Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant

Just gonna get straight to the point. I could eat Charlie’s wings for every meal. These are hands down THE GREATEST WINGS ON EARTH! Nothing compares. I have had many other great chicken wings at various restaurants, but nothing that even comes close to these. I can’t even describe them because I feel like I would be doing them a disservice. However, their She-​Crab soup is nothing to frown upon either. I usually get the soup and split the 60 wings (the «Rooster Jack» as they call it) with someone else. A must stop on your way in or out of Ocean City. I rented in Ocean City for a month and had to go back home to Woodbury Heights area (about an hour away) for football practice. After practice ended at around 7:30 at night. We would race down the highway to get here before it got too crowded. And man was it worth it. If you are a self proclaimed wing connoisseur like me, you will not be disappointed. I even had the pleasure of tasting the other food a few times too. And these too are up to par with the wings. This is one of those places where I could never not get the wings because I feel like I would be missing out. Usually I can eat about 10 wings at most other places. However, at Charlie’s, if the time is right, I think I could eat about 40 – 50 just by myself. I would accept the obesity with pride knowing I had enjoyed the finest food on the face of this Earth. Please, if you can, stop by. Chances are I will be there. Eating my wings.

Good atmosphere. Nice bartenders, just wish they had a DJ or something. They had a touch tunes, but I could barely hear what I played. Don’t order the jerk tenders. There is nothing jerk about them… they were basically some low quality chicken tossed in Italian dressing. Jerk is spicy and blackened

We were on our way further south (where few restaurants are open after Labor Day), so decided to look for something in Ocean City or Somers Point. After Unilocaling and Googling, decided to try Charlie’s. Didn’t have high expectations, and they were immediately exceeded when our waitress turned out to be both friendly, helpful and snarky — we like that combo.
Usually, when I’m in a place that looks like a bar, I avoid expensive, fancy meals and stick with a salad or simple food. But, decided to risk the Seafood Pescatore special — a $ 25 entrée. Again, with not very high expectations.
A little while later, out comes the best version of that dish I have ever eaten — and it included a rather substantial lobster tail. It was crazy — I reviewed a fancy Italian restaurant’s version a month or two ago. If their version was a 1 on a 10 point scale (and it was), then Charlie’s is about a 12.
Also had the chicken escarole soup. Wow — just like my 100% Italian wife would make it.
My wife, also uncharacteristically for a bar food order, ordered prime rib. It was excellent.
Apparently, Charlie’s is an excellent restaurant that also happens to be a bar. Looking forward to trying it again very soon!
This is the first time I have ever given a bar 5 stars for food. Bet that doesn’t happen again any time soon.
Cash only, but they have an ATM.

Cold beer and great wings. Only order those two things. Maybe the fries too.
DO NOT ORDER THE BLUE CHEESE — it tastes like watered down lumpy toothpaste
–END OF REVIEW–

PRO’s: Just great basic food, good service in a local institution for many years.
CON’s: I just wish the tourists (Shoobie’s) would stay away in the summertime and make this a LOCALS only place.
We’ll be back, but we prefer the off-​season now.

I appreciate that the beer here is cold and cheap and that there are nice large TVs to watch a game. These are pretty basic things, which is why my rating isn’t higher. The food we got wasn’t very good. I got the mussels and they were really fishy which is usually a sign that they aren’t very fresh. My boyfriend got a burger but he didn’t like it either. The fries were good and I would get the wings if I came back as these seem to be the thing to try if you’re there.

Heres a pic of the stupid soup that is the texture of paste! Wings are inconsistent and apparently when you get take out they do not deal with coin change! So if your order is $ 21.25, you will Not be getting the .75 cents & YOU, will Not be getting a tip. It’s ashame when a mediocre place like this has such a following of lemmings with no idea of quality.

Excellent bar food, the wings are outstanding probably the best I have had. Really good crispy potato skins too. The seafood dishes are all very fresh and huge portions, it can get pretty packed but it’s a great place to watch a game.

Fantastic place, mainly with a sports bar/​casual ambience. Two of us sat at the bar and were thrilled with our first bartender, who poured solid drinks everytime. Drink prices were fair. $ 5 for a pint of Captain and Coke/​Sprite. Second shift had a less generous pour, but still respectable.
It is the typical service rules for the area — bartender serves drinks, and you stand your menu up to order food through a different server. Both people were attentive and kind. Also, CASH ONLY! No cards.
The food was simply amazing. Apps — I love the wing combo because we got regular wings and boneless chicken tenders, satisfying both of our desires. The mild sauce has a bite, but the creamy blue cheese balances it nicely. Freshly baked bread was amazing.
Entrees — Chicken Francaise ($ 16.99) was tasty, but needed more sauce for the pasta it was served over. (I’d request al dente pasta next time, my own preference.) Filet mignon was huge (10 – 12 ounce for $ 21.99), and just slightly overcooked. (Ordered rare, came out medium rare) Side dishes were good, but everything could have used a little more seasoning — nothing some salt and pepper cannot take care of.
All in all, we plan on returning in the future. Definitely worth every penny and suited our personal eating preferences.

I LOVE charlies! This place is by far my favorite bar food! The top gun sauce is amazing! If you don’t like spicy try the wes favorite. They also have a pretty decent beer selection compared to the other bars in the area.

This place came highly recommended by friends so my husband and I stopped by for dinner and a drink. We split the «chicken little» portion of mild wings (Hubby got a side of the hot «top gun» sauce). The wings were amazing and had the perfect crispy skin. They were really meaty pieces too. The beer selection is really good, I got the flying fish farmhouse ale and hub got dogfish head 60 minute IPA. Staying in dry OC it was really nice to have a drink with dinner too. Service was super friendly and really helpful. Wings got there quickly. It gets crowded so get there early but there is more seating than you think. This will probably be a regular spot on our trips to the shore.

Cash only? What century are they in? Come on by, eat a big meal and have good drinks with friends and then freak out after your meal and have to figure out how to pay for this. Sound like fun? It really wasn’t. Why accommodate the paying customer who just finished a big meal with friends? I won’t go back. Oh, and the waitress was grouchy too. Sorry Charlie

I ate at Charlie’s a few years ago and after my visit last month, I know why I really didn’t make much of an effort to come back. Both times the food was definitely just average. Supposedly the big appeal of Charlie’s is their wings. I’m not sure why I didn’t learn my lesson the first time (maybe I forgot about my first visit), but my wing order on my second visit was worst than my first.
When I came here with my family a few years ago and ordered wings, my husband and I finished them and looked at each other sort of confused as to why this place was popular for their wings. There wasn’t anything unique or particularly tasty about the wing sauce and the wings themselves were basically average. On my second visit, all of my memories came flooding back (and then some). My daughter ordered the garlic parm wings and for an 8 year old she is an avid wing fan. She took one bite and couldn’t touch the rest. I thought she was being dramatic and tried them myself and agreed with her. The wings had some sort of «gravy-​ish» sauce on them with sliced garlic cloves. They were thick and heavy but with no flavor, very unusual and not in a good way. Our waitress noticed she didn’t touch them and apologized profusely as well as took them off our check.
I ordered the boneless buffalo wings and cheese fries. The wings were inedible. I maybe ate half of one before giving up. The sauce was tasty but the wings were so dry I could not get a bite down without taking a drink of water. The cheese fries were really good, but unfortunately my stomach and spirit were not up for a dinner of just cheese fries. My other fellow diners seemed to enjoy their food of grilled chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, and pasta dishes. When my waitress saw that I only had a few bites of my boneless buffalo wings she felt horrible and offered to take it off the check like she did for my daughters garlic parm wings. I insisted that she keep it on. After all, I should have learned my lesson a few years ago, right?
Also, it was quizzo night which I was really excited about! Unfortunately, where we were seated (which was by the back bar) we could not hear one single question and didn’t get to play. I’m guessing you have to sit by the front bar in order to hear any of the questions, FYI!

I heard how good the wings were and came in around 4:45pm on a Sunday to a completely packed bar — one open seat, which I grabbed. It’s your basic bar with friendly bartenders and I was definitely the odd one out in that everyone seemed to know everyone. Very well. But people were still friendly and welcoming.
On to the food, which is ordered and paid separately from any drinks. I ordered the wings (13 of them) mild. I asked how hot the Top Gun hot sauce was, and she said very, very hot but the mild still had some kick. So I went with mild, with a side of the Top Gun, and the wings came out almost instantly, piping hot.
The wings were meaty, but not overly so, which is fine. The mild did not have any heat to me, but I am a bit of a spicy food lover. I will say… thank god I didn’t get them covered in Top Gun. It wasn’t all that hot… but it didn’t taste very good. Seems they tried to make the hottest sauce possible without regards to any taste. No thanks. Also had blue cheese which was good.
Drinks wise — I stuck to beer, where there was a modest but fine stock at good prices. Mixed beverages appears well poured, but again, everyone around me were regulars so I am not sure how strongly mine would have been poured.
I would return, but wouldn’t go out of my way. It’s fine. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

My favorite wings ever! I live out in Richland and drive to Charlies frequently for their French dip which is absolutely amazing, and wings. The French fries are also awesome, so crunchy and addicting! Their drinks are also very tasty!
Would’ve given them 5 stars but parking there is a nightmare!!! Too small and always crowded. Driving around for parking even on a Tuesday night is no fun at all. I also would rather be waited on at a table by one of the servers. The bartenders aren’t friendly at all :(

Charlie’s is a shore institution for me and my family, for a few key reasons. Sure, sometimes getting to the bathroom is a tight squeeze, and shelling out cash can feel like a pain. But the friendly staff always greets me with a joke and a smile when I come in with 4 – 7 family members. And one bite into those tender, saucy wings… I’m in heaven.
So, the wings… It’s a given. They’re what you COME to Charlie’s for, and you shouldn’t leave until you’ve enjoyed at least 6 to yourself. But better make it an even 13, just to be safe. Also highlights on the menu:
–for sheer indulgence in the gooey-​est pile of cheese sauce and bacon, get the potato skins. They’re like boats of starch containing the tastiest combination of whiz and salty bacon pieces.
–the hot veggie sub may SOUND light and/​or health: don’t be fooled! sauteed veggies, provolone make for a flavorful and filling sammy that tastes just as hearty as any meat.
–The Patty Melt and Reubens… you just can’t beat em.
–And, of course, Wes’ Favorite: freshly sliced filet mignon, grilled and topped with provolone, lettuce, and tomato on a garlic kaiser roll. It’s the ultimate complement to the wings.
But then again, if you’re not sure what to get… just stock up on blue cheese and celery and order a 35 piece order of wings. Get them in a bucket to take home. They’re just as tasty heated and tossed back in the sauce at home.
Don’t forget the wet naps, though.

Nice local bar and restaurant in Somers Point. Big menu with all kinds of bar food and restaurant entrees. Great drink menu.
The wings at Charlie’s are extraordinary. I would rate them above my #1 pick Sportsman Park in St. Louis. So in my opinion this is the número uno place for wings.
Parking can be a little difficult during big games. Charlie’s is a great place to watch your favorite sports event. You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu.
CASH ONLY. ATM BY THE FRONT ENTRANCE
Good price/​value relationship.

Yummy cheeseburger, cold beer and tasty wings. The atmosphere and service is classic dive bar. Overall not much to say besides this place is pretty damn good and I would come back for sure.

Charlie’s bar known for their wings and let me tell you they are amazing and even better reheated in the oven the next day! We always get their mild flavor but have tried the hotter one. The hotter one has jalapenos all over it so the wings are not crisp. And their homemade blue cheese is to die for. So let me state that we used to eat at the restaurant but after a horrible experience and I mean horrible… we order take out just b/​c we want the wings and blue cheese.
Stars off for the following:
— Parking lot is cramped and spots are tight… that’s if you can even find one (usually two people go and whoever is driving waits in car)
— Cash only
— Where you are instructed to pick up food is underneath a sign in a heavy trafficked area located next to the bathrooms (This is annoying when you are standing there waiting and people need to get by or need to use the facilities) Really… can’t food pick up be by the hostess or the bar area???
— Charge for to go containers
Believe me if there is another restaurant that sells delicious wings in large quantities (rooster jack is 60 pieces) because when we’re vacationing we have at least 6 people sometimes more, we would probably go there but for right now all we have is Charlies.
We recently went out to the Anchorage Tavern for a few drinks and saw people eating there and will definitely try them next! Food looked delicious and it was packed! and yes they take credit cards.

Great buffalo wings, go with southwest BBQ, just a little zing but an original flavor. We had a fried calamari special with sweet and spicy chili sauce. Excellent dish. I had seafood combo for dinner. On combo dishes it’s so hard to get everything right, but they did! Flounder, shrimp, scallops, crab meat, all perfect. Sautéed sugar snap pees with roasted peppers was tremendous. Our server was terrific. Sue was great, funny, and a hard worker. Her personality made us want to come back, not even to mention the great food and ambiance, excellent service.
We had a group of six and everyone was happy, when does that happen? The bill was $ 190.00, but it was a bargain. I love OCNJ and will be a seasonal visitor.