University City Abner’s Cheese Steaks is located at 3813 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA in University City. Abner’s was established approximately in 1983 and is a favorite for many of the students in that area.
What I thought was interesting about this place before I went in was that there is a small gentlemen’s club right next door that said to buy a drink and get a free Abner’s cheese steak. I am not sure of the connection between a strip club and a cheese steak place but maybe this combo works for them. The place is very wide inside with many TVs. I thought the staff was very friendly and I like that they had a giant booth to sit.
Nevertheless, I was not impressed with their Philly cheese steak. University City Abner’s Cheese Steaks and pizza has a large fan base but it didn’t ring a bell for me. Actually, when I first came in I looked directly at the pizza that was in the counter and it appeared that it had been sitting out for hours (sort of like many of the boardwalk pizzas on the New Jersey boardwalk). This doesn’t mean they were going to serve you these pizzas though. I mean I don’t know because I came there for the cheese steak but it still wasn’t a good first impression.
Abner’s Cheese Steaks were about a foot long sandwich. They gave you an Italian roll that was soft but yet I still didn’t see the shiny golden brown of the perfect soft Italian roll that could be found in many South Philly joints. The onions were lightly darkened and chopped thoroughly with the steak. The steak was chopped very fine and a decent amount was placed in the roll. But that is not why I am giving this place a yellow light (proceed with caution).
It is not that the steak sandwich was entirely bad. It was average. The biggest problem was that the steak on the sandwich was dry. I asked for American cheese and it was put at the base but not enough was used. The rolls were not very fresh either. Thus, the combo made a decent sandwich but I am not here to find decent. I am here to find the best. I know that the best has different degrees, for example, the best of the best. But this place could not quite make it to my tolerance level of what would be minimally accepted as the best (they were almost there though).
If you compare this sandwich up against my other recommended Philly cheese steaks then you will see that Abner’s is not on the same quality level. My suggestions would be to try using fresh soft Italian rolls (maybe Amoroso, Sarcone’s, etc.) They must be shipped fresh everyday. This is only fair if you want to be in the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club. Also, you need to master the art of mixing the cheese well with the steak and putting just enough.
I hope that you have enjoyed my review of University City Abner’s Cheese Steaks!
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