Calling all Philly cheesesteak fanatics! This Sunday, from 2-5pm, City Eats and Hotel Palomar will host the Third Annual Cheesesteak Challenge: High Steaks! Block Party at the Hotel’s restaurant, Square 1682. Chef Guillermo Tellez, along with 12 of the city’s top chefs, will present their own renditions of Philly’s iconic sandwich. Radio host Matt Cord and cheesesteak legend Tony Luke will judge the challenge and crown the cheesesteak champion. Attendees will have a chance to sample each chef’s version, as well as local beers from Victory Brewing. Live entertainment will also be provided by Technical V.
Tickets are on sale for $17, with proceeds going to Philadelphia Academies, a nonprofit organization that aims to expand life and economic options for Philadelphia public school students through career-focused programming.
But thanks to City Eats, The Unpaid Gourmet has free tickets to give away to 3 lucky readers! To win a free ticket, be one of the first 3 readers to leave a comment, telling me your favorite spot for cheesesteaks in Philly. Each winner will receive 2 tickets to Sunday’s challenge and will be notified by email. Good luck!
The Unpaid Gourmet 
So excited for the Cheesesteak Challenge! I’ve had a handful of different cheesesteaks here in Philly, but so far, Jim’s Steaks on South Street is my favorite. Still plenty of other places to try that are on my list, though! For a different interpretation on the classic, I’m a big fan of the Continental’s cheesesteak eggrolls.
agree with Chris, Jim’s is my favorite as well! I also like the “Philly Style” sushi roll at Zama that has wagyu beef and provolone.
I have to agree that for a traditional cheesesteak, Jim’s is the way to go. Nothing beats their super fresh ingredients, although I’m rarely up for waiting an hour to buy a sandwich that I eat in 3 minutes . Davios has an interesting cheesesteak “springroll,” but when I want a cheap, tasty, cheesesteak ready in under 5 minutes, I tend to just go to Mix since it’s right around the corner.
Cheesesteaks going gourmet! Love that Unpaid is covering this!
Favorite spot is John’s Roast Pork. Might be famous for its Roast Pork sandwich but the Cheesesteaks are my favorite.
Favorite would have to be Tony Lukes, even though John’s Roast Pork is very close behind
Thanks to everyone for participating! Winners have been notified via email.