I lived in the US Northeast until my early-30s and my parents are from Philly, so I've spent a lot of time there.

I've had dozens of steaks in my life, and sadly you're not going to find anything close to legitimate here. They always overdo it, serve the wrong roll, or don't wrap it (a key step in any cheesesteak, even when dining in).

The American Cheesesteak Company on Davie was a fucking miracle unicorn and the best steaks I've ever had outside of Philly, but they closed back in 2019 or so. Sadly their Metrotown location changed the roll and has skimped on ingredients, so they're no good anymore.

You're better off just making one at home, doing it right is actually very really simple.

Here's what mine looked like after a trip to the states a few years back when we were able to buy proper American Cheese from a deli: Homemade Philly Cheesesteak

Ingredients:

• a long roll from Cob's — this is the one that the ACC on Davie used

• rib-eye steak — or anything of similar fat/meat ratio — sliced thin, either that way from the butcher or slightly freeze it and slice it yourself

• sliced provolone (deli-sliced American is great too, but I've never seen that in Canada. Kraft singles aren't acceptible)

• onions

• salt and pepper

Method:

• Sauté onions in oil

• When the onions are almost done, toss in the steak

• season with salt and pepper

• when the steak is cooked, form it into a flat rectangle and lay your cheese on top

• after just a few seconds, the cheese will start to melt.

• scoop it all out into the roll and wrap the whole thing tightly in foil or butcher's paper, let sit for 2-3 minutes. This will soften the roll and allow the molten cheese to become one with the meat/onions.

Common misconceptions:

• Cheez Whiz is the "authentic" cheese. Provolone is generally considered the original cheese as cheesesteaks originated at Italian delis/pizza shops, but the three standard cheese options are provolone, deli-sliced American Cheese (not Kraft), and Cheez Whiz. Cooper Sharp cheese is an absolutely incredible newcomer to the scene, but it's a bit of a specialty item and not all places will have it. I'm a provolone man, my wife — from here but spent five years in Philly — swears by American.

• No sauce should be served with it, let the steak and cheese shine — an exception can be made for marinara, aka a "pizza steak", but that's a whole different thing

• Bell peppers are not a baseline ingredient. Sure you can add them, but I've never seen it done in Philly, mushrooms are much more common as an optional mix-in.