chaps pit beef

big disappointment. for years i have driven past chaps. i was never a fan of roadside fare but after seeing chaps grow into much more than roadside and being featured on diners, drive-ins and dives my wife and i decided to give it a try on friday evening, may 09/2014.

i expected the best pit beef sandwich ever. unfortunately all i can say is big disappointment. the beef is served on a potato roll- gotta be on a kaiser- and the beef was more random pieces and none was sliced. it has very little flavor and the potato roll was too moist (again needs to be on a kaiser roll). this was truly a below average sandwich. the large order of fries was equally disappointing. they lacked flavor, were overcooked and oily. the best i have had so far is boog's on the boardwalk in ocean city maryland and a side of thrasher's fries. chaps didn't even come close.
my wife had a pulled pork sandwich. she too was less than impressed, in the middle of the sandwich was a fairlygoodsized chunk of fat. the meat was not tender and again shame on using potato rolls.

we live about 23 miles north of chaps. this evening brought us into hamilton to baby sit for our daughter so we went the extra few miles to give chaps a try. i don't think we'll be making the trip again.

i am from out of town and chaps has been on my feed bucket list for a while. the time has come. everything i had heard was true. no frills. no special seasoning. beef. charcoal pit. super thin slices. super tender. tiger sauce and onions are the way to go. i had fries and a drink.goodeats in baltimore.goodeats.

this place is legendary in maryland, and forgoodreason. they have a variety of smoked meats that don’t break the bank. i ended up trying their fried cod, which was perfectly crispy. the basket was massive, having more fries than one person could eat. everything was absolutely delicious.

good damn beef. do you really need more than that? dont come here if you're looking for classically trained chefs who wish they were in chopped or iron chef. come here if you want some realkygoodpit beef with no frills.

chaps pit beef is not in what you’d call the most attractive part of east baltimore. see, now right there, that should have been a clue. east baltimore. east baltimore isn’t dangerous or anything. it’s just industrial. it’s just were the working folks live and work. it’s not part of the tourist trail in baltimore. and yes, there is a tourist trail for baltimore.

sharing a parking lot with a manufacturer and a strip club won’t make you feel toogoodabout this choice. seeing the line out the door should.

and yes, there is always a line.

simply great!. found this gem from a review in "southern living" and since i travel to baltimore frequently on business, i knew i had to check chaps out.

wow! i loved this place. beef sandwich was out of this world- served perfectly rare as ordered. it was so good, i had a second one-something i almost never do.

nice perple run this place withgoodservice and prices. can't wait for my next trip to bwi.

ok, but not "woo hoo!" good.. date - 12/9/12 - the saints/nyg game was on. it was a rainy night. my boss and i were on a business trip and on our way back from dc to aberdeen. i found out about chaps pit beef from "triple d" on the food network, and it got rave reviews. so, we thought we'd give it a try.

first impressions: some of the best food often comes in the most unassuming packages. chaps can be likened to the favorite neighborhood "greasy spoon". in this case, the "neighborhood" is a strip club next door and a pornographic video store across the street. so, in this case, it's a "seedy" neighborhood.

we parked in the back and went in, ordered, and went around the side to wait for our food. i ordered the raven, small fries, and a small lemonade.

the raven - big sandwich packed with "pit beef", turkey, and corned beef. chaps certainly doesn't hold back on the portions. if you want a sandwich packed with meat, these don't disappoint. it was a little odd that you have to pay extra for things like lettuce, tomato, and mustard when ordering (says so on the menu board above the order window), but there were free condiments on the counter for you to get after you pick up your food.

as far as the flavor of the meat, i have to provide a caveat to those reading this review. every region has their favorite method of cooking. here in maryland, "pit beef" (large chunks of meat cooked quickly on an open grill) seems to be well loved. i live in texas and my texas palate is used to large cuts of beef (specifically brisket), marinated, seasoned with dry rubs with a little kick to them, and smoked for hours on end at a low temperature in a smoker. what results is a very tender flavorful product.

to me, what marylanders call "pit beef" is cooked fast and sliced extremely thin. otherwise, it would be tough as shoe leather. you can't grill large cuts of beef like that fast and avoid it. also, it really has no added flavor other than the taste of the meat itself. if that's what you like and your palate is used to it, then awesome! great for you!

however, it kind of reminds me of the flavor of an arby's roast beef sandwich. i have tried these pit beef sandwiches at three different places in aberdeen, havre de grace, and now baltimore. it was a decent sandwich, but nothing to rave about or tell the world they have to go out of their way to try.

the fries - disappointing, soggy, and tasted like they had been fried in old grease. mcdonalds has better fries for goodness sake. not even worth mentioning past that, and that's really sad.

the lemonade - well, it was fountain lemonade. it is what it is.

so, i guess if you happen to be creeping around the seedy side of town and are fresh from a lap dance or drooling over the latest issue of your favorite smut, i guess chaps is agoodplace to satiate at least the hunger in your stomach. it was "ok" in my book and if it were in a better part of town or a more convenient part of town, i might go there now and again when i wanted a quick bite to fill a void. it's not so good, though, that i will visit again. that being said, i do have to say that the staff was friendly, which i find a rarity among people here in the northeastern part of the country.

this is just my opinion here folks. i know there are people who have reviewed chaps and love it. if you like pit beef, then this is probably the place for you.

note well. i had the pit beef platter which was really a verygoodhot open roast beef sandwich. the horseradish makes it. the peanut oil fries totally out of this world. however...the locals are eating corned beef sandwiches...cant get enough of them. i will try it next time.

yeah, this place is worth the trip. despite the locale. yeah adam richman never mentioned that it's in the parking lot of a strip club or an adult entertainment shop across the street but so be careful, chaps is the only place in charm city where you actually want to eat the beef between two buns. that said, i only got the pit beef sandwich on a kaiser roll. ordered the beef medium rare. i topped it with horseradish and mayonnaise. salt and pepper. it was awesome. flavorful. meat was tender, not fatty. my only regret was not having a more substantial bun. should have had the bun toasted or had the beef on a sub roll. i'm in quantico now. thinking of driving back for another sandwich tomorrow, but alas it's easter sunday and they're closed. that's howgoodit was.

bright side of the armpit.goodfood. crowded. most of the people are the critters that populate the rt 40 corridor. some sandwiches are perfect other meat combo sandwiches just don't mesh unless you are a swamp thing.

go for the sub. awesome meat, not sogoodbun. if i were to do it again, and i'm sure i will, i'd get the sub vs the sandwhich. the sandwhich bun was dry and fell apart when you ate it. definately go heavy on the tiger sauce.

if chaps pit beef wasgoodenough for anthony bourdain and guy fieri, it's definitelygoodenough for us.

great turkey & pit beef. we went here after seeing it on diners, drive-ins & dives. we were pleased with our decision. the turkey was juicy and flavorful. my husband enjoyed his pit beef. the fries were reallygoodtoo. i was not a big fan of the baked beans since they tasted more like chili to me. i like my beans sweet with brown sugar, but these were more spicy. the atmosphere was very casual--picnic tables and lots of elbow room. the service was fast and for the most part friendly. the menu was a little confusing to us since we had never been before--there are quite a few options and combinations. also note that if you want cheese or tomato on your sandwich--remember to ask--they are add ons. overall we had agoodvisit with chaps & i would recommend it. i hope to get back myself one day. it was one of the best turkey sandwiches i have ever had!