Max’s Steaks

I was told Max’s is the place to go for a good, authentic Cheese steak in Philly. Compared to Pat’s, it is 5 stars. Pat’s was literally the dryest thing I ever ate. In general though I would give it 4 only because the meat tasted a little like hamburger meat but was still really good. You can tell them what you added into the sandwich. It was a really long line but probably because it is the best in town and they are huge. I would go again.

Best damn cheesesteak in Philly!
I’ve been to Pat’s and I’ve been to Gino’s. Hell I even tried to go to Garce’s Trading Post, but was evidently too late to try «the best» cheesesteak in Philly since it’s only on the lunch menu. Well screw that black-​tie white-​collar joint. If you want an actual top notch cheesesteak, and to be around real people, then go to Max’s.
Apart from their exceptional food there’s also a bar in the back with seating if you want to eat there. The bartenders are quick to serve and don’t have attitudes like other places I’ve been too.
Some of you might be thinking «but wait isn’t this in North Philadelphia? What if I get shot?» To which I say if you’re so scared to go to Germantown to experience good food then it’s probably not gluten free or «organic» enough for you to even bother. As for you real food lovers out there just walk in a zig-​zag fashion if it’s after night fall. You’ll be fine!

When we visit from NYC Max’s is first stop and on the way out last stop!
Better than Geno’s not as famous though.

The food isn’t the same anymore. They give less than before. The steak is still good it just isn’t worth the same price as before if they not giving the same amount of meat. The staff is nice when I come in the restaurant. I don’t fault them for the lack of food. Its so sad I use to feed 4 people off 1 cheesesteak and til have a some left over for the next day. Now you can eat the whole thing by yourself. Its a great place for a steak or hoagie but don’t think you going to get a huge steak or hoagie. But its cool I guess they had to cut down on the portions. cut down on the price would be nicer. lol

Its a «Cash Only» & Waited over an 1hr & 30mins however well worth the Wait! It was a Saturday night so its expected! None the less Very Tasteful & the Bread was Fresh! If you are around the Philly Area make it your Duty 2 get here ASAP! The whole cheese steak was about $ 17.50 & well over a foot long! Easily feeds 2 Adults! Enough Already get moving to Maxxxx!

Food is 4 stars/​Hospitality & Ambiance 2 stars
I wish the excellence of the food were reflected in the attitudes of the employees. I’ve been to Max’s 3 times now and the cheesesteaks I’ve had are the best in the city bar none. But man oh man, do those employees hate their jobs. They don’t greet you when you come in, they don’t look you in the eye, it’s like they’re offended you decided to spend your money there. Now that this place is getting the patronage they deserve due to Creed, Max needs to retrain them on hospitality to ensure repeat business.
Also, I hate that on Sunday nights the line inside the store turns into a flea market with guys walking in selling their wares. I’m here to buy a cheesesteak not deodorant, mofos.

Sketchy area. Sketchy patrons. Sketchy parking. Polite staff. Excellent cheesesteak. You can buy 40s for $ 3. And if you order a large sandwich, you’re going to get a three foot sandwich.

I just needed to come and share my experience with Max’s…so last Sunday I begged my BF to take a drive to Philly cause I finally wanted to try the cheesesteaks that every1 else in the reviews were raving about. Plus I watched «Creed» lol. So it took about 2 hrs. We were driving thru Philly and let me just say I am happy I didn’t bring out my LV bag and look ultra-​hood glam for how I do when I’m roaming around BK, Queens and Harlem lol. Max’s is definitely a local spot in the hood and Philly’s hood makes NY hoodest place (if that’s a word) look like luxury. Anyway, my BF parked a block down from Max’s and we got out and just walked up. When we got to Max’s the line was out the door (well what we thought was the line) this guy then told my BF and I and some guys we were standing behind that the line was actually in the back of the restaurant near the bar (they have a bar w/​booths in the back) we like was like «Ohhh» and proceeded to walk to the back. I like the atmosphere of the place. Every1 was in there minding their own business, trying to get their food. I hate when I go out to places sometimes and people stare at you like they know you aren’t from around there. Well it was none of that at Max’s we were actually fitting in… looking like hungry folks like the locals. BF and I ordered our cheesesteaks… he ordered his with mayo, sweet peppers cooked into the steak, provolone, pickles and ketchup. I don’t like sweet peppers. I got mine with mayo, provolone cheese, lettuces, tomatoes and hot sauce. I asked if they had BBQ sauce… and they don’t. I guess a real cheesesteak is one with ketchup but I’m not a ketchup fan… so I just had hot sauce added. My BF asked me if I wanted to stay and we eat our sandwiches in the back near the bar. But being that we left NY around 5 something and we got there around 7 something. Stood on a long line and now it was 8 something on a Sunday and I have to work I knew we would be getting back to NY around 11pm. I told him lets just head back to the car. I wanted to have a drink but then I knew my BF couldn’t indulge cause of the long drive, plus we are in some1 else’s hood lol so we opted for some water and broke out. Got back to the car. Our sandwiches smelled too good, and we were starving so we ate half of our sandwiches in the car… and it was EVERYTHING!!! It was so flavorful. It was extremely messy… I love messy food lol. The hero bread or w/​e was soft and everything just melted in my mouth. The only sounds you heard in the car was us smacking, and humming to our food. And then I told my sandwich «I will be back to get another 1 of you» definitely will be back to Max’s and go there early too so we could have a few drinks and enjoy the ambiance lol. Thanks to watching «Creed» I would’ve never knew about this gem. If you are a person who travels for food like me then plan a day trip to go and try Max’s out… you will not be disappointed.
Oh and yeah I didn’t give them the full 5 stars because they didn’t have BBQ sauce and need to incorporate BBQ sauce lol for folks like me who aren’t conventional. The very next day after I got home from work. I put some jerk BBQ sauce on my left over my marinated cheesesteak… it tasted even better!!!

Drove all the way from New York to check out the highly raved about Max’s Steaks. The sandwiches are delicious, but the staff really lacks hospitality, and friendliness.
We first arrived, and there were 2 other patrons ahead of us. No «hello» or «good afternoon» when we walked through the doors. We put our order in right away: A whole cheesesteak sandwich with everything on it. We paid, and were told we had to order our beers from the bar next door, even though there is a fridge behind the cashier fully stocked with beer. (Ok?)
We walked next door to the Eagle bar with our sandwiches in hand, where again, we were not once greeted or acknowledged by the bartender. Not once did anyone check to make sure everything was ok.
The sandwiches were spectacular. The steak was chopped, seasoned to the T, and slices of cheese were melted into the meat. More cheese would’ve made it better, but it was great with what it had. The cook also poured Ketchup, Mayo, and Mustard onto the sandwich, which caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect mustard to be thrown into the mix, as I am not a fan of the condiment at all. However, it blended in well with the explosion of everything else going on.
I understand that this is a local neighborhood joint which probably didn’t get much traffic besides it’s locals, before the movie Creed. However, I recently read an article where the owner of Max’s admitted to not attracting much tourists, or people traffic in general, because of the «rough neighborhood.» A word of advise: He should probably consider renaming his whole staff, or train them better, especially now with the on pour of tourists after the filming of the movie. Having a friendlier and more welcoming staff may help you reel in some more revenue.

Finally made it to the infamous Max’s Steaks…
While this spot has been around for years the movie Creed made it more popular and touristy. It’s located on the corner of a urban area in North Philly. The outside isn’t the prettiest. Extremely small parking lot located next door. You have to rely on street parking if you strike out. A bus stop is directly in front of Max’s as well as the street car stop a few feet away so be prepared to possibly deal with some interesting personalities on your way in.
I felt like I had the luck of good timing when I pulled up because I didn’t see a line going out the door and around the corner… little did I know that this just the beginning! When you enter you will see signs that say «order here» and «pay here». However, it can get a little confusing to those that don’t know the «process».
You kinda have to step back and wait around for them to call you once you sandwich is ready for the toppings. In the meantime you are hoping and praying that they don’t confuse people and orders because it’s not like they are relying on a number/​name system or something. It’s all about «hey you, you’re next» type of thing.
I decided to snap a quick picture of the steak/​onions being cooked on the grill. The cook kinda dodged out of the way of the pic, gave me a strange look and said «Where are you from sweetie?» I said «From Maryland, why what’s up?» Again he looks at me side-​eye and another worker yells out «WE DON’T LIKE PICTURES UP IN HERE!» Now y’all Unilocalers know me right?! So, I looked at him and said oh really?! Well, where is the sign for that? Where is the sign that says no pics?! I’m like y’all have 50 gazillion other signs in here that scream «NO TIPS» «NO TIPPING» BUT YET AND STILL I CLEARLY SEE YOU EXCEPTING TIPS FROM CUSTOMERS??? And I’m not even going to get started on the other pics that are already on Unilocal AND the few Youtube videos I came across of people recording getting there food made! Who does that? LOL Oh ok, clearly that’s how they roll here. I have no problem with respecting how they feel about pictures being taken. What I do have a problem with is that you clearly know this a tourist attraction mainly due to you allowing them to film part of a movie here and you have all these no tipping signs… MAKE A SIGN OR TWO THAT SAYS «NO PICTURES ALLOWED!» or even «NO LOITERING» for all of your «friendly» people that linger around your spot. I mean geesh, signs are not super expensive to order and install! SMH! This bothered me BUT I remained optimistic for good food and chalked it up to where I was…
So, I decided to just sip my tea, wait patiently on this steak and cheese and hope and pray it’s not as dry as the steak was looking on the grill cause it look like it was being overcooked. There were 3 people in front of me waiting for there food… it literally took about about 30 minutes for my order to be ready! For the life of me I can’t understand what takes so long… the steak is basically already cooked. All you are doing is melting cheese, adding toppings, cut, wrap and out you go. I would understand the wait more if the food was being prepared as order but it is not.
Last but not least; 2 sandwiches came up to almost $ 20. Gave the cashier the $ 20, she gave a nice smile with that same look she gave the other customers that were tipping IN SPITE OF THE «NO TIPPING» SIGN! I left a tip in spite of what had happened SMH I sssooo wanted to say «Can I get pic of that?!?» just for the hell of it?! LMAO!
My sandwich was good but the meat was too overcooked for me. It was seasoned very well but just way too overcooked. North Philly is a little out of the way from where I usually go and unfortunately nothing about this sandwich made me want to drive all the way back here…

Visited on a sat afternoon and after the movie Creed I knew there would be a long line. The line wrapped around to the second door and we were in line for about an hour. The good thing about the line is that if it is your first time it gives you time to see how to order and it gives u time to review the menu. The Philly cheesesteaks were amazing! I definitely see what all the hype is about. We were able to sit in the bar area in a booth. 2 16inch Philly cheesesteaks and three drinks ran us $ 42.

This place was SOOO good! I’ve always wanted to try an authentic steak and cheese… boy did I get it! SOOO freaking good! This steak and cheese is the «bees knees and the cat’s pajamas»! Darn I will NEVER look at another or taste a steak and cheese the same way again because, I know what I’ve had in the past does not even compare! Wow! Good stuff! You have to try this place! It’s always a good sign that the food is good if there is a constant line out of the front door!

Max’s Cheesesteaks recently was featured in the popular movie «Creed» and as a result a lot more people are finding their way to its doors. Maybe too many people as the lines are always long … and now they are longer. This is a good and hearty cheesesteak but recently we waited in line about 45 minutes to actually get one. It’s not worth that long a wait as there are other cheesesteaks as good in Philadelphia. But if you are near Broad and Erie and you have time to wait, you might want to check it out.
Tips — The regular-​size cheesesteak is called half-​size here as they have an insanely large full roll … and you can eat your cheesesteak at one of the tables in the bar area if you don’t want to take it home

I had Max’s on my hit list, pre­Creed, and I’m upset I didn’t go more than once before it was in the movie. Nothing wrong with a couple extra patrons, but this place was packed at 11am. (That’s an unreasonable hour to be eating 24″ of meat and cheese, by most standards.)
For anyone going now because you saw Creed:
This place work a bit differently than your stereotypical steak place. For one thing, there’s one line, not two windows like many other places (not a big deal, just wait in line). The other thing is that they ask you if you want mayo like every time (a bigger deal). Once you add mayo to a cheesesteak, it begins to enter the grey area of «cheesesteak hoagie». Then they ask you if you want other toppings. At this point, I’m ordering full­on cheesesteak hoagie ­­­ and there’s nothing wrong with that.
So while it may not be a traditional (steak, cheese, onions only) place; it is damn delicious, reasonably priced, and definitely the best in north Philadelphia.

Two things –
1. I LOVE that because of ‘Creed’ Max’s is finally getting the love and respect that it deserves
2. I HATE that now — it’s a tourist attraction.
BUT, overall the corner of Broad and Erie is the best cheese steak you’re gonna get in Philly period!
The reality is that this is not your typical, hipster, free range, organic BS. It’s connected to a neighborhood bar and the service is as such. Just go in, get your steak, turn down the Muslim oils when they try to sell them to you, and leave.
I guarantee you’ll be a happier camper!

Best cheesesteak in Philly. As seen on Creed. You will have to likely wait in an obscene line but it’s definitely worth the wait. Know what you want before you get to the counter, no worries you’ll
Have plenty of time to figure it out and hear other ppl order to make up your mind. Just get up and go already.

One of the best cheesesteaks in Philly I’ve ever had. Opt for the mayo, I didn’t but wish I would have. Also, they use provolone cheese but have wiz if that’s what you prefer. Got the whole, the thing was as long as my leg no kidding. Good bar in the back you can eat your food at and get a cold beverage of your choice. A lot of people told me not to come to this part of Philly, I came anyway and was glad that I did. No issues at all. Great food, service, and customers to chat with.
Also, you can ask for a traveler cheesesteak. They’ll make everything up but put the meat in a separate carton so the bread roll doesn’t get soggy. I’m now back in line for a traveler

Chilling’ out, maxing’, relaxing’ all cool
You remember that statement… (don’t judge a book by its cover) well… don’t. Is this place in a not soooo good area, Yes. stop crying, it’s Philly baby!
For about $ 8 bucks you get 12 inches, that’s what she said… if you can handle it, grab 24 inches for $ 16. This spot is attached to a bar, after getting your steak, bring your food over and slam down some beers in a surprisingly friendly atmosphere.
To the right, on the corner is where you place your order, I did wait about 30 minutes from ordering to check-​out, which is fine… because you will have plenty of time to yell, scream and banter about sports with everyone in line, and with the guys making the food right in front of you. The older gentleman on the grill is a Cowboys fan… FYI. such BS.
Sandwiches are large and in charge, american cheese and onions mixed into the meat, it’s better than what it looks like when its cooking, trust me.
Delicious rolls. Flavorful meat.
(CASH ONLY!!!) bar and food.

We drove from NYC to this PA only for Philly Cheese Steaks on July 4^th. We saw the great reviews on Unilocal so we decided to come here for its famous Cheese Steaks. We were a bit concerned when we first arrived because of the neighborhood. Not very safe neighborhood per say… Some beggars in the street and some loud street vendors… Just be careful and mindful with your belongings when you are around then it should be fine. Hence the saying from Spiderman: Great food comes with great sacrifices…
The whole steaks are humongous. They are well prepared, not too dry and not too oily. They are tender as well. You can chose topings to go along with it: gree peppers, onions, mushrooms, pickles, ketchup, mayo, and salt and pepper.
Greatly recommended to come for again but be mindful to have some precautions at mind.

This is definitely a place for locals instead of tourists. There was a line at 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon, and everyone in the line was from the neighborhood.
We ordered the cheese steak ($ 8.25 for 12 inches, $ 16.50 for 24 inches). You order in a line in front of the cooking area, and I have to admit, I was less excited about my order after watching the low quality beef bleeding on the grill. But it was actually very delicious! I like that they have sliced cheese AND cheese mixed into the beef. It was moist and flavorful even though we literally only had beef, cheese, and onions on our sandwich.
About the neighborhood ~ As we drove closer to Max’s, we noticed more abandoned buildings and trash in yards, but I actually really love the people in the neighborhood. During the 30 minutes we walked over to Max’s and waited for our food, 3 different people just randomly started conversations with us. I wish the entire U.S. was that friendly!