Philadelphia, PA - March Cheesesteak Madness is a bracket-style tournament of cheesesteaks. We have 64 Cheesesteak entries broken into four regions, so Let's have fun and virtually eat cheesesteaks alone together!!
"I'm Jim Pappas from Philadelphia Cheesesteak Adventure. I've eaten over 550 different cheesesteaks in the last 22 months. I am hoping to use my new found Cheesesteak knowledge to help fill the void in our lives left by the canceling of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament". - Jim Pappas
Bracketology 2020 the Delco Region
- Johnny Paisanos vs. 16. Leo's Steak Shop
Johnny Paisano's has the best Cheesesteak in Delaware County. Johnny Cook's is South Philly Italian charm into every sandwich he makes. Seeded roll, flavorful meat, amazing caramelized onions, and melted cheese everywhere. Without Condoleezza Rice's guidance, Johnny runs into the trendy Leo's Steak Shop in the 1st round. Leo's makes a very meaty cheesesteak. A lot of meat. They care about their cheesesteaks also. This could be trouble for Johnny's.
- Wilson's Secret Sauce vs. 15. Pig vs. Wolf
Wilson's Secret Sauce is a barbecue place, so this is the pig vs. the pig vs. wolf. The Tattooed Pig and Wolf's Superior sandwiches. Wolf's adds scrapple to their Cheesesteak. I am a Scrabble fan but I found my sandwich touch dry. The Philly-ritto from the Tattooed Pig is impressive. The cheesesteak portion of the Philly-ritto would be fantastic on a roll. No disrespect, but I don't think either one of them can knock Wilson's Secret Sauce's Cheesesteak out of this tournament. Wilson has a very big, flavorful, and tender cheesesteak, and the cheese is melted beautifully. I see Wilson's secret sauce moving on to the 2nd round.
- The Original Thunderbirds vs. 14 Dominic's Meat and Deli
Dominic's Meat and Deli is one of my sentimental favorites. 3rd Generation owner operated. Small location take-out only location in Marcus Hook. They have meat in their name, easily top 5 meat. It is small but priced right. The original Thunderbirds has a delicious Cheesesteak, and they've been serving it since 1956 in Broomall. I don't know if they did it just for me, but the day I was there, they even had some authentic old-timer sitting at the counter. I am pulling for you, Dominic, but I think Thunderbirds moves on easily.
- Sam's Boardwalk style pizza vs. 13. Marcos
Everybody that drives on 322 has seen Marcos yard sign 'grab a slice.' Forget the slice and grab a cheesesteak, or get them both. Marco's makes a very good traditional pizza shop cheesesteak. Marco's sold a lot of food while I was waiting for my Cheesesteak. Everything looked good, fresh and big. Sam's makes a very good traditional pizza shop cheesesteak. Sam's gives you the added bonus of being able to enjoy a beer in three different ways with your Sam's Cheesesteak. 1. stay at Sam's and grab a craft beer out of the cooler. 2 sit next door in the Irish bar. 3.. Go two doors down to the bar where you can smoke. Very similar cheesesteaks, so I'm interested to see how the voting goes.
- Anna's Sandwich Shop vs. 12. Liberty Steaks and Hoagies
Another matchup of similar cheesesteaks. Anna has been on the same corner for 2 generations now. I had a lovely chat with the owner while I waited for my Cheesesteak. There is a table in Anna's but it is primarily taken out. The Cheesesteak was a charming meaty tasty surprise. Especially since I grew up in that area and thought I knew the cheesesteaks scene. Liberty Steaks and Hoagies makes a very good cheesesteak and gives three options where to eat it; 1 take out. 1A. If you're taking it really far for an extra dollar, they'll wrap it up special for long travels. 2. the seating area through the arch that has been in the coolers. 3. in the tavern, which I think is an excellent place to spend a rainy Saturday. I wouldn't be surprised by a #12 upset, but I see Anna's moving on to the second round.
- Coco's Pizza - Primos vs. 11. B&N Market
B&N Market, could this be a Cinderella story. B&N is another one of my sentimental favorites. BNN is a Papi store in Chester, PA. I paid the extra $0.50 for the peppers, and I'm glad I did even though it made it a $5.50 cheesesteak. It was a beautiful day (and I didn't know about Larimore Beer Company), so I ate it down by the Subaru Stadium next to the Delaware River. As much as I like B&N, Coco's Pizza's original location could be the class of the tournament. A great little place with a toy train running on an elevated track around the place. They make their own cookies and ice cream. If my kids were little, we would be eating at Coco's Pizza's original location a lot. Yes, they absolutely make a perfect cheesesteak. I will be happy for whoever wins this matchup. I'm pretty sure it's going to be Coco's Pizza.
- Sciarrino's Pizza vs. 10 Paul Revere Pizza House
For this bit, I finally learned how to say Sciarrino's. At Sciarrino's, I got their special Cheesesteak. It had pizza sauce and cheese melted on top. This was the poster child for how to make a cheesesteak with the cheese melted on top. From the top and it looked like a cheese swimming pool. The rest of the Cheesesteak was a great compliment, and nothing got lost. This could be an exciting matchup because Paul Revere Pizza House makes it very good Cheesesteak also. Paul Revere has the perfect traditional pizza shop cheesesteak, where everything works very well together. This matchup will come down to the cheese melted on top crowd versus the traditional pizza shop cheesesteak crowd.
- JD McGillicuddy's vs. 9. Colonial Kitchen
This is a very cut-and-dry matchup. At McGillicuddy's, I got one of my first garlic bread roll cheesesteaks, and their garlic bread is fantastic. Plus, they have inexpensive draft beer. Colonial kitchen is an Old School pizza shop/family Restaurant/Diner. They have a delicious well-made cheesesteak. The employees were excellent and it appeared they worked together for a long time. That's it folks, garlic bread, and beer vs. Family Night Out Pizza Joint.
