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| - Charley's bills itself as the #1 Philly steak sandwich in the world. Those are pretty big britches to fill if you ask me. This chain just opened a location inside the Exxon mini-mart on Route 47 in Mahomet so I decided to check out this place for myself.
The service is definitely small-town friendly as you might expect; you are greeted cheerfully by staff when you walk in. The menu is definitely all sandwich, all the time, with about a dozen different variations of the classic Philly cheese-steak including Buffalo chicken and teriyaki. I tried out the signature Philly with their gourmet fries and a signature lemonade. Sandwiches may be adorned with a number of different toppings including mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers, and jalapeƱo.
Charley's rendition of this sandwich is pretty decent as fast-food goes, served up hot and fresh as it is made-to-order. The crusty bread is toasted before your ingredients are generously piled atop. This is definitely the star of the meal. Fries were standard skin-on frozen fried food, but they were reasonably tasty though slightly underdone. To be fair, I visited on the grand opening day so perhaps the cooking processes are still being worked on a bit. The signature lemonade (I chose strawberry lemonade) was a little too sweet for my liking. The strawberry portion was essentially a dollop of frozen strawberry slices in a heavy syrup. It all congealed at the bottom of my cup and wasn't particularly appetizing. I think I'd stick with plain lemonade or pop, or better yet, maybe the tea or water as a beverage choice.
Maybe Charley's sells the most sandwiches in the world but I'm pretty sure I could find a better Philly steak if I headed to Philadelphia. Still, the sandwiches are a good alternative to the boring burger or taco routine so if you're looking to grab a quick bite, Charley's will do the trick nicely.
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