Jim’s Steaks

South Street is one of Philadelphia’s most well known melting pots. Here, visitors and residents, teenagers and adults, preppies and punk rockers, artists and attorneys, all mix happily. The street is always buzzing, no matter if you visit on a Tuesday afternoon or a Friday night.

This diversity makes for an excellent customer base for Jim’s Steaks, South Street’s premier cheesesteak shop. The crowds can often mean an extra long wait before you actually get to taste one of Jim’s fine cheesesteak sandwiches, as the line at Jim’s often stretches out the front door and around the corner onto Fourth Street.

However, the unbelievable smell of the grill-cooked beef and sizzling onions will assure you that the steaks are worth waiting for and keep you patient and focused on the eventual reward.

Insider’s Tip

If you want to enjoy two famous South Street institutions at once, then you’re a candidate for the Lorenzo’s-Jim’s Challenge, also known as “South Street Sushi.” Marrying Lorenzo’s delicious pizza and Jim’s superb cheesesteaks, the “challenge” is not for the gastronomically timid.