Geno's Steaks vs. Pat's King of Steaks

Geno's

What We Ate:

Steak with onions:
      -one with provolone
      -one with cheese wiz
Geno's: collective rating of 4 out of 5 stars
Pat's: collective rating of 4.25 out of 5 stars




                          

Pat's

The battle between Pat's and Geno's has only existed since 1966.  On the corner of 9th Street in South Philadelphia, many locals swear by only one of the establishments that claims to be the best in the city.  Pat's has been owned and operated by the Olivieri family since 1930 and believes themselves to be the creator of the steak and cheesesteak sandwiches.  Geno's, on the other hand, was created by Joe Vento in 1966.  While the "King of Steaks," Pat's, has a simple exterior in a brick building with a large white awning covering the small seating section, Geno's is much more flashy.  Two large blue signs on either side of the building spell the famous logo with a crown over the "A" in Pat's.  At Geno's, large neon signs  with plastic fire compose the outside display.  This logo can be found on the white deli paper covering the cheesesteak, as well, whereas Pat's serves their steak in plain white deli paper.  Also, Geno's has large tributes to Philadelphia war veterans along with police and firefighters.  All this is part of the personality of each restaurant, but what it really comes to is the quality of steak when determining the winner in this rivalry.

-Nate
                                                                                                               

Pat's Steaks w/ provolone on the left

A year ago I visited the intersection of 9th and Passyunk where the Geno's and Pat's rivalry lives.  That spring day i chose Geno's, the flashier of the two competing restaurants; however, today I came to the realization that I chose wrong.

We decided to get two steaks from each joint, both with onions, one with cheese wiz and one with provolone.  I usually am a fan of provolone, but after today I may have to reconsider my position on this matter. Knowing that both establishments are spots for tourists and not truly the best in the city, my expectations were not that high.  First we went to Pat’s, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was. There was a very good amount of steak in the sub, and the steak was tender and flavorful.  After going first for a half of provolone, I was blown away by how different the wiz was.  It complemented the sandwich and onions in a synthetic yet bold and cheesy way.  The onions were more well done than those of Geno’s, not adding a lot to the sandwich in terms of texture.  What’s more, I thought the bread could be better because it was a little too chewy for me. 

Halves of Geno's Steaks w/ provolone on the right

By contrast, I preferred the softer bread at Geno’s.  Also, the onions were sweet and not as cooked, giving great texture to the sandwich.  With this being said, the steak is what really made the difference.  Geno’s steak was thicker and much fattier, thus a bit juicer.  The problem with the steak, though, was there was not nearly as much of it.  In addition, I really had a problem with its taste.  To me it tasted a bit like dog meat might taste, but to Jack it was perfectly fine.  Perhaps I’m a bit picky, so take the short trip up to Philadelphia and find out yourself.  In this rivalry, Pat’s emerges as the king of steaks.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, when we will be trying steaks from D’alessandro’s and Jim’s. 

-Alec

PS: we are indeed exercising