Charlie’s Cafe & Grill

One star is for the food (I have yet to have anything here that wasn’t good) another star is for the owner.
I’ve only had this place delivered and the very first time I had it delivered to me, the delivery guy got lost and called and yelled at me like it was MY fault he got lost. Sir, it had been well over an hour since I placed my order I’m hungry and grumpy and you call to yell at ME because of YOUR incompetence? Even in my grumpy and hungry state I stayed nice and calm. After the delivery guy got done yelling at me and hung UP on me I called the restaurant and spoke to the owner who was very apologetic and kind. He gave me my next meal on the house and when the delivery guy finally arrived he had his tail between his legs. For good reason.
I do still order from here, though, because the food is actually quite delicious.
Just don’t order delivery unless you want to take the risk of getting yelled at.

Excellent food. Charlie is a super nice guy too. He always greets me with a smile and offers me a free tea while I wait for the delicious food. The salads and burgers are especially good. A+ for food and A+++++ for service.

Highly mediocre salad. Thankfully, they skimped on the ingredients: canned mushrooms and «calmata» olives that are the kind you get in the supermarket. Friendly though. They don’t know what they are doing.

I’ve eaten at Charlie’s before and their food is good diner food. The problem is, I live in the neighborhood and have to constantly listen to the guy they hired to scream CHARLIE’S CHARLIE’S CHARLIE’S on the street corner. It’s annoying, I get that your location isn’t the best but come up with something a little more creative than the «screaming dude on the corner».

Not so good. The people there are really nice and friendly. But the service is quite slow and inattentive, and lack the necessary knowledge to give sensible advises on the menu. After a back and forth between the waitress and the kitchen to establish what kinds of sandwiches were still available, they warmly suggested to try the pastrami sandwich, supposedly their best sandwich. The sandwich turned out to be a complete disaster, and the pastrami visibly dry and old.
It might be that it’s because they just recently opened, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and grant them two stars instead of one. But judging from the disappointment that was what they indicated as their best sandwich, I’m not in a hurry to go back. Besides, just around the corner there is another sandwich place, that is exceedingly better and cheper.

My co worker Kim suggested this place for lunch. Glad she did! I had a cheese burger deluxe… Fresh toppings and bun. You get a fresh ground beef burger no pink slime frozen hamburger patty at this joint. Loved the vibe, atmosphere and friendly customer service. They deliver to the hospital (646−478−7747) and take debit/​credit cards. This is my new spot… btw Charlie was very nice and offered us a free iced coffee but we were too full! See ya soon Charlie :) Aisha

I work at Columbia Med and feel like I have tried just about all the lunch places in the area. One day, I noticed this guy standing on the corner of Broadway and W169 with a sign for Charlie’s and advertising this new place. I have been meaning to go there, and finally decided to try it out today.
I walked in to a small deli-​looking place, and was greeted by a guy who I assume is Charlie. He recommended basically everything of course. But when I asked about particular items, he was happy to describe them all to me, including how to customize the platters however I liked. He told me their 8oz burgers are fabulous, and many people choose to swap out the french fries for home fries, because their home fries are great. So I ordered a burger, which was made to order, and a side of home fries. He told me to have a seat and he would bring it to me when it was ready.
While I was at my table waiting, I gazed around and felt very much at home. The exposed brick is a lovely touch, and the décor was very cute. I looked at some more of the menu, which included salads, paninis, sandwiches, wraps, and breakfast. As more people came in, I noticed a few ordering breakfast platters, which looked pretty delicious.
The waitress came by and offered me a drink and very shortly after, my lunch came out. I was very satisfied. The home fries were an amazing suggestion — very glad I got them with my burger. And my burger was delicious. Charlie and the waitress asked me at least 2−3x each if everything was ok and if I needed anything else. They were more than attentive and friendly. They made me feel very comfortable and my experience was absolutely superb.
The only negative I would have to say is that I think the prices were a little high for what I would have expected to spend on lunch at a café-​type place. My total for my burger (with bacon, which was $ 1.50 extra), home fries, and can of soda was $ 13.31 after tax. My idea of a good value for lunch at a place like this is to pay with a $ 10 bill and get change (and at least a bill or two if I am lucky) back. Although, in Charlie’s defense, I did probably order one of the most expensive lunches on the menu. But I even looked at other items and was suprised to see a Cobb salad or a Chef’s salad on the menu for $ 9.95 — a little too steep if you ask me! At the Japanese place up the street, I can get soup, salad, a california roll, salmon teriyaki, rice, and shumai for the same price I spent today for my lunch.
So, prices are a little too high for me to want to come here TOO often, but for a treat (like today), I would not hesitate to come back. Simply because the service and the hospitality was unparalled with any lunch experience I have had around here up until now. I was really able to relax and enjoy my lunch. Many other places around here try to rush you out and sometimes there aren’t enough tables to even sit, or the tables are so close together you are on top of the people next to you. But Charlie’s was a very relaxing lunch experience and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone I know!

I love this place! Charlie and his staff is really nice. I’ve had breakfast and lunch here and they’ve always customized my order just how I want it =) I love the gyro here mmm and the philly cheez steak! They are always making sure we are confortable during our visit. I give them a full stars rating for quality and service.

Wow, a hidden gem. Had lunch here because I was sick of the same old stuff in the neighborhood.
Split an order of the 18^th ave and a medium-​rare burger with avocado & cheddar cheese. Damn they were good. The burger was actually very juicy and had hints of red and pink meat. It was cooked perfectly.
The sandwich was pretty big and filling. The 18^th ave comes with Bologna, ham, salami, bacon & provolone cheese. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel like entering a food coma after the meal.
I’m definitely coming back.
BTW, the ambiance is actually really nice. I went when it was empty so there was tons of room + NO WAIT. Flat screen tv’s with basketball playing and the best part? It was clean. ’nuff said.