Chickie's and Pete's has become a Philly institution over the years. As of 2001, there are 3 locations: Robbin's Ave in Mayfair, Roosevelt Blvd in the Far Northeast and the last location at the First Union Center. This review will focus on the Robbin's Ave and Roosevelt Blvd locations of C&P's.  

The original C&P's is on Decatur Street at Frankford Avenue. If you weren't looking for it, you'd probably miss it. From the outside, it looks like the place might be only big enough for a couple tables and chairs. But through the main entrance is a long narrow bar and dining area. Heading towards the center of the building is a staircase that winds upwards to an equally long and narrow area. Both upstairs and down are modeled to be somewhat fun and light hearty - sort of like if one of your friends wanted to put a bar in their basement. There are collections of beer cans framed out and bolted to the red brick walls, mini-TV's tuned into sports are tucked into nooks and crannies, and antique ceiling fans blow air that makes it appear as though airplanes and space ships fashioned from beer cans float through the air.  

The set-up of the Roosevelt Blvd Chickie's and Pete's is more open than the Robbin's Ave location but quite unusual in it's own right. Off to the left of the entrance there is a huge bar up against the wall. This bar has a super wide screen TV (we're talking 6 foot diagonal) that is capable of either showing one sporting event or dividing up the screen into quarters to show 4 different events.

On one of my visits to C&P's, they had cameras set up at various locations around the entire bar, and they projected the views up on this big screen. It was interesting to see the various people around the bar being filmed without them knowing it. Thank God no one stuck their finger in their nose or got caught itching their crotch. In front of this bar, are a few tall tables where you can scarf down some food and watch a sporting event.

Off to the right of the entrance is the main dining area in two levels which surround a smaller bar (seats about 15). All areas of the building contain TV's, so it's hard to miss any of the action. Also along the walls, is quite an impressive selection of canned beers, all on their own shelves, stacked side-by-side - it adds to the "tap-room" ambiance of the place.

As far as the menu goes at C&P's, if you're not into seafood, you're not going to like eating here. Sure they have chicken fingers, wings and a roast beef sandwich on the menu, but it's not what C&P's is known for. Fellow Pub reviewer, Nutty had this to say about the food: "The (crab) fries fool you at first. They are tasty Ore Ida crinkles smothered with Old Bay. Hey, it sounds good, but after the fourth or fifth fry, you can not get the taste of Old Bay out of your mouth, and the Coors Light does nothing to get the taste out of your mouth...The Chickie Wings™ (notice the TM!) were some of the worst wings that I have ever had. The wings were tough, stringy, and sometimes crunchy. They also had some odd topping on their wings. There was a small grainy covering like semolina on the wing with the sauce on top. Forget the semolina and just give me batter."

If you opt for the shrimp, crab, Alaskan crab legs or Dungeness crabs, they will be cleaned (guts removed) and sautéed in oil and seasoning.  Having had all of the above shellfish entree's, I'll admit that they all have a nice flavor, but the prices are too high. The Dungeness crab is going to run you at least $18.00 for one crab! You'll get about 3 normal sized crabs for about $10.00 (I can put away about 5 - 6 crabs myself, so I'm still hungry after 3).

OK, fine, I'll concede that it's seafood and it's gonna be a bit pricey, but the food is served in wooden bowls, you're eating off of plastic plates and there are no knives or forks! I am not an animal! Well I'm lying here, the waitress did bring me over one of those tiny shrimp forks so that I could eat my fries. Now I know how Mini-Me must eat his dinner! I think that if we're getting the no-frills eating experience, some of that should translate over to the prices on the menu. 

Bright idea here: Sink's are located right in the bar/dining area so you can wash your hands after handling the shellfish. Finally, no more awkward trips to the bathroom dripping in sticky crab juices. 

The service during both of my visits has been hit & miss. The service at the Robbin's Ave location was fast - we had drinks immediately served and our crab fries came out in about 10 minutes. On the other hand at the Boulevard location, my glass went dry more times than I can remember. This is particularly annoying when you're eating spicy foods like crabs and shrimp. One of the problems with the sketchy service might have to do with the waiter/waitress taking your order and then someone else bringing out the food. When it comes time to leave the tip and you really can't personally identify who your server was and the service was bad, it's not hard leaving a quarter for the tip. 

The beers on tap are your standard American fare: Budweiser, Bud Light, Yuengling Black & Tan,  Yuengling Lager, Miller Lite,  Killians,  Rolling Rock, and Coors Light. It would be nice to see some imports on the beer menu - Killians is made by Coors in America, it's not an Irish brew, sorry.

Since Chickie's and Pete's is such a Philly institution, you have to visit one of the locations at least once, just to say that you've gone. If you do go remember to get ready to eat some seafood and bring some extra cash because this experience won't come cheap.

Review by the combined experiences of The Dog and The Nutty Irishman