February 17, 2026
Provided Image/Pat's King of Steaks
Pat's King of Steaks is offering a 'new-school' cheesesteak, above, that mixes the meat, onions and cheese together and includes a seeded roll. Traditionally, its cheesesteaks have layered the meat, onions and cheese on top of a seedless roll.
Pat's King of Steaks is changing its menu for a short time to include a so-called "new school" cheesesteak.
The 96-year-old cheesesteak shop typically layers its ribeye steak, cheese and onions separately and serves them on a non-seeded roll. But beginning Tuesday, it also is offering cheesesteaks in which the steak, onions and cheese are made together and served on a seeded Aversa Italian Bakery roll. That's similar to the preparation style of some of Pat's competitors.
The new cheesesteaks are available for a limited time at the shop window at 1237 E. Passyunk Ave. They also can be delivered via Goldbelly.
A statement from Pat's said the change was sparked by customers who had been asking for the "new school" preparation style. However, Pat's traditional layered style is still available.
The change is a significant one for Pat's. It claims to have invented the cheesesteak when its patriarch, hot dog seller Pat Olivieri, made a steak sandwich for lunch one day and sold it to a cab driver. He and his brother, Harry, cofounded the restaurant in 1930 before passing it to Harry's son, Frank, in 1968, and then Frank Jr. in 1996.
Still, this isn't the first time the cheesesteak shop has tested a new recipe. Frank Olivieri Jr. told "Good Morning America" in 2023 that his father once tested cheese whiz on a sandwich in 1956 after seeing a jar of it in the movie "Some Like It Hot." It's been a popular cheesesteak option ever since.
Frank Olivieri Jr. said that the new preparation method will likely be available "for the foreseeable future."
"This winter’s weather hasn’t been great for city businesses so it’s a good chance to shake things up and break our own rules," Olivieri said. "Also, I lost my father earlier this and out of respect for him, he always wanted to serve the cheesesteak a certain way so we kept it classic. But now that he’s gone, we decided to offer both ways old school and new school."
