Just for the hell of it. Also they are FOR SALE
here.
Max's is basically the Pat's & Geno's of North Philly. BIG cheesesteaks dripping with wiz and mayonnaise (Yes mayo. The grill man suggested it, when in Rome.. ) which you can eat at a booth at the connected 70's era bar. Apparently they are known for their Chicken Steaks too.
"Secret" South Philly place where no lie the hoagies & steaks are so BIG that people buy an extra roll. It's also a grocery / ice cream / cigarette / video poker store, so expect a eclectic crowd. No Wiz here, and it's the only place I've ever actually been corrected for how I say "Cheesesteak".
The famous 9th & Passyunk. Everyone loves to hate and say "I'll show you a REAL cheesesteak place" but Pat's does it better than most. Meat is slightly chopped into bite size pieces, not hammered into ground beef slop, or barely chopped so that a whole slice falls out when you bite into it (Geno's). The fixin's bar is fairly clean, onions are cut & cooked right, the rolls are fresh, the wax paper is awesome, the people watching always superb.
If you don't want to wait in line at Pat's head down to Phil's at the bottom of west Passyunk, basically Passyunk & Oregon Ave, for a similar but more "deep south philly" outdoor dining experience, and really really really good cheesesteaks. My favorite is wiz with longhots cooked in with the steak, they also supposedly do a killer version of the "Milano" or "Old Fashioned" cheesesteak which is sliced tomatoes, provolone and a shake of oregano.
The best cheesesteak in the city, and also the most offensive. Well at least until they changed their name to Joe's. You can read about the debate elsewhere. What is almost undisputed is that they make the absolute best cheesesteaks in the city.
All of these are "long roll" cheesesteaks, as opposed to "seeded italian roll" cheesesteaks which tend to be bigger and considered more authentic by some people, including myself at one point. After a couple of years, I actually prefer a softer "long-roll", but not TOO soft. Del Buono's Bakery is the best at this. I'll stick with seeded rolls for hoagies, for which it's really the only way to go.
