Charlies Bodega

Yuck. We went here for happy hour and ordered lamb meatballs and garlic flatbread, both to which were poorly presented and tasted like a canned sauce was poured over. Perhaps my taste was off due to the plain view into the kitchen where we witnessed a cook wiping his nose several times before preparing food. Poor guy, he should have stayed home. It’s not like they were understaffed. Probably 4 people in the bar but their attentiveness was seriously lacking considering the vacancy of the joint. They must be cursed cause we’ve been at this locations through 3 different restaurant/​bars.

I am being a little overly critical for Vancouver, I would give this 3.5 stars if I knew how. The pork belly skewers were absolute heaven. Incredible. We also tried the charcuterie and the mussels, which were both alright. The mussels didn’t taste very fresh, but the sauce was pretty tasty. Last, we ordered the tuna salad, and that was a disappointment for me. The tuna was dry, the dressing was mediocre and the salad consisted of arugula and olives. Meh. This restaurant has SO MUCH potential and I love the tapas, just needs improvement on the actual dishes. Finally, the playlist included all of your least favorite songs from the 90s and killed the mood before I even tasted the food. Sorry, that’s harsh, but please get a new playlist!

GREAT GREAT GREAT!!! Is all I have to say. Everything we ordered was phenomenal!!! The stuffed dates were the highlight of the night. I will definitely be back…

This is Portland in Vancouver for all you implants! Good eats, great cocktails and good wine. The bartenders are fun and have great advice. I’ll be back to drink some more local whiskey and enjoy the people.

This place is a gem! Everything we had was outstanding and we will be back to more items. The flat iron steak was tender and perfectly done to order. We also had the bacon wrapped dates and Brussel sprouts. Thank you for making my birthday special

Charlie’s is a great restaurant. Don’t let the name fool you — if you saw «Bodega» and are thinking of a dumpy convenience store, it’s not: they’re using one of the other definitions of the word, such as «winery» or «wine storehouse.» Which isn’t quite right either; it is really a high-​end tapas bar with a nice selection of wine and liquor.
The food is quite good, with even the dishes that aren’t home-​runs hitting at least ground-​rule doubles. Service is superb — knowledgeable without being condescending, quick without being hovering, friendly without being obsequious.
The place can be a bit of a ghost town early in the week, but Fridays and Saturdays pick up nicely. The space is nicely appointed in dark tones, although the floor plan is a bit wonky — about 40% of the dining room is appended to a corridor around the corner from the bar and entrance. Sitting at these tables can feel rather isolating. Also a nuisance at night is the back-​in angled parking across the street, which causes vehicles to blind those seated facing west as they enter and leave their parking sports. I know one of the other Unilocalers described it as seeming like the lobby to a bank, but I disagree and think they did a pretty good job with this space.
The wine list is pretty thorough, with the predictable (and logical) focus on Spaniards and Latin American wines that traditionally go with tapas. You should be able to find a wine that suits your palate here, for a decent price. They also have a pretty good selection of whiskeys of all varieties.
The food is generally excellent, but my is it precious — I was amazed when the bill came how much we had spent; easily my most expensive meal in Vancouver. Good thing it was delicious! If only it were a little bit cheaper, I could make Charlie’s Bodega a regular haunt, rather than an occasional indulgence.

Super yummy food! Gear cocktail menu. The bartender was able to make off menu cocktails also. We went as a small group and ordered several small plates to share. The second time we went there was happy hour. They have such a great menu.

This was the first time we had eaten at Charlie’s Bodega and came for a drop in dinner. The Steamed Clams with artichoke and tomato, the Insalata Mixa and the Garden Paella were all very good and the three dishes filled us up. Topped with a Cream Brulle that ranks among the best we have had and a wonderful bottle of Rioja, the dinner was a wonderful experience. We will return.

We visited on a weekday evening and had a variety of tapas for dinner. Food was good, not great, but good, especially considering it’s in Vancouver.
Grilled Chicken, and fish special were both quite good. Patatas Bravas were too dry, lacked flavor and the cheese plate is overpriced for the amount of cheese you get.
The setting and service were both fine. Would go back, just order a bit differently.

Excellent and attentive (kind) servers, with creative and refreshing drink specials. If you’re looking for a stiff drink, try the delicious old fashioned and if you’re looking for a sweet tasty drink, I would recommend the pomegranate martini. The environment is calm with light background music that creates the perfect atmosphere for chatting. If you’re in Vancouver I would recommend stopping by for a drink or two and some delicious calamari. This bar is a great place to unwind and is sure to make all stress melt away with each drink!

It pains me to write anything remotely negative about the sister restaurant of one of our favourite go-​to places, but this place just didn’t click. Great whiskey, of this there is no doubt, however the tapas just fell short. The Scotch flight was amazing per the bf. The pork belly was good, but I wouldn’t order again. Our party’s other dishes were enjoyed, but just fell short. The one item we wanted, soft-​shell crab, was sold out. Such a diverse menu with some pretty creative items, but the combination of ingredients just didn’t seem to make me want to order any… so I didn’t. I tasted the others’ dishes, but as I thought, they weren’t for me. The asparagus wrapped with bacon with a fried egg looked wonderful, but the pepper oil was overwhelming and I couldn’t enjoy any of flavours, just the oil.
The atmosphere was lacking in warmth. Felt more like a bank lobby converted into a restaurant/​bar. Walking back to the restrooms, I was overwhelmed with the smell of seafood.
Service was outstanding.
Frequent diners at La Bottega (big sister up the street), I felt certain that this would be equal. Guess we’ll just stick with what works.

Very high end food that was too fancy for me but I settled on a burger that was good and they found some plain mayo which they don’t usually have on hand.
Service was outstanding, friendly, & knowledgable.

Charlie’s Bodega is a great place for drinks and food. Owned just a few months ago they are a great bath of fresh air for Vancouver. We had their lamb meatballs and beet salad, both were fanatic. Would highly recommend this spot.