Charlie Was a Sinner

We stopped in for a quick drink but this place is a great little vegan spot. Funky décor and the place was hopping. The food plates that were passing by looked amazing. A friend ate here and said you could not tell the ricotta on toast was vegan and that even her meat eating daughter was happy! I had the Alaska cocktail and it was strong and well made. On my agenda to go back for eats!

Intricate and unique craft cocktails. They also offer mocktails, which were exceptionally good. I didn’t have the food but the menu looked excellent. Limited seating because it’s a rather small space. Call ahead and make a reservation.

Cocktails and food were both fantastic, although I think the highlight for me was really the food. I’m not a vegetarian, but I thought the artichoke frites I ordered were incredible and it gave me a taste of how good the rest of the food menu here would be. Will definitely return, probably for happy hour as it is a bit pricey. Nice atmosphere for a date or quiet night out — dark, lit by lots of small lights/​candles, small space, classy.

CWAS was exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it. A delicious bourbon happy hour cocktail with a side of some tasty noshes, in a cool low key spot with great service. Tim was are bartender and did right by me and F the whole time we were there. We got there early and left just as the place was starting to fill.
I’m looking forward to our next time back.

I wasn’t expecting to love this place, but I can’t say one bad thing in this review! I’m a fan!
My husband brought me here for my birthday dinner. My husband has been vegan for about 18 years, and I have been attempting to keep a vegan diet for several years, but I’m not always successful. In other words, we have eaten a lot of vegan food (good and bad) and Charlie Was A Sinner goes in the VERY GOOD column.
We arrived without a reservation around 7pm on a Saturday and it was pretty crowded. We were offered a seat at the bar but we didn’t want to eat there. After about a minute, the hostess was able to move some tables around and found us a table for 2. She knew it was my birthday so I think she did us a favor. Our server was fantastic. He was quick and knowledgeable. I wish I could remember his name. Everything we ate was great. We started with the Ricotta and Crab Cakes — the Ricotta was probably my favorite. I could eat that every single day. We also shared the tofu & bean sausage, the gnocchi, and the bucatini and ‘meatballs’. Out of those, the tofu & bean sausage was my favorite. We also shared a dessert, which the server brought out with a candle on top. I made a wish and blew out my candle. My wish was to eat more excellent vegan food in 2016.

Had a really fantastic experience here. I met up with a childhood friend to catch up and we both utterly enjoyed each of the tapas we ordered. I’m vegetarian and reveled in the delicious selections on the menu.
The vibe of the place is fun. It’s dark, artsy, hip, classy, intimate, and was perfect for what we were looking for. Our bill, including tasty cocktails, totaled about $ 75 and was worth it.
I’d go back for another intimate encounter or with a small group of friends. Would be a great place for a date!

I really wanted to love this place but it was unfortunately disappointing.
My date and I went new years eve. The place itself is super cute. The menu has a variety of things and its easy enough to navigate. its small plates, designed to be shared, I guess.
we ordered 5 or 6 items and didn’t even finish 3 of them, if that tells you anything.
The service was ok. Our server was nice and her timing was on point but she was so disinterested. The smile seemed fake and her responses to questions were almost meaningless… every dish we asked about, she basically suggested was a great choice. Cmon. we were looking for some help here, homie.
We started with salads. Me, the caesar; my date, the beet. Mine was meh. not a ton of flavor and the lettuce was nearly wilted. Maybe its just not my style but i wasn’t into it. Beet salad was good but beets were few and far between. Both served with the same weak-​ass croutons.
We did the maryland crab cakes since everyone on Unilocal seems to love them. Those were pretty good, though again the flavor wasn’t really pronounced. the texture was good and bread was nice. The crunchy tofu roll or whatever its called was way too fishy, for lack of a better descriptor. We didn’t finish it, neither of us cared for it. The crispy artichoke dish was really good but gone in 4 bites. last but not least (thats debatable, actually) we did the tofu picatta. this was okay but again nothing special and again we didn’t even finish it. These are small plates, folks… to leave unfinished food at a vegan place that is supposed to be So good… thats not right. I had a glass of bubbly and my date a glass of wine. bill total was in the neighborhood of $ 80 and we left disappointed and still hungry.
I suppose I would give it another try and order different items, but considering the wealth of vegetarian and vegan options in the city, I am not in a big rush to go back to this one place.
Ps I may be spoiled by the aforementioned wealth of veg places and availability in the city. But hey, if you are gonna be a *nice*, pricey veg joint, then step it up. you have competition!

Went here for the birthday dinner of a friend expecting to pay more than I wanted to pay for less than I wanted to eat, and was thoroughly charmed. Charlie’s vegan fare is not only tasty and filling, but innovative as well. I was a huge fan of the carrot mousse, somehow both light and decadent, and subtlety of the vanilla citrus salad. Other hits included the gnocci, crispy tofu roll, and homemade «ricotta.» Pass on the leeks (bizarrely tiny portion) and bucatini (one note, forgettable).
While you’re exploring the outer limits of vegan cuisine, definitely hit up the extensive and creative cocktail menu. I greatly enjoyed The Great Dictator (tequila, averna, pear/​ginger shrub, lemon) despite the massive «artisan» ice cube it came with. I get it, it melts slower so as not to dilute the drink. It also makes that glass look way fuller than it is.
The atmosphere is intimate and quirky, a sort of modern update on the ‘20s speakeasy. This seems the perfect spot for a memorable happy hour or quick bite with friends. Coordinating a large dinner was a bit tricky as all reservations for 6+ people must be made through a manager. Our servers were friendly, accommodating, and attentive to the birthday occasion (with complementary candle and all). Shout out to the carafes of water stuffed with fresh mint — both refreshing and a nice visual. Will definitely be back.

My second visit to Charlie, first for dinner. (Drinks were spectacular) My date, a strict vegetarian, and myself, a wannabe vegetarian #lifegoals had this spot on the radar for quite some time.
I wanted to love it here. Unfortunately I didn’t, at all. My date made a valid point that if we hadn’t been to the other superb vegan restaurants prior to Charlie our expectations wouldn’t be so high.
I’ve decided to adopt a Dad rule while eating vegetarian. Could my Dad, a traditional Italian man who tends to enjoy anything that’s homemade stomach whatever dish I am eating? I have concluded that he wouldn’t be able to handle the charred Caesar and the crispy tofu roll. The Caesar was barely dressed and tasted like wilted lettuce. The croutons tasted like burnt pieces of bread. I get the grilled salad concept, I just don’t think the execution was there. As for the tofu roll, this was practically inedible. It tasted like we were eating an entire school of fish. No thanks! My date and I tried one piece each and shared the same distaste.
My beet salad was pretty good. I love beets and the dish only came with 3, so I would have liked to see more! The artichoke frites were delicious but again, barely any food. I get it, it’s tapas but that serving was teeny tiny small. By this point, Dad would be having cramps due to starvation and requesting our server to bring out some good bread!
Our server was nice, but appeared a bit robotic. It was a busy night (NYE) but she didn’t recommend anything specifically. All items we asked about were «delicious, you can’t go wrong with that!» I was tempted to ask if she’d suggest the quarter pounder w cheese but I refrained. The restaurant vibe is sexy. Dark with just enough lighting to see your food. Cute setup.
After paying over $ 80, we left hungry. Maybe ill check out the happy hour out some time, but sadly this trip wasn’t anything like we anticipated. Sorry Charlie!

This place is a refreshing addition to the Philadelphia restaurant/​nightlife scene. It’s intimate and dark, and a perfect for happy hour or a date night with vegans and non-​vegans alike.
My favorites are the wheatgrass cocktail (green chartreuse, wheatgrass) and Marlyland ‘crab cakes’. The menu changes but they seem to be staples. I also always like to try whatever taco is available that day, and have never been disappointed.

Review is only for the cocktail bar, but I hope to go back to try some of the veggie fare!
This place is a delightful change from some other not-​so-​delightful cocktail bars in Philly. The atmosphere is intimate, the bartenders know what the hell they’re doing, and the drinks are delightful. I recommend just telling the bartender the type of alcohol you like and the style of drink you’re craving (stiff, slightly sweet, refreshing) and letting her work her magic.

Trying to find a good sit down dinner last minute without a 30 minute wait is nearly impossible on a Saturday night in Philly, but my boyfriend I happened to get a table here when just passing by.
I love the feel of the restaurant. It reminds me of a speak easy. The cocktails give off that very prohibition vibe that I love. I thought the food was good, but I had NO idea it was vegan before we sat down and looked at the menu. Not that I’m not down with that, but if I’m dropping $ 100 bucks on what was supposed to be a «quick bite», I want MEAT!
Would definitely come back, but most likely for cocktails only. I do recommend it if you are trying to eat healthy or vegan! Service and food are great.

I came here straight off the bus from NYC (bags and all) and it really hit the spot. My husband and I came to Philly to celebrate our anniversary and this was a great place to kick it off. The vibe was romantic and moody, bartenders were awesome — serving up custom cocktails, and the food exceeded expectations. We’re both vegan and we had a great time eating and drinking at the bar. The portions are perfect for sharing and tasting and they’re all really unique and flavorful. After 8pm it definitely got busy so I imagine a reservation wouldn’t hurt if you can plan in advance.
I really wish a place like this existed in NYC but until then we’ll have to come to Philly for the experience. CWAS is also located on a great street so if you wanna go bar hopping, you can easily make a few stops and not have to cab it anywhere.

I’ve been meaning to check out Charlie was a sinner. for a long time — eager to sample some drinks and some delicious menu items.
A friend and I sat at the bar to enjoy some Happy Hour specials. We arrived just at 5 and had no problem grabbing a prime seat.
I had a drink (the Persuasion, I believe) which was delicious. Seeing all of the different juices/​syrups/​extracts lined up in a row on the bar was colorful and intriguing. The drink was expertly made, delicious from start to finish, and had terrific flavors.
For food, we ordered the Daily Tacos (fried white beans, i believe) and then the black-​eyed pea sliders. Both were tasty and perfect happy hour food — lighter, easy to eat, and reasonably priced.
Typically, I don’t have much of an opinion on bar tenders, but the woman behind the bar here was great! She was funny, a talented mixologist, and engaged enough in our conversation to be casual & interested, but wasn’t lingering and intruding at all.

I am not a vegetarian, but I always wanted to try Charlie Was a Sinner. I love vegetables; however, I love red meat and not much in between. Our server was excellent and explained all of the cocktails. He even warned me that the 100 Years of Solitude was spicy, but I proceeded anyway because I like a little spice. The drink was spicy and tasty.
I tried the Charred Caesar Salad, Artichoke Frites, Bucatini and «meatballs». The meatballs reminded me of a fresher and higher quality version of the Trader Joe’s vegetarian pizza burgers. Everything was really good. The plates are small, so order multiple, so you can get full. If you need meat protein to feel full, Charlie Was a Sinner has great tasting alternatives.

WOWOWOW. I think I may just have found my favorite place for drinks in Philly.
(Oh yeah, the food is stellar too… more on this later.)
I had two rounds of the bramble, which is made with vodka, freshly muddled berries, lemon, and demerara sugar. It was hands down one of the freshest drinks I’ve ever tasted-​our server told us that they squeeze all of their juice for their cocktails in-​house, and the bramble DEFINITELY confirmed this. Oh my god. I cannot wax lyrical enough about this drink. I will be back many more times for this.
Onto the food:
The server recommended that we get 3 – 4 plates per person. I don’t know who they’re recommending this for – people with bottomless pits for stomachs perhaps, because we were three people and ordering 3 – 4 plates total would have been PLENTY, even though we went with six.
1) Avocado toast – skip this. Not a fan of the outrageous amounts of onion.
2) Potato carpaccio – yes, yes, yes. Beautifully presented, light, and flavorful.
3) Potato gnocchi – GET THIS. Gnocchi was lightly seared and paired well with the mushrooms and squash that came with it.
4) Grilled parsnip – my friend was a huge fan of this; I wasn’t so much. It came with a sweet berry-​like sauce that the server poured over the parsnip in front of us; points for presentation. Parsnip had a nutty, fruity flavor that switched up the otherwise overwhelmlingly savory feel of the meal.
5) Bucatini and meatballs – the meatballs are definitely not meat-​you can taste this fact for yourself-​but they’re still pretty good. Good, but overall average and forgettable dish.
6) Heirloom polenta – was NOT a fan of this. I usually love polenta, but this had a weird acidic flavor that took away from the experience.
Overall, this was an incredible experience. The décor is lovely and kitschy – we were seated by a bookcase that had strategically placed sculptures and coffee table-​style books on Dali, Hemingway, etc. The wall behind us was also a HUGE tiled move screen that played black-​and-​white clips. Worth a trip.

I’m not sure what to say about this place… upon entering this small, shotgun style space you can see a lot of thought went into the décor and design. From the color of the walls to the leather bound booklet style menus, I felt like we were in for a good experience.
That went downhill as soon as the salty bar manager plopped herself next to us and positioned herself in front of a plethora of cocktails to «taste.» She didn’t do much tasting, instead bitched about her employees, was rude to the delivery guy, and was just overall nasty — even towards us, the patrons! I’m sorry, I understand this is one person and I will say our actual bartender was a sweetheart, but this is the woman they have chosen to represent their bar. Worst branding decision the owner ever made.
Positive note — the cocktails were decent and the food looked like it would have been tasty… if we had any reason to stay any longer.

This was stop two on our night of hopping around bars in the city and I am really glad we did. I had heard good things, so I was eager to see what they had to offer. When we got into the bar area, it was jammed. We had to stand along the back wall at first when we ordered our drinks because there was no available seats, but eventually two opened up and we grabbed our seats at the bar. Charlie was a Sinner is a vegan restaurant
They have a great selection of cocktails, and they are delicious cocktails. The bartenders are a little slow, but they are fun and knowledgeable. For drinks, we started with the East of Eden and the Penicillin. Both were very tasty, simple concoctions that definitely disappeared quickly. The East of Eden was a mixture of bulleit rye, tea infused dolin blanc, monbazilliac and fig. The Penicillin was a mixture of dewars, laphroaig, ginger, lemon and agave. Next we moved on to the La Paloma and the Bullseye. We also dove into the chickpea fries which were good. WHile I thought the texture inside was fantastic, I wish they were a bit crispier on the outside, but I found they highly addictive. I just kept eating them and dipping them into the deliciously creamy aioli they came with.
I will definitely be back for drinks, and for dinner at some point. I loved the vibe of the place and I also loved everything we tried. Definitely it is worth a visit.

From the menu you wouldn’t know this was a vegan restaurant. I went there for my birthday since I was given a gift card. Their menu is quite unique for tapas as well as signature and classic cocktails. My wife started off with the Jungle Bird and I had a nice dose of Penicillin. One drink was delicious. Two were almost toxic. These drinks may not be large, but they’re also not watered down. If you order these, check out the ice cubes (or cube as it was).
Since we were hungry, we ended ordering almost everything starting out with the Charred Caesar Salad. It was exactly that— very nicely done with a faux caesar dressing (since anchovies would not be vegan). My wife’s favorite was the Ricotta Toast. A large bowl of analogue ricotta cheese with large chunks of toasted Italian bread. Next up, I had the Maryland Crab Cakes. Those were prepared using a blend of greens and most likely zucchini. Two sliders with some tartar on the side. This could have used a little help. Maybe some Old Bay would have made it taste a bit more authentic. Still it was tasty and I was just started to get full. Oh no — we still had quite a few more plates on their way.
Next up the Potato Carpacchio. Thin slices of potato in the raw with a nice trim of veggies and seasoning. Then onto the tofu and bean sausage. They didn’t quite look like sausage as much as they resembled a Slim Jim. They were quite convincing on the flavor note very closely matching a real breakfast sausage. The Grilled Asparagus tasted like — – grilled asparagus. No surprises here. They lightly salt the outside to bring out the grilled flavors. And our final tapas which was my favorite was the Buccatini and Meatballs. Very nice presentation and the faux spicy meatballs tasted like the real thing. The sauce wasn’t spicy, but had a nice tomato flavor. Now I’m really stuffed.
Could not leave on my birthday without having dessert. We shared the Pot de Crème which was a homemade chocolate pudding with rum soaked bananas baked into it with a nice whipped cream (vegan style) topping. Great time, I’d come back, but would stop at 1 plate and would chill with some happy hour cocktails next time.

If I was rating Charlie was a Sinner on cocktails alone, it’s a solid five stars. The food is a hit or a miss, so that’s why the rating of four stars overall. I’ve been here twice now and both times I was really impressed with the drinks and the service.
I’ve had the Done and Dusted twice now, and it’s certainly my favorite cocktail here so far. It’s Patron XO (Patron’s coffee liquor), vegan cream liquor they make there, and a shot of espresso dusted with some spices (such as cinnamon) on top. It’s just slightly sweet and rich and creamy which in my mind makes it an excellent after dinner drink.
The 100 Years of Solitude is a tequila based drink that has the perfect balance of flavors. There is a good amount of heat, but it doesn’t overpower the slight sweetness from the berries and a hint of cilantro. This is impressive because most times when I see cilantro as one of many ingredients in a drink, the taste often gets masked by other stronger flavors, but this is not the case here. This drink is light and refreshing and perfect for summer.
Food wise, I really enjoyed the chickpea fries. They had a crisp crust outside with a nice creamy center. The artichoke fries are just okay and are way over priced at about $ 8 or $ 9 bucks. There are four small pieces with some fried onions on top, and the aioli they were sitting in was a little too heavy for me.
Our pitcher of water was never empty, and I appreciated the addition of fresh mint in it. If you want to have a good time here, I’d advise just sticking with mostly drinks and going elsewhere for food. Then you’ll be sure to walk away happy. I’ll definitely be back for the cocktails.