Tokyo's Nihonbashi Philly is serving its cheesesteaks at these 2 pop-up events

Nihonbashi Philly, the Tokyo sports bar known for its cheesesteaks and odes to Philadelphia, will be serving its signature bites at pop-ups in Fishtown and Northern Liberties over the next several days. On Wednesday, Kosuke and Tumomi Chujo, the married couple that opened the bar 14 years ago, will be at Liberty Kitchen in Fishtown from 5-8 p.m.

to sell cheesesteaks made with the same ingredients they use back home in Japan. Tomomi bakes her own Italian rolls and Kosuke cooks the beef that's topped with homemade cheese whiz. In Tokyo, customers often ask for mushrooms and jalapeños along with more traditional toppings like peppers and onions.



MORE : South Street Live! celebrates spring with a mix of family-friendly activities Liberty Kitchen General Manager Matt Buddha visited Tokyo last year for a pop-up event at Nihonbashi Philly, where he served roast pork sandwiches. In Philly, Liberty Kitchen's locations have drawn big crowds since its kale Caesar cutlet became a TikTok sensation. Wednesday's event is expected to be busy, and Nihonbashi Philly's cheesesteaks only will be available while ingredients last.

A post shared by Philly-tokyo (@nihonbashi_philly) On Monday, Nihonbashi Philly will be part of a block party from 5-10 p.m. outside Yanaga Kappo Izakaya in Northern Liberties.

The event is a tribute to the late Hiroyuki "Zama" Tanaka, the founder of Rittenhouse Japanese restaurant Zama, who died in December. The Chujos will be serving sukiyaki cheesesteaks — made with thinly sliced beef marinated in a soy sauce mixture — and teriyaki chicken egg cheesesteaks served on rolls from Del Rossi's Cheesesteak and Pizza Co. The block party also will have food from Neighborhood Ramen, Mawn and Zama.

Kosuke Chujo's love affair with Philly dates back to his childhood when he became a fan of the pioneering "Philly Soul" sound produced by the artists at Philadelphia International Records. He noticed similarities between the culture of Philly and Tokyo's Nihonbashi district, where he initially opened an Italian restaurant before transitioning it into a cheesesteak spot. The sports bar is now decked out with Eagles and SEPTA memorabilia, and the menu also has barbecue chicken wings, chicken cheesesteaks and spareribs.

The Chujos even experimented with roast pork sandwiches after Buddha's visit. The Chujos' journey to perfect their cheesesteaks unfolded over several years — mainly drawing from online recipes and videos — before they first set foot in Philadelphia in 2021. The original cheesesteaks at their Tokyo bar were more of a fusion dish that used teriyaki flavoring.

In Philly, they sampled the likes of Angelo's, Jim's, Pat's and Geno's to develop a more authentic recipe. Kosuke returned again last year to further refine his craft, carrying a scale and tape measure with him to measure various cheesesteaks. "I learned a lot from eating a lot of (cheesesteaks) in Philadelphia," Kosuke said in an Instagram post announcing the Liberty Kitchen pop-up.

"After I met everyone who helped us, we came to love Philly more and deeply." Nihonbashi Philly cheesesteak pop-ups Wednesday, April 30 5-8 p.m.

Liberty Kitchen 1400 North Front St. Monday, May 5 5-10 p.m.

Block party outside Yanaga Kappo Izakaya 637 N. 3rd St..