Jim Pappas rates cheesesteaks in the Delaware region. A recent favorite is Little Creek Grill near Dover.
It is a regional debate that has lasted for generations—which restaurant has the best cheesesteak?
After meeting a date at Claymont Cheese Steak in Claymont, Jim Pappas took that question to heart.
She shared his love of Philadelphia’s—and therefore Delaware’s—iconic sandwich, and they decided to ask friends and family to reveal their favorite spots.
An Uber driver, Pappas also began asking customers, and the responses became passionate.
The Brandywine Hundred resident realized that finding the best cheesesteaks was a quest—not just a pastime to share with a friend—he embarked on the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure.
Over the past five years, Pappas has tried more than 1,100 different cheesesteaks, and his calories are your gain.
He created a sortable spreadsheet of establishments, now available on his recently revamped website philadelphiacheesesteakadventure.com.
The list includes 100 Delaware locations, from Wilmington to Dover to the beaches.
Longtime cheesesteak affair
Pappas’s fascination with restaurant cheesesteaks began in 1979 at Concord High School.
One day, he and his cousin ditched class to visit Claymont Steak Shop, the iconic restaurant on Philadelphia Pike.
Unfortunately, his uncle was also buying lunch. He overlooked their cutting school and paid for their meal. Although the trio was distracted by a bank robbery next door, Pappas was hooked.
Fast-forward to the 21st century. Once Pappas got serious about his cheesy quest, he created a five-category, 100-point scoring system and a spreadsheet to track his visits.
You can search the sheet by place, town, county and state. (Get out your readers; there is fine print.) Pappas also includes rows for his comments.
There is also a column with the price, which might shock those who just want to go to the place with the best product; cost be damned.
“OK, the best cheesesteak is at Barclay Prime,” Pappas tells them.
It better be good.
The most recent price for the hand-cut beef wagyu with black truffle foie gras—served with half a bottle of Champagne—is $140 on the Philadelphia restaurant’s website.
One of Jim Pappas’s recent finds is Little Creek Grill, left, near Dover. From his Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure website.
No two are the same
Cheesesteaks have as many variations as burgers, and to prove it, Pappas’ homepage shows several examples, along with notes about the main ingredients: the roll, the meat and the cheese.
According to Pappas, Amoroso’s rolls are the most well-known but not necessarily the best.
He wrote that a good roll should have a crisp crust and soft interior on his site. And it must keep the meat, cheese and fried onions from exploding out the back when you bite it.
The type of meat—sirloin, ribeye or wagyu—has become a hot topic, but Pappas focuses on whether the beef is a slab or ribbon versus chopped. The latter is more prevalent in the suburbs, he noted.
As for the cheese, the original Philly stalwarts—Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steaks—use Cheese Whiz.
Many local shops use American.
However, Pappas is currently fond of provolone.
So many cheesesteaks, so little time
When Pappas first began ranking cheesesteaks, he ordered chopped meat with American cheese, fried onions, lettuce and tomato. (Before starting Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure, he ordered pizza steaks.)
There was a method behind his choice of lettuce and tomatoes.
“You can’t fake freshness,” he noted.
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He now indicates his choice of extras on the spreadsheet. Adding mushrooms evokes strong opinions.
“There are a lot of mushroom haters out there,” he said.
The cheesesteak expert’s new favorite spot is Little Creek Grill near Dover, which has a 93 total score.
“It’s a cheesesteak with scrapple in it,” he explained. “I love that place. They work with local suppliers and entrepreneurs.”
The Well Coffeehouse & Marketplace in Hockessin also fared well, scoring 88. Pappas liked the cheesesteak-and-egg sandwich.
Remember that Pappas only visits and rates an establishment once unless it experiences a dramatic change.
There is no shortage of cheesesteaks in Delaware and Philly, and Pappas is a man on a mission.
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