I Tried the Cheesesteak at 4 Restaurant Chains & the Winner Was Well-Seasoned and Extra Cheesy

The cheesesteak is a Philadelphia treasure and one of America's greatest sandwiches. The handheld is engrained into the City of Brotherly Love's culture the same way that history and sports are, despite only coming to fruition about a century ago in the 1930s.

The story goes that brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri, who ran a hot dog stand by South Philadelphia's Italian Market, were the first to invent the legendary recipe. The pair were looking to offer something new to their customers and came up with a clever combination of grilled beef and onions on a toasted roll. You heard that right—no cheese on the first-ever Philly cheesesteak.

Now, you'll find all kinds of cheese slathered on the subs–even Cheez Whiz, which some people swear to be the best and gooiest choice. Other variations of the Philly have also spawned, including chicken cheesesteaks, pizza cheesesteaks, and those with extra toppings like spicy peppers, fresh veggies, or condiments. But, no matter how they're made, the fact remains that tributes to the sandwich can be found all across the country. I already tried the cheesesteaks at many quick-serve sandwich chains, so this time I'm tasting the sandwich at proper sit-down restaurant chains.

I visited four popular dine-in chains to try their respective takes on the classic Philly handheld. Here's how each chain ranked in descending order, starting with my least favorite and counting down to the very best.

IHOP

International House of… Philly cheesesteaks? The pancake-forward chain does venture away from breakfast in some areas of its menu, and filed under the category of hand-crafted sandwiches, you can, in fact, find a version of the popular meaty hoagie. It's known as the Philly Cheese Steak Stacker and is topped with grilled sirloin steak, onions, and melted American cheese on a grilled roll. The meal cost me $13.29 and came with a choice of fries, onion rings, seasonal fresh fruit, a side salad, or two buttermilk pancakes—what a combo! I went the safe route with a classic order of fries.

The look: Delivered on a pale store-bought-looking roll–not a ton of grilling was done here. Inside, the meat was chopped so fine it was nearly minced and it was additionally a bit dark for my liking. Strings of cooked onion were also interspersed and all the melted American was stashed away at the bottom of the sandwich.

The taste: Low expectations, low gratification—that's the story of this sandwich. I didn't anticipate much from a breakfast chain Philly cheesesteak and that's what I received. It's fine and definitely edible. But, the soft white roll may be the best thing about it—and definitely the most prominent. Salty, dry, and a little burnt, the steak is more similar to beef jerky than anything else and the onions boiled down to sad and shriveled.

The American cheese hardly made a difference. What did, though, was a surprise condiment, which wasn't disclosed in the sub's description. A smoky mayonnaise-based sauce seeped into every corner, simultaneously throwing me off guard and throwing off the balance of the sandwich. I think the only stacker I'll be ordering again from IHOP will be made up of flapjacks and not savory (or unsavory rather) ingredients.

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BJ's Brewhouse

BJ's Brewhouse certainly offers the most expensive Philly cheesesteak out there—that's for sure. Its price point of $17.59 really made me wonder what kind of cows were being used to make the sandwich's slow-roasted, sliced sirloin. I hoped the complementary toppings, including American cheese, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and green bell peppers, would help to make it worthwhile. That, and the accompanying side. I selected fries, but I also appreciated the longer list of no-cost alternatives offered by the chain like side salads, grains, or baked potatoes.

The look: Crackly bread was the first thing I noticed before catching sight of the thin shavings of meat in a questionable light brown shade. This hoagie isn't as tightly packed as some of the others but you can clearly see the bright green peppers, the onions, and orange cheese oozing out.

The taste: The roll was in fact a little too crunchy and dry. However, the sandwich wasn't completely devoid of moisture overall–even with its omission of condiments. Although it tasted closer to a thick roast beef rather than steak (presumably from its slow-roasted cooking method), the beef was juicy and tender, filling each bite with just enough umami. Cheese was once again fairly scarce as well as the mushrooms. But, the onions and peppers were abundant and flavorful. I just wish they had been cooked down for a tiny bit longer to become a little more soft and a little less crunchy. Overall, it's a filling and satisfactory sandwich, yet still not worth the steep price tag.

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Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks serves up classic American food similar to Applebee's or TGI Fridays just with a rugged mountain twist. So, it's not too surprising that the chain offers a Philly cheesesteak alongside its plates of wings, burgers, flatbreads, and other bites. The East Coast-style sub is made with thin-sliced sirloin, provolone cheese, peppers, caramelized onions, mushrooms, mayonnaise, and Italian seasoning—somewhat of a wildcard ingredient. It's accompanied by french fries for $12.99, but I was able to upgrade to sweet potato fries for no extra charge. Suppose you're feeling a little more adventurous. In that case, the sports bar also has a Texas-style cheesesteak, featuring thin-sliced ribeye topped with queso, peppers, pico de gallo, and jalapeños also on a hoagie roll.

The look: The real deal. I have never ordered an authentic Philly cheesesteak from one of Philidelphia's most established and respected sandwich joints, despite visiting the city multiple times. However, I imagine this is what it would look like. Thin slices of steak swirl with green peppers and onions, all coated in a film of melted white cheese and slopped nonchalantly onto a lengthy, already-opened roll.

The taste: Every bit as good as it looks. Sliced razor thin, the meat reminds me of gyro meat just made with beef rather than lamb or pork—similar to what I have been served before at Jersey Mike's. However, despite its papery nature, it never feels dried out and there's enough of it to go around, still making for a hearty sub. The veggies add a sublime char flavor from the grill and are just tender enough without becoming slimy. A medley of both provolone cheese and just a small slather of mayonnaise adds a blanket of smooth creaminess to the entire sandwich. Plus, everything is neutralized by the enveloping toasty yet airy bread. The Italian seasoning—or mostly just oregano, according to my taste buds—seemed like a spur-of-the-moment inclusion, and one I would likely omit. But, it doesn't heavily influence the overall flavor profile.

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Rusty Bucket

Compared to the rest, Rusty Bucket is very much a petite chain with just 19 total locations. However, since its birth place and main service area of Ohio lies adjacent to Pennsylvania—home of the Philly cheesesteak—I had high hopes for its take on the classic. At the tavern-style restaurant, the cheesesteak looks a little like this: shaved ribeye with green and red peppers, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and melted provolone cheese. Served with fries or a choice of something else like coleslaw, sticky rice, or mashers, the meal is priced at $15.29.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: Absolutely smothered in provolone cheese. I could hardly make out any ingredients concealed underneath, barring the bright red peppers which stuck out like a sore thumb. After some struggle folding the sides together, it did start to take the shape of a sandwich, albeit the smallest sandwich of the pack.

The taste: I didn't think anything would top Twin Peaks, but this Rusty Bucket rendition swooped in at the last second to win me over. It's small yet mighty with an unbelievable volume of cheese that leads the charge flavor-wise, though everything underneath is just as good if not better.

Well-seasoned, obviously high-quality meat makes the best match for grilled onions, prepared almost the exact same way that Chipotle does in its fajita mixture. Including both green and red peppers seemed like overkill to me at first, yet ended up as one of my highlights. They complement each other and contribute varying flavor notes with more of a bitterness exuding from the green and sweetness from the red—the perfect blend. Toss in a side of seasoned fries with a specialty dipping sauce and it was game over.

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