Should Philly Ditch Cheesesteaks for Nachos? Let’s Talk.

Philly is known for a few things: brotherly love, questionable sports fandom energy, and, of course, the cheesesteak. Thin-sliced steak, onions, a gooey river of cheese—it’s the city’s edible identity, its greasy handshake to the world.

But here’s the thing: nachos are creeping in. Slowly, slyly, showing up at bars, stadiums, backyard gatherings... sometimes even wearing cheesesteak’s clothes. Cheesesteak nachos—griddled beef, sautéed peppers, provolone (or dare we say Whiz), draped across crispy chips—are legit. Delicious, chaotic, structurally unsound? Absolutely. A strong contender.

So we have to ask: Is it time for Philly to move over, slap a Liberty Bell logo on a nacho platter, and declare nachos our new hometown snack?

Nah.

Look, cheesesteak nachos are the fun cousin. The guest appearance. The exciting fling. But the cheesesteak? That’s the main character. You can mess with the format, remix it, even drop it onto tortilla chips—but at the end of the day, there’s only one true Philly icon, and it’s stuffed inside an Amoroso roll dripping with grease.

Nachos are the bifocals of Ben Franklin—clever, focused, getting the job done. But cheesesteaks? Cheesesteaks are Franklin flying a kite in a thunderstorm while drafting the Declaration of Independence with one hand and holding a hoagie in the other.

Image created using DALL-E.