Are you hungry? Get ready for another round of the Great Cheesesteak Debate as Chris and Sean sample steaks from two of Delaware’s most familiar names in sandwiches.
Note: This piece is written by Chris and Sean, the two hosts of this weekly cheesesteak debate.
Remember the rules:
- When choosing an order, we stick to either “Wiz wit” or “American Wit” (no extra condiments).
- We only drink water while eating.
- We visit both competing shops during the same outing.
- Whenever possible we eat at the original location of a franchise.
- No takeout — we eat in the shop.
- We do not participate while intoxicated.
Pat’s Pizzeria 606 East Basin Road New Castle, DE (302) 322-6060
Ring the bell and step into the center of the ring—round two begins. Today’s matchup is Pat’s Pizzeria versus Capriotti’s, a showdown between two Delaware stalwarts. Our first stop was Pat’s Pizzeria. Returning for a second visit brought mixed feelings: Sean and I already had impressions from our first round, but the point of this challenge is that any day and any cook can change the outcome.
I brought my soon-to-be brother-in-law Chuck for a fresh perspective. I ordered an American with fried onions while Sean found a table. The steak took about ten minutes since it was cooked to order. My first impression was that there seemed to be less meat than on our previous visit. The roll appeared thicker this time and the cheese wasn’t fully melted. It looked like they placed the cheese on the roll and then added the steak.
On our prior visit there had been a pronounced peppery and mysterious flavor that I hoped wouldn’t return. This time, the meat wasn’t as hot and the sandwich lacked a strong burst of cheese or onion. I didn’t detect the peppery note, nor any of that mystery flavor. The meat tasted fine but didn’t wow me. The thicker roll held the ingredients better and felt meatier, which was an improvement from last time. Overall the cheesesteak was solid but unremarkable—consistent with the idea that quality can vary visit to visit. With Pat’s showing some positive changes, we wondered how Capriotti’s would compare.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Store 510 N. Union St. Wilmington, DE 19805 (302) 571-8929
I hadn’t eaten a cheesesteak in a while and was eager for Capriotti’s after finishing Pat’s. Given Capriotti’s earlier win in the series, we expected a strong showing. We arrived and placed our order. The day was cool and Chris grabbed the only outdoor table; there are just two tables total—one inside and one out. The steak was prepared to order, and it looked much like it had on our previous visit: medium-chopped steak with cheese and onion melted throughout, served on a roll they bake fresh each morning.
Before we dug in, an odd encounter interrupted our focus—a stranger launched into a lengthy diatribe about marriage that we won’t repeat here. Once back on track, I grabbed the sandwich and took a bite. Initially I felt a little underwhelmed. Capriotti’s delivers a reliably good cheesesteak: well-balanced, evenly melted cheese and onions integrated with the meat, and a fresh roll. On this day, however, I’d been starving for something exceptional—an exciting, crave-inducing sandwich—and while Capriotti’s was solid, it didn’t produce that ecstatic reaction.
In short, Cap’s offers a dependable cheesesteak that beats Pat’s on this visit, but not by as wide a margin as we expected based on prior rounds. If you’re in the area and want a consistent, well-made cheesesteak, Capriotti’s is a safe bet.
We were hoping for a more decisive win from Capriotti’s. Who knows what the next round will bring?
