For those of you who don’t like loud environments full of energy and pulsating with excitement, eating with your hands, or making a mess of yourself, stop reading now. For the rest of you, Philadelphia has a secret to share: Chickie’s and Pete’s, a great bar and a dynamite crab house. I was surprised to learn that so few people on campus have discovered the Philadelphia landmark. Robin Hemmins, a Temple junior summed it up best when I asked her what she knew about C&P’s.
“Chicken and Pete’s? What is it? A chicken place?” Hemmins asked.
Kevin Dylan, a senior and film & media arts major had at least heard of it, but he never actually got a chance to taste it.
“I lived in South Philly for a year and a half and never went.” Dylan said. “I mean, I heard about it, and wanted to go, but I never got the chance.”
So, for all of you rowdy Temple students, avid Philly sports fans, wing lovers, crab lovers and beer lovers, let me enlighten you about Philadelphia’s own Chickie’s and Pete’s. It is after all, as Warren Atkins, a sophomore at Temple put it, “a landmark in Philadelphia.” And you have not done Philly without it.
“I take all of my friends who visit from out of town to Chickie’s. They have the best crabs,” Atkins said.
The crabs are great, and you can’t beat the signature crab fries. But they get messy, and C& P’s makes no bones about that. That is a part of the charm and atmosphere at Chickie’s. Whether it’s the giant sink in the middle of the dining room, or the tubs of paper towels at the end of the booths, Chickie’s knows that you will get messy.
“I hate that place. They don’t have any silverware,” said Alexis Pugh, the owner of the lunch truck For the Grill of It on 13th and Norris streets. It’s true that there is no silverware in the whole place, and they want you to be loud, rambunctious and above all, sloppy.
Chickie’s & Pete’s has three locations, The “Original” on Robbins Avenue, in the Northeast, “The Boulevard” on Roosevelt Boulevard., and the “South Philly” on Packer Avenue. This time of year, South Philly is the place to be.
The South Philly location of C&P’s is right around the corner from the sports complex, and for all of you Eagles fans, it’s a hot spot to check out all of the games. They have three bars pumping out “Towers of Lager” during the game for only $22. Good luck finding seating though, because this place gets packed. Chickie’s also has a shuttle called the “Taxi Crab” that runs back and forth from the sports stadiums during all of the Eagles and Flyers games to bring tailgaters in for a little more fun.
“We have special events from time to time, and we feature the Angelo Cataldi Show every Monday night, ” said a hostess at the South Philly location. Cataldi is one of Philadelphia’s most notable figures in sports talk radio, and he broadcasts his show live from C&P’s on Monday’s at 7 p.m. It’s a great place to check out your favorite Philadelphia sports stars, as Cataldi plays “Monday Night Quarterback” with some of the Eagles players.
“They do card at the door after 10 p.m.,” warned the hostess. Don’t forget to pick up a trademark T-shirt as you walk out the door. Chickie’s sells hysterical T’s for $10 a pop, including the one that boasts, “Got Crabs?”
Access is easy for the South Philly location. Take the subway south to Oregon, or take Route C toward Geary St. Exit at 15th and Packer and head to 1526 Packer St. The Original is at 4010 Robbins Ave–call (215) 338-3060 for directions. The Boulevard: 11000 Roosevelt Blvd. (215) 856-9890.
Cheryl Ellis can be reached at cellis24@temple.edu.
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