Chink's Steaks Cheese Steak Review

Chink’s Steaks in Northeast Philly is at minimum the best Philly cheese steak joint in Northeast Philly. Chink’s Steaks located at 6030 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19135 has been around long enough to be considered a historical Philly cheese steak shop. They are opened every day except Sunday.

Chink’s Steaks was established in 1949 by Samuel Sherman (his nickname was chink). Sherman originally worked at Pat’s King of Steaks before he got the idea to open his own place. He learned from the best steak place at that time and took his skill to a relatively untouched steak sandwich area in Northeast Philly. Sherman worked at Chink’s for 46 years before retiring. He then turned the business over to one of his long time workers, Joe. Chink died several years later.

Chink’s is extremely popular and has won many awards. In 2002, after Craig LaBan from The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Restaurant Guide published a complimentary article favoring Chink’s, their publicity grew. Also, in 2002 Best of Philly voted them “best cheesesteak”. They also received acclaim from AOL’s Citysearch, Sport’s Radio WIP 610 and many others sources. But as I keep telling you these awards don’t mean squat until it is reviewed here on the famous Best Philly Cheese Steak Blog. This is where real Philly cheese steak knowledge comes from.

I am extremely impressed by Chink’s Steaks in many ways. For starters, their sandwich is incredible. They use soft, golden, Italian rolls about 10 inches (not quite a foot). The steak is rib eye steak (if it is not rib eye steak then it is an immediate strike) that is stripped and layered maybe 2-3 thin strips on top of each other in the sandwich. The cheese is American cheese that is smoothed out evenly amongst the steak – paradise! The onions are small square chops that are lightly browned mixed well amongst the steak and cheese. The sandwich itself makes this a great cheese steak. But there is more…

Chink’s Steaks is situated inside of a old fashioned mom and pop cheese steak shop that still has the same look and feel of when it opened 60 years ago with its 1950’s decor. They carry a simple menu consisting of hot dogs, hamburgers, hot sausage, old fashioned sodas, milkshakes, and ice cream sundaes. This is a simple old fashioned menu that goes with their theme. Simple can be wonderful. Chink’s Steaks even has old fashioned jukeboxes (that don’t work) at each table.

I also like the cleanliness factor. It appeared that the place was well kept from the customer’s viewpoint (you never really know what is going on in the ceilings and basement). The steaks were cooked right in the front window. This is an opportunity to see your steaks being made to your standards. Always be leery when the cooking quarters is far away from the customer’s access.

The staff is very young, beautiful, friendly women running the whole place. There are several old fashioned booths where you can sit as well as at the counter. Although I didn’t eat any ice cream I plan to upon next visit.

Chink’s Steaks is a classic for Philly cheese steak fanatics. Chink’s is an original style joint as no other Philly cheese steak place will give you the same look and feel in addition to the excellent steak product it offers. They have been around for 60 years and with new, smart, self sufficient, forward looking management, I believe that they will be here another 60 years.

If I can explain the feel of this place with an analogy I would say that Chink’s Steaks is like Jim’s Steaks combining with Nifty Fifty’s Restaurant. Actually, with the pretty staff and the nostalgic atmosphere, you feel like you are being taken back in time to what the fifties were like (even if you weren’t born in that era).

Chink’s Steaks, I am honored to welcome you to the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club!

Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field Liberty Grill

Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field Liberty Grill Philly Cheese Steak Review

A little visit to an Eagles game at the Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia gave me the opportunity to contribute to this cheese steak blog. The Lincoln Financial Field, established in 2003, is home of the Eagles. I thought reviews of the best Philly cheese steak places would not be complete without a review of the cheese steaks sold in the sports centers.

The Lincoln Financial Field doesn’t have too many opportunities to buy famous cheese steaks like Citizens Bank Park. They do have a place in there called Liberty Grill that is found in several concession stands throughout the complex. I ordered a Philly cheese steak with onions. The rolls were about 8 inches and were semi soft. The problem with the roll was it was not as thin as it should be. It wasn’t a really thick roll but it wasn’t the perfect size that a Philly steak should be. Furthermore, it should have been about a foot long.

I do want to give them credit though because they did pack the sandwich with a good amount of meat. The steak was chopped very thoroughly. I also believe that I spotted some red blood which means that it wasn’t cooked one hundred percent. The cheese was melted in between the steak but there were some ears of unmelted cheese that stuck out. I only believe that they have one kind of cheese, American. The onions were cooked well and chopped small.

For $7.75 for a cheese steak at a major Philadelphia sports arena, I was impressed with the price as they were still a quarter shy of Geno’s or Pat’s Steaks. They did give you a good portion even though their roll wasn’t long enough. However, this all does not cut it though to be in the Best Philly Cheese Steak Club. I think the Coors Light beer that I wasn’t drinking made this sandwich taste better than it really was but I am still absolutely convinced that it isn’t a pure representation of the best of Philly.

I will give Liberty Grill a yellow light (proceed with caution) because I still feel that it has potential even though it is a ballpark cheese steak. Usually your expectations are to be robbed for your dollar at a ballpark for any food that you buy at a concession stand. I feel that I did get my money’s worth but I think that they just need to improve on the quality of the sandwich. So if you go to an Eagle’s game, hopefully I have set the expectation level for the Philly cheese steaks there!

University City Abner’s Cheese Steaks

University City Abner’s Cheese Steaks and Pizza Review

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!