Bon Appétit recently sent Restaurant Editor Elazar Sontag to Philadelphia to find out who makes the best Philly Cheesesteak in the city.

Sontag, who lives in Brooklyn, tried 19 different cheesesteaks in a single day. Each one was recommended by Philly locals, Best-Of Lists, and a number of online forums. Then the following day, he’d revisit his top picks and crown the one he found as the best.

To keep things standardized, Sontag ordered all cheesesteaks with onions and Cheez Whiz.

After visiting all 19 spots, Sontag found that his favorite turned out to be Angelo’s cheesesteak.

“They’re making their own bread,” he said. “It kind of doesn’t get better than that because each bite is just so incredibly fresh. It absorbs the juices, it balances out the flavor, it keeps the sandwich feeling really, really sturdy for every single bite. I just really couldn’t get over that sandwich.”

The foodie gave an also-perfect award to John’s Roast Pork.

“I think that that is such an excellent sandwich and it was truly so standout,” he said. “The only thing putting Angelo’s just a tiny bit above was that homemade bread. Everything from the hospitality to the freshness of the ingredients and the way they cook that steak at John’s is really, really special.”

Watch the entire segment capturing Elezar Sontag’s cheesesteak journey at Bon Appétit.

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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on PHILADELPHIA Today in August 2024.