Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe

A Boston staple! Great breakfast spot. The new owner greets you most mornings and the staff is enthusiastic and friendly.
My wife and I always sit at the counter, and always split an order of the turkey hash and the raspberry griddle cakes. The turkey hash is hands down the best hash I have ever had.

I want to like Charlie’s, I really do. I’m a sucker for history and love small, family-​owned businesses (or ones that started that way). We tried this place when they reopened earlier this year and were less-​than-​impressed, but we chalked it up to hiccups due to opening again. We decided to give them another chance and unfortunately, had a similar experience.
Charlie’s is a small diner with an old-​time feel. The menu is pretty straightforward — eggs, meat, potatoes, toast — with some options for french toast and griddle cakes mixed in there. We’ve tried a few things in our two visits to Charlie’s and the best way to describe our reaction is: «meh.» It’s fine, but that’s pretty much it. It’s neither good nor bad. Another litmus test? I found myself reaching for the hot sauce more than normal.
The service is okay, the venue is interesting enough, but it’s just not cheap enough to warrant me coming back.
A word to the wise: the place is cash only.

New ownership. Stella bought the place. Did a nice job with the renovation. Staff was very friendly. I had the Chicken salad sandwich. Which was dry, desperately needed more mayo. Stella café had such a nice Chicken Salad Special With Cranberries. Why did Evan the owner not carry this over to his newest spot ?
I have yet to try breakfast under the new ownership but plan to. Worth another try.
and like the rest of the Unilocalers on here, cash only In 2016 is Ridiculous!

Got here bright and early at 7:30 on a Wednesday morning, where it was already decently packed (no trouble finding seats though). Atmosphere is great, the waitresses are extremely nice and welcoming, and the food doesn’t take too long to come out. I got the turkey hash and eggs, a side of home fries, and a cup of coffee. Not sure what I was expecting with the hash, but it wasn’t anything to write home about, kind of mediocre. Eggs and home fries were fine, and the waitress was great with refilling our coffees and just being attentive. Prices were a bit much for diner food though. If I came back to the area, this wouldn’t be my first option for breakfast.

Nice-​and-​cozy, popular little diner. I suppose I can respect them for their honesty, in coming right out to tell you they can’t estimate the wait, expressing that some people eat faster than others (true.). It was busy for breakfast; however, our approximately-​20-​minute wait was acceptable. The tables are pretty tightly positioned; some are made to be communal seating.
My Broccoli & Cheese Omelet arrived impressively nice-​and-​hot! The potatoes were tender and tasty, and the small accompanying salad was a refreshing and unexpected side.
The service at neighboring tables appeared pleasant; lucky us… our server lacked friendliness, personality, and attentiveness. Once realizing that every table had water served in glasses filled with ice, while our server directed us to the back of the restaurant, to serve ourselves, in paper cups (without the option for ice), admittedly left a bad impression.
They are open daily 7:00 A.M. — 3:00 P.M., and heads-​up… cash only.

Charlie’s is in a great spot with great food and service.
The reason for only three stars is because I personally feel some items on the menu are a tad bit overpriced.
The food come in large portions but there are other brunch spots that are a bit cheaper.
Other than that, I’ve tried their steak and eggs, mushroom omelette, cranberry griddles (their version of pancakes), and ham and cheese omelette.
Their steak– let’s just say I wouldn’t get it again. But I DO have to admit that their eggs are on POINT!
Anything they make with eggs are awesome! They melt it with cheese inside. I would recommend their omelettes for sure.
One thing to note is that their menu isn’t too large either– so you might not find what you’re entirely looking for in a brunch spot.
Their griddles are massive but they’re good. You’d definitely want to share those– otherwise you’ll be full really quickly.
Other than that, décor is great. They have history! Service is also good.
Would go back and recommend if in the area.
Thanks for reading!

This place is a SUPER solid classic diner. When we arrived we were greeted by the new owner, who was super cool and also owns Stella, another restaurant. He was acting as the host and managed the line, was really friendly and welcoming. Wait was a quick 5 minutes.
Going into the diner is a walk back in time! We ended up sharing a long table with a few other groups, which I wasn’t expecting, but ended up being really great. One of the groups had been coming to Charlie’s for 20 years!
Got service right away, and turns out the waitress had been there for 47 years! Her family owned the diner after Charlie passed away in the 50’s. She was really attentive and shared snippets of the diner’s history throughout the meal.
We ordered and BOOM, 5 minutes later, there was our food. Got the turkey hash and broccoli and cheese omelette. Both really good — poached eggs were PERFECT, everything was piping hot and really flavorful. Definitely diner food, but not diner food where you feel internally greasy afterwards :)
For the price, food, and history, this place is a winner!

After getting lost in the marathon monday crowd and trying to find some place to eat we ended up a block form our house at charlie’s sandwich shoppe. Ever since we moved in a year ago I wanted to try Charlie’s and I patiently waited for them to reopen. Let me tell you, they are worth the wait!
We got a philly cheese steak sub which was one of the best I ever had. It had big chunks of steak (I prefer shaved but this steak was so delicious I didn’t mind) and was so cheesy! It came with potato chips, which must have been made there because they tasted like no potato chip I’ve ever eaten out of a bag!
We also got a burger, which was fair. It was big and juicy but lacking in flavor, it has real potential though. The fries were good, seasoned well and not overcooked.
We didn’t get anything from the breakfast menu though everything around us looked wonderful. I will definitely try them for breakfast soon!
They are cash only, so come prepared.

Food: 3.5÷5.0
Service: 2.5÷5.0
Value: 3.0÷5.0
Décor: 3.0÷5.0
Overall: 3.5÷5.0
Good breakfast/​brunch spot mostly doing the basics. The omelette looked mediocre and I was [surprisingly] so so on the turkey hash, but the griddle cakes were absolute bomb. Value is pretty good. I’d camp here on slow days off if I lived in the neighborhood.

My family and I were here for the Boston Marathon and looking for a reasonably-​priced breakfast spot off the beaten path. Charlie’s did not disappoint! The service was prompt and friendly and the food delicious — the raspberry pancakes especially! Highly recommend.

After trying out the reopened spot for breakfast and being underwhelmed, my friend and I decided to give lunch a try.
For lunch, we decided to split an order of the reuben and the chicken salad sandwich – both with sides of cole slaw.
The chicken salad sandwich was actually very refreshing and tasty and paired well with the dark rye bread. The reuben also had great flavor and was very satisfying, with all of the meat and cheese and sauerkraut coming together for a nice bite. The chips that it came with were also pretty great and the cole slaw was decent as well.
Overall, the food here for lunch seems to be very good – though a bit on the smaller side. Definitely a place worth checking out for lunch if you are in the area.

GREAT pub with fresh seafood, local ingredients, & great flavor! I love places that do a modern take on something! This pub has a full menu of fraught beers & cocktails. The food menu has something for everyone. And the appetizers are enough for a meal. Go in & enjoy this place!

I stopped in here for a late breakfast, and left extremely disappointed. I sat at the bar, and ordered a Western Omelette and a coffee. The coffee came first, and set a bad tone for the rest of the meal — it tasted stale, like it’d been in its carafe for far too long.
I’m pretty sure my face visibly fell when I saw the omelette placed in front of me. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by other restaurants, but this thing was puny. Smaller than my hand. Digging in, the egg was very soft, falling apart as I tried to get a piece with all the ingredients on my fork. The tiny ham, onion, and pepper pieces simply collected in a pool on the plate as the omelette fell apart before me.
Moving on to the hash browns, the trend kept going downwards. The potatoes were almost brittle, like a bad french fry, and the outsides were thoroughly burnt. In spite of that, I would say they were better than the omelette.
Caesar salad was served with the dish as well, and that was just weird to me. I tried it, was unimpressed, and left it on the plate.
The toast was run-​of-​the-​mill wheat, thoroughly soaked in butter; not much to be said there.
I paid $ 10.55 for the omelette and $ 2.25 for the cup of coffee, both of which were massively overpriced for the quality.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is enjoyable, with artwork and pictures hanging and a clear view of the kitchen area. It seemed bustling and friendly (the staff were very nice!). However, the food quality just wasn’t there, and I won’t be coming back.

Charlie’s, it’s 2016, please accept credit cards. I know the credit-​card companies are jerks to small businesses like you, but still. You don’t like paying the 2.5% or so? Well, I don’t like using your ATM and paying the «service fee» your machine tacks on which could easily be more than 2.5%, depending on how money I take out.
Other than that admitted quibble, your omelet (and sides) were freaking delicious, and it’s good to have you back in the neighborhood! Also your staff was lovely: friendly and efficient.

CASH ONLY!!!
Saw this on Chronicle this weekend (3÷5−3÷6). Googled it and decided to stop for lunch.
They claimed their Pastrami sandwich is the best and I am not one to turn down a good pastrami sandwich. NOTE: THE MENU PRICES ON GOOGLE ARE WRONG.
Got there around 11:30 am and the crowd was not bad. One table open and a few seats at the bar. Ordered a hot pastrami for $ 8 and change, sides are extra, but they give you some home made potato chips. A order was also place for the fish sandwich… again $ 8 and change.
Quick service at the bar and as I was watching through out this tiny establishment, they had quick service at the tables as well. Waitresses were very well kept (no ratty fingernails, hair back, clean attire) and hustled and here is the key… they worked together to get the job done.
Pastrami sandwich came quick. I was expecting something similar to the picture that I am attaching. Hmmm… not exactly. The pastrami comes with swiss cheese and cole slaw on the pastrami (yum). Mustard was only a reach away, grabbed it and opened the sandwich to apply. Wait, where it the cole slaw? A teaspoon of cole slaw IF that. What are you gonna do?! The pastrami was good, but how hard it is to cook pastrami. The portion on the sandwich was okay, but then again, nothing like the sandwich pictured on Chronicle.
The fish sandwich was actually a deep fried frozen fish fillet. Tasty, but worth the $$$, not exactly.
Chips are chips and with a little salt were fine. Fries would have probably been the better option, but did not want to pay for a side when I was already paying $ 8 and change for the sandwich. I could have gotten a whole sub for the same price in South Boston.
Parking was not a problem and I was able to find a spot right out front. I guess I could say I got lucky in that category.
So what do I really think? Clean place, cute waitresses, quick service, delicious food, but overpriced. I am sure they are paying a shit-​load for rent so the prices have to be high, so instead of $ 8.25 for the pastrami sandwich and fish sandwich, make it $ 8.50 and throw on twenty-​five cents worth of fries and don’t skimp on the cole slaw.
Not sure if I would go back, but I hear the turkey hash is their specialty and my stomach is growling just thinking of it.

I have read for years about Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe, but had never gone there. I finally went today and it was as good as the reviews said it was! The place is really cute, with lots of pictures of people who have been there, as well as the current and past owners. Obama even stopped there for a burger a few years ago!
The food was great. I had the blueberry griddle cakes, and there were tons of blueberries in them. My friend had oatmeal with cranberries, and he said it was really good. Everyone’s toast came lightly pre-​buttered, which they liked, but there were also little dishes of butter so you could have as much as you wanted. Real butter. And there were salt and pepper shakers out. I have a thing about these new restaurant trends I have been seeing of not having salt shakers on the table, and serving toast dry without even offering butter!
Our waitress was very nice, in fact very everyone was quite friendly. There is a restroom. They are cash only.
I definitely recommend ! Best to get there early before the line starts. My friends and I got there at 8:00 this morning (Sunday) and sat right down. There was a short line by the time we left.
Also, the prices are very reasonable. It only cost just over $ 30 for all three of us.
Diner heaven!

Thank You Chronicle!!! Because of you we found a new place to get breakfast… They just reopened BTW, Thank You God!!!
Location: is really nice, though you can’t park at the side it was fairly easily to find parking on Columbus Ave. I probably wouldn’t have gone in if I was just walking past but they say the best things come in small packages. Their decoration was simple but cute I love their tiles and the mason jar lights I am a totally Mason Jar Fan because you can do so much. OMG I usually use restaurants bathrooms it’s like a thing with me so I get to really see how clean the restaurant is. The passed.
Service: Their service was amazing and very friendly I could tell they treat their regulars well. Cayla was or server and she was a sweet spirit and on top of everything but not overwhelming. I have a thug when restaurants tell me I can’t substitute things well they let you do all that which I think they should.
Food: I got the Steak and Cheese Omelet with Spinach and Griddle Cakes with potatoes. The Potatoes were amazing like nice cooked. The eggs were made out of real eggs which is a A+++++ the pancakes were mediocre not as fluffy I would like them to be but hey that’s the Griddle part of it. They only thing I wish they could change is the fried chicken because they should definitely have wings or such for fried chicken. Oh and the way the salad was. Mixed greens should be used or even a spinach salad with be nice with the chickpeas and celery.
I will be back!!!
BTW: CASH ONLY!!! Though they have a ATM inside!!!

I was distraught when they originally closed down, and am ecstatic that they re-​opened. It doesn’t have the same feel to it, since the staff is totally changed, so some of the old charm has been lost. The good news is the blueberry pancakes are seemingly the exact same, which is fantastic. The iced coffee, however, was not. That being said, these are my favorite pancakes around — so I am more than thankful for their resurrection; welcome back!
(Side note — this is not a «brunch» place. You and your silly girlfriends don’t come here for mimosas after a long night out at «Cure» or «Splash». This is a typical old-​school diner that just so happens to be tucked into the South End. This is not Paramount, or Tremont647, etc… This is no frills eggs, hash, turkey sandwiches, pancakes — don’t make it out to be something its not; its wonderful enough as is.)
Tip — Cash only, as per usual.

After thinking long and hard, we decided to give this place a 1.
Adam and I were really looking forward to trying a new brunch place.
The hostile customer service started when we attempted to open the door. Unaware that they had to write our names down on a waiting list, which is fine, but they had no problem having us wait outside in the 10 degree weather while the greeter was busy socializing.
We were waiting for our third friend to join us, when we were already being escorted inside to share a table for four, with two people that had come after us.
Reiterating that we had one more person coming, the greeter left the two people alone at the big table and we found ourselves sitting at the end of a table already occupied by an entire family. It just seemed strange.
We ordered a tea and a coffee, waiting for our third party.
Adam had a question about the egg salad sandwich. The waitress didn’t know, and referred him to the woman at the register.
It was then that Adam noticed the incredibly small sign saying, «Cash Only» on the register.
There had been no sign outside (although they insisted there was)
– we would have noticed while we were waiting to go inside.
Being aware that we had no cash, and that the ATM fee was not worth it; we realized that between the customer service and overall environment of the shoppe, we paid for the coffee & tea with the little cash we had on us, and left.
Although the food looked appetizing, and portions were fair, we went to our go-​to place.

So happy Charlie’s has re-​opened!!! Had our second breakfast there since the re-​open and it was delicious. Their pancakes can’t be beat and their turkey hash is my husband’s favorite. Service is great, love having them back in the neighborhood!

Amazzzzing place! Awesome food, friendliest staff ever and great atmosphere. Sandwiches and breakfast food all rocked. Added bonus was a fresh made potato salad with BACON in it. We were a bigger group of 7 and got there at 1 on a Saturday– only a 10 minute wait. Woohoo! Definitely coming back!

We are visiting from out of town and decided to come to Charlie’s for breakfast this morning. The restaurant was crowded and there was a bit of a wait. It wasn’t until we were seated and received our food that we understood why. The food we ordered was phenomenal, and you get a lot of it. It was very cool to see your food being made in front of you, and the whole restaurant had a cool, old-​fashioned vibe to it. The waiters that helped us out were very nice and friendly, and they seemed to really enjoy working there. The prices were fair and we left full, happy, and smiling!

I first went to the original Charley’s in 1980. Great breakfasts and atmosphere. Best home fries ever. The reopening is so good that it’s blasphemous to say it– the potatoes are better.
You cannot beat this redo-they’ve done a wonderful job.

What to expect: A line out the door. (But line moves fast, we waited less than 10 minutes). Cash only. No restrooms (??). Huge portions. Slightly greasy, but very tasty diner classics.
What I’m still dreaming about: Banana nut griddle cakes (covered with cranberry compote). Crispy turkey hash with over easy eggs.
Skip this: Nice clothes (anything dressier than a t-​shirt and jeans is overkill). A date or conversation with an old friend — loud/​tiny + communal tables = not good for having a conversation. Also, your food appears within minutes of ordering, meaning this meal will last under 30 minutes.
Would I go back?: Charlie’s is the perfect solution to a hangover, but not a good choice if you don’t feel like spending the rest of your day in a food coma.

Not the best. I really wanted to like this place but the food was about 3 star worthy and the service was a one.
I WOULD go back for lunch because I really wanted a sandwich but maybe next time Charlie’s. Do more.
PS it’s cash only.

Good diner

After being closed since 2014, Charlie’s finally reopened this morning! They’re currently only doing breakfast but it was as good as I remember from before. I think today was meant to be a soft opening but once the news spread of the opening it was very busy, and unfortunately it was difficult for everyone to keep up. However, the new owner let us know about the delays as soon as we arrived and informed us that if we were willing to be patient, breakfast was on the house (for us and everyone else in the restaurant). I thought that was a great gesture for a tough reopening and I look forward to when this place gets back to where it used to be. The turkey hash was still great this morning!

Charlie’s reopened this morning, and it promises to be as good this time around as it was the last. There are some kinks to work out– this seemed more like a soft opening– but the atmosphere was great, the food delicious, and the service friendly. I especially enjoyed the carry-​over of the family dynamic, with the Deluty family helping out behind the counter. A wonderful re-​addition to the South End.

‘The dream is over’ John Lennon
Good luck and thanks for everything.

Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe was the bee’s knees. So sad to hear you have closed. Thanks for many delicious breakfasts, hosting Nancy’s baby shower and never passing judgement.
Especially that time I got locked out of my apartment and came in wearing nothing but a shower curtain and boots. No one even batted an eye. Fond memories, fond memories.
Signed,
Your former neighbor from Anchovies and Pembroke Street

Come prepared with the intentions to take a nap afterwards!
Came here with a lady friend on a Saturday morning while visiting Boston. It was walking distance from our hotel and had great reviews, so why not?!
It was a little difficult for us to make it there before 1 pm (that’s when they close on Saturday’s apparently). This place is very narrow/​tiny. You have to wait outside to be seated, luckily it was really nice out that morning. You also have to share tables… didn’t bother us any but if you’re not into that you might want to avoid this place because being seated at the counter might prove difficult.
My friend and I split and order of their «award-​winning» turkey hash. It was definitely worthy of some awards! It was great, but personally, I added a hint of salt and pepper. We wanted to split it as a side because we both wanted different kinds of griddle (pan) cakes. It was definitely worth spending the $ 7.50 for a full plate of it but both of us getting pancakes for ourselves after that was a mistake. We could have split an order of pancakes and still have been more than full.
I got the banana and walnut pancakes with hot sausage. Hot sausage was great! I love spicy things and these were definitely up to par! Not too little but not too much hot-​ness where you could still get the flavor of the sausage. The pancakes were also great but they were HUGE! Size and density. Great combo of bananas and nuts but definitely way too many carbs after eating the hash.
We had planned on going to the Harpoon brewery afterwards and we walked a bit but, luckily and unluckily, we were able to find a cab pretty quickly. Unlucky because we definitely could have used some more time to walk off the carb-​cakes and the turkey-​carbs, but lucky because the friend I was with had a foot injury and was wearing some boot thing to help with the swelling and injury in general. That and plus the brewery is clear on the other side of town.
This place is great but it was a little expensive. I think we ended up spending $ 46 (with healthy 20% tip) for just the two of us for OJ, turkey hash, and two orders of pancakes. Not sure how that adds up but we were on a little vacation/​trip so fine for the time but wouldn’t do that every weekend. Would definitely come back again, but probably split everything because we both left there feeling like a 3 hour nap was absolutely in order. The first 45min-​1 hour was a bit of a struggle at the brewery to say the least haha.

Closing in June
Closing in June

I make my home in Chicago. But I grew up until the age of 17 on the east coast. And I gotta say, despite my loyalty to and love for all things Chicago, there are a few eats that are just better out east: (1) pizza; (2) bagels; (3) diners.
Charlie’s is the quintessential East Coast diner, serving up everything any sane person could want from a place like this for breakfast and lunch: mild coffee suitable for drinking black, all kinds of eggs, pancakes and french toast, all your basic sandwiches, grilled potatoes.
And the environment is perfect: a gruff host seating you at the counter, regular patrons chit chatting unperturbed by the controlled chaos of short order cooks doing their thing, solemn waitresses with severe blush serving up food on plastic plates.

Oh, goodness! Where do I begin?
So I live 2 blocks over and have passed this place for the past 3 years. It’s always booming with business, especially on the weekend when there’s a line outside for breakfast. I’m sad to say that it has taken me 3 years to actually walk in, but hey, I did it.
Charlie’s is notoriously known in the South End. It’s like a hidden gem. It has an old-​school, quaint, diner-​feel to it. The staff is extremely friendly. The woman who brought me coffee and took my order was the cutest. Coffee came quickly and I put in my order for the broccoli and cheese omelette. This omelette was HUGE, comes with a side of home fries, toast AND a salad. The salad is a little confusing and was totally ignored.
The time that it took to receive my food after ordering was unreal — MAYBE 4 minutes? No more than 5. I had to laugh since I’m prone to going to swanky brunch places where you wait 20 minutes for your seat then maybe 15 minutes after placing your order for food.
I couldn’t finish my omelette, or the potatoes, or the toast — disregard the salad, but I did the best I could. The omelette was filled with cheese and broccoli. The amount of cheese definitely takes away the health benefits of ordering broccoli but if it’s an every now and then occurrence then go for it. I’m not a big fan of the larger, softer potatoes, but the smaller ones were perfectly crispy in the home fries and had great zest to them.
The guy that runs the cash register — that’s right folks… cash only! — was so pleasant and thankful for my visit I wanted to hug him. Charlie’s sent me on my way with a huge smile on my face and a big food baby in my tummy. I will most certainly be back.

The look and feel of Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe is old-​school neighborhood diner at its best. It was awesome. I walked in, hung up my coat and grabbed a seat at the counter. The place is tiny, and I mean really tiny! But that’s ok. The closeness made it nice and cozy. I felt like I had been transported back 30 or 40 years in a time machine. Until I pulled out my iPhone to check in on the Unilocal app, of course.
Unfortunately though, the positives pretty much ended there. Service was rushed and grumpy. When I asked for a couple minutes to look at the menu, I was met with a loud sigh. One waiter snapped at me to move my bag off the seat next to me — which I gladly did — so why the need to be so snippy about it? Nobody ended up being seated there anyway. I understand that it was a Saturday morning and things were crazy busy, but that doesn’t excuse rude service.
They serve both breakfast and lunch. None of the sandwiches seemed all that interesting, so I went with the former. I ordered the raspberry griddles. They were alright, but I could tell that they had been made with raspberries that were extremely sour. And the sausage that I ordered on the side was really burnt. Portions are enormous, though. My meal could have easily been shared.
I left Charlie’s feeling full but disgruntled. The waiter didn’t even say thank you when handing me the check (by the way, it’s cash only). So, not gonna lie — I was pretty glad when I stepped outside and was transported back to the present day.

We asked our hotel concierge where a good breakfast would be and after being told it was a bit of a walk, cash only and no bathroom– we were skeptical of Charley’s.
I was really hoping after the long trek we weren’t going to end up at the sandwich chain of the same name.
I ended up ordering the mushroom and cheese omelette. It came with a salad which is SO weird to me, but it was pretty good. The rye bread was a hit too. I wish they used cheddar instead of American cheese but that’s something I should have asked about ahead of time. I probably would have gotten eggs or pancakes if I had known that (which also looked amazing in my friends plates).
The highlight of this place was ordering a cranberry muffin to go. oh my gosh that was the best muffin I’ve ever had!
They had signs on the wall saying that you can only stay and eat 20 minutes after being served. Between that and the pictures of celebrities on the wall I gather that this place is somewhat of an institution, bathroom or not. (They do have an old timey ice box though)

Classic little diner, like stepping back in time. There are enough signs in there that say «Cash Only», you think it’d be impossible to miss, yet everyone seems to, so it’s CASH ONLY. TAKE CASH WITH YOU.
There. That should save them a little trouble maybe.
I told the waitress this was my first trip to Boston, and may be the only time I ever ate there, so bring me whatever she wanted me to remember the place by. I was presented with Turkey Hash and Eggs. Absolutely delicious, even with the half an onion in there. I despise onions, and yet this somehow was really tasty. Got some toast and a coffee to really round out the experience, and paid about $ 10 for it all.
Definitely worth a stop at lunch.

I can see why people love Charlie’s — the history, the quaint, old school diner-​like feel, being at a place where «everybody knows your name». But I have to admit, I wasn’t overly impressed with the food. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t live up to the «best breakfast in Boston hype» I had read about prior.
I went to Charlie’s for breakfast on my day off and ordered a cheese omelette. I’m a shredded cheese girl so I wasn’t a huge fan of the sliced American cheese inside the eggs. Still, the omelette was big and service was quick. Our side of bacon was a bit underdone and I didn’t touch the salad that came with my meal — in fact I kept trying to quarantine it so dressing wouldn’t get on my eggs.
I think the word «rushed» can sum up the whole experience. I felt like we were rushed in, our food was rushed (hence undercooked bacon) and we were rushed out. I think super fast service is part of Charlie’s appeal, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for on my relaxing day in the South End.
Despite it all, I still really liked the whole feel of the place and had fun looking through the old photos on the wall. And here’s a fun fact: according to wikipedia, Sammy Davis Jr used to tap dance in front of the restaurant for change!