Charlie’s Ale House

Can’t believe this place closed. RIP Charlies! We will always miss you!

Hmmmm… I love Charlie’s for brunch in Andersonville.
Three big draws:
1) Never, ever, have had to wait. Even during peak brunch hours.
2) Cozy, comfortable booths
3) Amazing Bloody Mary Bar
The food is nothing unique or unusual, but is made well with good ingredients. I especially like their chilaquiles.
Only thing that I’m not a big fan of is the SERVICE. Seems to take forever to get you check, and the waiters don’t seem to care.

My husband and I love this place, especially the fish and chips. Though a tad overpriced we like going here every year for our birthdays. (Free dessert for b-​days!)
The staff is always friendly and helpful and we like the ambiance inside.

Wow. has this neighborhood changed… I got off the bus several blocks ahead and walked to Charlie’s Ale House. New store after new restaurant… man, the boys are doing good!
I met a group of friends for a celebration… six of us, drinking and sharing hors doevres… My apple martini was good once the new bartender came on duty… the munchies were very good. I ordered the prime rib for dinner… it was okay, big, but just okay. My friends reported their meals (sandwiches) were good. Our server, Steve, was great! The atmosphere was alot of fun — windows open, welcoming staff… I will go back, not for prime rib, but because it was a nice neighborhood place.
Man, has this neighborhood changed!

Sorry Charlie, I won’t be back. Like I have seen a lot of Unilocalers write, I feel bad doing this, because you used to be an okay place, but I have to stop being in denial about the fact that Charlies Ale House sucks.
Yeah, that’s pretty much it, sucks.
Honestly I think that Charlie’s sucks so much because all of the staff are lifers, will probably never get another job, and they just don’t give a shit. The staff spend most of their time being friendly with the alcoholic regulars so that they can take advantage of them, you can get decent tips from alcoholic regulars if you pretend to be their friend.
My family and I would go here regularly when we moved into the neighborhood. The food was good and the service great. My mom was such a regular that everyone there knew her. The last couple of times that I went there with friends the service sucked, and the food isn’t good enough to make up for that. The last time was particularly bad, we barely had a server. We were seated, sat there for 20 minutes, finally took our order, brought our beers and food at the same time, didn’t come back for another hour, never asked us if we wanted more drinks, never checked on us, not once. We were chatting and not in a hurry, but JC if were weren’t did this chick really think that it would take us an hour to drink a beer and have some artichoke dip (which sucked BTW)? I gave her a great tip anyway, not sure why. But I am done, never going back.

I don’t know what it is about greasy french fries that gets my endorphin levels to heroin proportions. That’s the physiological mechanics of comfort food. Charlie’s does not serve illegal substances. As far as I know. The french fries were a nice complement.
I went to Charlie’s to meet a friend to watch the Blackhawks beat the Flyers for game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was a bit of an older crowd there and other than some drunken hooting and hollering, it wasn’t obnoxious at all. The place had an open front because it was nice out and a bunch of big TV screens were strategically placed on the walls so regardless of where you sat and what direction you happened to be facing, chances are you’ll have a TV within your range of vision. Each one was on the Blackhawks and I think one oddball was on the White Sox game.
The beer selection is pretty impressive, although I was too hungry to be choosy about potations. I got a goblet of Stella and a Charlie’s Burger, which was your basic hamburger on a pretzel roll, medium well just the way I like it. I didn’t put any condiments on it and it was still good. The french fries at this place are like crack, if you’ll allow me again to compare the food to hard drugs. The french fries were like methamphetime.
For dessert I had a slice of apple pie accompanied by a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. The pie was OK. The crust was a little soft for my taste. I liked the ice cream better than the pie. I should have just ordered the ice cream.
The Blackhawks won that night, and so did Charlie’s Ale House.

I hate doing this, because Charlies has always been a local favorite of mine, but lately this place seems to have lost it’s shine. The typical pub-​fare food is now only average at best, and there is nothing on the menu that makes this place a «destination spot».
My burger last week came out cold, and my friend sent her steak back. The interior is nice and you can’t beat the location, but this place needs to do something to keep up with all the other hot spots on Clark Street.

Good beer selection. That’s about it. I’d rather go to Binny’s, buy beer, sit in my backyard in the rain without an umbrella and drink than go to that bar again. I’m a bartender myself, therefore a very forgiving patron. The bartender had the personality of a tree trunk. She also favored the wait station over her bar customers.
Do yourself a favor… walk the couple blocks south and enjoy a beer at the Hop Leaf.

After an awful and sad day, my roommate and her b/​f took me to get out of the house and get something to eat. All I wanted was a refreshing fountain pepsi. After a long search, we stumbled upon Charlie’s.
I was really pleased with the layout and feel of this place. It is restaurant, booth and dark lighting, but also has a big bar and lots of tv’s. The perfect environment for a much needed distraction. Now, the food and drink:
They had wonderful Pepsi, thank goodness and they also sell Sprechers drinks, so yummy rootbeer, gingerale and other fun drinks. All very good. We ordered the chicken sticks and honey mustard. They were delish and very inexpensive.
I ordered a chicken caesar salad, it was ok. I wasn’t in the mood for food anyway, so they are forgiven. If I’m ever this far up north again, I would probably give this place another try.

If you have blue cheese olives for my dirty Gray Goose martini, you automatically get an additional star from me.
Yeah, the servers can be dismissive. Or, they can be super friendly! Totally hit or miss.
However… every item I have had off the menu I have loved. I dream about the BLT flatbread sometimes. Fish and chips — good. Meatloaf — yum. I have had every single appetizer and enjoyed them all.
They’ve got a nice beer selection. It isn’t the Hopleaf or anything but there is a beer for pretty much any palate. And, of course, the afore mentioned blue cheese olives.
Pretty decent bar food… and hopefully you will end up with one of the friendly servers!

Ventured over after leaving my new backyard (Hopleaf) to meet up with a good buddy. We went inside and was greeted by a very helpful server that was pretty knowledgeable about Belgium beer. Later, another couple of friends showed up and told me they make a great Captain & Coke (an old favorite). I tried it and after two of them I was pretty nice for the evening.
Really nice sized bar as they have another side for dining. The two waiters we had were fast and superb. As Kyle stated in his review, you can grab a booth, table for dining or a high top. They have an outside seating area in the front, but it was a little chilly out for the Patio Prince (me) and his friends. Definately a hot spot for the A’ville and I am looking forward to my next trip here!

Yay, beer! Yes, this place makes me want to reiterate this funny Red Stripe advertising tidbit. Charlie’s has plenty on tap, and I’m like a kid in an alcohol candy store, choosing between the colorful tap toppers!
I love Charlie’s wrap around bar, as there is plenty of seating facing the flat screens. You can belly up, grab a high top, or grab a booth or even a table in the adjacent room. We grabbed a booth and some appetizers were ordered. The BBQ wings were good, the fries were tasty, served with cumin mayonnaise, and the potato skins were chock full of toppings and were surprisingly spicy!
I’m not sure what else you’re looking for in an Ale House, Andersonville, especially with these great prices. I just have to say it again, Yay, beer!

I like to call Charlie’s my Andersonville Applebee’s.
On a Friday night with friends, when we’re too hungry and tired to think of where we want to eat but can’t conjure up a meal ourselves, we often find ourselves here. The food is never blow-​you-​away good, but it’s solid. I opt for the cheddar cheeseburger on a pretzel bun – mm mm! I’ve had salads and other sandwiches here that disappoint, so I stick to my cheesy, meaty deliciousness.
The beer selection is decent, not overly priced. The mixed drinks are fine for the joint.
The service gets the job done with enough of a smile. There is, however, one waiter here who – I swear to God – is the best waiter ever.
His chipper smile, friendly and genuine attitude and fast service is enough to make me keep coming back and hoping to wind up at his table!
Chances are that if I’m eating good in MY neighborhood, I’m probably at Charlie’s.

Great place. Large, comfortable, friendly waiters, and good food.
I especially like that the TVs are only on one half of the restaurant, so you can have a quiet dinner or watch the game if you want.
Chicken Pot Pie is HUGE and delish. Kick Ass Chili lives up to expectations. Good burger, too.
Fireplaces appreciated in this cold winter weather! BRRR!

This place has grown on me. It’s a solid bar that you can get consistent bar food. But the service is excellent and I just love those big booths. So I keep going back.
We like the flat bread, artichoke dip, burger, chicken pot pie, fish and chips. That pretty much gives you an idea of what they serve.

The checkered-​tile men’s room floor is mildy dizzying. Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t hate this place as much as I anticipated.
We only came in here because I really wanted a salad and there weren’t any better options for that on this stretch of Clark Street. I’ve been avoiding Charlie’s for years because it seemed like a generic bar and grill (and it is) but as it turns out, the place didn’t blatantly offend me with a TGI Friday’s kind of vibe. I might feel differently on a weekend, but since it was Monday, we had no complaints about the crowd or atmosphere.
The steak salad was pretty good, with a generous portion of quality steak. I like their fat-​free lemon-​herb dressing also. The waiter kept the Diet Pepsis coming without us requesting them. That allowed me to stay up later than my usual old-​man sleepy time of 11:30 pm.

This is one of those places for us that can be a real hit or a real miss. I do not have high expectations for the food and it is pretty much the same each time. It could use a little more seasoning and maybe a little more creativity.
We pretty much go here when we know our friend will be working. The reason behind this is that we have been there and have been flat out ignored. It’s not as if we are going for comped food or free drinks, we just would like our food the way we ordered and within a reasonable time.
I enjoy the meatloaf and the partner enjoys the buffalo chicken sandwich. Other items on the menu are good and their chili and soups in the fall and winter are good as well.
They do offer a blue plate special on Sundays which is a good deal. I did have an unfortunate experience with one bartender who was taking the to go orders. She thought it would be cute to let our hot food sit there while serving drinks to her friends. A quick chat with the manager remedied that situation. It is silly stuff like this that happens in there which keeps us from coming there regularly.
If your in a bind, have and hour and typically don’t mind being ignored this is the place for you. If you want good service and funny banter, sit at the bar with Richie.
Just an FYI… that lone high top table in the middle of the bar is no mans or should I say no server land. Apparently it does not appear on the servers section map or they just completely ignore it. Do not sit there, you will get no service and when you do, all you will hear is «this isn’t my table» over and over

I used to believe in absolutes.
Yes, you had to be really good the two months before Christmas, otherwise you would get coal. Any– and I mean ANY mess ups qualified as potential disaster. The rest of the year did not count– just the two months prior to the 25^th.
Other absolutes included–
1. The tooth fairy was only gonna leave me 25 cents for my teeth, no matter if I pulled them out, or they fell out after dangling for weeks.
2. My older brother was always going to a– be an idiot. and b– protect me from harm
3. The easter bunny only gave See’s candy to my family– nothing else
*yes, just a small trip into the warped mind of me… you are welcome
As I have grown older– I have learned that yes, gray exists, in many places and shades, and almost never will you find any absolutes. So, I also had to get rid of some of my absolute rules… one large one being a bias on chain restaurants.
Charlie’s is a chain, but a decent one. My latest trip here began with a phone call. -«Danielle, we would like for you to meet our son before he goes to college– want to do lunch today?» Well– Fridays are part of my extended weekend every week, so I was free, and while I was not in danger of missing their son– as he is only 12 weeks old– we decided to go for it!
A great seat on the patio, huge salads, and a couple beers for my friends. 60 $ later, lunch was over. It was good, but a bit overpriced. However, it was a perfect day to sit outside, not be rushed, enjoy the people watching and cuddle a new baby.
I have been here before, and will be back again. Nothing spectacular, but a good lunch! Chains do not have to be horrible.

Chain restaurant atmosphere, with typical token neighborhood stuff on its walls? Check.
Great food? Check.
Not too long of a wait to get inside, compared to other Andersonville restaurants/​bars (*cough* Hopleaf)? Check.
Damn good beer selection, and going beyond your normal chain restaurant? (a la Chili’s, Bennigan’s, Outback, etc.) Check.
Is it an independent restaurant? Nope.
The latter question is meaningless to me, since I’ve never been disappointed with the food here, and’ve usually had friendly and decent service here. Unlike Hamburger Mary’s 2 blocks north of here (although I’m saving judgement on Mary’s Attic until I visit there), you can actually get very good burgers here, and other decent food. I’ve also never been disappointed with their food specials, such as when I went here last month, they were serving Pork Schnitzel and a few other German-​styled entrees during October. Sad thing is, I doubt they’re still serving that great Pork Schnitzel now. :(
Definately a winner in my book, easily, and up there with other great Andersonville restaurants and bars, such as Hopleaf, Calo, and Icosium.
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Update 5÷5÷08: Time for me to update this review, and to add an extra star to this place. Last time I was here, I had a server who really knew about beer, and even allowed me to sample a few beers, before I decided on one (which was one of the Dogfish beers). I feel really bad I didn’t catch her name, but it was a middle-​aged woman in her 40s or 50s.
Hopefully, I’ll luck out and get her again as a server, on a future visit!

4 stars for the Cobb Salad alone. Very, very delicious and full of non-​lettuce variables. Yummm.
Soups were very small for $ 3.25 each. Very small. And not soooo good. But we were hungry, so ok.
And don’t be serving me Diet Pepsi, when I specifically order Diet Crack… ahem Coke. It insults my palette and I will happily drink something else if you do not serve Coke, so just tell me. They lose a star for this. Some people take beer very seriously, I take Diet Coke.
Service was good. Food was fast. Lots of seating, friendly post game Cubs crowd…