Paulie’s Cheesesteak

• 6650 South Westnedge Avenue
  Suite FC6
• Portage, MI 49024
• (269) 323-1102
• No Known Website
• Menu

The Easter Bunny and Santa Clause.  Two reason we HAVE to go to the mall.  L has always liked the Easter Bunny for some reason and after we mentioned that he was at the mall, she wouldn’t stop talking about going to see him.

We took both the kids to see the Easter Bunny and we did it on a Friday afternoon hoping the line would be short.  It was.  In fact, there was no line, so we were able to get in, get our pictures, and get out pretty quickly.

L wanted to go to the play area near the food court and we really had nothing else to do that afternoon, so we let her go “get out her energy” for a while.

We knew we were going to the mall, so J and I just decided we would eat at the food court.  The Crossroads Mall doesn’t have a great selection of food, but they have just enough for us to both find something to make us happy.

J went to Subway, but I wanted a burger.  The choice for burgers in the mall food court is Paulie’s Cheesesteak.

Paulie’s Cheesesteak appears to be a one shop only mall food court stop. I  actually think they took over the space of Great Steak (and Potato Company) and only changed up the menu slightly.  Their menu looks similar to the bigger chain and I can’t find any information about Paulie’s online anywhere.

Paulie’s has a big banner advertising the Pub Steak Burger right on the front of the space.  That’s actually what drew my eye when we walked in.  I could have gone with one of their cheesesteak subs, but a burger is what I was actually in the mood for.  

I ordered the Pub Steak Burger with Bacon and Cheese opting to leave off all the typical dressings (lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, etc.).  The burger is the only sandwich that comes wit a side of fries so I didn’t have to add that one though I would have if it didn’t.  I passed on a pop even though they have Pepsi products.  Instead, I walked around the corner to the vending machine and got a 20 oz. bottle.

The burger took less than five minutes to cook and it was waiting on the fries to come out of the oil which really didn’t take all that much longer.   That total cost for a burger and fries was just over $8.

I joined J over by the play area, which was being cleaned, so L had to wait, and immediately, both J and L started pilfering my fries.  Eventually, I just went back and got another large order so the three of us could share although the side order of fries was pretty large.  They weren’t anything special.  Just typical food service frozen fries with the skin on that they didn’t salt. I grabbed a couple packets of salt and some mustard which made them taste way, way better.

The burger wasn’t much special either.  It was a frozen patty that probably came from GFS as well.  It was fine, but didn’t have a lot of flavor.  The cheese and bacon helped some, but it is what it is.  The bacon was actually crumbled bacon instead of strips which probably made it better.  It wasn’t rubbery bacon.  In fact, it was quite crispy and delicious.  In the end, I was hungry for a burger and I got a burger.  It wasn’t a knock-your-socks-off burger by any means, but it was filling and better than some of the other food court options.

Paulie’s Cheesesteak is a pretty typical mall food court kind of place.  The most important thing is quick service in a place like that and that’s what you get.  The food is alright.  Nothing special, but nothing bad either.  Maybe the subs are better…I don’t know.  I saw a couple go out and they look pretty good, but I’m guessing nothing is made fresh in house.  Again, that’s fine.  That’s typical of places like this.  Speed is the issue and the food just has to be alright.  That’s what you get from Paulie’s.

Pub Steak Burger w/Cheese, Bacon and a Side Fry