Something we love to do in Northern Virginia is talk about what is the best, or worst, in a certain category, usually food. Best pizza, best bagels, it’s all a hot topic here. With so many transplants in the area, there are plenty of people with opinions about what’s better ‘back home.’ Ashburn resident Chris Fleming isn’t a Philadelphia native, but he’s a lifelong aficionado of the classic cheesesteak. Over the course of 2025, Chris tried 36 of the top-rated cheesesteaks in Northern Virginia and crowned one the winner, according to him. Read on for more about the Northern Virginia Cheesesteak tour.
About Chris + Cheesesteaks
Chris Fleming is a longtime Ashburn resident and grew up in Northern Virginia. Chris’s first experience with cheesesteaks was when he was working the grill at Pizza Tugos in Ocean City, Maryland. Then, the cheesesteaks were part of his collegiate experience. “There was a place called Cubbies in Greenville, North Carolina, and it had a bunch of locations in the early 90’s when I was in college. The cheesesteaks were incredible,” he said. “I would take a detour 45 minutes each way to get these cheesesteaks for years.”
He moved to the West Coast and worked in several restaurants there, and always wanted to put a cheesesteak on the menu. “I’d call it a California cheesesteak,” he said. “It had lettuce, tomato, and mayo. It was more of a steak and cheese hoagie.”…