Philly’s Famous Cheesesteak: Jim's South St.

Cheese steak is a popular comfort food found across the U.S. and even internationally, but its roots are in Philadelphia. Since there are many cheese steak spots in the city, I asked the hostel staff for recommendations. They narrowed it down to two places: Geno’s Steaks and Jim’s South St.. One staff member preferred Geno’s Steaks, while the other backed Jim’s South St. The debate got a bit heated 😂

Not sure which was better, I decided to try both.

Originally, I planned to visit Jim’s since it’s closer to downtown. But when I saw the long line outside, I changed my mind and went to Geno’s instead—even though it was farther. After walking for a while, I arrived at Geno’s and saw that the line there was just as long 💢

Philly’s Famous Cheesesteak: Geno’s Steaks

After finishing my meal at Geno’s Steaks, I slowly made my way back downtown. On the way, I passed by Jim’s Steaks again. I still had room, so I decided to try another cheese steak. By then, lunch rush was over, so the crowd was smaller—but there were still two or three lines inside. I ended up waiting around 20 minutes.

While waiting, I could see into the kitchen through a clear window. The staff were grilling beef and melting cheese right in front of us. One older man was wrapping sandwiches while dancing to the music—pretty entertaining. The walls were also covered in celebrity autographs, though I didn’t recognize any of them.

When it was my turn, I ordered the same thing: a cheese steak with American cheese, just to compare it fairly. After getting my food, I went upstairs to the dining area. Since it was indoors, I didn’t have to worry about the sandwich cooling down.

It might not have looked impressive, but I actually preferred Jim’s Steaks. The beef was ground instead of sliced, and mixed well with the onions and cheese. The meat was juicier, and the flavours blended better. Combined with the bread and cheese, it just hit the spot 💕

I ended up eating two full cheese steaks in two hours for the sake of comparison. Honestly, I was a bit shocked by how much I could eat 😨

If I return to Philly and can only choose one, I’d go with Jim’s Steaks. It’s closer to downtown, tastes better in my opinion, and is just slightly cheaper than Geno’s. 😜

📍Jim’s South St.
400 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19147, United States