Pat's King of Steaks

These guys and Geno's across the street both are rude, over priced, and the worst example we could EVER set for the greatest city in America. How the heck one person will stand online for 15 minutes, pay $8.00 for "half" of a sandwich, and then not even get a thank you after ordering. They treat you like garbage, yet the lines always there? I don't get it, but there are much better places to go, just ask a "real" Philadelphian.

Pros: Saw them in a movie

Cons: EVERYTHING

Posted 09/19/09

I am visiting Philadelphia from Miami with high expectation on Philly Cheese steak. Pat?s place was busy as usual with tourists like myself (holding a camera) here is my take on the cheese steak:
1. Bread: was kind of hard not as fresh as it should have been.
2. Steak: they cook the steak halfway in advance and they pile them up so steam would finish the cooking. (if you like a tasteless steak mainly due to steam cooking, then this is the steak for you).
3. Mushroom: they take the mushroom right out of a jar at room temperature and added to your sandwich at your request.
4. Green Pepper: they take the green pepper right out of a jar at room temperature and added to your sandwich at your request.
5. Cheese: they take the cheesewhiz right out of a jar at room temperature and added to your sandwich at your request.
6. You order your cheese steak and pay for it and pick it up in less than 15 second, then you have to make another line in a different window to order your fries and drink, while your room temperature sandwich is getting colder while you are waiting for your fries and drink.
Pat?s motto is to serve as fast as they can?quantity vs quality I would not recommend to eat at the Pat?s, just go and take your photos if you must?

Pros: fast service

Cons: quality of food

Posted 09/12/09

Pats steaks are ok. There are many little places here and there that have good steaks. I would also try Pizzi on 6th and oregon. Their Fatty Cheese steaks are great.

Posted 03/11/09

This maybe where Cheesesteak was borned, but it is really not that great to me. The steaks were "hard" , my jaw is tired after eating it! The bun is really just ok and I definitely ate better ones in other places. I am not a big cheesesteak eater and I don't eat a lot of them either, but if it doesn't impress me, how can it impress other "professional" cheesesteak eaters? I just don't get it...

Pros: serves fast, interested environment

Cons: steaks quality were not great

Posted 03/05/09

Pat's, in my opinion, is a tourist trap. As a local, I know many other places where the cheesesteak is MUCH better. Pat's might have invented the cheesesteak, but you can't rest on your laurels. My words of advice: GO ELSEWHERE!

Pros: none

Cons: Tourist Trap

Posted 12/13/08

As always they wow me with the best cheesteaks ever!
I have tried all the competition and really this is the best by far!

Pros: The best cheesteaks

Posted 11/04/08

Pat's is by far the best, the longest running cheese steak place in America. There are no fancy low class neon lights trying to be like Las Vegas, just good people making something so good it has spawned imitators. The island between 3 different streets is a haven of a truly Philadelphian treat

Posted 09/17/08

I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.........some people even like spam. However, anyone that knows cheesesteaks and general good food knows Pats and Genos are the worst cheesesteaks. They live on a reputation that has long since past. It is evident when local Philadelphia magazines or radio stations do their best cheesesteak ratings periodically. These two are never even in the top 20 establishments. The two best are proberly Steves Prince of Steaks and John's which almost always win local Philly media accolades by readers and listeners. There are dozens of places better than Pats and Genos. Pats and Genos cater to uninformed tourists, Saturday night drunks, and people who love fatty stringy, meat. Nobody is hating folks...........its just the truth.

Posted 07/06/08

Don't get me wrong, times change, the economy changes, and their prices from their vendors that they get their product from change...so, the cheesesteaks have changed in quality a little over the years. However, both Pat's and Geno's are the only places that I want a cheesesteak from! Granted, they differ a little from each other, but...the only difference that matters to me is how long the line at either is, and I go with which is shorter. Geno's seems to be a little more in tuned with each other, and their line seems to go a little quicker...but, either is fine with me! Most others don't even carry CheeseWiz, and that's a sin in the cheesesteak world. Greasy is the way I like it, it's the way my father and grandfather liked it, and it will be the way my kids will like it when that time comes. Provolone?! American?! Steak Sandwich is what we call that! Wiz wit or go home! Every Eagles and Flyers game, I go and get them for my parties, and nothing else will be accepted in my house...NOTHING! Unhealthy?! Get up and go to the gym every now and then you lazy people! You don't have to eat horribly everyday, but if you're gonna do it...MAKE IT COUNT! If you're gonna go anywhere else, you may as well go to Florida to get a "Philly Cheesesteak"...LOL! Garbage...seriously! Don't get me wrong... I'm sure the sandwiches are good, but it's not a Philly Cheesesteak unless it comes from Pat's or Geno's...period. Also, the whole thing about Geno's and people only ordering in English...Geno's has MY support! You don't have to agree, and that's one of the great things about individuality. I just believe that when someone comes to this country, we shouldn't have to cater to them. It doesn't happen for me when I go to Costa Rica, Mexico, Germany, or France...so, it shouldn't happen here either. How hard is it to say "wiz wit" anyways?! Even if they chop it up, the person taking the order will know...

Posted 05/12/08

For 30 years I wanted to go to Philly & find the best Cheese Steak. Finally making it there this spring, myself and a coworker decided to visit the 3 most popular haunts in walking distance from our hotel downtown. We decided to hike to Geno's, Pat's and Jim's.

Geno's was first & we were so disappointed in the steak!!! It was dry - too much bread & it just had little flavor. The locals I asked told us & I must confirm that the price is way too much for what you get. I will say the meat was lean (& sliced), but I can get a better Philly in Denver, CO than at Geno's. My co-worker had the exact same impression.
I admire Geno's for their publicity of cops' causes, but I got to wonder if that is more for their own publicity than for the cops. This has nothing to do with the taste test (as I had already had my steak), but it was offensive none the less: Geno's will give out free bumper stickers (1 per customer the sign says), espousing their latest publicity on ordering in English. I saw a fellow in front of me get 5-10 of them. So I asked for 1. The employee turned & asked an old guy (I think it was Joey), if he had any stickers to give out - pointing to me. I guess I didn't look South Philly enough, cause he said "nah, we're out."
Very classy Joey!!! I'll just make sure that everyone knows my opinion of Geno's. Since I work in the travel industry, I'll make sure to tell folks where to steer clear in Philly.

As for the rest of the Steak trip - the next two were a quantum leap!
After Geno's we go across the street to Pat's. The employee greets us with a big smile & takes our order. Oh man - night & day! Pat's was HUGE! They piled it on & yes this is what I was expecting in a steak in SO Philly. Outstanding.
After some serious walking, I worked up enough room to venture to Jim's at South & 4th. While not as big as Pat's - it had a certain flavor that just beat out Pat's.
Locals say Gooey Louie's (huge & meaty) & Tony Luke's are the best.

Pros: Huge - Awesome Taste!

Cons: None

Posted 04/13/08

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.

Posted 01/29/08

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.

Posted 10/15/07

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...

Posted 07/16/07

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

Posted 03/04/07

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

Posted 11/27/06

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

Posted 10/26/06

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.

Posted 09/02/06

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.

Posted 07/12/06

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

Posted 07/08/06

Very crowded so if your impatient don't come. They have extemely good food to. They have seats outside where you can sit and relax

Posted 06/10/06

Who are the people writing good revirews of this place/ Do they like eating shoe leather in a roll? Do they know anything about a real cheese steak? Do they know anything about how the meat is prepared"?
This is NOT a Philadelphia Cheese Steak. Go to any other deli or steak shop ( except Gino's which is just as bad). Chip steak? the meat on a steak sandwich is never, never served as a slab. It's too tough. The meat on a true steak is always scrambled, broken, stirred about.
And Cheeze- Wiz!!!! What has become of you?
I'm annoyed at seeing this place presented on TV as offering the typical Philadelphia sandwich.
Go anywhere but here (or Gino;s)

Pros: NONE- this place is a contradiction in terms

Cons: cheeze-wiz! flat, tough steak.

Posted 05/08/06

...and last time. $20 round trip cab fare, for a below average sandwich. And I'm not sure if all the places in Philly have this, but Cheez Wiz? Come on.

Posted 04/11/06

Tried both Geno's and Pat's.... Pat's all the way.

I love the way the wiz flavors the entire steak. It should be gooey and the roll soggy from oil and cheese. The meat is flavorful enough. The only complaint is that I'd like double the amount of meat and cheese so the monster is too big to fit into the mouth. Bring my way to an earlier heart attack!

Posted 02/24/06

I have ended many drunken nights at Pats! So good!

Posted 06/14/05

Like no other, the steaks are awesome and ordering is an experience. We make special road trips from Baltimore/Annapolis to grab PAT's steaks

Posted 05/06/05

Sometimes we drive 15 miles, back roads, at 2am to get steaks & I recall they had the best corn on the cob (Jersey corn).man !!! IT WAS GREAT, if somebody here in Jax could only "match" the taste!!!

Pros: all of the above

Cons: NONE

Posted 01/30/05

I recently conducted a "taste test" between Pat's and Geno's. Pat's is easily the winner. Pat's shreads its steak vs. Geno's steak slices. Pat's onions are more fully cooked and smaller pieces than Geno's. Most importantly, Pat's is clearly more well seasoned than Geno's, and uses a better tasting role. Pat's is not the best in Philly, but its better than Geno's.

Pros: taste

Posted 07/23/04

Pat's Steaks has a wonderful atmosphere. The air is electric with all kinds of hungry people having fun at any time day or night. The service is far superior to Geno's. I asked Pat's to cut a cheesesteak into three pieces so I could share it with friends. Pat's did it cheerfully. We went across the street to Geno's and asked the same thing. The surly counterman said, "We don't cut into three pieces." That was his whole explanation and he gave us nasty looks. The Geno's sandwich was clearly of low quality because the meat was arranged in flat slices without being chopped up and it had a slightly greenish tinge to it. Pat's is friendly, down to earth, and has good food.

Pros: good service, fun clientele, good food

Posted 06/13/04

Seriously, what is all the hype about? I have always wanted to go to Pat's since moving here for college. I didn't want to try Geno's because with all of its neon lights, just looks like a casino to me. So, we went to Pat's at 1am in the morning and I order "wit' cheese", and got my cheesesteak in 10 seconds. Yay, ooey gooey cheesy goodness on stale cold bread! We ordered two drinks and regular fries, and they managed to screw up that order several times (they're just too fast). I take a bite of my cheesesteak: mmmmm! Then I realized that it was a bit salty for my tastes (my bf says that it should be). I didn't finish my long-awaited cheesesteak but consumed the fries, which were sure better than McD's!

Pros: Fast Service (duh), Open 24 Hours, Fries

Cons: , Old Bread, Overhyped

Posted 06/09/04

The King of Cheesesteaks is Pat's for me! You get not only the best cheesesteak but a feel for the city itself. You get a seat and table right on the sidewalk and excellent south philly style service. You can choose to have cheese whiz or american cheese and they are delicious and large enough for large appetites.

Pros: Inexpensive, Easy to find

Posted 06/02/04

I remember the days back when PAT's was a regular late night drive from NOVA... went back the other day and it has not changed one bit. If you want a true Philly Cheesesteak... you could not ask for anything more... PS the cheese fries top off the day!

Posted 04/06/04

Pat's still the greatest-just had one yesterday,
my way-provolone & onions. Delicious +
greasy, no gristle. (unlike every G*n*'s Ive ever had) The South Philly tradeoff used to be dirt + taste vs. cleanliness + no taste, but looks like
the King has been spiffying up a bit lately. (cleaner,
updated signage, etc)

Pros: Taste, Original & Authentic, Fast

Posted 02/26/04

This is a great place if you like cheeze whiz and small portions of meat on your steaks. Used to be great years ago, now just living off its rep. Many small Ma and Pa steak places blow this away.

Pros: Scenery, Wall Pictures, Fast Service

Cons: , Cheeze Whiz????, Where's the Beef?

Posted 02/09/04

You hear so much about Pat's (and a lot of other cheesesteak places) that you feel obligated to check it out. I did, and I'm glad I did simply because it's Pat's. But that also hints at another problem - it's Pat's, so people will still come whether the food is good or not.

The bottom line is that the food is OK, but not great. I've had better steaks in Philly. Pat's steaks didn't have too much flavor, but it was a nice, heaping, greasy mess. Go to Pat's but you'll find that you only need to go once.

Pros: Tradition, Local character(s), Inexpensive

Cons: Bland steaks, Long line

Posted 10/18/03

While on a business trip to Philadelphia I made it a point to try one of the famous Cheesesteaks from both Pat's King of Steaks, and Geno's across the street. I ordered a "wiz wit", which means a Cheesesteak with Cheesewiz and onions. Overall I found it to be quite tasty, and having tried Geno's, I would say that on that day Pat won. (Geno's was a bit dry and the cheese a bit watery).

Pros: Value, Taste

Cons: Location

Posted 10/08/03

I have had cheesesteaks all over the Delaware Valley. Pat's is average in comparison to others. The best I have ever had is at the Society Hill Hotel where they use real steak and real cheese. Cheeze Whiz should never be put on good steak.

Pros: tradition, experience

Cons: cheeze whiz, cleanliness, crowded

Posted 08/04/03

My wife and I go to Pats Steaks every chance we get. We're from Newark, DE and we love to ride to South Philly for Pat's Cheesesteaks. When it's summer we ride my Harley up to Pat's and take in the atmosphere. Thanks Pat's for the memories, and your awesome Cheesesteaks.

Pros: atmosphere, #1 in Cheesesteaks, inexpensive

Cons: limited parking, always crowded, need more seating

Posted 07/08/03

Pat's is great (if you're not from Philly). Every neighborhood in Philly has a place that's better than Pat's. Unless, it's 3:00 am or you just want to see some cool autographed pictures, there are several other places to get a great cheesesteak!

Pros: Open late, legendary, scenic

Cons: assembly-line, unchopped meat

Posted 06/04/03

The line for this was long, but so was Geno's. Only difference is that the Geno's line was MOVING. The onions were still raw and the meat was bland and skimpy. The cheese fries were good though. If you want a good cheese steak, go accross the street to Geno's.

Pros: good cheese fries

Cons: slow moving line, not much seating

Posted 06/03/03

They're tasty, but a little too skimpy on the meat. You have to eat two or three, and at five bucks a pop, that's a bit pricy. Cetrainly NOT the best in Phila.

Posted 05/27/03

Pat's Steaks is Waaaaaay Overrated. The only reason people like Pat's is because it's open late when everyone is drunk and has beer munchies. At that point anything tastes good. Jim's Steaks is much better.

Posted 05/20/03

Wiz Wit, BAM! Happy tastebuds, happy mouth, happy sunday in Philly. Damn, the lines are still long and fun. The PCS is unreal. Everytime I'm in Philly I gotta get some at Pats. Interestingly enough, so do tons of others. There were people from NH, DC, CA, NY, NJ, PA, CT, MD, and this was just the people at my table and the next. You know they are doing something right. I LOVE PATS!!!

Pros: Taste, History

Cons: Not so clean, long lines

Posted 04/27/03

Hey, At Pat's its all about the atmosphere. Your in southern Philly, mabe after a game or concert. Your there and sure, the people there are kinda rude and they might yell at you if you mess up, but your at Pats, King Of Steaks!

Pros: Food

Cons: Expensive, Little places to park, crowded

Posted 03/06/03