Unbreaded

Dalessandro’s: Not All The Best Cheesesteaks Are From South Philly

On the outer Northwest edge of Philadelphia, you’ll find the neighborhood of Roxborough, home to a legendary cheesesteak sandwich that tops our list of favorites. Sure the average tourist runs down to Pat’s or Geno’s, and although we have a special place in our hearts for those guys, it’s just plain obvious that they aren’t the best. Dalessandro’s Steaks originally opened on Ridge Avenue in 1961, and later moved to the current Henry Avenue location, pumping out chopped meat and fried onions despite being in the shadow of the big city.

The corner shop presents a long counter with stools dotted with containers of various types of peppers: pepperoncini, large sweet bell peppers, and crushed red pepper puree. There is also a selection of hot sauces at hand if the peppers weren’t hot enough for you. Purists might say that besides a little ketchup, no condiments are allowed on a cheesesteak, but I wholeheartedly disagree. The grill is on the opposite side of the restaurant behind the counter, and the cooks work hard to finely chop the meat to minuscule pieces. The cheese is added in layers so that it melts in between every little nook and cranny of meat. The Amoroso rolls are kept in a 30 gallon trash can, a sight which put a smile on our faces. The onions which are diced large are folded in and the sandwich is constructed, a hulking behemoth hanging over the edges of the plastic basket it’s presented in.

The roll is soft and the meat is fresh and oozing with flavor with crunchy onions throughout. We can’t find anything bad to say about the Dalessandro’s Steak. We do urge you to keep one thing in mind: that place across the street, the one named after the hang out in Boy Meets World… don’t go there. Some might try to say it trumps Dalessandro’s but they are sorely mistaken.

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Dalessandro’s Steaks
600 Wendover Street Philadelphia, PA 19128 (Google Map)