Cheap Eats - Stone Mountain, Philly style

Rap plays in the background and cooks shuffle back and forth to the beat. The aroma of caramelizing onions and beef grilling in butter is thick in the air at Weeyums Philly Style, a small diner cart on Stone Mountain’s Main Street.

Say Cheese: Served in the classic Philadelphia way (albeit without the Cheez Whiz), the “steaks” are made of paper-thin sliced top round, flash grilled and stuffed generously into long, thick, fluffy-but-flaky hoagie rolls. All are served with onions and lots of mayo unless otherwise requested. Additional items such as bell, banana, sweet, cherry or “hell” peppers and grilled mushrooms are available at the asking. Provolone cheese, grill juices and reduction bits marry bread and meat into an unexpected mixture of gooey and crumbly, oozy and crunchy.

There’s a chicken steak and even a veggie version. To truly experience the mother lode, try the Weeyums special steak ($8.25). This monster is large enough to feed a small family and promises a food coma to boot. The extra beef is topped with mushrooms, peppers, special tomato-based sauce, piles of provolone, pepperoni and olives. Not for the faint of heart.

Eating good in the ‘hood: Beware, Weeyums has no real dining area per se, just chairs where customers take in the intoxicating scene while waiting for their orders. Obviously the proprietors of the family-owned business know what a majestic mess their product is. Call ahead if in a hurry but if not, grab a grape Fanta from the cooler and sit and take in the scene. Pictures of Martin Luther King Jr., photos of the Philadelphia skyline, basketball trophies and posters of rappers give Weeyums a warm feel. A small counter with piles of area business cards promotes a sense of community bonding. There’s obviously a throng of regular customers who add to the neighborhood air and flare.

Winging it: Along with the cheesesteaks, Weeyums excels with its wings. Order a dozen ($5.25) and expect much more than an appetizer. The dinosaur drumettes are best covered in homemade BBQ sauce. Though a homemade dressing might be a better presentation than the prepackaged blue cheese, there is little to complain about here.

Also worth trying are the strombolis – stuffed pizza crusts available when the oven is working. The fried mushrooms and onion rings are all lightly fried in a beer batter that seals in the natural juices of the vegetables. It almost feels healthy, if just for a moment. Maybe not, but then again, there’s something to be said about feeding the soul. Hot damn!