Cheesesteak Origins Trace to 1930 Street Cart

One cab driver’s 1930 lunch order created the Philadelphia cheesesteak, a sandwich that now defines the city’s culinary identity. The story begins not in a restaurant kitchen, but on a hot dog and fish cake cart near the South Philadelphia Italian Market. Pat Olivieri, one of two brothers running the stand, grew tired of eating hot dogs for lunch and sent his brother Harry to a local butcher to buy beef scraps.

Pat chopped the beef, grilled it with onions, and placed the mixture in a hot dog bun. A passing taxi driver smelled the cooking meat and asked to buy the sandwich instead of a hot dog. The driver’s approval convinced the Olivieri brothers to sell the new item. Pat subsequently opened Pat’s King of Steaks on Passyunk Avenue, establishing the first brick-and-mortar location for the dish.

The sandwich did not include cheese for its first decade. In the 1940s, a manager named Cocky Joe Lorenza added slices of provolone to the beef. This modification created the modern definition of the cheesesteak. By the 1950s, the recipe changed again with the introduction of Cheez Whiz. The liquid cheese melted quickly into the bread, which sped up service times. Today, Cheez Whiz remains the most popular topping at the original shops, though provolone and American cheese remain popular alternatives.

Competition intensified in the 1960s. In 1966, Joey Vento opened Geno’s Steaks directly across the street from Pat’s. Both restaurants operated 24 hours a day and developed a rivalry that turned their intersection into a tourist destination. While these two locations are famous, locals often cite neighborhood spots as the true standard. Favorites include Angelo's Pizzeria in South Philadelphia, Dalessandro’s Steaks in Roxborough, Jim’s South St., and John's Roast Pork, which has received a James Beard Award.

The sandwich has evolved in structure and ingredients since its creation. The meat is typically high-quality chopped or sliced beef, often ribeye, cooked on an oiled grill. The bread is a torpedo roll with a firm crust, frequently sourced from bakeries like Amoroso's or Conshohocken Italian Bakery. Customers order the sandwich with fried onions, pronounced wit, or without onions, pronounced witout. Modern variations include chicken, pizza steaks with marinara and mozzarella, and hoagies topped with lettuce and tomato. Other common additions include green peppers, mushrooms, and hot cherry peppers.