Is this the “hero” we deserve?
New York may no longer be just the city of bagels and elephant ear-sized pizza slices. While Philadelphia is known as the mecca for cheesesteaks, the Big Apple is on a roll with authentic offerings thanks to some City of Brotherly Love whizzes opening up shop here.
The latest import is Danny & Coop’s, which drew 90-minute lines around the East Village block during a surprise second weekend opening last Saturday.
“It’s a good cheesesteak, I waited about an hour and a half and I think it was worth it,” satisfied customer Richie Sunden told The Post.
From Danny DiGiampietro of Angelo’s in Philly fame and movie star and Whiz-blooded native Philadelphian Bradley Cooper, the joint venture was teased in 2023 as a food truck pop-up, before the first buzzy soft-opening in December.
Cooper, 50, was even seen slinging steaks during the last two outings, donning an apron and serving their foot-long beef and cheese torpedo to throngs of cheeseheads.
Their version is drizzled with Cooper Sharp cheddar, intermingled with onions and bookended by a homemade sesame hero roll for $17.
Cooper and DiGiampietro have remained mum on the opening of the brick-and-mortar location, which will take place sometime this month at 151 Avenue A near 10th Street.
But Gotham-shunning Philthy-delphians are gobbling them up.
“I’m from the Philly area and I’ve had a lot of cheesesteaks but this one [is] very special,” Noah S. told The Post.
“The best cheesesteak in Philly is now available in NYC,” declared another nosh-talgic on Yelp, who noted that quality was nearly identical to Angelo’s in Philadelphia.
Another big fan added to the cheesesteak quake by declaring on X Saturday, “I went to Bradley Cooper’s new Philly cheesesteak spot in NYC last night, and let me tell you, it was the most unbelievable sandwich I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.”
One Reddit user said they “waited 30 minutes to order, and another 45 minutes for the food to come out.”
“The place was packed and they sold out while I was waiting,” they added. “The cheesesteak itself was one of the best ones I’ve had in my life.”
This notion might seem as ludicrous as edible bagels in Pennsylvania, but DiGiampietro isn’t the only cheese whiz serving the South Philly staple.
There’s been a cheesesteak renaissance, according to Aaron Hoffman, another Philly transplant and owner of Wogie’s Bar & Grill, whose West Village branch has been open for over 20 years and is packed with Philly sports fanatics.
He also has an outlet in the Financial District with plans to open a third in Katonah, Westchester County.
“It ebbs and flows,” Hoffman, whose spot was ranked by the Philadelphia Inquirer as one of the must-try cheesesteak spots in NYC, told The Post. “When we first opened up in 2004, there was a place called Carl’s [Steaks], and then there was a place called 99 miles to Philly. Both of those guys went out of business. I think maybe now we’re hitting it again.”
Also in the burgeoning Philly cheesesteak fraternity is Fedoroff’s Roast Pork in Brooklyn, opened in 2016 by South Philly native Dave Fedoroff. G’s Cheesesteaks on Staten Island opened a year earlier and Mama’s Too! pizzeria on the Upper West Side in 2017.
Along with the quantity, the caliber is increasing as well, particularly when it comes to the dough.
“I think the key is fresh bread,” said Hoffman, who’s had his own bakery in the West Village for 10 years. “We make our bread and then we ship it down to Fi-Di.”
“When we run out of bread, we stop selling cheesesteaks,” he added. “I think people are really stepping up their game.”
It’s not just the quality of the carbs that’s on the rise, either. Mama’s Too, which also cooks its own rolls, uses ravishing ribeye that’s sliced that day. This is slathered with a cheese fondue: fontina, white cheddar, Cooper Sharp, grated Parmesan, ground black pepper, and white wine in lieu of the traditional Cheez Whiz.
Why the cheesesteak boom? Hoffman said he’s definitely noticed an uptick in Philly customers since 2004.
NYC has also become increasingly cross-pollinated with international cuisines from Thai to Mexican and Mexican-Asian fusion — so why wouldn’t regional foods follow suit?
It perhaps helps that Philly institutions in NYC don’t have the same scarlet letter as before.
“Because we put ‘E-A-G-L-E-S’ on the windows, people were honking, and we got a couple unkind gestures,” said Hoffman describing the initial reception, which has died down.
He also credits the Internet, which, along with helping Philly transplants find oases in NYC’s cheesesteak desert, has also made the popularity of restaurants like Fedoroff’s skyrocket.
It has amassed nearly 50 million views on TikTok by sharing footage of its Red October-sized sandwiches with whiz.
The elephant in the room is that NYC has its own version of the Philly cheesesteak — the Brooklyn roast beef. This nosh, which is also enjoyed with gloopy cheese, is served at the Roll N Roaster, Brennan and Carr’s and other places.
Would the boom in Philly cheesesteaks be akin to Chicago deep dish pizza invading NYC? Nick Bruzzese, proprietor of Staten Island roast beef spot, On A Roll, doesn’t see the issue.
“The thing I liked about the actor there, Bradley Cooper, when I was looking at the video,” he said, “I’ll tell you, his roll looked really good.”
