Geno's or Pats??

24

Comments

  • Rubberbandman
    Rubberbandman Posts: 439
    im going to hit mcfaddens and tony lukes
  • goldzepp
    goldzepp Posts: 60
    Seriously? Neither place?? This would be a bit of a disappointment to me. I’ve only had Pat’s about 5 years ago or so and we waited in line for about 45 minutes. When we finally got our sandwiches everyone agreed the wait was well worth it. Has it gone downhill? Are you all too kool to go to the ‘tourist’ place? How are the other places different? Are they more popular right now? Not trying to say anyone is wrong or anything so don’t take it that way, I am just curious what the actual deal is.
    '03 Montreal
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  • MayDay10
    MayDay10 Posts: 11,917
    Talk of the Town
  • BMoore09
    BMoore09 Posts: 177
    yah, i figured I'd get some "dont go to either one" responses from the locals. which i guess I asked for, so I wont complain. I only hae a few free hours in Philly, so I didnt want to veer far from where I was staying or the spectrum. genos and pats are the closest going b/w the doubletree in city center and the spectrum. the others mentioned (which I would love to try) are a little out of the way for me.

    thanks for all of your responses though
    West Palm Beach I, WPB II, Tampa, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville 2000
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  • BinFrog
    BinFrog MA Posts: 7,314
    goldzepp wrote:
    Seriously? Neither place?? This would be a bit of a disappointment to me. I’ve only had Pat’s about 5 years ago or so and we waited in line for about 45 minutes. When we finally got our sandwiches everyone agreed the wait was well worth it. Has it gone downhill? Are you all too kool to go to the ‘tourist’ place? How are the other places different? Are they more popular right now? Not trying to say anyone is wrong or anything so don’t take it that way, I am just curious what the actual deal is.

    Quite simply: both are well known, and neither is a top tier steak & cheese joint as far as I am concerned.
    Bright eyed kid: "Wow Typo Man, you're the best!"
    Typo Man: "Thanks kidz, but remembir, stay in skool!"
  • MayDay10
    MayDay10 Posts: 11,917
    BMoore09 wrote:
    yah, i figured I'd get some "dont go to either one" responses from the locals. which i guess I asked for, so I wont complain. I only hae a few free hours in Philly, so I didnt want to veer far from where I was staying or the spectrum. genos and pats are the closest going b/w the doubletree in city center and the spectrum. the others mentioned (which I would love to try) are a little out of the way for me.

    thanks for all of your responses though

    Talk of the Town is very close.

    Get the "Out of Towner"
  • goldzepp
    goldzepp Posts: 60
    BinFrog wrote:
    goldzepp wrote:
    Seriously? Neither place?? This would be a bit of a disappointment to me. I’ve only had Pat’s about 5 years ago or so and we waited in line for about 45 minutes. When we finally got our sandwiches everyone agreed the wait was well worth it. Has it gone downhill? Are you all too kool to go to the ‘tourist’ place? How are the other places different? Are they more popular right now? Not trying to say anyone is wrong or anything so don’t take it that way, I am just curious what the actual deal is.

    Quite simply: both are well known, and neither is a top tier steak & cheese joint as far as I am concerned.

    Interesting. So you are saying they are good, but there are better? Alright, I can handle that I guess. Guess it's all a matter of opinion. Seems like most locals are leaning away from those two choices though. So, here area couple questions.....where to go for a good original whiz sandwich? How about the best option as far as parking?
    '03 Montreal
    '03 MSG1
    '03 MSG2
    '06 East Rutherford, NJ.
    '08 MSG2
    '08 Hartford
    '09 Chicago
    '09 Philly 3
    '09 Philly 4
  • BinFrog
    BinFrog MA Posts: 7,314
    goldzepp wrote:
    BinFrog wrote:
    goldzepp wrote:
    Seriously? Neither place?? This would be a bit of a disappointment to me. I’ve only had Pat’s about 5 years ago or so and we waited in line for about 45 minutes. When we finally got our sandwiches everyone agreed the wait was well worth it. Has it gone downhill? Are you all too kool to go to the ‘tourist’ place? How are the other places different? Are they more popular right now? Not trying to say anyone is wrong or anything so don’t take it that way, I am just curious what the actual deal is.

    Quite simply: both are well known, and neither is a top tier steak & cheese joint as far as I am concerned.

    Interesting. So you are saying they are good, but there are better? Alright, I can handle that I guess. Guess it's all a matter of opinion. Seems like most locals are leaning away from those two choices though. So, here area couple questions.....where to go for a good original whiz sandwich? How about the best option as far as parking?


    If you don't want to drive to Steve's which is outside of town:

    Jim's (on South Street)
    Tony Luke's
    Cosmi's (never been but heard great things)
    Bright eyed kid: "Wow Typo Man, you're the best!"
    Typo Man: "Thanks kidz, but remembir, stay in skool!"
  • lostdawg
    lostdawg Posts: 109
    If anybody is staying near the Reading market, you can get anything you could possibly want under one roof and the Cheese Steaks at a little booth in there were outstanding.
  • hayleymd
    hayleymd Posts: 12
    Genos
  • CM116593
    CM116593 Posts: 5
    If you're staying at the DoubleTree, there's a little pizza place across the street (locust, not broad) called Mama Angelina's... they've got a decent steak, and you can't beat the commute. Jim's is my favorite in the city... Pat's and Geno's are fine, but they slice the steak, rather than chop it. I like Jim's chopped version. It's also closer to where you're staying (DoubleTree), at 4th and South, and you can hit Repo Records at 7th and South along the way. I hear great things about John's Roast Pork, although they're always closed when I try to go there... its pretty out of the way, too.
    To those expecting to try McFaddens this weekend, you should know that the one in Citizen's Bank Park has a $20 cover during the playoffs (maybe not if you get there well before game time), and will certainly be a shit show for Game 3 saturday night, but maybe a good pre-show stopoff on Friday. They have a "Fireman's" cheasesteak, which is steak, chickensteak, and buffalo wing sauce... nontraditional, but I love it.
    Now I'm hungry... I'll probably hit Mama Angelina's before I get on the train for tonight's show. I'm pathetically excited for the next 5 days... saw Bruce's last show in "one of the last great rock and roll arenas" last week... he set the bar high, but I'm pretty sure the place is gonna collapse on our heads Saturday night after the rocking we're all going to give it this week!!!
  • dirty_mike
    dirty_mike Posts: 131
    Tony Lukes, close to the spectrum!!
  • reniur
    reniur Posts: 3
    I've tried to stay out of this debate, until now, but I need to chime in to assist Philly newcomers.

    As an earlier poster said, it must be something about a tourist trap for folks to decide to bang on Pat's/Geno's...and it is a bit of blasphemy for local folks to steer anyone to Jim's. If you want a 'chopped grub style steak' that you can get in any pizzeria on the east coast...sure go to Jim's.

    The difference with Pat's/Geno's is it is thicker cut steak (yes with a bit of grizzle, yes thick and not easiest to chew) and you will not find a cut of sandwhich steak in many places in the east like it. It is the Amoroso bread from this area of the country that makes it so damn hard to duplicate anywhere else. Many states IMPORT this bread as far as it can be driven fresh.

    Don't believe the Jim's hype. Yes there are always lines at Pat's/Geno's but they get steaks out so fast you'll get right through. Pic of a Jim's steak for you to decide if this is better than your town:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/24807026@N08/4051557598/
  • dontejas
    dontejas Posts: 31
    Pat's is awesome. I never had Geno's but the difference, as I understand it, is Pat's dices the meat while Geno's serves it kind of in cubes.
  • reniur
    reniur Posts: 3
    Not true sir. Pats steaks are like thin/medium slices. You could not describe a Pat's steak as diced in any way.

    Unless you're talking about big ass dice. Ha, and I don't work for Pat's.
  • JR62970
    JR62970 Posts: 1
    reniur wrote:
    I've tried to stay out of this debate, until now, but I need to chime in to assist Philly newcomers.

    As an earlier poster said, it must be something about a tourist trap for folks to decide to bang on Pat's/Geno's...and it is a bit of blasphemy for local folks to steer anyone to Jim's. If you want a 'chopped grub style steak' that you can get in any pizzeria on the east coast...sure go to Jim's.

    The difference with Pat's/Geno's is it is thicker cut steak (yes with a bit of grizzle, yes thick and not easiest to chew) and you will not find a cut of sandwhich steak in many places in the east like it. It is the Amoroso bread from this area of the country that makes it so damn hard to duplicate anywhere else. Many states IMPORT this bread as far as it can be driven fresh.

    Don't believe the Jim's hype. Yes there are always lines at Pat's/Geno's but they get steaks out so fast you'll get right through. Pic of a Jim's steak for you to decide if this is better than your town:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/24807026@N08/4051557598/


    listen to reniur, he nailed it
  • Predaking
    Predaking Posts: 282
    JC29856 wrote:
    TONY LUKES!!!!!!!

    ABSO-F'n-LUTELY!
  • cbbjr
    cbbjr Posts: 241
    If I had limited it to those two (I prefer Ishkabibbles on South St) I'd pick Pat's for the non-food-related reason that Geno's is a little xenophobic. They even sell stickers about how you better speak English. That certainly may not matter to most, but since I think both of them offer nearly equally average cheesesteaks, it is a tie breaker to me. If it doesn't matter to you, go with whichever line is shorter.
    98-KC; 00-Indianapolis, StL, KC; 03-KC, DC; 04-DC; 06-Camden2, DC, Pittsburgh; 08-DC; 09-Chicago1, Spectrum3; 10-DC; 13-Baltimore; 16-Chicago1; 18-Seattle2; 22-NY; 23-St Paul1&2, Chicago1; 24-Chicago2, NY1, Baltimore
  • Momadance
    Momadance Posts: 52
    I'll be munching down on my Tony Luke's in the lot tomorrow. Tony Luke's or Jim's by a landslide over the rest. There's a TL not far from the stadium complex.
  • Rubberbandman
    Rubberbandman Posts: 439
    i went to tony lukes on friday
    and genos, pats on sat before i left
    had 3 cheesesteaks ,
    liked tony lukes the best

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