Charley’s Cheesesteak and Wings (Peotone)
601 S. 88th Street, Suite AOne more blog post from our trip home.
Saturday was the day we said goodbye to my aunt. Our day started in the small village of Cullom kind of near Pontiac, IL. There was a quick memorial service at the cemetery then we went to the nearby American Legion for breakfast.
There wasn’t a lot that my family would eat. My parents love biscuits and gravy so that was what they had for breakfast that morning. There were also some donuts and some other baked goods. We had actually hit the Casey’s next door between the memorial service and the breakfast though because we didn’t want the kids complaining about being hungry.
J and L had been on the road since Wednesday night and they were ready to get back to Michigan. My niece had a softball tournament in Fisher, IL that day so they left as soon as the service was over. My dad was also heading there for the afternoon game. There wasn’t much reason to stay in town any longer and since everyone was tired, we headed back to Michigan.
I always joke that we can never make it more than hour before someone has to use the bathroom. Well, that turned out to be Peotone. It worked out pretty well because there is another new truck stop there with some decent food options and I was still hungry.
Charley’s Cheesesteak and Wings is right off I-57 on 88th Street right outside the Village of Peotone, IL. The restaurant is inside the newly built Peotone Travel Plaza. I’ve been home more in the last four months than I have in a couple of years and it’s amazing to me how many truck stops have popped up along I-57 south of Chicago. It used to be there was one in Monee, IL then not another one until Gilman, IL. Now there’s one at almost every interchange until you get south of Kankakee.
The Travel Plaza is pretty big. Sure, it’s a pretty standard highway exit gas station….
..but there’s also an upstairs area with a lounge and bar…
..and a nice looking shower and laundry area. No one actually went in to the shower area but it looked nice…but so did the bathrooms….but J and L both came out saying they were “disgusting” without elaborating further.
The restaurants are part of a food court on the lower level. Right now there is just a Dunkin’ and the Charley’s Cheesesteaks.
The Charley’s Cheesesteak and Wings is the one closest to the gas station part of the building. I know Charley’s is a chain but I’m not sure I’ve ever been to one before. The only one in our area appears to be at the Rivertown Crossing mall in Grandville or at the University Park Mall in Mishawaka, IN.
Wings were out of the question because I was going to be in the car for a while. I ended up ordering the Bacon 3 Cheesesteak. I made it a combo and got fries and drink. The cost was right around $18.
No one else decide to eat…not even Dunkin’ which was a surprise. I took a seat in the dining area just around the corner from Charley’s and waited for my number to be called while L got drinks and snacks from the gas station.
It only took a few minutes for my bag to be assembled and we were back on the road.
I started with the fries right away when we got in the car. They were the frozen skin-on type fries which I always appreciate over other types of frozen fries. I got the combo meal and didn’t try to upsize so the portion was a little small. I probably should have just ordered things seperately and got a bigger size. They also fry options with cheese, bacon, and sour cream but that wasn’t going to be a good on-the-go option.
I ended up waiting on the sandwich until we got back to Kalamazoo. Yeah, it was cold but I threw it in the microwave to heat it back up. I was actually hoping someone would ask for another bathroom break so I could quickly eat it before we got home.
The Bacon 3 Cheesesteak is a sandwich with steak, bacon, provolone, swiss, shredded cheddar, lettuce, tomato, mayo and pickles. It heated up surprisingly well and was a really tasty sandwich. I’m always hesitant when ordering cheesesteaks because so many of them have grilled onions which I just cannot stand. The options at Charley’s didn’t all have onions. The sandwich was a pretty decent size. I was really hungry by the time we got home so it didn’t take me long to plow my way through this sandwich.
Charley’s Cheesesteak and Wings is a pretty good food court fast casual find. The sandwiches are a decent size and they come loaded pretty well with meat and veggies. I’m not sure I’ve ever passed by a Charley’s before this one so I had to give it a shot. I wouldn’t hesitate to stop again if I came across one in my travels.
SW Michigan Dining 