Went south to get some sandwiches.
As a first timer, we had to hit the tourist spots: Geno’s & Pat’s. Little did I realize they were right across the street from each other, next to a park.

Geno's
Geno’s, clearly going for the Shock & Awe campaign.

Inside Geno's

Geno's Menu
Nice & simple. Tourists want the cheesesteak. I assume locals (if hypothetically locals ate here) go for the roast pork.

Geno's Cheesesteak
As you can see, there isn’t that much meat for a $9 sandwich. The cheese (whiz) shines with a high cheese to meat ratio.

Pat's Front

Pat's Ordering Window
Pat’s offers a lot more options on the menu. I found it unnecessary, but I guess it allows customers to get it their way.

Pat's Menu
Pizza Steak? Fish Cake? What??
Why?

Pat's Cheesesteak
Pat’s obviously offers substantially more meat than Geno’s. Here, I’d point out that the line for Pat’s was noticeably longer too.
At both places, I got with onions and cheese whiz. I didn’t get fries because it would fill me up too much. Keep reading to see why I had to preserve stomach space.

Pat's Signage
Since Philly is a two hour drive from NYC, I made an executive decision to hit up a third spot.

Dalessandro's Steaks
Thanks to Serious Eats, we hit upĀ Dalessandro’s.

Dalessandro's Menu

Dalessandro's Cheesesteak
Cheaper than Geno’s and Pat’s (both $9 each), this $7.25 cheesesteak was amazing. The cheese is mixed into the chopped steak (as opposed to topping the meat).