Sitting diagonally across the corner from each other at the southern tip of Philly's Italian Market are the city's famous rival cheesesteak joints: Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks. Pat's shop is still owned and operated by the legendary Olivieri family, whose patriarch invented the first steak sandwich in 1930.

The Creation of the Cheesesteak Pat's King of Steaks® was founded by Pat Olivieri in 1930. Pat had a modest hot-dog stand at the base of the famous Italian Market in South Philadelphia. One day he decided to have something quite different for lunch, so he sent for some chopped meat from the butcher shop.

The cheesesteak has since become a signature dish for Philadelphia. After Joey Vento's death in 2011, restaurant ownership was passed to his son Geno Vento.

Let's dive into Philadelphia's most-famous sandwich. It is a sandwich made of thinly sliced beef — usually frozen chip steak — cooked on a griddle and served on a sliced roll with cheese and either “wit” or “witout” onions. The cheese is typically American cheese, provolone or melted Cheez Whiz.