Pudge’s Pub is coming to Gloucester City taking over the former Max’s Seafood Cafe location at Burlington and Hudson Streets
The Family behind the original Pudge’s in Pennsylvania are bringing their award-winning cheesesteaks, hoagies, Philly sandwiches and more to the Gloucester City location, while also honoring the historic Max’s Cafe by keeping all of character and charm of the restaurant space… and bringing along with them several of the Max’s classic dishes.
I stopped in today and met with the owners who were in a “deep dive” cleaning effort to prepare Pudge’s Pub for a Tuesday 11:00 a.m. reopening. YES, Pudge’s Pub in Gloucester City will be opening in just a few days on November 18th! They also have a 14-car parking lot caddy-corner from the Pub!
The name Pudge’s comes from the original founder who picked up the nickname as a young child… and today Pudge’s daughter Barbara carries on the family restaurant legacy with the new Gloucester City Pudge’s Pub, along with her husband Mike, son (and Chef) Preston, and business partner Chris.
Mike told me they are so honored and respectful of the Max’s Cafe history within Gloucester City, they are keeping the original signage, floor tiling, bar and more… but fully revamping the menu to bring it back to being more of a local tavern serving incredible tavern food… at local tavern prices.
The building dates back to 1890 and according to Blue Jean Food originally was a shoe store and then in 1912 became a saloon. Seafood became the focus starting in 1977.
Max’s Cafe announced on October 27th that the building was sold and would be closed for a short time as the new owners prepared the space for a new chapter.
Inside, the restaurant carries an old-world charm and design that you just cant recreate today. While I don’t know how old the decor is (including the beautiful wood bar and tiled floor)… guests coming in next week to visit Pudge’s Pub likely won’t notice any real visual changes at all, except for maybe a different computer screen for their updated point-of-sale system.
But as mentioned, you’re going to experience an entirely new menu and price point at Pudge’s Pub.
While the team is still working on finalizing the full menu selection, I was provided a preview look.
Main categories are steak sandwiches, hot sandwiches, hoagies, burgers and salads.. with a nice selection of appetizers including cheese fries, pretzel sticks and chicken wings.
Everything sounds incredible and clearly the star of the show will be their cheesesteaks which back in 2005 won them Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best Cheesesteak in ‘Burbs”.
Hot sandwiches are expected to include chicken parm, hot roast beef, hot pork and more.
It’s nice to see a selection of Hoagies on the pub menu as it’s not something you see all too often,,, Italian, American, turkey, roast beef… it looks like about a dozen varieties!
And for people who loved Max’s Seafood menu, first off Max’s Chef is staying on at Pudge’s Pub so when Barbara and Mike say they are bringing over some of the top menu items from Max’s… you can be assured that their steamed clams, Italian meatballs and more are the actual Max’s Cafe recipe.
Folks following along a 42Freeway know there’s been a lot of restaurant activity in Gloucester City and the immediate surrounding area, particularly in the Cheesesteak category.
Gloucester City is developing what could be called “Cheesesteak Row” with Lilo’s working to take over the Thomas Murphy Pub, and Irishtown steaks opening across the street from Lilo’s…all three located on Burlington Street. Plus the Bank Bar is close, just a few blocks away.
Also just a few minutes from Pudge’s Pub, Angelo’s is working on a new location in West Collingswood, and of course Donkey’s Cheesesteaks is just a couple miles away in Camden.
But for the new Pudge’s Pub I think this is a great move for both the restaurant and the community… as the new menu will likely be more inline with the local community, and draw in more customers and commercial growth for the area.
Links and Location
Pudge’s Pub Gloucester City – Opens Tuesday November 18th34 N Burlington StGloucester City NJ
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