The College Crosse Big BBQ 2016 Philly Phood Phocus

So you're going to go to Philadelphia for Championship Weekend, Men's or Women's or both! And to survive Championship Weekend and life itself, you have to eat food and have plenty of fluids to #StayHydrated.

Philly has a ton of great places to grab some grub throughout the city. I know that because I'm from the area, and I know the best places to get food! I'm hungry, you're probably hungry too, so let's get started!

Jayskrem's Cheesesteak Rankings

Last year, the GOAT Hoya and Eri did a top five Cheesesteak ranking from around the city. They both had Dalessandro's and John's Roast Pork at 1-2, and also had Pat's, Campo's, and Tony Luke's somewhere at 3, 4, and 5. So here's mine, because I was fuming that my boys weren't anywhere. Also, Pittsburgh does not have the best cheesesteak. It's like saying we are the best steel makers in Pennsylvania, both statements are ridiculously stupid. Pittsburgh does love their mayo though!

Also of note, order your sandwich in the following way:

Your choice of cheese (Whiz, American, Provolone, Mozzerella, but just go with the first two), followed with or without onions (wit or witout). I get Whiz Wit. Don't get anything else on it because you'll get really weird looks. Like John Kerry.

I love Steve's, love love love them. Unlike the other four on this list and all of Hoya's and Eri's choices, Steve's slices the meat instead of chopping the meat. If you go (and you better go), you will have to order your cheesesteak at one window, and then fries and your drink at another. Steve's also has a burger choice, but I recommend you not pick that unless you want to get weird looks.

Tony Luke's is the best out of the steaks that chop their meat. They also make a mean Chicken Cutlet sandwich too and also serve breakfast, which is also fantastic. The Phillies play after the Division I National Championship, and if you decide to go to the game against the Washington Nationals, you can get a Tony Luke's steak there as well.

A ton of people love Dalessandro's, and I've had it a few times. But I'm not a big fan of their steaks. They're in Roxborough, which is a small hike from Center City and South Philadelphia, but it is worth it. They've won a ton of awards, and it's still a great steak. Also, there's another pretty good store right next door called Chubby's. I've never had it, so please let me know how it is.

Jim's on South Street is the keystone of South Street's great eats. For some reason, their website doesn't have their 400 South Street location on there. That's because that store has it's own website because it's so legendary! Go to that, and not any of their satellite stores to get that unique Philly flavor.

Finally, give me Pat's over Geno's in the tourist trap of the Pat's vs. Geno's challenge. I mean if you want to do the challenge, go ahead. But you're gonna miss out of plenty of better cheesesteaks and you'll just be hurting yourself.

So with the big food out of the way, let's go to some of my other favorites!

Best Grab And Go

WAWA! You have to include this in a Philly Phood Phocus because Wawa is literally like heaven! Need a hoagie, Wawa has it! Need a smoothie, Wawa has it! Need a pizza or burrito or quesadilla, Wawa has that! What!? Yes, they have that, and lottery tickets, milkshakes, candy, surcharge-free ATMS (!!!!), some even have gas! Almost whatever you can think of, Wawa probably has that. But get their hoagies and smoothies, because they're GODLY!

Best Diner

There's a ton of breakfast places, but I do recommend heading to the Oregon Diner. It's a Philly staple since the 1960's, and it's a great place to get something to eat right before any of the games this weekend since it's a few minutes away from Lincoln Financial Field. Plus, it's right near the original Tony Luke's! WIN WIN!

Best Lunch Spot

There's only one place to get a ton of food, and that's the Reading Terminal Market. No big name restaurants or chains like McDonald's or Chipotle or Ben & Jerry's. Instead, there's Tootsie's (shoutout to La Salle's Urban Immersion!), DiNic's, and Bassetts Ice Cream, all of which are independent merchants, just like every other food place inside. Bring cash, because many of these places only take cash. There are also a lot of ATMs throughout the market in case you need some dollar dollar bills, y'all.

Best Pizza

What's special about Lorenzo & Sons Pizza? Well besides that it's also on South Street, it's home to some of the biggest slices your eyes will ever feast upon.

Aramark

You need two plates, one for the crust and one for the non-crust. You'll be saying "yum yum yum" afterwards for sure.

I hope you enjoyed me trying to use Kevin Gates' "2 Phones" with the above picture. What the deal.

It's also one of the top 101 pizzas in America, so that helps too.

Best Fries

Duh, it's Chickie's & Pete's. The Crabfries are legendary, and be sure to pick up some at the Linc during Championship Weekend OR at Talon Energy Stadium for the Women's games!

Before we go to our final two categories, make sure to hunt down some of the best food trucks around as well!

Best BBQ

You're going to the #BigBBQ and you might as well see if there's any good BBQ in the area! We're not Kansas City or Memphis or Raleigh, but Philly does have some nice joints, especially Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse. If you like North Carolina BBQ, this is the place to go. One of the pitmasters used to live in North Carolina and moved back to Philly with his wife, where her family was. This is the place to go get some nice ribs.

Best Sports Bar

It's not because one of La Salle's assistant coaches (who played at Loyola so you know there might be something there) is a co-owner of the establishment, but City Tap House in Logan Square is a big and beautiful place to watch games and drink (if you're over 21!) Great food, great drinks, great screens, and in a great place! City Tap House: They're grrrrrrrrreat!

Best Dessert Spot

If you want to go to a place where Willy Wonka is real, Max Brenner is that place. There are no everlasting gobstoppers and no chocolate waterfalls, but there are chocolate pizzas. Like, how can you not go with a chocolate pizza? You might have to sacrifice getting that beach body if you go here, but it's a pretty sweet sacrifice!

Also, check out Scoop DeVille if you really like ice cream. And you probably really do, so go to both!

Are you from Philly or are heading to the area? Have any suggestions that I may have missed or that I don't like? Leave your suggestions below in the comments section.

Eri and I will be down at the Linc for practice Friday, and we'll bring you a good amount of coverage there! Follow us on Twitter as well!