Phillys Steak & Lemonade Inc — Restaurant in Calumet Township

Should I expect more of gary....? I stop at this place often. I navigate thru the crackheads and street hustlers to the restaurant because this is a fuel stop....great hair cuts from local/nyc barber [biggups t]. The food is just better than t.a./pilot only because I'm burnt out on t.a. and pilot. The steak grinders are probably the thing they do best, but u have to catch them on the day they clean the grill. The place is nasty.....I once watched the cook flick a bug/roach away from fry station. I was last there on 6/20/14. The cashier was RUDE and dissrepectful. Her conversation with a local customer that I assume she knew personally was more important than taking my order. Once she did make an attempt to take my order she made it seem as though I was an inconvenience to her. I then tried to pay her which takes less than a minute...she bagged up another order that was ready. I tried to pay again.....same thing....she started bagging another order. So, I sit down N wait (I'm sooo in a hurry)....she tells me that I haven't paid yet....I asked her was she now ready to take my money "THIS TIME, ARE U SURE?" she attempted to give me a lame excuse why she was doing things that way as I watched the grill cook scrape the black grill. ....#disgusting#. I walk back to the counter attempt to pay again....she goes to bag another order...OMFG....really? ur doing it again?? Now I guess she's pissed off with me, refuses to take my order, and now calling me names and threatening me with the police....I walk out. I could call the owner or management, but I see the same thing going on with them. The treatment of the customers is horrible, the place is disgusting, filthy and dirty. The steak grinders are fair, it's not a philly, not great, just fair. One last thing....This is a poor predominantly African American community...am I a big got for wandering why the only people I've ever seen working there are of Hispanic and middle eastern descent? The one star is my overall experience from stopping on several different occasions....it's always dirty...The cashiers are always rude (this is the first time it happened to me personally). Got mad luv for ya gary, but you should expect more..... Hope...

Out of the 5 restaurants I have sampled located nearest to the TA and Pilot truck stops here in Gary, I have to say this restaurant seems to have the a loyal customer base because I came in at an off peak time btwn lunch and dinner at 4pm and there was still 3-4 other customers. So I read the other reviews and I agree that you should expect to get way more than one person can eat alone. The portions here are large enough for 2 people. Also don’t be fooled by the name Philly Steaks and Fresh Lemonade because the menu also offers other types of sandwiches, salads, rice bowls etc etc. So I was in the mood for a robust salad with some type of chicken on it so I ordered the Philly chicken salad which was pretty big and heavy loaded down with plenty of stir fried chicken with onions and mushrooms topped with melted Philly cheese steak style cheese. I’m willing to try odd combination once because you never know, but I stopped coming here because they never have Greek or Italian dressing for the Greek salad. There are so many things to order here which I consider a plus and it’s possible that I just haven’t ordered what this place makes best so stay tuned because I WILL return here and once I hit that sweet spot, I’m open to changing my review to 5 stars when I figure out what is really amazing to order here. For now I’m still giving them a pretty good review because out the 5 local restaurants this place offers the best bang for your buck and the strongest customer loyalty. 10/23/25 - I return at lunch time hoping to try the Greek salad because I wasn’t too happy with the Philly Cheese Steak salad I ordered yesterday. They told me they didn’t have Greek or Italian salad dressing and they didn’t even have simple vinegar and oil for the Greek salad. That is 2 days in a row so I have to lower my rating. How can you offer Greek salad with no Greek dressing? Also I tried ordering the pork chop sandwich but they were all out. So I cancelled my order kinda disappointed because I wanted to see if they had something amazing enough to increase the rating I gave them but instead I unfortunately have...

Alright, this is a love letter to Philly's Steak and Lemonade Inc in Gary, IN. When I first started my career in long haul truckin', my mentor took me here. A memory I will cherish forever. This place is a blessing, a beacon of meaty light at the end of the I-80 EB corridor through Southside Chicago.

For the price, you aren't gonna get any better, in terms of portion, flavor, service, you name it. I almost always get the buffalo chicken Philly, but you can't go wrong. I only get the sandwich a la carte because it is SO MUCH food. It's also open later than anything nearby, so if you get stuck driving through the congestion at snails pace, you'll probably still be able to get your fix. After all, you'll be hangry after sitting in hours of traffic created by the endless road work zones and inevitable accident scene.

My only gripe is the atmosphere. While it's fine, they put up big ol' stickers on the wall, covering up some really charming artwork they had up before, maybe 3 or so years ago. So it's just alright now, knocked it down a star. Oh and I wouldn't recommend their restroom. Use the truck stop(s) across the street.

In conclusion? Eat here. Give these people your business. Waddle your land whale booty out of that cab and across the street to this establishment and eat their delicious food, maybe even make small talk. You will not be...