Ok good. I was envisioning you herding 20 cats.
No, no, no, this is an awful idea!
I love Reading Terminal I would strongly suggest not taking a group of 20 people there, much less a group of 20 kids there. It’s an well over 100 year old farmer’s market under what was the Reading Railroad terminal headhouse in Philadelphia. There are some great places to buy raw foods to take home & cook; including some things I only get there as I don’t know anywhere else that sells certain things, some Amish food merchants, some great dessert places, & a number of places to get something to eat. The aisles are 2-3 people wide, & with people standing in line to order from various merchants it can be tough for two or three people to stay together walking thru the market, let alone one or two wanting to order here & some wanting to order there, etc. The middle section has open seating, but it’s mostly 4-tops & it’s first come, first served. There’s no way you’re going to get everyone to sit together.
On top of that, Spataro’s has been in the market for decades; they were known for their deli sandwiches; cheesesteaks are a relatively new addition for them when they moved to their current location. I’ve been there & seen 20-30 people in line waiting to order or pickup one. I’ve never had a cheesesteak that’s worth that wait.
Second Campo’s or Sonny’s as they’re easier to get to but even there you’ll kind of overwhelm them.
OK someone I know mentioned a place in Philadelphia called Tony Luke’s. How are their cheesesteaks?
Tony Luke’s is a franchise now. I never had one at the original location. I have had one at one of the franchise locations and I was underwhelmed.
It may have been that once but it seems to me it’s now primarily a lunch spot, a foodhall. And it’s the perfect spot for 20 Scouts to land on after an urban hike.
A significant portion of the establishments are for food to go & be consumed elsewhere - 3 fishmongers, 5 places that sell raw meat/poultry, 2 produce stands, canned Amish goods, the nut/candy store that sells prepackaged pound bags & while you could eat a cookie or cannoli from the bakery, you’re not going to eat the whole cake that you buy on site.
Did you read what I said about narrow aisles & lack of seating? Some of the restaurants have counter service but many do not & you’ll never get everyone to sit together unless you get there when they first open. Hell, you most likely won’t even be able to keep the group together to just walk around & see what places there are to order from if they go after doing whatever first.
The main thing is weekend. The reading terminal is a madhouse on the weekends. I do not go there on weekends. Nope, no, not.
It’s fun on the weekends. Sit apart. Eat standing up. Or dodge piss puddles outside. No big deal.
That makes me think of New Yorkers waxing eloquent about how even the corner pizza place in NYC is better than pizza anywhere else in the world, and all I ended up with was floppy grease triangles.
In the hallowed halls of sandwich heaven, the Philly Cheesesteak stands as a testament to culinary divinity, with the holy trinity of roll, steak, and cheese. In fact, if the church passed out cheesesteaks during Holy Communion instead of wine and bread, I may have to rethink my atheism.
The Amoroso roll is the sacred scroll, fresh and revered; anything less is sacrilege. But the rolls must be fresh-baked from the Philly factory. Don’t bother with pre-packed Amorosos; you’ll just embarrass yourself (and maybe go to Hell). Regrettably, I no longer live in Philly and must make do with an alternative roll—Publix’s fresh-baked hoagie rolls. They are a worthy contender, not unlike Joe Frazier at the Thrilla in Manila.
Thinly shaved ribeye steak goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: thinly shaved ribeye steak. It bears repeating: thinly shaved ribeye steak.
Lesser meats are banished to the shadow realm of culinary misdeeds. Minute Steak and Steak-umm meat are what you serve your POWs if you really loathe your enemy and consider them subhuman.
Caramelized onions bring a touch of sweet revelation, and to go “cheese witout” is to walk a path of heresy.
Then there is the cheese paradox. Sure, melted provolone is the proper cheese to adorn a cheesesteak, but sometimes you don’t want proper; you want sinful, and Cheez Whiz is sinfully good on a steak sandwich. It’s the choice between the saintly and the scandalous. It’s like choosing between a high-end call girl and a street hooker. Sometimes the street hooker is just what the doctor (Dr. Love) ordered.
I’ve never understood how a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich isn’t made with Philadelphia “Philly” cream cheese. I mean, it’s right in the name!
We kind of glossed over the bus parking part of the field trip.
I visited most recently in 2022 and stayed at a hotel immediately across the street (Home2 Suites on 12th). I went often and got a good feel for RTM at different hours and days. I say it (RTM & surrounding area) would be an awesome place for 20 hungry teens, especially after that dull Interpendence Bell. The layout is part of its Urban Charm. I’d cut everyone loose with a buddy and meet up in 2 hours. If all else fails, they all end up at the Panera or Chili’s across the street.
I unexpectedly found some dank sardines at Reading. Ramon Penas and Mouettes.
I am chair of a conference that will be in a Penn’s Landing hotel and wrote this for the organization’s membership:
Philadelphia Cheesesteak Primer
While Philadelphia is known as a city for “foodies” and sports, there are few topics that evoke the passionate responses as “what is the best cheesesteak”. For those unfamiliar with or uninitiated into “cheesesteak culture”, a cheesesteak is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of ribeye steak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. Overlooking the obvious nutritional value of cooked steak, melted cheese, and bread, there are numerous variations in the creation and serving of a cheesesteak.
What Makes up a Cheesesteak?
First, there are the rolls, which generally are either seeded (generally Sarcone’s, with sesame seeds) or unseeded (generally Amoroso’s), and there is rarely a choice within an establishment. Second, there is the choice of fried onions, which are cooked until soft and combined with the cooked steak. One orders onions by stating “with” or “without”. Finally, there is the cheese. Generally, the options include provolone cheese, American cheese, or “Cheez Whiz”, the latter of which may not even qualify as “cheese”. That said, one 1986 New York Times review described this curious concoction as "the sine-qua-non of cheesesteak connoisseurs”.
It is common practice to order a cheesesteak using the phrasing of [CHEESE] steak [ONIONS]. For example, “WIZ steak WIT” (noting that the “h” is often silent), or “PROVOLONE steak WITHOUT” (note that “PLAIN” will substitute).
Variations:
One final debate regarding the best way to cook/serve a cheesesteak is “flipped versus chopped”. Many establishments, especially the most popular and highly trafficked, have a grill visible to patrons, with a large pile of meat in various stages of preparation. These steaks usually take their final form as “chopped”, and the meat is broken down into smaller pieces before placement on the roll. Other establishments cook their cheesesteaks one-at-a-time, placing a sandwich-portion of ribeye on the grill, and breaking it into larger pieces while cooking.
Note that cheesesteaks can be served using chicken (chicken cheesesteak) and some establishments may offer vegan/vegetable “steaks”. Also, one can order a mushroom or pepper or pepperoni or pizza steak, which includes additional ingredients.
But, What is the Best Cheesesteak?
The debate regarding “what is the best cheesesteak” has raged on for decades, and you can Google “best Philly cheesesteak” to access thousands of opinions. Also, note that most establishments also serve “hoagies” as well as “roast pork” sandwiches, both of which deserve require their own discussion and consideration. On strategy is to split a cheesesteak between two people and then try another location (understanding that few can consume more than two halves in one day)
For those interested in experiencing Philly cheesesteaks, here are a few options, depending on whether you are on-foot, taking an Uber/Lift, or have your own car.
On Foot:
Closest to the hotel is Campo’s (214 Market Street) which serves cheesesteaks as well as hoagies and roast pork.
A few doors down is Sonny’s Famous Steaks, which also serves burgers and fries, and is open for “late night dining” until 3am on weekends.
If you are up for a stroll, South Street is only about 5-6 blocks away from the hotel, and is its own tourist destination. Here you will find Ishkabibble’s (337 South Street). Note that the most famous South Street establishment, Jim’s Steaks, is currently under renovation after a fire. Check their status closer to the conference.
By Uber
The most famous establishments are directly across the street from each other, both on Passyunk Avenue, and are often the places seen on movies that are shot in Philadelphia.
Pat’s King of Steaks (1237 E. Passyunk Avenue) and Geno’s Steaks (1219 S. 9th Street) are likely the most visited establishments in the city, and both are adorned with photos of famous individuals who have visited.
John’s Roast Pork (14 E. Snyder Avenue) is widely regarded as “Best of Philly” serving both cheesesteaks and roast pork sandwiches. Note, however, that they are only open Tuesday-Saturday until 5pm.
Tony and Nick’s Steaks (39 E. Oregon Avenue) are located further south and serve a variety of sandwiches, including a creative variety of chicken cutlet hoagies.
To the north, Joe’s Steaks and Soda Shop (1 W. Girard Avenue) is a small establishment serving ONLY cheesesteaks, burgers, fries, sodas, and milkshakes. Google their history for an interesting back-story regarding their name.
By Car
There are numerous neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia serving exceptionally good cheesesteaks.
In Roxborough (to the NW), both Dalessandro’s Steaks (600 Wendover Street) and Chubby’s Steaks (5826 Henry Avenue) sit a block apart and have both held the “best of Philly” crown at one time.
In the northeast, Steve’s Prince of Steaks (7200 Bustleton Avenue) is among my personal favorites, and is, indeed, the prince of “flipped” steaks.
Finally, if you are adventurous and/or planning on visiting Atlantic City, White House Subs (2301 Arctic Avenue) is right off the AC Expressway and rightfully debated as having the best steaks/hoagies/meatball sandwiches on the east coast. There is a mystique about Atlantic City bread that lends credence to these claims.
Excellent write up. I had a White House cheesesteak a couple of weeks ago. It was very good but I actually prefer their Italian subs. Extra credit for very nice people running the place.
Y’all are making me want a cheesesteak. Or an Italian beef but we’ve used up our last delivery from Amazon.
Some minor corrections, because it wouldn’t be the Dope otherwise -
Wiz wit or Provolone widout; no need to say the work “steak”.
Not sure when your conference is but they’re set to reopen May 1st
They are across the street from each other. We went to Chubby’s once. Once
(Dalessandro’s is much better)
I find this need for brevity when ordering at certain places to be somewhat strange. Sure, maybe you want to show you are “authentic” or local and know your way around ordering a cheesesteak. On the other hand, how much can you be trusted about anything if you think Cheez Whiz is better than, or even the equivalent of provolone?
On rare occasions when I go to Taco Bell, I ask for “shredded cheese” rather than Crap Whiz. They put it briefly under the broiler, and the world is a slightly better place.
My first time ordering a hoagie/sub/whatever in Philadelphia, I was taken aback when asked, “grind it?”
A grinder is a heated hoagie, IIRC. So, grind it means to put it in the pizza oven.
Maybe it’s being USA-ian, but sometimes I want that processed stuff, man. Like in Mac & Cheese, I like to use at least half Velveeta. Nothing but American cheese on top of my burgers, or, even better, Merkt’s Cheese Spread, which is a bit like a more sophisticated Cheez Whiz. I’ll put provolone on a real Italian sandwich–this greasy, dirty, calorie bomb of a sandwich I like Whiz wit, I don’t care what the provolone crowd has to say. For an Italian hoagie, yes to provolone.
Now, on that roast pork sandwich, that would be absolutely disgusting. Aged/sharp provolone is where it’s at and brings the funk (I’m not sure you even have a choice of cheese there.)
All valid corrections… didn’t check/update on Jim’s status, so good to know!