11/11/2025
🥪 Move over, Pat’s and Geno’s. Philadelphia’s sliced-and-diced meat-and-cheese concoction faces a more sustainable, animal-friendly competitor — the vegan cheesesteak.
So, where’s the “beef”? Typically, it’s thinly sliced seitan. Made from wheat, seitan was developed in China about 1,500 years ago and enjoyed by vegetarian Buddhist monks. Today, seitan has gained popularity among vegans, who do not consume animal-based foods. But seitan isn’t just an appealing meat substitute. Compared to beef, seitan uses fewer resources to produce and contains less fat and no cholesterol. Plant-based proteins made from ingredients like seitan, soy and peas enable vegans to enjoy this culturally important Philadelphia food.
In lieu of cow’s cheese, various restaurants employ different methods to create a plant-based alternative, ranging from gooey cashew-based “whiz” to melted vegan cheese slices. Boardwalk Vegan’s award-winning house-made cheese “wiz” begins with a base of carrots and potatoes to achieve its cheddar-like orange color.
Last fall, a panel of judges convened by the American Vegan Center in Old City crowned Boardwalk Vegan’s sandwich the best vegan cheesesteak in Philly for the second year in a row, a feat last accomplished by the now-closed Blackbird Pizza in 2016 and 2017. After a pause in 2025, “the vegan cheesesteak contest is back in April for a special 2026 edition,” says Vance Lehmkuhl, director of the American Vegan Center.
➡️ Read the full story at https://gridphilly.com/blog-home/2025/11/01/philadelphia-is-vegan-cheesesteak-capital/
✍️ Patrick Kerr
📸 Tracie Van Auken
