McNally’s Tavern

First off, this place is so overrated. It’s a small crowded place with no waiting area really. Walked in and it’s dark. They didn’t have a greeter or hostess which was fine. We finally tracked down a waitress and gave her our name. Waited for 25 minutes for a table at 1:30pm on a Saturday. We both ordered their famous sandwich «The Schmitter» $ 10. The sandwich was sliced beef with extra cheese, fried onions, tomato, grilled salami and Schmitter sauce on a flash-​broiled Kaiser roll. The salami tasted like ham instead of ham. The beef was overcooked. The Schmitter sauce tasted and looked like Thousand Island dressing. The side of peppers we requested were much needed to give the sandwich flavors. We had Cole slaw instead of chips. Cole slaw was way too watery and we had to leave it on the plate.

In town on vacation, we stopped in here for lunch after visiting the Woodmere museum, which is a gem of a place. Started with the famous Schmitter sandwich was life altering. Paired that with the crab cake special and my hubs and I were in heaven. Great beer selection. Did I mention the chocolate cake? Worth every calorie. Home made and delicious. I usually am the type to have a bite and be satisfied, this cake ended that nonsense. Our server was the owner. Sweet, warm and welcoming. The host was great as well. Definitely Go!

Order the Schmitter! Awesome little pub in Chestnut Hill. I have been coming here since the 90’s. The staff is very efficient and friendly, and the food is always hot and fresh. Example: The turkey in their turkey chili and sandwiches is made fresh on-​site (you can occasionally watch them pulling a huge turkey out of the oven. You can drink a cold beverage and watch sports or watch the chefs quickly fill endless orders for good sandwiches and soups. If there is a wait for a table, the line usually moves quickly.

Schmitter is always delicious and the beer selection has drastically improved over the years. It’s small, somewhat divey, but charming in its own way.

Really, really good eating. I eat out a lot and this is the best pub food I’ve had. They are able to compete with other restaurants without relying on a fryer too. The key is top quality ingredients. Excellent ham and roast beef, fresh tomatoes, non-​greasy ground beef, creamy mashed potatoes etc. etc. They have a small main menu and 3 specials which are always good. The Schmitter is as good as advertised. I like the Tobias even better.
The beer menu is small, but good.

Delicious. My buddy got the Unilocal recommended Dickens and I got the daily special Shepard’s pie. My pie had great flavor. The cranberry on the dickens surprised me. Both very tasty. Plus, I sat across from the grill and every sandwich going out looked great — might try the roast beef next stop in.

Wanted to get a bomb meal after watching first showing of Star Wars at king of Prussia IMAX. Fellow Unilocalers didn’t let me down. This place is awesome. A couple of us got the chicken cheesesteak, couple got the schmitter and one got the Tobais. All sandwiches were amazing. We also tried both their soups Vermont cheddar and turkey chili. Both Also amazing. Got a slice of choc cake to go. The service was also very friendly and home like. Would def recommend. Didn’t try any beers on tap but they have a few locally brewed ones. Def go here!

Great little place! My first time here and it was a wonderful experience. The bartender, waitresses and hostess were all incredibly friendly and service was great. One of the best martinis made for me. The food is simple and good. They even have a great vegetarian sandwich for veg heads like me! I love the feeling of being in someone’s home when you go downstairs to the restrooms. Hahaha Good times!

Used to love the Schmitter but the one I had was so salty it was like eating a salt lick. Great flavor and sandwich but way too salty. Overall the sandwiches are very good with fresh ingredients. Don’t ask for any changes though. The waitress gave us an outright «No» to have something else on the side saying «the chef doesn’t like any changes and we want to keep him.» I would have thought customers come first.

Favorite little restaurant. Great people who work here. The owners are kind and friendly to everyone.

It’s a trek and a half to get here to try the famous «Schmitter». But I was glad I made it. I didn’t want the generic version of the sandwich they serve at Philadelphia sporting events, I wanted the real deal. The «Schmitter» is a frankenstein of a sandwich cranked out of a tiny kitchen that contains Sliced beef, grilled salami, fried onions, extra cheese, a deliciously decadent sauce fittingly called Schmitter sauce, a tomato (much needed to scale back some of the richness) all on a perfect kaiser roll. The bartender was great, overly enthusiastic on a slow Monday and took extra pride in his job. The bar seems to be very proud, and right fully so, about being one of the first smoke free bars in Philly. The bar itself is something to behold. It’s old, the inside carries over the vintage look from the building and cobble stone street outside, and has a small intimate feel. If your a Guinness snob, there’s is upper class. Interesting when you go to the bathroom in the basement you pass through their storage unit unguarded (they just trust everybody as far as I can guess).

I don’t even order the Schmitter, but this place gets top marks from me. The food is delicious (I go chicken cheesesteak) — they mostly only do sandwiches, and do them well, on a no-​nonsense griddle that you can see and smell shortly after walking in. Mmmmmmmmmm. The beer selection is great and everyone who works here is just lovely and welcoming. The divey ambiance and lighting situation wouldn’t be out of place with the likes of Oscars. When I inevitably get too stir crazy to hide in the house during the upcoming winter, McNally’s seems like the right place to trudge to for some warm food and good company (also beer. There has to be beer.).

This is the kind of place to visit if you’re in the mood for a great sandwich and beer in a small, cozy, very casual bar environment.
Upon walking inside, there are about 5 – 6 tables to the right fairly close together and the bar is on the left. We sat at the bar on the far end by the kitchen, so you could see them prepare and make all dishes (they were the only seats open at 10pm on a Saturday night).
The menu has a large variety of interesting sandwiches and burgers, but that’s it, so if you’re craving anything else, this isn’t the place for you. They only had one burger left by the time we ordered, so my fiancé got the burger, and I got the BLT to split. Both were delicious and served with house chips.
My favorite part was the Cosmo that I ordered. They mixed my Cosmo in a large drinking glass then provided me with a martini glass to the side to pour my own drink. I was able to get 3 full martini glasses worth of Cosmo from what they mixed, and it was only $ 9 for the one order! It was yummy, strong, and you can’t beat the price for what you receive!
The restrooms are downstairs in the basement, and the steps are very steep to walk down, so just a FYI in case this will be an issue for you. You can ask if they have an elevator, but I didn’t see one.
We enjoyed trying a new adventure here, and everything was good, but will continue to visit others new places as well.

So I’ve heard rumors about the Original «Schmidter“for years and today was finally the day I got to eat one. All I can say is «WOW!» This sandwich and this bar more than lived up to its reputation.
I must mention that the service was great as well. A few buddies and I sat at the bar and enjoyed our casual conversation with the bartender.

Right before I was leaving to move back to the East coast, a friend in SF told me about this place. She said that I had to try The Schmitter. It only took me 2−½ years, but I finally got to try one :)
First off, you just have to love the area. Super cute shops, delicious restaurants, easy parking and this awesome local bar. As we walked in you kind of felt at home and comfortable. Pretty small bar, with a couple of tables, and not a ton of sunlight coming in. Everyone in there seemed to know everyone else. We were the two out-​of-​towners, but they were friendly enough.
Great beer selection. Easy menu with not a whole lot of fuss. The Schmitter was well worth the wait. It was huge and drippy with delicious sauce, mouth watering grilled meats & onions. it seriously was just a fantastic sando.

This neighborhood tavern packs a powerful punch! After my bf had been telling me about the Shcmitter sandwich we went here and were thoroughly pleased. The Schmitter is a different take to the Philly cheese steak. The meat was juicy and full of flavor. The sandwich had sliced steak, salami, onions, cheese and special sauce (reminded me of Russian dressing) on a kaiser roll. Service was great and staff was accommodating. You could tell that this place is frequented by locals and regulars for the wait staff knew many patrons by name.
If you want to try a different version of the cheese steak then you MUST try the Schmitter. I was so full after eating this sandwich, I thought I would have to get rolled out of the place :).

I had my schmitter baptism the other day, and I’m now a true believer! Praise the Lord! If you are a sandwich person (you know the type that always want to talk about new and crazy sandwich ideas), then you must try the schmitter while you’re in Philly. It’s like a weird but strangely satisfying marriage of a cheesesteak, hoagie, and a Reuben. Don’t ask me how it works, but it does!
I felt like the sandwich size was just right too. Big enough to fill up a hungry gentleman like myself, but not so huge that it was a struggle to eat or induced a food coma. That said, they have a double-​sized version of it that I’m confident I could take down if in the right state of debauchery.
Ambience and service were pretty great. It’s a small, no-​frills Irish bar on the interior and easy to miss on the outside of you aren’t looking for it. I may eventually up my rating to a five, but first I have to return and try some of the other menu items. Looking forward to ordering the homemade soup and diving into the craft beer rotation in the future!

McNally’s is a gem that is not so hidden anymore. Tucked away in Chestnut Hill, a family run business that has become famous for «The Schmitter.» My favorite sandwich is «The Dickens,» which is Thanksgiving dinner in a roll. I get extra Cranberry sauce to make it perfect!
Everything is Homemade. The soups and deserts are excellent.
If you are making your way on Germantown avenue through Chestnut Hill, it is worth the time to stop in.

Neighborhood bar that is home to the Schmitter Sandwhich, which is awesome. Good drinks as well, but the Schmitter is the star along with variations on the Schmitter like the Tobias. Coming here reminds me of the show Cheers because it seems everyone knows each other at McNallys. Now the regular cheesesteak being served on a kaiser roll is what keeps this place from being 5 stars. You just can’t do something like that here in Philly!

I’ve had the Schmitter and it was flat-​out awesome. McNally’s is one of those cozy, welcoming nooks you luck up and find and then you discover that it’s a neighborhood gem that the locals are kind enough to let you in on. Service is always pleasant.
I’m giving 3 stars because I didn’t order another Schmitter; I ordered an Italian hoagie and in the bygone words of Idols of old, «It was just aight for me dawg.» Sure I got $ 11 worth of deli meat and a gargantuan roll but in the words of Hathaway & Flack, «Where is the love?»
The meats had no flavor apart from the overpowering pepperoni, which tasted a lot like the vacuum-​sealed pepperoni from one of those holiday gift baskets that you don’t open til, say, three months after Christmas. Like. A whole lot. A-​bleck. The oil and vinegar plus mayo I usually get on hoagies marry each other, melding together to bless all the sammich’s other accoutrements in semi-​sloppy, juicy succulent bliss. This OVMayo came together like those estranged parents of Lady Rose on Downton Abbey. They barely tolerated each other and left all the Italian meats, wan provolone cheese, onions, lettuce and tomato feeling awkward and standoff-​ish. The behemoth roll left everything open faced, more like a grinder that I did not order.
3 stars because I feel this particular hoagie is a step-​child on an otherwise beloved, tasty menu.

Very nice experience. Nice, warm and comfortable setting. Family operated feel. Food is delicious. Almost like you’re over your best friends house.
I had the «Dickens» it was a traditional Thanksgiving dinner within a sandwich. Absolutely yummy! I also recommend the Caesar salad with grilled chicken. They put a lot of very good quality chicken breast on it. Enough for two!
Overall a great dinning experience will come back again.

THE SCHMITTY. Although the portions seem small, the flavor is BIG. My only complaint was that there was too much secret sauce, but otherwise, delicious. Especially with the slaw side.
Strong drinks too. Had an Irish coffee to warm up from the cold walk in and was definitely feeling good by the time we sat down.
Small space, but we were able to get a corner table in the back and have relatively good privacy and even good service. Takes card. Parking is kind of hard to find in the area, but the neighborhood is cute!