Who has the best cheesesteak in town?

[David]

I've been to Philly and have ate at several of the legendary cheesesteak joints there and yes, they're amazing and anyone from Philly and South Jersey will argue with you tirelessly over how you can't get a good one anywhere else ...but I think it's possible. You just have to search harder.

With that said, this thread is about the best cheesesteaks in the area. Which one do you think is best? Philly's finest long held that title for me but there's not one near downtown and sometimes I find their meat to be a bit bland.

I just tried this place out today when I was on a job interview at JU and found it to be quite delicious:

http://www.wingdepotjax.com/ (if anyone knows of any health code violations, just don't tell me)

Thursday is philly cheesesteak day for 4.99.  It was great, but try another side besides the fries, they weren't anything special.

The meat had actual flavor! that's the biggest problem when someone claims to make a philly, the meat always seems to be severely bland, but this one had flavor along with the right blend of cheese, onions and mushrooms, i held the peppers.

Brooklyn Pizza on San Jose has a pretty good cheesesteak, although it's not in your typical "philly" fashion. I used to swear by Kickback's "Jax Cheesesteak" but when they expanded their menu, something about it changed that I couldn't put my finger on.

Suggestions are welcome! There's gotta be some hole in the wall places around here that know how to cook one up.

[aj_fresh]

I get mine at Publix...

[David]

Wouldn't doubt it, all their other subs are delicious. I'll give it a shot!

[nicktooch]

i'm actually from Philly and my family has had a rough time finding a good (for lack of a better word) cheesesteak!  but there are some saving graces. Jerry's grille on atlantic blvd has a pretty good one with large cuts of steak.  Perhaps the best is a place called Philly's Finest!  the guys get their rolls from Philly and the meat is perfectly sliced.  Philadelphia paraphanalia all over the restaurant makes it feel like home.  If you're in the mood for a surprisingly good cheesesteak and you're at the Regency or Avenues mall (yes you read correctly) stop by Charley's Subs.  Probably the best cheesesteak down here as close as possible to Steve's, Pat's, or Tony Luke's in Philly.  By the way, don't mess it up, it's not a sub.  Nix the mayo, lettuce, tomato and get it Philly style: onions/peppers/mushrooms and ketchup. THAT'S IT.  the first time i asked for it that way at Charley's the guy looked at me like i had three heads lol

[David]

I'll try out Charley's subs as well.

I've been a fan of Philly's Finest for quite sometime. It seemed like they were going to expand, but they closed down their St Johns Bluff location which was a little closer for most of us townies.

I love getting it with the wiz and those waffle fries! The bread is awesome at PF, it's the meat that's my main focal point lately with the area cheesesteaks joints. I shouldn't have to add a ton of pepper, wiz and other condiments to make it have flavor. Also the onions, I like em diced up tightly, that's hard to find as well.  OH yeah, do they even serve peppers on cheesesteaks in Philly? I don't remember getting them at Genos, Pats or the others on south street or South Jersey.

Most of it's probably in my head, but there's something about that perfect mix of cheese, meat, onions and spices that make me crave it! I really think the downtown area needs an authentic cheesesteak joint. And i mean just that, a cheesesteak joint, nothing else. It'd go over well especially considering the nightlife base is starting to build. And imagine it on game day!

hmmmmm......

[comncense]

Try Picasso's. It's a pizza place over in Mandarin off of San Jose. It's in the strip mall over by the Comedy Zone, over by Office Depot. It's owned by 3 Italian guys from New York. I go there sometimes just for the cheesecake. The pizza is good too

[JAX HPA]

Try Pinegrove Deli, yummmmmm

[Jason]

Try Picasso's. It's a pizza place over in Mandarin off of San Jose. It's in the strip mall over by the Comedy Zone, over by Office Depot. It's owned by 3 Italian guys from New York. I go there sometimes just for the cheesecake. The pizza is good too

I love me some Picasso's!!  Haven't eaten there in a few weeks though.  Say, maybe I'll stop in today?

[thebrokenforum]

Gotta go with Philly's Finest.

[blizz01]

Hurricane Bar & Grill (HWY 17 near Roosevelt & Fleming Island) is mostly a wing place, but they put the steak &/or chicken Philly on the menu with good reason.

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

Gotta go with Philly's Finest.

I second that emotion

[David]

hehe i shoulda put (besides philly's finest) in the original subject line. It is pretty hard to beat but, yeah they're at the beach. I'm basically a...reverse townie? If that makes sense. I never cross the ditch from the city side.

I'm trying to scout around in town to see what the city limits of Jacksonville have to offer.

So far we have:

Wing depot on Univ near JU
Charlie's sub at the avenues/regency malls
Brooklyn Pizza's cheese steak
Picasso's
and Hurricanes (gotta love those friggin parm fries too!)

I've suggested to the owner of Philly's Finest to open up one closer to downtown several time, but the St Johns Bluff location didn't last very long so that's probably not going to happen anytime soon.

[nicktooch]

OH yeah, do they even serve peppers on cheesesteaks in Philly? I don't remember getting them at Genos, Pats or the others on south street or South Jersey.

yeh they don't serve it with chopped green bell peppers, i was actually talking about the pickled banana/yellow peppers.  those are the best

[David]

oh yeah, i never thought to try that. I'm a meat-a-sarus but that does sound pretty good. I'll try it out

[jbm32206]

A real Philly cheese steak would automatically come with fried onions, unless you tell them otherwise. Everything else would be added to it....and no, there's no subs...they're called hoagies. I'm also from Philly and grew up on them.