Amato’s Cheesesteaks has been bringing Philly-style cheesesteaks to the Santa Clara Valley since 1997, when the owners moved to San Jose from the East Coast (where they'd already been making cheesesteaks for two generations). Today, Amato's Cheesesteaks has a reputation for serving up one of the most authentic cheesesteaks in California.

If you want to try the classic steak, order yours with American cheese and nothing else. If you want to go all out, order "the works," which adds mushrooms, peppers, and onions to your steak for less than a dollar more. If you'd like something a little lighter, order a chicken steak, instead, which simply substitutes chicken for beef, with all the same toppings choices. Cold, deli-style hoagies and also available, as are buffalo wings, chicken tenders, French fries, and onion rings. There’s nothing fancy about Amato’s Cheesesteaks, but Yelpers say the food simply can’t be beat.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr stu_spivack