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The first Philly cheesesteak is credited to brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri, who ran a hot dog stand in South Philly in the 1930s. Tiring of the same old hot dog, one day they cooked up beef with onions instead and put that in the bun. But wait, isn’t there something crucial missing from the cheesesteak? Turns out it wasn’t until years later that an associate of the brothers added provolone, thus fulfilling the sandwich’s destiny. Nearly 100 years later and the Philly cheesesteak can be found in just about every town in America, with as many or little additional ingredients as you so desire. Philly native sons Danny DiGiampietro and Bradley Cooper desire to keep their version close to the original. They started Danny & Coop’s as a food truck that is now opening as a restaurant in NYC, and people are waiting over an hour in lines to order the one offering they serve: beef, Cooper Sharp cheddar, and onions served on a foot-long homemade sesame roll. They call it the torpedo. I’m sure Pat and Harry Olivieri would be proud.
A big cheese in the Big Apple: 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.
Beefcake serves cheesesteaks: 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 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.
Rave reviews: “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.”
“Waited 30 minutes to order, and another 45 minutes for the food to come out.” How does it take 45 minutes to make a cheesesteak?! I’m sure it doesn’t, in which case my next question is, why are they taking the orders so far ahead, then? I’m no restaurateur, but I feel like this is the kind of inefficient practice Robert Irvine would scold them for on an episode of Restaurant Impossible. The euphoric praise is awfully compelling, though, and I like that they’re keeping it simple with just the essential components. But this is a conundrum for me, because I love eating, but I loathe standing for long durations. Plus, judging from mouth-watering photos of the torpedo (which looks like the size of some studio apartments in the East Village neighborhood the restaurant is located in), I’m fairly certain I would pass out in a coma nap as soon as I was done eating. But damn, that is one beautiful sandwich. I suppose I really must make the sacrifice and haul my stomach down there! To anyone who’d like to do the same, make sure to check Danny & Coop’s Instagram, since it seems they’re not fully open yet. Great, now I’m hungry.
Bradley Cooper’s buzzy cheesesteak joint draws crowd — Is NYC the next hub for this Philly fare? https://t.co/lQKuDi65SP pic.twitter.com/vBDm4sLBeY
— New York Post (@nypost) January 14, 2025
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 pic.twitter.com/4c1bKX5Tbp
— Jason (@jasonosia) January 11, 2025
Insane line to get a cheesesteak made by Bradley Cooper pic.twitter.com/Wedci6oXQu
— Mr. Acosta (@MrAcosta89) January 11, 2025
photos credit: IMAGO/mpi34 / MediaPunch/Avalon, Backgrid and via Instagram/Chewyorkcity
