Went south to get some sandwiches.

As a first timer, we had to hit the tourist spots: Geno’s & Pat’s. Little did I realize they were right across the street from each other, next to a park.

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Geno’s, clearly going for the Shock & Awe campaign.

[caption id=“attachment_1285” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Inside Geno’s”][/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_1286” align=“alignnone” width=“404” caption=“Geno’s Menu”][/caption]

Nice & simple. Tourists want the cheesesteak. I assume locals (if hypothetically locals ate here) go for the roast pork.

[caption id=“attachment_1287” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Geno’s Cheesesteak”][/caption]

As you can see, there isn’t that much meat for a $9 sandwich. The cheese (whiz) shines with a high cheese to meat ratio.

[caption id=“attachment_1288” align=“alignnone” width=“404” caption=“Pat’s Front”][/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_1289” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Pat’s Ordering Window”][/caption]

Pat’s offers a lot more options on the menu. I found it unnecessary, but I guess it allows customers to get it their way.

[caption id=“attachment_1290” align=“alignnone” width=“404” caption=“Pat’s Menu”][/caption]

Pizza Steak? Fish Cake? What??

Why?

[caption id=“attachment_1291” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Pat’s Cheesesteak”][/caption]

Pat’s obviously offers substantially more meat than Geno’s. Here, I’d point out that the line for Pat’s was noticeably longer too.

At both places, I got with onions and cheese whiz. I didn’t get fries because it would fill me up too much. Keep reading to see why I had to preserve stomach space.

[caption id=“attachment_1292” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Pat’s Signage”][/caption]

Since Philly is a two hour drive from NYC, I made an executive decision to hit up a third spot.

[caption id=“attachment_1293” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Dalessandro’s Steaks”][/caption]

Thanks to Serious Eats, we hit up Dalessandro’s.

[caption id=“attachment_1294” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Dalessandro’s Menu”][/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_1295” align=“alignnone” width=“540” caption=“Dalessandro’s Cheesesteak”][/caption]

Cheaper than Geno’s and Pat’s (both $9 each), this $7.25 cheesesteak was amazing. The cheese is mixed into the chopped steak (as opposed to topping the meat).