Thursday Night at MaGerk's - If you don't feel like (or can't afford) driving to Philly

---UPDATE!  April 2016: The Thursday Special price as of this date is $4.50 from 6-10PM ---

Ok, so I know we ha/ve recently tackled the subject of Philly cheesesteaks, so perhaps you can treat this post as a "follow-up." For our follow-up investigation we visited MaGerk's, one of the better-known Federal Hill bars, and pretty much the closest thing to Philly that ol' Balto has to offer. In fact, the bar is an "Eagles Bar" that imports their break from Philly (or so I was told by a waiter in Fells Point).

We visited on Thursday night, after finding out that they offered $4 cheesesteaks after 6:30, and $1 domestic bottles after 9:00. "Not a bad deal," we thought, and apparently we weren't the only ones. We had actually gone a week prior, only to find barely enough room to even enter the bar, let alone find a seat. This week was less busy, since it was quite cold out, but still seats were limited. We managed to find one in the back.

The service left something to be desired. In their defense, it is more of a bar than a restaurant, with all self-service seating, so one can't really expect quick and thorough service. We waited for quite a long time before anyone came over though, and she did not come by very often. You could tell she was really busy.

Once we ordered, though, the cheesesteaks came out right away. For $4, you got a hoagie close to a foot long (maybe 10 inches) with a decent amount of meat and lots of grease, the way a cheesesteak should be. Plus, you got a bag of chips and a pickle. Not a gourmet meal by any stretch of the imagination, but about the best bar food you can get for $4. And it actually filled us all up!

We each had a beer with our meal. So, we each got dinner, which filled us up, for $5! Very good news in this economy!

So overall, Bob Ganoosh gives a big thumbs up to MaGerk's $4 cheesesteak night. Just be prepared to wait for a place to sit (and then for service), and dont even bother if you have a big group (unless you can eat standing up). We also thought about the idea of getting there at 6:30 sharp, when perhaps they are less busy - plus, there'd be a half hour of Happy Hour left! I would guess that Thursday Happy Hour is less busy than Thursday Night (known by some as "College Night"). If anyone has been there at this time, please feel free to leave your feedback!

MaGerk's

S. Charles Street at E. Cross Street

Baltimore, MD 21230

410-576-9230

http://www.magerks.com/