Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wit or Wit-out
Dined
in July 2014
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My Daughter and I were visiting Philadelphia on the weekend
of the 4th of July, and what better way to celebrate this American
holiday, then in the city where independence began. We had seen the major
sights such as Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell, and we were now doing a
bus tour of the city, and entering in Rocky Balboa’s neighborhood in South Philly, and it was time to eat at a world famous
restaurant called Pat’s, because
if you’re in Philly you have to eat a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, so why not
get it from the restaurant that invented it.
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| Pat Olivieri 1930 |
Scroll down to read the main review
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Review
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Overall Star rating by
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4 of 5
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Quality of food:
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8 of 10 I
hate cheez whiz
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Presentation:
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6 of 10
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Cuisine style:
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American, Italian
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Hot spot, Tourist grabber, and a
Neighborhood gem.
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Cash only
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Transport options:
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Bus, taxi, personal vehicle, and walking
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Food price per person
(Excluding tax & gratuity)
Price chart:
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - Under 75.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
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My food bill:
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Currency:
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Country :
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Price chart:
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$17.00
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$
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£10.12
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Great Britain Pound
Sterling (GBP)
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£
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€12.70
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European Union
(EUR)
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€
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$18.67
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$
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$18.39
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Australian Dollar
(AUS)
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$
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¥104.66
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Chinese Yuan
(CNY)
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¥¥¥
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From restaurants home page:
Pat's King of Steaks® was founded by Pat Olivieri in 1930.
Pat had a modest hot-dog stand at the base of the famous Italian Market in
South Philadelphia. One day he decided to have something quite different for
lunch, so he sent for some chopped meat from the butcher shop. He cooked the
meat on his hot dog grill, placed the meat onto an Italian roll, and dressed it
with some onions. Just as he went to take a bite, a cab driver who ate a hot
dog everyday asked what he had there. Pat said that it was his lunch. The
cabbie insisted that Pat make him one.
"Hey.....forget 'bout those hot dogs, you should sell
these." The steak sandwich was born. As the years passed, both employees
and customers alike demanded change...cheese was added.
Main review:
My Daughter and I were walking down South 9th
Street passing by the Old Italian outdoor market, that now a day’s was mainly
being run by the Chinese, but what the hell even in the Italian district of
South Philly, I guess things change. Once we got to the location we saw Pat’s
on a corner divided by two streets, and another fast food location across the
street that sold cheesesteaks as well. But since I was here in Philly I wanted
to have a real cheesesteak from the restaurant where it all started here at Pat
Olivieri’s place. I had cooked thousands of cheesesteaks in the past, and
everyone has their own unique recipe, but I wanted the original. So did a lot of
other people because we waited in line over forty minutes to get it.
As we got closer to the front I could see that you ordered
into the window and got your food. There were tables and benches that circled
the building but good luck trying to find a seat somewhere. Through a window
they had a display of large cans of cheez whiz, which I had never had on a
cheesesteak before because I didn’t like it, I preferred provolone. However I
am one for originality, and I was told that a real Philly Cheesesteak has cheez
whiz not provolone, so I knew that I was going to have to order that.
When we were close to the front, we saw a sign posted, and
some folks behind us who lived in Philly said it's best to be prepared when it
comes to our order and this is how it had to be done. First rule — know what
you want, and how to order it by the time you get to the front of the line!
Step 1
Specify if you want your steak with (wit) or without (wit-out) onions
Step 2
Specify Plain, Cheez Whiz, Provolone, American or Pizza
Steak
Step 3
Have your money ready. We are cash only.
Step 4
Order just your steak at the first window. The second window
is for fries and drinks.
Step 5
Eat up while it's hot!
My daughter and I placed our orders when we got to the
window, but of course we were first timers, so even though the instructions
were labeled, I spoke it incorrectly, and tried to order my French fries at the
first window, not the second. Once you say your order, that grill goes into
action, by the time you pay and get your change, your sandwich is ready, and
then you can go to the second window. As your waiting for the second window,
you can look up and see pictures of some of the famous people that have eaten
their over the years. Since we were there on July 4th, it was double
bad luck, because we ran into Vice President Jo Biden at the city parade, and
he had just got done eating at Pat’s as well. When we arrived to wait in line,
I could see the Secret Service everywhere.
We got our fries and drinks, went to the condiment counter
which was opposite the ordering windows, then walked around for a few more
minutes, and got lucky enough to find a bench to sit down at, and eat. Now the
meal wasn’t anything special, after all it’s a Cheesesteak, something we both
had eaten before, but what made it special was to eat it here. And sorry to the
die-hard Philly folks that like to keep things original, cheez whiz still
tastes like shit, and I prefer provolone, but I ate it to say that I had an
original Philly Cheesesteak from Pat’s, The King of Steaks.
Other Philly favorites:
Moshulu
Restaurant address:
1237 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Neighborhood:
South Philly
Cross streets:
S. 9th Street & Wharton Street
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 40.071908
Longitude: -74.948628
Contact Information:
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Maître d, reservations:
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(215) 468-1546
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Website:
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Open 24 hours
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
Standard Time (GMT -5:00)
Proprietor / Manager:
Olivieri Family
Review by:
Chef Sean Overpeck (CFE) at Pat's King of Steaks
chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:
"Culinary perfection
consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things
extraordinarily well."
TTFN
