Philly cheesesteak – Michael Eats

Tasty Sandwiches at Philadelphia Kitchen

Published on December 7, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 281 Broadway, Orangeville
Website: https://philadelphiakitchen.ca/

I continue to be thoroughly puzzled about why Philly cheesesteaks are so difficult to find in the GTA. There’s Illstyl3 Sammies, which is delicious, if not entirely authentic, and… that’s about it.

Well okay, there’s also a chain called Philthy Philly’s, but the less said about that place, the better. And I’m sure there are a whole bunch of restaurants with a cheesesteak on the menu, but if you want a place that specializes in the stuff, it’s Illstyl3 Sammies or bust.

But hey, if you don’t mind driving to Orangeville (which is technically part of the GTA, though just barely), there’s also Philadelphia Kitchen.

They serve a classic Philly cheesesteak (just steak, onions, and cheese on a roll) that you can either get with mozzarella or Cheez Whiz. I tried both.

It’s a tasty sandwich, though it’s probably a bit too heavy on the onion. I think the ratio of onion to beef is something like 1:1. Griddled onions are definitely a big part of a cheesesteak’s flavour, but the proportion here is so high that it overwhelms the beef.

On the other end of the spectrum, the ratio of beef to cheese is probably like 10:1. Both sandwiches were very, very light on cheese, which is a shame.

I quite enjoyed both, however. The proportions of beef, cheese, and onions makes this feel like something other than a classic cheesesteak, but whatever it is, it’s thoroughly tasty, with a whole bunch of perfectly-cooked beef that’s really satisfying. It’s not what I was expecting, but also not lacking in deliciousness. The search for a real-deal Philly cheesesteak in the GTA continues, however.

Delicious Sandwiches at Sammie’s

Published on October 17, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 594 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.alwaystastysandwiches.com/

What’s this? A new sandwich shop in Toronto that isn’t selling Italian cold cut sandwiches on some kind of focaccia-type bread? Is that even allowed??

(They actually do have a few cold cut sandwiches, but it’s all served on hoagie rolls, so it feels a bit different from the many Italian sandwich joints that have sprung up in the last several months.)

I tried a couple of sandwiches. First up: the Brisket Philly Cheese (“chopped Brisket in gravy with melted cheese and sautéed onions; our take on the famous sandwich”).

I think calling this a Philly cheesesteak is a bit of a stretch. The sandwich contains beef and cheese, and… the similarities end there. But you know what? If you’re serving something this delicious, you can call it whatever the hell you want.

The combo between the ultra-tender brisket, the gooey cheese, and the silky caramelized onions just works. I know this sounds vaguely like a Philly cheesesteak, but the gravy-soaked slow-cooked brisket has a very, very different (but no less delicious!) personality from the griddle-cooked beef in a cheesesteak.

The menu doesn’t mention that the brisket is smoked, but there’s a distinct smoky flavour here that makes me think that it might be.

I also tried the Meatball (“Beef meatballs/Tomato sauce/shredded cheese/and diced jalapeños”).

This was just as tasty as the brisket, with a generous amount of tender, flavour-packed meatballs, more gooey cheese, and hot peppers for some nice pops of spice.

Not much more to say about this one. It’s everything you want a meatball sandwich to be: great quality meatballs, rich tomato sauce, melty cheese.

And the bread is quite nice; it’s fresh and fluffy, and it holds up well to the very saucy sandwiches. It doesn’t have a ton of personality, and is really just there to highlight the various fillings; I like a nice tangy sourdough as much as the next guy, but sometimes you want the bread to just get out of the way and be a vehicle for some tasty, meaty stuff.

Tasty Korean Fusion at Oddseoul

Published on August 25, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 90 Ossington Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/90oddseoul/

I know some people are down on the whole small plates format, but I like it. It’s always nice to try a variety of stuff. I guess the main complaint is that you wind up paying more for less food, but that’s not an issue here; with a couple of exceptions, pretty much everything on the menu is in the low- to mid-teens, and the portions are surprisingly generous.

I tried a few things. First up is the spicy scallion and avocado slaw: “mixed greens, cabbage, pickled chilies, bell peppers, crispy shallots, sweet and spicy sesame dressing.” This was a fantastic salad — it’s got a great variety of textures (crispy, crunchy, and creamy) a zippy dressing, and nice pops of acidity from the pickled chilies.

Up next was the squash poutine: “tempura squash, cheese curds, curried gravy, roasted kimchi, pickled onions.” This has very few poutine-like properties (the gooey cheese is fully liquefied, the gravy — while delicious — tastes nothing like a traditional gravy, and the squash can’t really be compared to fries), but whatever it is, it’s very tasty. I wish the squash were a bit crispier, but I’d happily order this again.

The loosey (“Korean Big Mac, served on Texas toast”) was the closest thing to a miss, and even it was tasty enough. The beef was too tightly packed and a bit tough, and none of the flavours struck me as particularly Korean or McDonald’s-esque. Still, it’s a decent enough burger.

Last but not least was the bulgogi cheesesteak (“sliced marinated steak, American cheese, sambal mayo, toasted baguette”). Crossing bulgogi and a Philly cheesesteak is actually kind of ingenious, and the bulgogi here is super tasty. I wish it had been a bit cheesier (it had one thin slice of partially melted American), but it’s still a great sandwich.

Outstanding (if untraditional) Philly Cheesesteaks at Illstyl3 Sammies

Published on November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 300 Richmond Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Illstyl3-Sammies-227723081025310/

I’ve mentioned before that it’s surprisingly difficult to find a classic Philly cheesesteak in the city (i.e. just steak, onions, and Cheese Wiz or provolone on a roll).

But if every cheesesteak could be as delicious as what they’re serving at Illstyl3 Sammies, then classic shmassic. Because it’s far from traditional, but exceptionally delicious.

And it’s classic enough. The steak, the onions, and the gooey provolone are all perfect. In particular, the steak is exactly as it should be — it’s super tender, and has enough of a beefy taste to assert itself even among the very assertive flavours of the sandwich.

Specifically, they liberally season the beef with some kind of spice blend (the fennel stands out the most, but there’s definitely a lot going on here), and they add in hot peppers along with the onions. They also top the sandwich with a zesty house-made hot sauce that adds a ton of flavour and a very mild spiciness.

The taste is very far from a classic cheesesteak, but it’s got the three things you’re hoping for: it’s beefy, cheesy, and delicious.

My only real complaint is that the roll was a bit on the dry side, but other than that this was a top-shelf sammich.

A Ridiculously Bad Philly Cheesesteak at Philthy Philly’s

Published on October 11, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 960 Southdown Road, Mississauga
Website: http://www.philthyphillys.com/

If you’re looking for an authentic Philly cheesesteak in Toronto, I think you’re out of luck. There used to be an amazing place called I Went to Philly; their cheesesteak was dead on. Tragically, it went out of business, breaking cheesesteak-loving hearts across the GTA.

It’s not all that difficult to find a cheesesteak in the city, but it’s almost impossible to find an authentic one; most places clutter it up with extraneous toppings like peppers and mushrooms and other sauces. A real-deal Philly cheesesteak should consist of only four things: a roll, steak, griddled onions, and Cheese Wiz (you can substitute provolone if you’re feeling fancy, but really, Wiz is where it’s at).

So I was pretty excited to try Philthy Philly’s — they have a ton of stuff on their menu, including a whole bunch of optional toppings, but if you want it, you can get a cheesesteak the way it’s supposed to be.

Alas, the cheesesteak here somehow manages to get every single element wrong. It would be impressive if it weren’t so frustrating.

The beef was the wrongest part of the whole maelstrom of wrongness. The beef in a Philly cheesesteak should be thinly shaved slices of steak. The meat here, on the other hand, consisted of little pebbly bits of beef that were either ground, or chopped so finely that it may as well have been ground. It also had a chewy, rubbery texture and absolutely zero beefy flavour. It was pretty bad.

The “Cheese Wiz” had the consistency of water and zero cheesy tang; the onions had been cooked to the point of being mush.

The final insult was the bread; instead of a lightly crispy outside and a fluffy interior, it was just dense and chewy throughout, with zero exterior crispiness.

The sandwich was cheap, at least. The smallest size costs just seven bucks, comes on a six inch roll, and is crammed with a generous amount of beef. But I wish they’d charge a little bit more for a higher quality product; as it is, the sandwich is about on par with Subway, and I say that as someone who doesn’t like Subway at all.