforward but subpar. Starting with the positives, the steak is a high point, tender and never grisly with just a few isolated chewy sections. The cheese and mayo shmear duo give the entire thing a creamy essence, and the roll ends up tasting more crackly than doughy and soft, but it’s still plenty palatable in my book. 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. It seems like they are thrown on as more of an afterthought, and I would much rather have more tender veggies, like the way they’re prepared for fajitas, and for every other Philly listed here.
Jersey Mike’s
Nutrition: (Per 1 Regular):
Calories: 700
Fat: 30.5 g (Saturated Fat: 13.9 g)
Sodium: 1,957 mg
Carbs: 62 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 44.5 g
I don’t know about you, but I tend to associate Jersey Mike’s solely with cold-cut subs. They’re never firing up the grill as I glide through the line, let’s put it that way. However, the shop does in fact have quite the lineup of grilled-to-order choices including the Salsa Verde Chicken Cheese Steak, the Portabella Cheese Steak, and the fan-favorite Mike’s Famous Philly. It comes with peppers, onions, white American cheese, and, the main event, steak–although a chicken version also graces the menu. According to the chain, it’s the “real deal” so I was excited to indulge in an authentic Philadelphia delicacy. 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 massive—a certified big-mouth sandwich. It’s padded on both sides with a cushy loaf of French-style bread and filled to the fringes with cheese-coated browned meat. Slivered onions are tossed in sporadically and red peppers add a few spots of color, breaking up the neutral-colored monotony.
The taste: A bit of a mess, but tasty on most fronts. It reminds me slightly of Panera’s offering—maybe it’s just the shared red peppers—although its ratio of steak to bread is much more agreeable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lot of bread. Prepare to carbo-load. 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. American cheese was also a superb choice as it melts seamlessly into all the nooks and crannies of the sandwich. I think these oozy globs, along with juices from the meat, contribute to some sogginess in the surrounding bread. 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? Absolutely.
Penn Station
Nutrition: (Per 1 Snack Size):
Calories: 662
Fat: 36 g (Saturated Fat: 9.6 g)
Sodium: 1,750 mg
Carbs: 51 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 6 g)
Protein: 28 g
Penn Station is the regional chain–with locations in the Midwest and Southeastern states–I recently dubbed the king of Italian subs. 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. choice steak, sauteed onions, mushrooms, banana peppers, mayo, spicy brown, mustard, and pizza sauce–the curious ingredient that I thought had the power to make or break the entire sub. I did end up stripping out the tangy banana peppers to give more taste focus to the rest but kept all else the same. 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.
The taste: I don’t know how, but what appears to be a greasy wrong actually turns out to be so right and I think it boils down to the quality of the meat. It’s well-seasoned with flavors of garlic and onion powder, and has that right-of-the-grill tang. These narrow slices are the star of the show—as they should be—but are elevated even further by the crisp yet not crunchy bread plus the cheese and condiments. The mustard and pizza sauce do fly more under the radar—it’s not even close to the amount of marinara you would find on something like a meatball sub. I do believe they both add a level of complexity though that would be missed in their absence. Overall, the recipe is sloppy and certainly not a looker, but isn’t that kind of what a cheesesteak is all about?
Charleys Cheesesteaks
Nutrition: (Per 1 Small Sub):
Calories: 470
Fat: 22 g (Saturated Fat: 8 g)
Sodium: 1,200 mg
Carbs: 39 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 4 g)
Protein: 27 g
If I had to guess who the champion of cheesesteaks would be before indulging in a single one it would have to be Charleys. If you’re going to brand yourself as the expert on a particular type of sandwich, then it better be good, right? So, my hopes and expectations were stacked high for this Columbus, Ohio-based shop. Unsurprisingly, a slew of cheesesteaks can be found on the menu from a Chicken Buffalo Cheesesteak to a Veggie Delight Cheesesteak, but I went with the most basic option that started it all, the Philly Cheesesteak.
Now, one thing you should know about Charleys is that it likes to marry traditional cheesesteak components with ingredients more synonymous with a hoagie–another Philadelphia-born sandwich type. This means its combination of steak, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and provolone cheese is additionally topped with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and pickle for a diverse flavor and bold experience. 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. Then, on the other side, the bread is slathered with a generous mayo layer before being covered in lettuce, tomato slices, and a long, thin pickle chip. It’s an inviting sight to behold.
The taste: Although the first-ever Charleys sprouted at my alma mater Ohio State University and the chain continues to be headquartered in my own backyard, this was my first time trying it. An oversight and decision I now regret. The entire Philly is delicious, from bun to pickle, with the meat standing as the most impressive component. The steak blends with the mushrooms, peppers, and onions, creating a stuffed pepper-like filling that’s flavorful with plenty of umami notes. I also very much enjoy the veggie toppings here. The lettuce, tomatoes, and even the pickle provide a touch of freshness to something that’s mostly heavy and oily. Plus, the hoagie roll is to die for. Similar to a soft and fluffy French baguette, I could eat it all by itself. I guess Charleys really has cracked the cheesesteak code and I’m happy to report the chain is worthy of its ambitious name.
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