Pat's King of Steaks

01/30/08

To Each His Own

by bmklaver at Citysearch

Not from Philly, I diligently tried to get an overall consensus of the best place for a Philly from locals. Our first trip to the city, we were told to go to Jim?s Steaks. From all the celebrity photos, I got the impression they know what they are doing so my opinion doesn?t matter much. However, I wasn?t overwhelmed by the product. The meat was chopped up (which seems to be a debate on this preparation as being ?true Philly? or not), it was not greasy (kind of dry in fact), and lacked something (I added salt). The onions were great and the bread was fantastic. I ordered with provolone as I heard that was the way locals ordered it. Probably mostly Italians since we were in South Philly. Good sandwich but nothing to stand in line for in my opinion. Our second trip we stopped at Pat?s on the way to the airport. I ordered with onions and this time wit whiz. The meat was not chopped finely so now I was confused about how a real Philly steak should look. Concerned that I would be biting into a chewy greasy mess like the ones I could get at TGI Fridays, I was not disappointed. The meat was very tender and juicy. The mixture of whiz and the juices from meat and onions was fantastic. I thought the whiz was going to be thick, salty and just plain sick. Maybe that?s why the meat at Jim?s was not salted in preparation to get whizzed on. Anyway, I thought it was great. Lot?s of meat and bread must have been good because I downed it in 5 minutes. Next time we are going to Geno?s and maybe Tony Luke?s as seen on the Food Network in Bobby Flay?s Throwdown. Any suggestions on where to try is welcome. Also want to try a real Philly Hoagie.

10/16/07

Pat's and Geno's Are the Worst in the Philly Area

by goeagles1975 at Citysearch

Skip Pat's and Geno's the steak tastes like leather, are small for the price you pay, and are no more than tourist traps. I have never understood why these 2 places are considered good. D'Allesandro's in Roxborough is also over-rated. I am a bit of a cheesteak officianado and have sampled steaks from through the Philadelphia area. Being born and bred in this area and living all around it I must say that as of right now the best I've had are at Chubby's in Roxborough and Steve's Prince of Steaks in the NE. Chubby's comes with a fork there is so much steak and there isn't a line of people out of the door waiting. The bread is very good and steak is juicy and plentiful. My main rating factor's include roll selection, meat quality and quantity, and cheese flavor.

07/17/07

Stop hatin'

by showcat at Citysearch

Never had a bad steak there...I have a feeling that a good amount of the bad reviews are written by Geno's fans. I've been there a handful of times during my vacation visits and haven't once had a bad steak. My husband actually bought me one at 4:30 in the morning to greet me as I stepped off my red-eye flight...pure deliciousness. Gives you the feel of Philly without the over-the-top flashy nonsense that Geno's has to offer. Can't believe ppl are complaining about the Cheez-whiz...don't ya know you have a choice??? Greasy?? Seriously? Show me a cheesesteak that isn't! That's why they're open 24 hours!! Very popular with the bar crowd! Always a pleasure, will always get my business.

• Pros: Good steak, no frills
• Cons: Rudeness is part of the experience...get over it...

03/05/07

Better than Geno's

by mikez629 at Citysearch

I don't go down there much-only when I bring out of towners. But I don't bring them to Geno's-too flashy-Pat's is old school. just tastes better

• Pros: traditional cheesesteak
• Cons: bad neighborhood

11/28/06

Go to Geno's

by mr_meursault at Citysearch

The steak here was acceptable but not as good as at Geno's. Furthermore, the place is dirty and messy. Geno's is a much better organized operation all around. Go to Pat's if you've already had Geno's so you can compare, but if you have to choose one cheesesteak in Philly, this isn't it.

• Pros: ok food
• Cons: disorganized, messy, no inside seating

10/27/06

Must-Do Atleast Once

by alee34 at Citysearch

This is a great place to take out-of-town guests for the Philly cheesesteak experience. Granted many local neighborhood places may make an amazing cheesesteak, but this little 3 block section of South Philly is where the show is at. The steaks and fries are great, plus you cant beat the scene at 3am once the bars let out. Bring your patience as the lines are long and the parking is crappy, but expect to be entertained. Perfect late night snack! :)

• Pros: Scene, Cheap Late Night Snack
• Cons: Lines, Parking

09/03/06

Nasty Low Quality Steaks.

by jaf071984 at Citysearch

Pats used to be the best place for steaks in Philly. Now, it's bordering on the worst. The portions of meat are so small, the meat is nasty, chew and of the worst quality. Trust me. if you want authentic philly cheese steaks, head to any small local Mom and Pop place and you won't be dissapointed. Or even make your own with those frozen steak sandwich steaks. You will still be getting better quality than at Pats

And cheese wiz on a steak. Nasty. Eat with provolone or american.

Stay far away from this place unless you want to be out thirty bucks for a nasty meal.

• Pros: Nothing. This place used to be great but is now the worst.
• Cons: Everything. Nasty cheap quality steaks with rude service.

07/13/06

Pats Steaks!

by scarlett1313 at Citysearch

Being I am not a fan of squeeze cheese or cheese wiz on my -Philly Cheesesteaks- I can say that Pat's is the only place that I will go to and enjoy the sandwiches with it on it! I love my American cheese on my steaks, but at the wee hours in the morning (open 24hrs) when we go and there is a HUGE abundance of people there you just sit back and take it all in and appreciate that Pat's exists! I had many good time memories there with a lot of friends after they got done playing at the Troc or Electric Factory. Highly recommended for anyone of the age of 18+ or is good for the family during the day of course.

• Cons: always crowds of people any time of day.

07/09/06

Hello they INVENTED the steak sandwich

by midgetgirl619 at Citysearch

are you people crazy? this is the original, yes cheese whiz, cheese whiz is GOOD!, and also great food OOOOHHH and also they have been there since 1930 i highly recommend Pat's King of Steaks!

• Pros: FAST SERVICE, great food
• Cons: i don't think there are any cons

Known worldwide as the birthplace of the cheesesteak.

by Contributor at Citysearch

In Short
One day in 1930, Italian Market hot dog vendor Pat (King of Steaks) Olivieri got tired of his usual frankfurter lunch. He threw some beef on his grill with onions and put the meat on a bun and Philly's most famous food was literally born that day. Traditionally, cheesesteaks are cheese and steak on a roll and at Pat's, you get the real deal--they come with Cheez Whiz and fried onions unless specified otherwise.