Charlie & Co

Not at all up to Melbourne burger standards. I’d go as far to say it’s one of the worst burgers I’ve had in Melbourne. A cheap tasting, frozen looking greasy party. Cheap dry bun. The thinnest cheese — not melted. What a waste of calories. Made even worse by the fact that there is amazing food in Emporium. And Jimmy Grants was just next door. What a waste of a lunch time treat this was.

That was erm, pretty average. Swanky location and décor but that’s where the good stuff ended but it is a food court I guess. The mustard was the only taste and the pickle did nothing but remind me of McDonalds.
I had the standard cheeseburger and frankly my mother makes better burgers than that but doesn’t charge me $ 12 and want an extra .50c for hot sauce.

Wow… that was bad. Waited over 20 minutes for an overpriced, tasteless burger. Still scratching my head as to how you could make a chicken burger so boring :/
It’s burger places like this that remind me of how awesome Adelaide burger places really are! Charlie & Co. can stay in Melbourne because it sucks.
1 star for the nice lady who served me.

I’d never choose to rate a burger based on what MacDonald’s can do, but when you are eating a 13 buck burger and thinking ‘I reckon McDonalds could do a better job’ then it doesn’t say too much for the establishment.
I got the Double Cheese and Bacon Burger. The bacon was way undercooked as though it was simply steamed. The texture of the burger and bun was missing resulting in a consistency where you don’t know what is floating around in your mouth. Combine that with no standout tastes (even the mustard lacked punch) and you are left with something you don’t want to finish.
Emporium have setup their food court to have places that are mostly a cut above your usual food court food. Unfortunate while Charlie & Co charge the prices one would expect, unfortunately their burgers lack the standard to warrant a return visit.

Overall — meh. It’s food court food. Charging additional for ketchup? Guys, get a grip, your entire menu is burgers and fries. You know that, right?

My girlfriend and I tried Charlie & Co out a little while ago at the rather fancy Emporium shopping centre near Melbourne Central. We’d heard a lot about it, and wanted to see what all the hubub was about. Well…
THE GOOD:
The chips, the dipping sauce and the view. Granted, the view’s less of a Charlie & Co specific feature and more of Emporium, but if you can snag a window table then your dining experience will be all the more sublime.
THE BAD:
Sigh… the burger. Slightly soggy bun (I don’t think it was toasted enough), the patty tasted like they’d just fished it out of the freezer and whacked it on the fryer and reminded me of the kind of patty you’d get from a Macca’s or a Hungry Jack’s burger. I mean, if you’re into those burgers I won’t judge, but they’re just not my jam.
THE UGLY:
The onion rings. They look like death, and probably dish out a bit of death every time you eat them, but you know what? I don’t care, because they are AMAZING, and somewhat make up for the disappointing burger experience.
THE VERDICT:
So we had some awesome chips, some amazing onion rings, and a pretty meh burger. Essentially, go to Charlie & Co. for the ‘& Co.’ experience, and leave Charlie’s burgers out of the equation.