Dalessandro’s Steaks

I was passing Philadelphia during a road trip and I knew I needed to stop by for the best Philly cheesesteaks. I found this place after a decent amount of searches and knew I made a good choice. I came late at night and it was actually still very busy – I was lucky enough to actually get good seats at the counter. You HAVE to try it with cheese wiz. It really was so delicious and I can’t wait till the next time I stop by. It’s best to eat it asap so the bread is still fresh and not soggy – the meat was really well made as well!
Honestly the best Philly cheesesteaks I’ve had so far!

Yes, it was the bomb, the bomb az sammich!!! I should have put whiz on mine is my only complaint, but that’s not their bad. Glad I stopped here for my Philly Philly experience.

Cheesesteak with American cheese and onions: tasty! They put in a hefty amount of meat and onion and I really liked my sandwich. It was not dripping with oil which was nice. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still oil, but it’s not overly greasy compared to some other cheesesteaks I’ve had. The amount of cheese on it was perfect and fit well with the meat. It did not overpower the meat, the way my brother’s provolone cheese did.
So, my brother ordered the cheesesteak with onions, pepper, and sharp provolone. The provolone was waaay overpowering. I did not like it, but my brother did.
We got there at 12pm sharp on a rainy Thursday afternoon. We were very lucky there was no line. But right after we ordered and sat down, people started coming and it got crowded FAST. Line went out the door! They also have spicy and sour pickled peppers on the table for you to eat. They were pretty good.

They do great cheesesteaks but also note that they do a solid chicken cheesesteak if that’s your thing.

It’s up high in the residential area of North Philly and not the easiest to get to if you don’t have a car or not a local but it is well worth it to chow down with the locals.
The meat was dry, more seasoned and flakier than say, Sonny’s and less cheese. Everything seemed a little tougher round the edges, but their heart was bountiful. Hot peppers are self service and you can make it what you want. The volume was substantial too. The guys working, even at 11:30 pm on a Saturday night were hard at work and very warm.
It’s not fancy but local and loved.

We were on a road trip through Canada & the USA. Despite other reviews I read, we tried this place.
We ordered 2 cheese steak w/​mushrooms, onion, ketchup and mayonaise to go. Our first time eating Philly cheese steak and it was GOOD! The cheesesteaks are really large.

WOW! The cheesesteaks here was mind blowing! I have only tried cheesesteaks from two shops in Philly: Tony Luke’s and D’alessandro’s. I must say that the quality & taste of the cheesesteak in D’alessandro’s was top notch. I have to agree with other Unilocalers that the cheesesteak here was one of the best. It was one of the best I have ever eaten in my entire life.
My husband & I ordered two cheesesteaks to share: 1) cheesesteak w/​provolone, fried onions, mushrooms, and 2) cheesesteak w/​american cheese, fried onions, mushroom. Both were equally delicious. The bread was still crispy and intact (unlike some places the bread becomes mushy/​soggy), which made the eating experience more enjoyable. There was nothing coming out of the sandwich. The meat was so tender and delicious, and with the addition of cheese, fried onions and mushroom, the sandwich became a masterpiece.
I like that the staff caters to their customers. While sitting there enjoying the beautiful cheesesteak sandwich, I heard a few people requesting for extra cheese, mayo & ketchup, salt & pepper to their sandwich. I wish I knew about this earlier, as I would have wanted to try that combo as well.
It is super busy here, but the line does go by quickly. The staff were all so friendly and wonderful. There is seating inside and out, and if there is no seating available, sitting at the grass area nearby is an option.
**Since coming back from Philly, I miss the cheesesteak here

Very, very busy… did I mention this place is busy !? We had a flight out of the philly airport, so I studied Unilocal long and hard for the perfect place to try a real Philly cheesesteak.
Well, here’s my interpretation of it all:
— A lot of very dry meat on a chewy bun.
–Know how to order, or be ran over.
–Ask no questions.
–Try the cheese whiz stuff — maybe it will make is juicier.
–Loud, loud, loud.
–If you tip, they make a big to do — a little embarrassing.
–Don’t plan on sitting down. Period.
–parking is pretty easy
–I would not want another cheesesteak from philly, if this is the representation.
–No hard feelings!

Best cheesesteak in philly, but worst service. Come when it’s not crowded for decent service. I understand they’re incredibly busy but there’s a difference between the standard abrupt Philly cheesesteak service and stupidly rude. Unfortunately their delicious cheesteak has been worth getting yelled and scorned at.

Knocked one star off due to service. This place gets PACKED, so the staff is high strung and not very nice. I understand they are trying to run an efficient business but getting yelled at wasn’t fun. Their system is you line up to order, you yell your order (which they may give you an attitude for if you’re from another town and don’t order «the right way»), then you wait until they call your name, and you come up and pay (cash only).
The cheesesteaks are very good. They chop the meat really small, bathe the hoagie roll in whiz and then another spoonful on top of the meat. Overall, if you’re looking for a good cheesesteak, this is a great place to get it and take it home. If you’re looking for a good eating experience, look elsewhere.

This was my first cheesesteak and I’m glad we chose Dalessandro’s. We were new to ordering so the lady was very nice to us. The meat was good quality and fresh. I think in the future I would get extra cheese. It wasn’t quite cheesy enough for me.
Cash only– make sure you bring enough (but they do have an ATM). Also– no bathroom and limited seating.

First time here ordered a regular cheesesteak sub. It was ok not the best. The bread you can tell wasn’t the freshest. Not so friendly staff.
They only accept cash but they do have an ATM inside that charges a fee of $ 1.50

I wanted to love these cheesesteaks so much but I was extremely underwhelmed. So many great reviews of this place and I’ve seen it on many «best cheesesteak in philly» type lists so I was thrilled to discover it was only blocks from my house and so excited to try it.
The cheesesteak itself didn’t have enough cheese, the roll was soggy and the steak was a little too course. The place itself is small and very divey, looks like it would have delicious cheesesteaks but this unfortunately wasn’t the case. Oh well, guess we’ll have to keep getting cheesesteaks from fat daddys.

I have been pretty underwhelmed by the cheesesteaks I have had in Philly till today, I have found a clear winner, thanks Molly T! So the place looks like a small, narrow diner and has very little going on in terms of décor but that’s fine, the cheesesteaks are great and that’s all that really matters. Also, it’s cash only.
The food:
Cheesesteak Wit Whiz– I was so surprised how much I liked this, I always had the preconceived notion that Whiz was for tourist. Well, I am a Philly tourist and I enjoyed the cheese in a can on my cheesesteak. It was surprisingly really moist and my hands down favorite cheesesteak. Also, the onions were no teeth required tender, they were so good and added a nice richness to the cheesesteak.
Cheesesteak Wit Provolone– It was good but it was missing some sexiness. It was solid but felt like it was missing something and this cheesesteak also came out less moist. The bread is nice since it holds up to the meat and doesn’t fall a part, but I do wish there was some type of crunch on the bread, but that’s just me.

Let me break this down a bit. I wanted to try this place because it was ranked so high on food network and I was in philly for the first time!
Food was good — I’ve never had a cheesesteak so I don’t have anything to compare it to. I would go again and get the food for sure.
Service was kind of bad! The people were NOT nice and could totally tell we were not from the area.
Place was small but I was expecting it to be. My biggest con was the menu… I had no idea what toppings to get or how to order. I would give this place another try because the food but the experience was pretty bad! PS: cash only!

Loyalist Roxborough/​Manayunk heads will tell you it’s the best. Kids from nearby colleges will talk about Dalessando’s like they’ve been there more than twice. It’s Jimmy Fallon’s favorite cheesesteak joint.
On three out of my five visits, I was disappointed. The onions, that Dalessandro’s chops wide, are virtually tasteless and undercooked. Somehow, twice, the cheese ended up only on one side of the sandwich. The meat was pre­cooked and sitting in a monstrous pile on the corner of the flat top, which can lead to overcooking (I wish they did this with the onions instead). Also, I’ve not the biggest Amoroso roll guy (but I did see the bread man deliver them fresh at 11am, when they open), and it’s all about the bread.
And while this was not a bad cheesesteak ­ they were actually pretty good ­ it does not stand up to the rival across the street, Chubby’s. I have had better experiences with the product at Chubby’s; more consistently impressed. I urge you to challenge what people tell you, cross the street, and try the underrated Chubby’s.
Once you do, you will then not trust anything Mr. Fallon has to say when it comes to Philadelphia sandwich culture.

4.5 stars.
Why the .5 off — the onions
They fell off on the first bite.
They need to be tucked in the sandwich more.
Easily remedied by tucking in myself with a fork or god given utensils — but the sandwich is stuffed full as it is and taking it a part just makes everything fall apart…
Anyway, when you do finally dig in — it’s delicious!
Best ever, maybe not — but this would be on my go to if I lived closer in the area.
I prefer chopped instead of whole slice and they are not skimpy on the portions.
Lines out the door constantly — best bet is to get it to go — counter space is scarce to find.
Cash only — be ready to place your order right away, after all you stood in line for 15+ minutes so get your order together.
Don’t ask a million times where your order is, or you’ll get yelled at (as we witnessed, lol)
Be patient, they work very hard and get your food out in the order it was taken.
Make sure to tip, they are working over huge piles of hot beef with hardly any break.
Alil extra is appreciated as they personalize a verbal shout of «Thank you (name)!

I’ve had the opportunity to eat at all the «best» Cheesesteak places around Philly – Pat’s, Gino’s, Tony Luke’s, John’s Roast Pork, Jim’s, Sonny’s, etc…, but honestly, it’s hard to anoint any of them as the «BEST». The truth that I’ve come to realize about eating real Cheesesteaks IN THE CITY of Philadelphia is that the last place you ate a cheesesteak in Philly, was the best one you ever had because they’re all that GOOD!!! After enjoying the quintessential Philly Cheesesteak & Provolone «Witout» along with Crushed Peppers & Banana Peppers, I’d have to say that, as of this moment, the best is Delessandro’s!
Delessandro’s has quick, friendly service, and dishes up fresh, tasty food. I loved the old school feel of this true neighborhood stalwart, which has been in business since 1960. This is a perfect place to enjoy a Philly Cheesesteak if you are in the area!

4.5 to be exact but I’ll round up for deliciousness.
Dalessandro’s is located away from Central Philly, away from the hustle bustle of downtown, away from those mainstream places like Pat’s and Geno’s. Is this a place you should go to try their cheesesteak at least once? Definitely!
Though it may be tough to park here, I was able to find a spot on the street when I got here at around 8:30pm. I was on a road trip with friends and we decided to stop by here. We walked in to a pretty small place and we were told to sit ourselves and someone would come by and take our order. There are a couple seats at the counter and just a few tables behind our seats. We were lucky that ordered when we did, because within 15 minutes the place was packed and we missed the… 9pm rush?
I did not go crazy with my order, as I got a mushroom cheesesteak with provolone cheese. I really, really enjoyed this cheesesteak! The bread was not too soft which I like and you get a great amount of meat with your order. The cheese light, yet delicious enough for me to enjoy my meal. Maybe next time I’ll ask for some extra provolone!
What is nice about ordering is that you can get many toppings for no extra charge, which include items such as fried and raw onions, mayo, marinara sauce, and hot/​banana/​sweet peppers. You also have the option of American Cheese and Cheese Whiz in addition to Provolone.
If you have a sweet tooth, there are options for some dessert and even a beer if you want to take a load off and have a drink.
Overall, Dalessandro’s is a no-​frills cheesesteak spot that does its job and they do their job well. So I will reward them with my patronage again soon!

This is the Philly cheesesteak experience. Crowded, busy, lots of noise, not much room inside. All the focus is on the cooking and the eating and that’s okay with me.
I managed to luck out when a single seat at the counter opened up as I was in line. I took a seat and a minute later, one of the gals working behind the counter took my order. There’s no such thing as «all the way» here. You need to specify what you want. So I requested my cheesesteak with provolone, mushrooms, peppers (Green or hot? Green.), onions, lettuce and tomato. Tip: Skip the lettuce and tomato.
About ten minutes later, my sandwich arrived. Massive, well stuffed with lots of onions and peppers and mushrooms. Super hot! I pushed the lettuce off to the side and ate the tomato slices before digging into this monster. The meat was cooked very nicely and the cheese melted in well. The various veggies I’d ordered cooked up nicely on the grill and were al dente. A touch of ketchup (Hey, I’m a New Yorker. I can do what I want!) was the only think this perfect sandwich needed.
It was super busy in the place with lots of folks placing orders, lots of orders being shouted out and several of the gals behind the counter shouting out if anyone needed to place an order. There was sort of a queue, but not much.
There was a pretty good selection of bottled beers and other soft drinks.
The inside ambiance could use a lift but it’s okay and it gets the job done. I can see why this place is so popular! It’s GOOD!