Have you been able to find out why they never put Philly cheese on them?
Do you mean cream cheese? I’m sure you can find someplace that will do that for you if bring the cream cheese and promise not to eat it around decent cheesesteak loving folk.
OTOH, you could also try a Pizza Steak, where they put mozzarella and sauce on it.
Because of Philly’s “Justifiable Arson” law, passed to prevent such a thing from happening.
Hi Spud
Just a little info for you. If you take SEPTA’s Regional Rail train from Malvern Station (The Paoli/Thorndale Line: Routes – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) into Center City (downtown) Philadelphia, for your fare you may want to consider purchasing a One Day Independence Pass (Individual) for $12.00 on board from the conductor. It’s 12 bucks and allows UNLIMITED rides on all SEPTA vehicles (buses, subways, trolleys and on Regional Rail – it would cover your round trip).
Another benefit of the One Day Independence Pass is that it is valid The Phlash Downtown Loop Guide to the Philly Phlash Downtown Loop for 2023 - Visit Philadelphia. The Phlash is a trolley bus that runs every 15 minutes and services downtown Philadelphia’s historic and cultural attractions (Art Museum, Liberty Bell, etc –see link).
While there are various SEPTA routes that can get you to the popular cheesesteaks places (Pats & Geno’s are not in downtown Philly), if you want to stay centralized you may want to visit Reading Terminal Market (http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/) It’s located next to Market East Regional Rail station.
Please note you can contact customer service for real time information at 215-580-7800 or online using our chat feature: Customer Service | SEPTA
SEPTA Customer Service agents are available Monday - Friday 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Weekends 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. We are also available on Twitter @SEPTA_SOCIAL Monday - Friday 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and Weekends 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
SEPTA_Social_Media-you’ve posted twice now, both times with very helpful information. Do you just read the SDMB when the word “SEPTA” pops up, or do you read it occasionally just for fun? 
We primarily look mentions of our name on various boards, however we will peruse just because from time to time. 
If y’all ever make it over to Portland, Oregon bring some cheesesteaks, and the beer is on me.
For Philly cheesesteak reference, check out Holly Eats run by Holly Moore, a Philly Food aficionado, who posts descriptions, photos of sandwiches and menus, as well as “Grease Stain” ratings
Neither Pat’s or Gino’s are particularly good - the Chicago pizza equivalent are Uno and Gino’s East. Believe it or not, the single best cheesesteak I had in a week of them was at the place in the train station.
I’m an expert witness on a number of indigenous food matters, including cheesesteaks, in 4 localities, including Philadelphia. I know you asked only about cheesesteaks, but I’m going to broaden your horizon.
My Credentials: I like to eat; I like to discuss what I eat; I’m a good eater and discusser.
My Locality History: 17 Years in South Jersey; 6 Years in West Philly; 4 Years in Cleveland; 4 Years in Miami; the last couple of decades somewhere in the South.
Jersey: Best pizza in the world is from Dino’s Pizza Parlor, Cinnaminson, NJ. I have had no pizza that even approaches Dino’s. Forget New York and whatever that thing is from Chicago that they call pizza. I can still taste Dino’s pizza it in the taste buds of my mind. A culinary masterpiece, on par with Beethoven’s 9th. Every ingredient is a delectable virtuoso, but the cheese; oh the cheese was from heaven, perhaps from the utter of a holy cow. Zip across the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philly to experience Dino’s. I haven’t been there since 1969, so they may have moved.
Philadelphia: Jim’s Steak was damned good back in the day (80’s), probably still is. Walk there after seeing the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the TLA Theater on South Street.
Pat’s Steaks is excellent after seeing *Yes *and Peter Frampton at JFK Stadium around 2am when you have a good buzz on. Order “cheese wit” and slather on the hot sauce. As Little Nemo mentioned upthread, Geno’s took some heat for putting up the sign telling customers to order in English; Pat’s put up their own sign saying they’ll serve anybody no matter what language they speak. They capitalize on a marketing opportunities as well as they make steak sandwiches. Gotta love them for that alone.
Some of the best cheesesteaks are found in the Philly ‘burbs. According to my nephew, one of the best steak joints these days is near his hometown, Bryn Mawr (main line of Philadelphia). I forget the name, so just go there and ask around. (My BIL recommends Claymont Steak Shop, Claymont, Delaware). My nephew, BTW, makes about the finest cheesesteak I’ve ever eaten (fresh shaved ribeye, smoked provolone, Amoroso rolls… mmm mmm mmm. He’s a culinary school trained head chef at a fancy Asian restaurant right now, but his dream is to open a food truck in South Florida, featuring cheese steaks, hoagies, scrapple, etc.
And speaking of hoagies, be sure to eat some of those during your stay in Philadelphia, too (Philadelphians do not survive on cheesesteaks alone. They survive on cheesesteaks and hoagies). Or you can visit me if you’re ever in the Southeast, because I make the best hoagie outside of Delaware Valley. We don’t have the Amoroso rolls down here, but Publix hoagie rolls are a good approximation. I use premium Boars Head meats and provolone. My secret (don’t tell anybody) is to marinate the lettuce and onions in extra virgin olive oil, red peppers and oregano for about 15 minutes before scooping the mixture into a layer between the meats and cheese. You need more olive oil spread onto the roll itself and also sprinkled on top along with the banana peppers, black pepper, salt and more red peppers and oregano…and a little basil. You need so much olive oil, that when you take a bite, some dribbles from the proximal end of the hoagie down your chin and onto your crotch and more squirts from the distal end onto the face of the person sitting across from you—that’s when you know you’ve made a good hoagie.
And, if you have time, order the Hot Jewish Sandwich (like a Reuben with corned beef and pastrami but infinitely better) from the Wurst House on Baltimore Avenue, West Philadelphia. I haven’t been there since 1980, so they may have moved.
When you’re in Cleveland, get the chopped chicken liver sandwich at Corky and Lenny’s, before heading out to the Flats. I haven’t been there since 1984, so they may have moved.
When you’re in Miami, just go to Joe’s Stone Crab. I know they’re still there. Put the claw meat between two pieces of bread if you want a sandwich.
Be sure to walk through the giant heart at the Franklin Institute, in Philadelphia, too.
I know cheez whiz is the traditional wink wink cheese to put on it but provalone is much better and many places do use that.
I agree. Of course, when I was living in Philly and Wilmington it was before there was pressurized canned cheese spread.
Cheez Whiz doesn’t come in a pressurized can. You’re thinking of Easy Cheese.
A steak provolone wit’ may be good, it may (though I would usually disagree) even be better than a classic Whiz wit’, but it would NOT, in my opinion, be a true Philly cheese steak.
Yeah, thecanned cheese spread is not the cheese people put on cheese steaks. Cheez Whiz started being served at Philadelphia shops in the 1950s. Orignally, other cheeses (or plain) were used, but eventually Cheez Whiz became the most popular (at least at some shops).
Got back late last night, and due to torrential downpours and extreme heat heat warnings, we never made it into Philly proper. Turns out one of the Moms with us grew up in Philly and went to HS in Malvern where we were staying. She swore that the steaks from Malvern Pizza and Beer are the best of them all. Unfortunately I don’t have anything else in Philly to compare them to, but they were great and sure beats anything I’ve had elsewhere. They only offered Provolone (or Extra Provolone like I got) and not Wiz or anything else.
The only bad part, is I had an extra half that I planned to take back and eat on the long drive home. Unfortunately I didn’t have a cooler so I asked a friend to let me keep it in his rather than letting it bake in a hot car for several hours before heading home. Somehow he “forgot” to give it back before heading home. I’m going to let him know he owes me a trip to Philly to replace it 
You may well have gotten a good one-- There are plenty of hole-in-the-wall places that do a good job with cheesesteaks. They’re really quite simple, after all. But I’ve never eaten at that particular place, so I can’t say.
But,but- Cheez Whiz isn’t cheese.
Technically, it is pasteurized processed cheese food…
I cannot stand that melted canned crap. Provolone first, followed by any other kind of cheese slices.
No, it is cheese whiz-the end result that is expelled after the cheese is “processed”.