Our picks: Best cheesesteaks in Cape Coral and Fort Myers

I had my doubts.

On July 17, Jim Jackman took over Pete’s Fish & Chips in Cape Coral.

The small, no-frills fast-casual restaurant has been serving up tastes of Great Britain in a strip mall at 311 Del Prado Blvd. S. for more than a decade.

Picture deep-fried beer-battered Atlantic cod with fries served in a basket, on a roll, in a wrap or paired with shrimp or chicken for a combo. Throw in shepherd’s pie, pasties and sausage rolls waiting to be snagged in a freezer by the door and you have Pete’s in a nutshell.

A week into full ownership, Jackman not only announced he was adding cheesesteaks to the menu, but he expected them to be as popular as the fish and chips.

I’ve been a fan of Pete’s perfectly puffy and crunchily crispy battered fish since Pete and Dianne Rushton opened it in 2012.

Suddenly adding cheesesteaks ($9.29 for regular, $12.29 for large) sounded, well, fishy to me and questions started stacking up like Pete’s delightful golden chips (aka fries).

The man behind the award-winning cheesesteaks

Then I met Jackman.

The New York native owned Famous Philly Cheese Steaks in Denver for 23 years before coming to Cape Coral two years ago.

He bought Pete’s because “the location is great,” put his logo on the door and installed his grill.

Then he doubled down.

“I honestly think by mid-season they will be right up there with the fish & chips in sales,” he told me.

There certainly are plenty of options, from regular cheesesteaks (with grilled onions and white American cheese) to bacon, pepperoni, pepper, mushroom and pizza cheesesteaks. Extra meat and extra cheese can be added and provolone and Cheez Whiz can be substituted.

All are served on beloved Amoroso’s rolls which Jackman orders from Philadelphia.

I went with The Works ― with onions, mushrooms, green peppers and white provolone for the stretch factor.

One bite in, I vowed never to doubt Jackman again. He knows his cheesesteaks.

What came off his magical grill was a work of art — the ideal blend of beefy and gooey with just the right amount of perfectly cooked onions and peppers filling up that fresh Amoroso’s roll.

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My plan of eating half of it along with half of the fish & chips I ordered failed miserably.

My lunch began and ended with that cheesesteak. The one forkful of fish I could fit in was as lovely as usual though.

Jackman’s effort at Pete's Fish & Chips (follow on Facebook, at petes-fish-chips.com or call 239-458-2447) joins a strong cheesesteak scene in Fort Myers and Cape Coral.

Other local favorites include the following:

Double Dee’s Munchies

Gabby Ferraro’s food truck is well worth finding for its cheese steaks ($10, plus $.50 each for toppings). She ships in most everything — rolls (better than Amoroso’s according to Gabby), meats, hot cherry peppers included — from Philly. It’ll come wiz wit if you wish but the Gabby-recommended creamy, melty Cooper-sharp is my new cheese of choice. She’s at Family Hardware in Cape Coral from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays. You’ll know you’re close when you see her well-deserved line. Follow on Facebook and Instagram for locations and times.

Wally’s Deli

While breakfast is the biggest attraction at this quirky cool sub shop on Alico Road, it’s Wally’s cheesesteak ($13.99) that has our attention. “We make the beef in-house,” said owner Wally Crane. “We trim, season, sear and slice it fresh.” Top that with made-fresh daily five-cheese cheese sauce and the slightly crunchy grilled onions and peppers, and we will gladly skip breakfast for a taste of it. 8024 Alico Road (B2), Fort Myers; (239) 689-4505; wallysdeifortmyers.com or follow on Instagram

Wicked Good Deli

It would be too easy to say the cheesesteak here is wicked good but we’re going to do it anyway. It’s that wicked good. While the Wicked Famous Steak Bomb (a regular cheese steak with salami) gets a lot of attention, the original cheesesteak gets our love with rib-eye steak, peppers, onions, mushrooms and melted American cheese. “Most people add mayo too,” said owner Tim Ferris. So we added it and it was (roll your eyes now) wicked good. And it may be the best deal around at $6.99 for a regular and $10.99 for a large. 3940 Metro Parkway, No. 114, Fort Myers; (239) 887-4652; wgdeli.com

Philly Junction

News-Press readers voted this cheesesteak ($10.95) the best sandwich in Southwest Florida in 2015. In 2018, new owners came in, vowing to keep the cheesesteaks the same. Although I go to this Philadelphia-flavored restaurant at the corner of Summerlin Road and Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers often, I’ve never had the award-winning sub. Why? Because Philly Junction is the home to one of my all-time favorite meatball sandwiches.

Ever since my now 20-year-old son was young, we’ve ordered the meatball subs and raced to see who could finish theirs first. While I love cheesesteaks, I love this often heartburn-inducing contest with my son even more. If you’ve tried the cheesesteak here, let me know and maybe we can race. 4600 Summerlin Road, C12, Fort Myers; (239) 936-6622;  phillyjunction.com or follow on Facebook

Jean Le Boeuf is the brand under which our restaurant critics have written for more than 40 years. This article came from staff writer Robyn George. Connect: rhgeorge@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Our favorite SWFL cheesesteaks, from Double Dee's to Wally's Deli