Retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce was asked recently on a football podcast to share his favorite cheesesteak place in the city where he — a seven-time Pro Bowl player — spent all of his 13 NFL seasons.
While touting current Philadelphia hot spots Dalessandro’s and Angelo’s, Kelce also said Tony Luke’s was the first place to have a cheesesteak because of its proximity to the stadium where the Eagles play.
“That’s one I went to growing up and it was outstanding,” Kelce said.
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Although that Tony Luke’s place is gone, Eagles fans can still enjoy the restaurant’s cheesesteak from Lincoln Financial Field when Philadelphia hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Tony Lukes’ company has been operating inside the arena since it opened in 2003, the company said.
Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, pictured above, says he first tried a cheesesteak at Tony Luke’s. (Photos by Justin Edmonds/Getty; Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Hailed by Philadelphia Magazine as having the “best cheesesteaks” in town, Tony Luke’s opened his first location in South Philadelphia in 1992. Back then, cheesesteaks weren’t even on the menu.
“We sold roast beef, roast pork and chicken cutlets — kind of Italian specialties,” Tony Lucidonio Jr. he told Fox News Digital. “That’s all we did.”
Known in the City of Brotherly Love as Tony Luke Jr., Lucidonio said that only lasted about six months. “Word of mouth is what really made us,” he said.
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Before long, Luke “had this crazy idea to do these bad commercials that have nothing to do with food.”
He added, “They were dumb. They were stupid. They were funny,” he said.
“And it wasn’t a typical restaurant or food outlet.” But ads get people talking.
The Eagles are rooted in Philadelphia as the city’s signature sandwich.
The first Tony Luke’s that Kelce has used over the years has been renamed after Luke Jr. separated from his father and brother amid a dispute over franchising rights.
Today, Luke Jr. has new franchises in Philadelphia International Airport, Las Vegas and other cities especially throughout the Northeast. There are even 22 Tony Luke’s franchises in Bahrain.
Like the cheesesteak, the Eagles are ingrained in Philadelphia as the city’s signature sandwich.
The original Tony Luke’s location, pictured above, has a new name, but there are other locations mainly in the Northeast and Bahrain. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Luke himself has been an Eagles fan his entire life — and his enthusiasm was reflected in the 2006 biographical sports movie “Invincible.”
“My character in ‘Invincible’ was a huge Eagles fan,” Luke said of his cape-wearing character.
Luke is also a former host of an Eagles fan television show in Philadelphia.
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Even though the cheesesteak was invented in Philadelphia, it’s not the city’s “quintessential sandwich,” Luke said.
“It’s roast pork,” he said.
The cheesesteak has become a nationally known sandwich, often associated with its birthplace. Ingredients, however, have evolved from place to place.
Tony Luke’s cheesesteaks come with a variety of options, but chili isn’t one of them. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“And someone decided to put chili on a cheesesteak,” Luke said.
“Nobody in Philadelphia puts chili on a cheesesteak.”
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A true cheesesteak, Luke said, is meat, bread, cheese – and onions or onions. That’s all.
Another big difference between Tony Luke’s and other cheesesteak restaurants is the way the cheese is cooked. (See the video at the top of this article.)
“Nobody in Philadelphia puts chili on a cheesesteak.”
When the steak is done and you put the cheese on top, now you’re ready to cook and wait for the cheese to rise,” said Luke.
“So, what we do is, as soon as the steak is done, we put the cheese on top and flip it over so the cheese is on the bottom of the grill.”
Tony Luke’s cheesesteak is prepared with melted cheese throughout the sandwich. (Tony Lukes)
He added, “Now what happens is the cheese melts, but it doesn’t keep the steak cooking. And now the cheese melts all over the meat, not just on top of the meat.”
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In Luke’s opinion, the only meat that should be used to make a cheesesteak is the rib-eye. It’s very tasty – and very fatty.
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“Cheesesteak is not, never has been, never will be another healthy food,” he said.
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