It’s what divides a city, schools, and even families. It causes an uproar and has quite literally caused the biggest controversy within a major US city. 

It is the Philadelphia cheesesteak battle. 

Located on opposite sides of the East Passyunk Avenue and South 9th Street intersection in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world-renowned cheesesteak vendors Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steaks have been battling since Geno’s joined Pat’s in 1966. But the question arises: who has mastered the perfect cheesesteak? 

• Price: 

While on the Wando student media trip to Philadelphia, I tried the classic cheesesteak from both Geno’s and Pat’s, I can fairly and unbiasedly judge the classic Philadelphia delight starting with price. Starting off with Geno’s, I paid $14.00  for a cheesesteak that was around a foot long. On the contrary, I paid $16.00 for the same-sized cheesesteak at Pat’s, which makes the winner of this category, Geno’s Steaks. 

• Presentation: 

Next up is the presentation. Upon receiving my cheesesteak from Geno’s, they included a silicone orange wristband branded with the Geno’s logo. After unwrapping my cheesesteak from Geno’s branded paper, I immediately took note of how neatly wrapped and clean the –what became a– paper tray was despite having on it a cheesesteak covered in melted cheese. I cannot say the same for Pat’s. With a higher price, I was expecting the same thing from Pat’s: some free merchandise. I was disappointed to only receive the cheesesteak and even more disappointed when I saw the presentation beneath the paper wrapping. The cheese had somehow found itself everywhere but on the steak. It seemed that the majority of the cheese had melted and hardened onto the wrapping. Another clear winner for this category: Geno’s Steaks.

• Quality: 

The next category of judgment is quality of food. My first bite into Geno’s classic cheesesteak was a much-needed delight, especially after a long walk through the city streets of Philadelphia. The bread at Geno’s was the absolute perfect texture, while the bread at Pat’s was in every aspect stale. To be honest, the cheese at both places tasted of the same quality and was pretty average for both places. Next is the meat. The beef at Geno’s is chopped into small cube-like shapes. This is by far my preferred way of serving as compared to Pat’s thin-sliced beef that felt more like pulled pork, a texture I never expected with cheese and stale bread. Once again, Geno’s steaks dominate Pat’s in quality of food. 

• Storefront Aesthetic: 

The final category of judgment is the aesthetic of the store itself. Geno’s has completely rebranded itself in recent years, and while the front of the store is sleek and modern, it does not match the aesthetic of Philadelphia at all. The large orange sign displaying the words “Geno’s Steaks” looks like a tacky out-of-place billboard. Pat’s is a throwback to the 1900s and is the clear winner of the storefront design category. 

• Overall: 

Overall, the winner of this battle is Geno’s Steaks. Despite losing the category of storefront aesthetic, Geno’s dominated the categories of price, presentation, and quality of food. Geno’s have developed the perfect cheesesteak and can be crowned the winner of the Tribal Tribune’s cheesesteak battle. I can only hope that the two stores strive to continue to outdo each other, keeping this fun tradition alive.