I’ve read about Charlie’s Grind and Grill from several food blogs. They all raved about the Angus burger and cheese steak sandwich. So have a lot of people in forums. I decided to finally try it this afternoon after some grocery shopping at Pioneer Center Supermarket which was nearby.
Charlie’s is located right beside a car wash.
I arrived at 2:45 pm that’s why the place wasn’t crowded.
You order from the counter and the food will be brought to your table.
Angus burger w/ fries P170
I transferred the fries to another basket. I seldom meet fries I don’t like. Unfortunately this is one of them. The fries were very oily and a bit rancid. The smell of old oil was very pronounced. The fries tasted like they were re-fried because after a few minutes the fries were rock hard and still oily.
As I’ve written before in my Sango and Hotshots posts, I like my burger made of just ground beef and spices. That’s all. I don’t like any extenders like eggs, etc in my beef patty. I want to taste a solid piece of ground beef that’s firm and juicy and hopefully should taste like steak if the quality of meat is good. Since this was an Angus burger I really had high expectations.
remains of my burger
Fili sized cheese steaks P220
where’s the beef?
This was what we left behind. Elisa and I were truly disappointed. I can’t wait to try Elbert’s Cheesesteak Sandwiches to compare it. This is just our opinions. Everyone has their own taste. What do you think of Charlie’s food?
telephone: 635-4857
Shoot First Eat Later 
I’m with you – that burger did look raw and unappetizing. I still love the burgers you cooked on our grill when you visited. Best to keep it simple, right?
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I have to admit that their prices for burgers are pretty decent, obviously they used Brother’s as a benchmark, but for the quality you end up with, BB will remain a benchmark to them. I ordered the meatball sandwich once and the balls were frozen in the middle, so I didn’t eat it. The marinara sauce on it tasted good though, and I wondered how one can eat that sandwich since the bread was way soggy by the time my order arrived. The cheesesteaks are far from the ones being served in Elbert’s (which I have to say is the closest thing to the original South Philly experience). CGG’s bread was more like a biscuit–thin, dry and crunchy. Their meat was lacking in beef flavor and that cheese sauce was totally salty. I find it expensive compared to ECS since CGG’s is a smaller sandwich using local beef while Elbert’s is huge and uses USDA meat. No match. The buffalo wings were okay, but I’ve tasted better. Good enough for pulutan, but I wouldn’t really got to Charlie’s for a drinking session with friends. Sayang, because their beer menu is impressive. I don’t get what it is about Charlie’s. I sledom find people to agree with me in my impressions. You do, so I’m glad I’m not alone. The substance doesn’t match the hype. It’s a great concept, but that’s just all it is. Are Pinoys’ level of taste still THAT underdeveloped? Oh, good nows! I read in another blog that Elbert’s in Power Plant Rockwell is about to serve real US burgers. Can’t wait to try that. Someone really needs to show that Charlie’s isn’t anything worth anyone’s time or money. If anyone can do it, I think Elbert’s can. Cheers!
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great to hear that we are not alone RandyS! for awhile there, we were wondering if it was just a bad day for Charlie’s? Brothers, Hotshots, or Burger King have my vote on this any day! what’s the hype about???so aside from going back to chili’s, i have elbert’s to excitedly look forward to? diba les? 😀
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Thanks for the eloquent comments Randy! I thought I was going to be deluged with opposing opinions. Can’t wait to try Elbert’s burgers and cheesesteaks.
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Yup. That burger was the best. Imagine we just bought ground beef from the supermarket, formed it into patties, salted the outside of the patty and grilled it. Perfect! That tasted like steak! Too bad we can’t get ground beef that good in Manila.
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been wanting to try this.. saw it on TV and heard it was good? 😎
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went to charlie’s for the first time last friday. burger was not what i was expecting. maybe i’ll give it another try someday. brother’s angus burger will smoke this out of the water.have you tried the elbert’s burger in rockwell? they use the same bread (i think) as the lusso burger. it was yummy. (think old school quarter pounder with cheese but better)posted this on another blog. glad to hear i wasn’t wrong with my impression
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Crazy people….
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i’ve eaten at charlie’s around 10 times, and i’ve never been disappointed with the Angus Beef Burger…so sorry to hear you had a very different experience..
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masarap kaya!!!
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Dapat un burger kainin mo ng buo. kasama patty,bun, veggies. kung un karne lang gusto mo dapat nag steak ka na lang. hehe.try nyo zark’s burgers sikat sa taft. hehe http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/zarksburgers
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shucks, so sorry you had a bad experience at Charlie’s. Me and my friends all love Charlie’s and all the people we bring there love Charlie’s also.FYI, eggs are binders so if their patties have eggs, it should be well binded when cooked.
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This is for the other foodies out there. The burger was below average. The bloggers raving about it either had a special “blogger reviewer” batch cooked for them or were starving when they tried it. It was lousy and forgettable. Even with the consistency aside, the taste itself was poor. The cheese steak sandwich is a vegetable sandwich with cheese. Honest review? Its a burger joint for people who are having their cars washed and need a snack. But if you’re a burger lover who is looking for a good treat, avoid this place. Waste of cash and expectations.
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Hi don’t know if your remember me. I was at the Christmas party of Mr. E. Ching with Shanda (my wife who sang chinese songs that night). Well I finally got to try Charlie’s and the burgers were just MUSHY! The fries tasted old and the wings were the wrong kind of spicy. I guess I won’t be going there any time soon (if ever). Thanks for the heads up though. 🙂
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ps: the mushiness of the patty in the picture is exactly how mushy it was in my mouth… eww
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Hi Filbert! Yes I remember you and Shanda. Nice pic you attached. Glad you agreed with my opinion =-X
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They’re famous for the buffalo wings, not burgers.
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hi! i’ll be writing a review on charlie’s grind and grill too for my new foodblog =) i was also pretty dissapointed with their food… if you have time, feel free to check out my blog too … not much stuff yet but i’ll be posting more soon. good luck on your blog! love it =)Grushahttp://foodiewifeymama.blogspot.com
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