Who has the best Cheesesteak?
I have learned the Philadelphians would rather argue ‘Who has the best cheesesteak’ rather than eating cheesesteaks. To answer this very Philly question – or to spark a bigger argument – PhillyBite.com and I annually run March Cheesesteak Madness.
We are a 64 cheesesteak bracket style tournament. Same style as the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. One field of 64 cheesesteaks but 2 champions. A People’s champion and a Judge’s champion. The People’s champion is chosen by online voting. The Judge’s Champion is chosen by eating every cheesesteak. The Judges judge 2 rounds at a time. The Judge’s Champion has been eaten 3 different times. Consistency matters.
The field is divided into four regions. Our Regions are: 1. Philadelphia. 2. Delaware County. 3. Other Counties (Bucks, Montgomery, Chester & Berks). 4. NJ/DE. To get the contestants and regions I sorted my spreadsheet by high score and then county. These four regions have roughly the same number of high scoring cheesesteaks. It has been interesting to me to see how the balance of cheesesteak supremacy has shifted between the regions.
Contestant videos and videos of every Judges match can be found on my YouTube channel; Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure. Each year has a playlist.
2025 Champions:
The People’s Champion was Amato Bros, Oaklyn, NJ. They were back to back winners. They are ready talking three peat. Here’s a link to video of them receiving the Cheesey Cup
The Judge’s Champion was Murray’s Bar & Grill, Clifton Heights, PA. This year we judged the Final Four live on Fox 29’s Good Day Philadelphia. Here’s a link to their Sweet 16 victory.
Here is 2025 Judge’s Bracket
