Wildly popular restaurant & sports bar only found in South Jersey
If you live in South Jersey, you've probably heard of this place even if you have never been to one of their locations. When you go to a Philadelphia sports event or take a flight out of Philadelphia, you've seen their stands and more than likely had their food.
It all started in Philadelphia's Mayfair neighborhood in 1977 when Pete & Henrietta Ciarrocchi bought a corner bar. Their son Pete has turned that little bar into a local gastronomical phenomenon.
There are seven Chickie's & Pete's locations in New Jersey, all in the southern half of the state. There's one in the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.
There's a location on the boardwalk in Wildwood and on the Ocean City boardwalk as well. If you're from South Jersey, you know Chickie's & Pete's. Their stand-alone restaurant locations include Egg Harbor Township, Marlton and Bordentown.
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There's even a Chickie's & Pete's on the campus of Rowan University in Glassboro.
They of course have locations in Philly and the suburbs but they even have locations in Las Vegas and Kansas City!
They're famous for their signature dishes including their iconic "crab fries", which are just fries with Old Bay Spice, but they have a trademark on the name crab fries.
They feature plenty of crab, lobster and shrimp dishes on their menu of kicked-up bar food. You can also find burgers and cheesesteaks and pete-zza.
Most locations have multiple massive TVs to watch your favorite Philly sports team or any sport for that matter. There is a Chickie's and Pete's a few minutes from where I live and it's always packed!
When you walk into the Marlton location you'll see their crab logo, an homage to their famous crab fries.
On a quiet early Saturday afternoon, not all of their several bars were full.
They have a variety of seating options including spacious, comfy booths.
This Chickie's & Pete's location has an indoor/outdoor space along with a large outdoor space in warmer weather.
There's plenty of room for parties and large groups.
The Marlton Chickie's & Pete's is massive with TVs everywhere.
Their bars are spacious with great views of the sports on TVs and the rest of the restaurant.
It's probably some of the best bar food you can find anywhere.
The women's room is for "Chicks"
The men's room is for "Petes"
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Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy
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Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.