The year was 1980, the location was Northeast Philly, and the man was Steve Iliescu. He was a man with a vision: “If Pat’s is the King of Steaks, then I will be the Prince!”

 

And so it came to pass. Four and a half decades later, Steve’s is immensely popular, and on everyone’s short list of the city’s great steakeries. Prince Steve’s castle is an odd little building that resembles a black and white diner, nestled against rowhouses and situated on the edge of a residential neighborhood near busy Roosevelt Mall. There are now three other locations – two farther north and one at the shore in Wildwood. And Iliescu, enterprising prince that he is, also has a food truck and a catering business.

 

The Prince’s motto is “One bite, and you’ll be a loyal subject for life.” Apparently so. Philadelphia magazine named Steve’s “Best in Philly” not once but twice. And when Toronto Blue Jays pitching ace David Price visited Philadelphia and tried one of Steve’s steaks, he said it changed his life. (Yes, he really said that.)

 

Is there something that sets Steve’s cheesesteaks apart from the others? Turns out there is. While most steakeries subscribe to the “Pat’s Method” of chopping the beef and mixing in the cheese and onions, Steve’s is one of the few that follow the “Geno’s Method” – packing its sandwiches with un-chopped strips of top-quality rib-eye beef, sautéed to perfection.

 

Iliescu is someone who will go to great lengths to present his outstanding product to the world. Steve’s holds the world record for the longest cheesesteak ever, a 480-foot marvel created back in 2015.