Chargrill Charlie’s

I loved the food here and the concept of the place. I had a range of delicious food, from the Thai chicken to the varied vege dishes. They have so much to chose from.

Just thinking about Chookas chicken chips is enough to start me drooling. I have such fond memories of eating here when I was younger. The chips are hot, addictive and covered in chicken salt, just the way I like it. The service is friendly and the food is always fresh. And although I don’t come out this far any longer, I would still probably drive to Wahroonga just to visit Charlie’s.

Chargrill Charlies is located in central Wahroonga and attracts many locals because of its chicken, fresh salads and chicken chips. The staff are very friendly and super efficient. There’s no waiting around for what you order. The shop is a favourite for many locals and offers quick meals on-​the-​go. There is a large range of salads and other vegetable mixes. Everything is very fresh and well displayed. Would have liked for there to be some coleslaw– this is standard in most chicken shops. The shop is a little cramped inside in terms of seating (a bar type setting) but there are tables and chairs outside.

Chargrill Charlie’s is more than a Wahroonga staple; it’s practically part of the family. From the gaggle of parents picking up chickens and salads for dinner, or school kids loitering over chips and burgers after school, and the queues out the door that build up every weekend — this chicken shop feels like the lifeblood of the time poor/​gourmet rather than fast food community.
My generation knows the shop as ‘Chookas’ — which I think comes from a previous owner — but regardless, the name has stuck. Growing up is a blur of chicken rolls (doused in mayo), which eventually graduated into quarter pieces of chicken (the leg, of course) and hot chips. Then came the meatball and rice days of late adolescence (when chicken, it seems, just wouldn’t cut it), followed by the chicken and salad days that claim my present.
There’s plenty of other things to try — the lasagne servings are HUGE and very tasty, as are the assortment of curries and stirfries that rotate with the weeks. So if Chookas is part of the family, it’s definitely more than cupboard love.