Philly Pretzel Factory

Let me start off by saying I never leave Unilocal reviews because I hate Unilocal.It’s mostly nothing but whiny entitled people like «Tim G» below.
I love pretzels. When I found out about this place I was stoked. My girl and I went the other day and it was the best. Their cheese sauce is definitely my favorite and something about their pretzels make them much better than any other pretzel place.
Not only that but the service was superb. My girl ordered the Philly cheesesteak pretzel, but there were none left at the moment and they had to fire on up. Nothing we were worried about at all, but the manager gave us a free shaker or pretzels just for waiting. And we didn’t have to wait all that long at all.
Highly recommended.
And to «Tim g»:
Shame on you for naming that poor girl on here. You should not have done that. I’m sure she was new and you were giving her a hard time. What’s with the entitlement? Nobody owes you a damn thing and nobody gives a damn about your” disposable income”. You say she was rude to you, but I guarantee you you were being exceptionally rude to her. For what reason? An honest human mistake? How bad does your life have to be for you to make a huge deal out of a damn pretzel? I get it. Your profile picture of you is in a fedora and you have a neckbeard. Youre just bitter because nobody loves you. Shame on you.

Soft Pretzels are a fantastic treat, anytime of the day. I have been to this location many times, and i have never had a problem. If you are having a big party call ahead and order one of their many delicious, and extremely affordable, soft pretzel offerings.
If you just want to pop in for lunch, try one of their combo meals. You can get 2 soft pretzels and a bottle of pop for $ 3. Totally worth, and it seems everytime I’m there they are just coming out of the oven. This leads me to believe I am either extremely lucky, or they are always fresh.
My only complaint involves the drive thru, the receptor has been broken for a very long time. It’s fine if they don’t believe it is worth fixing, but at least remove it. It really blights the exterior of the building.

The staff here is super-​nice. They are always pleasant and helpful. I usually order via the drive-​through. There is a drive-​through menu board to look at before you get to the window, but you actually place your order face-​to-​face. I know it’s part of a chain, but this type of restaurant is unique for this area.
The pretzels look «squished» and small compared to Auntie Annie’s (one of the few other «soft pretzel places» I know) and the outsides are tougher, but the insides are soft and there is usually a perfect amount of salt on each one. They are tasty, except for a few spots on the bottom of each one – probably where the pretzels rest on the cooking racks. Those spots are HORRIBLE. Avoid them. If you do accidentally taste one, you will know it. They taste like chemicals or poison or something equally hideous. The first time I had one, I thought there had been a mistake. Maybe someone hadn’t rinsed off the cooking surface enough after cleaning it, or perhaps they sprayed oven cleaner instead of no-​stick spray. But those disgusting, nasty spots are there every time I get a pretzel. The rest of each pretzel is tasty enough to make up for the blemish, but I have to remember to tear off the discolored places right away, or I’m in for an unpleasant, jarring surprise while eating.
The pretzel dogs are really good and cheesy. Pretzel dogs are better-​than-​average. Cheesesteak pretzels are below-​average, but not awful. The rivets are great, and usually don’t have the nasty spots on them. There are fun dipping sauce choices, and a large variety of (bottled) beverages including Vanilla Coke, chocolate milk, and orange juice!
The prices are very good. There are (free) frequent-​buyer stamp cards, and you can also often find deals and specials in-​store or via email. (Tuesdays!)
It’s also a great place to pick up something for a pot-​luck or office party. There are good deals when you buy a bunch of pretzels, especially in the morning.
They also offer custom shaped pretzels, which I’ve never ordered but they look pretty cool from the pics I’ve seen.
There is no dining area, just counter service and a drive-​through. The pretzels are almost always ready when you order – just waiting under a heat lamp. There’s hardly ever a line, but I might just be going at odd times of the day.
Drive slowly when exiting the parking lot if you have a low car – The transition from parking lot to street is a bit sudden or steep or high & I’ve scraped the bottom of my car a few times. Oops!
Those gross patches on the pretzels do cause me to hesitate every time I consider going there, but overall: Philly Pretzel Factory in Monroeville is good for fast, inexpensive snacks or meals that are different from burger joint fast food.

I have not been here yet, but this place is the real deal. I recently moved to Pittsburgh from Philly and miss the pretzels SO MUCH! There are Philly Pretzel Factories all over the Philadelphia area. These are real Philly pretzels, not that fake Auntie Anne’s crap. I need to get to Monroeville STAT.

Not too bad. Its a pretzel place that makes decent pretzels. It’s a great deal for the money.

Food was bad, service was bad. After we got home realized simple order was messed up. Phone just rings off hook then tells you to call back during business hours. IT WAS DURING BUSINESS HOURS. They either need more staff or evening manager.
UPDATE:
After speaking with the owner he explained that this is a new store going through normal opening problems. I think he should spend some quality time coaching Karen. She needs to understand that our disposible income could have been spent there. She knew that the owner wanted to win our business and redo the order. She was argumentative and rude when a call to the owner to simply explain we didn’t get the correct order. She proceeded to recommend that we speak to their supplier about the food.
I am sorry to say that we will not be going back.

Good pretzels at a good price! Cheese sauce isn’t very good though.

Don’t let the price fool you, it’s $ 2 for 3 pretzels, so you assume they’re going to be small. The first time I was there, I figured I’d better spend $ 5 for 10 pretzels, since there were two of us. Well, we had pretzels for days.
I wrote a review before that I didn’t like them as much as Auntie Anne’s. Well, I had used to buy them later in the day, and they were decent, but not the greatest. I recently have been working down in Monroeville in the morning, and they open at 7, so I have been getting them for breakfast. They taste so much better in the morning when they are just out of the oven. I can’t get enough of them now.
Plus you can never eat as many as they give you, even if you just buy 3. So I leave the last 1 in the car during the day, and by the end it’s cold and hard, so you get the real philly pretzel experience eating it on the way home. (For those unfamiliar, they sell these pretzels cold and hard on street corners all over Philly).

Bang for yo, Buck!
Nothing crazy different or new age. Just good olé stadium style pretzels. When I say, bang for your buck, 2 can eat for under $ 5.
I’ve been stopping here since it opened. Well, we’ll say 3 weeks tops. I’ve been through there small menu and it’s all pretty good. I mean there pretzels. They are just like the super pretzels you buy frozen at the grocery store, but made fresh. Again, just plain old pretzels. But that is whats nice, no gimmick, no crazy toppings, just good pretzel and salt.
They a couple different dipping options, they make there own mustard’s, and of course cheese.
It;s exactly what you pay for…
Jedi Recommendations:
* Pretzel Dog
* PRETZELS & CHEESE, duh!
STAY AWAY FROM THE PHILLY CHEESE STEAK PRETZEL!
— jedi approved —