Cheeseburger Hoagie and Cheesesteak Hoagie both take a hot, cooked protein and put it in hoagie-roll format instead of its usual home — a round bun for one, no roll at all in the classic cheesesteak’s case. They’re the two hybrid items on our hoagie menu, and they’re more different from each other than their shared “hoagie” name suggests.
Here’s exactly what’s in each one, the one topping that quietly separates them, and how to decide which format you want.
Our Cheesesteak Hoagie vs. Italian Hoagie comparison covers how the Cheesesteak Hoagie stacks up against a traditional cold hoagie. This piece is different — it’s the Cheesesteak Hoagie against our other hot-protein hybrid instead.
Cheeseburger Hoagie vs. Cheesesteak Hoagie at a Glance
| Cheeseburger Hoagie | Cheesesteak Hoagie | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | Burger patty | Griddled chopped steak |
| Toppings | Lettuce, tomatoes, onion | Lettuce, tomato |
| Onion included | Yes | No |
| Price | $8.50 | $10.00 |
Cheeseburger Hoagie: A Burger, Off Its Usual Bun
The Cheeseburger Hoagie is a burger patty and melted cheese, dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, and onion on a long roll instead of a round bun. It’s the one item on our menu that takes a burger and reformats it entirely.
That format swap changes more than it looks like on paper. A round bun holds a patty snugly, with toppings stacked directly above and below it. A long roll spreads the same patty and toppings across more surface area, so the bite-to-bite ratio of bread to filling shifts noticeably compared to the same burger on its usual bun.
Cheesesteak Hoagie: A Cheesesteak With Cold Toppings
The Cheesesteak Hoagie is griddled chopped steak and melted cheese, finished with lettuce and tomato — no onion. It’s built from the same roll our cheesesteaks already use, just with cold toppings added on top.
Unlike the Cheeseburger Hoagie, this one didn’t need a format change — cheesesteaks are already served on a long roll, so adding hoagie-style toppings is a smaller adjustment than moving a burger off its bun entirely.
The One Ingredient That Actually Separates Them
Beyond the obvious protein swap, onion is the real detail worth knowing. The Cheeseburger Hoagie includes it standard, the same way a classic burger typically would. The Cheesesteak Hoagie leaves it out, sticking to just lettuce and tomato.
That’s a small detail with a real effect on flavor. Raw onion adds a sharp, slightly bitter bite that cuts through a burger’s richness, which is likely why it’s included here the way it would be on a standard Cheeseburger. Its absence on the Cheesesteak Hoagie keeps that sandwich’s flavor closer to a plain griddled cheesesteak, just with lettuce and tomato layered on top instead of a fuller hoagie topping set.
Same Melted Cheese, Different Protein Underneath
Both sandwiches rely on melted cheese to tie the hot protein together, but the protein itself changes the whole eating experience. A burger patty holds together as one solid piece, so cheese melts across a defined surface and every bite gets a consistent ratio of meat, cheese, and toppings.
Chopped, griddled steak spreads loosely through the roll instead, so the cheese and toppings mix into the meat rather than sitting in a distinct layer. If you prefer a defined, single bite of protein, the Cheeseburger Hoagie delivers that more consistently. If you like a looser, more blended texture, the Cheesesteak Hoagie is built that way by nature.
Neither sandwich specifies the exact cheese used in our recovered descriptions, though both are melted directly onto the hot protein rather than served cold. Call (215) 904-7353 if the specific cheese matters to your order.
Ordering for a Group
If you’re ordering both for a group and want to keep things simple, think of the Cheeseburger Hoagie as the more familiar, budget-friendly pick, and the Cheesesteak Hoagie as the more traditional Philadelphia-style order. Neither one requires explaining to someone who’s never had it before — both are recognizable formats wearing a slightly different shape than usual.
It’s also worth remembering that these two are the only hot-protein hybrids on our hoagie menu. Every other hoagie we make, including the Italian, Ham, Turkey, and Tuna versions, is built entirely from cold deli meat with no cooking involved at the point of assembly. If a hot filling matters to your order, these two are the only real options.
Pros and Cons of Each
| Hoagie | Best For | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Cheeseburger Hoagie | Familiar burger flavor, includes onion, lower price | Bread-to-filling ratio shifts from a standard burger |
| Cheesesteak Hoagie | Classic cheesesteak texture, blended bite | Costs more, no onion included |
Which One Should You Order?
If you want familiar burger flavor with onion included, in a long-roll format, order the Cheeseburger Hoagie. If you want a classic cheesesteak texture with cold lettuce and tomato on top, order the Cheesesteak Hoagie.
Price is a real factor here too, more than it was between the Cheesesteak Hoagie and the fully-cold Italian Hoagie. At $8.50 versus $10.00, the Cheeseburger Hoagie is $1.50 cheaper, consistent with how burgers generally cost less than cheesesteaks across our menu — a formed patty is simply a less involved preparation than griddled, chopped steak.
Onion is worth a final mention too, since it’s the one ingredient someone might overlook until it’s missing. If you always ask for onion on a hoagie, the Cheeseburger Hoagie already has it built in. If you specifically don’t want onion, the Cheesesteak Hoagie skips it by default, so you won’t need to ask for it on the side.
See the rest of the lineup, including the Ham, Turkey, and Italian versions, in our complete hoagie guide, or read our Cheesesteak Hoagie vs. Italian Hoagie comparison if you’re deciding between hot and fully cold instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the difference between the Cheeseburger Hoagie and the Cheesesteak Hoagie?
- The Cheeseburger Hoagie uses a burger patty with lettuce, tomatoes, and onion. The Cheesesteak Hoagie uses griddled chopped steak with just lettuce and tomato, no onion.
- Which hoagie includes onion?
- Only the Cheeseburger Hoagie. The Cheesesteak Hoagie leaves it out.
- Why is the Cheeseburger Hoagie cheaper than the Cheesesteak Hoagie?
- The $1.50 price difference reflects the protein — a formed burger patty is a less involved preparation than griddled, chopped steak, the same pattern seen across our burger and cheesesteak menus generally.
- Is the Cheeseburger Hoagie the same as a regular Cheeseburger?
- Same core build — burger patty, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion — just served on a long hoagie roll instead of a round bun.
- Which one has a more consistent bite, the burger or the steak version?
- The Cheeseburger Hoagie, since the patty holds together as one piece. The Cheesesteak Hoagie’s chopped steak spreads loosely through the roll, so the cheese and toppings mix in rather than sitting in a distinct layer.
- Are these the only hot sandwiches on the hoagie menu?
- Yes — the Cheeseburger Hoagie and Cheesesteak Hoagie are the only two hoagies built around a hot, cooked protein. Every other hoagie we make uses cold deli meat with no cooking involved.
Burger or steak, both off their usual bread.