Clank's Bar and Pizza

326 Market St.
Marcus Hook, PA 19061
(610) 494-9770

Couple of facts about Marcus Hook (thank you Wikipedia): named "Marrites Hoeck" after the Dutch conquered the area in 1655; officially incorporated as a borough in 1892; oil refineries are dominant industry; the lowest point in the state of Pennsylvania is located on the Delaware River in Marcus Hook. Also, it's Delco.

Unless you hit the gas trying to flee Chester before you get shot/robbed/worse, you probably have never been there. There is a light in the dark for residents, however, in the form of Clank's.

Once you get in, you may not be able to find your way back out, due to a combination of beer, overeating and camouflaged door.

Clank's, as you can probably imagine, is old school. Another warning, it is a smoking establishment. This is usually a nonstarter for me – but it wasn't too bad due to some well positioned ventilation apparatus.

This place is as blue-collar as they come. Nothing fancy, nothing healthy, but a rib sticking, hearty meal that will not break the bank. Square pies, chicken wings that resemble turkey legs from the Renaissance Faire in size, and cheap domestics.

The whole wings were much bigger than usual, but luckily they were fried extremely crispy. I am also usually not a fan of whole wings, but these were pretty good. Sauce on the side led to a slop fest of schmaltz, crackling skin, and hot sauce.

The square pies (only kind served there) were huge. Much thicker than a traditional DelCo square pie, I was worried these would stuff me after only two or three slices, but it ended up being lighter than it looked.

The pepperoni added a nice spicy grease, and the crust was comparatively fluffy inside and crunchy outside for how thick it looked. It's amazing that sheet pan pizza is even a thing, and even more amazing that it's pretty damn good.

It probably has something to do with the age-old oil on the pan adding seasoning and increasing the browning characteristics.

As if there was not enough food consumed at this point, the previously forgotten cheesesteak stromboli came out. This thing was almost laughable at how big it was. It was also possibly my favorite item of the trip. The meat was well chopped, the cheese added a nice creaminess, and the portion was fit for a fatso like myself.

My only complaint would probably be that the dough could have used a touch longer in the oven or an egg wash to really give it that golden brown visual. Overall though it was mighty tasty.

I wouldn't say you should leave wherever you are and rush to Clank's this moment, but if you find yourself down that way, you could do much worse than a square pie and a 'boli.