Our History

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. He cooked the meat on his hot dog grill, placed the meat onto an Italian roll, and dressed it with some onions. Just as he went to take a bite, a cab driver who ate a hot dog everyday asked what he had there. Pat said that it was his lunch. The cabbie insisted that Pat make him one.

"Hey.....forget 'bout those hot dogs, you should sell these." The steak sandwich was born. As the years passed, both employees and customers alike demanded change...cheese was added.

Since then, the cheesesteak sandwich has become synonymous with the Philly Cheesesteak. And we're proud to be the reason for it. Over 90 years later, Pat's is still owned and operated by the Olivieri family at our only location in South Philadelphia.  

Stop by the next time you're in the neighborhood to enjoy an original, classic cheesesteak or one of our new menu items. Pat’s just launched breakfast service from 6-11am daily and added a chicken cheesesteak to the menu for the first time.

Read more about the history of Pat’s in our new book!
The Philadelphia Legend - The Original Pat’s King of Steaks and the Birth of the Steak Sandwich