Philly Eats: The Two Other Philly Cheesesteak Institutions...Tony Luke's vs. Jim's!

I've long wanted to try Tony Luke's, and haven't had a Jim's cheesesteak in a while, so my recent trip to Philly was a great chance to go food hopping since I was going with a group and we could all split a sandwich and compare.

Tony Luke's is also on the outskirts of the city in the downtown industrial area and is famous for both their Cheesesteak, with Whiz and onions, as well as Philly's lesser known but equally-as-good sandwich...the roast pork sandwich.

Tony Luke's Cheesesteak was delicious!  The meat itself wasn't too seasoned but came in nice big slices in the sandwich, so the natural beefy flavors really came through.  There was also a super generous serving of Cheese Whiz on the sandwich as well.

Their roast pork sandwich was just OK.  Dinic's was much better, though that was also probably one of the best sandwiches I've ever had!  Tony Luke's was also pretty meaty, but lacked enough flavor and the greens were too boiled down and tasted bland.  

Jim's is located in the busy South St area and is my stop for cheesesteaks in Philly.  However, when I was able to take a few bites of Tony Luke's and then later during the day compare it to Jim's, my mind was made up.  Jim's also came with Whiz, but at least this time around, there wasn't enough in the sandwich!  The bread was a little crustier and toastier though.  I also prefers Tony's meat.  Jim's was more seasoned but was chopped up into tiny shreds and tasted more dried out.

Also, bonus points to Tony Luke's to beating Bobby Flay in Throwdown (Can't stand him and will never eat at any of his restaurants!)  There's also a clip of Tony Luke's on Man Vs Food.

Tony Luke's 
39 E Oregon Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19148


Jim's 
400 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19147