Incredible in every single aspect. Food was amazing the staff was so friendly and provided fast service not to mention the value. A grilled cheese, two glasses of wine and the 12oz prime rib special and our bill was only $48!! We moved to the area a year ago and have been searching for a place exactly like this. Very cool laid back atmosphere with old school booths. Amazing place. read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - Prime Rib - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

So glad we finally stopped in, we've been missing out! The menu is huge and has everything from burgers and salads to seafood and steaks. My husband loved his prime rib which is the Friday special. My grilled cheese and tomato soup was amazing as well. Service was prompt and friendly even though it was swamped, Jodi was excellent. The ambience is laid back but busy with a lot going on. It almost feels like you're visiting family and hanging out. There was such a sweet lady walking around saying hello to every patron, it had to have been Charlie based on pictures. Overall this Wallace was a 10/10. Amazing food with quality ingredients for a great price and warm inviting atmosphere. read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Another wonderful dinner at Charlie's Bar and Grill. Our waitress was so friendly and attentive, even though it was very busy. read more

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This is like a Cheers type of place, where everybody knows your name. Or if they don't, they will by the time you leave. My aunt and uncle have been regulars at Charlie's for years and when I mentioned them to our server, she was so delighted and even had the owner (Charlie) come over to talk to us. Charlie's menu is huge and everything I've had is good. The prices are great and don't seem to have been affected too much over the years, which is amazing and hard to come by these days. I'd been seeing this photo of their scallop dinner on some local foodie Facebook groups, so I knew I wanted to try it. The dinner comes with a side salad, seasonal veggie, red skinned potatoes, and four large scallops. Nate got the Fabulous burger, which is their olive burger. Our food took a little bit to come out but everything was SO good. This is the best food you'll find at a divey bar in town. The scallops were cooked perfectly and were so tasty. I loved the potatoes and green beans and I got a side Caesar salad. They make their own Caesar dressing and it's really yummy. I loved Nate's burger - it was perfectly cooked (medium as requested) and seasoned well. They have the beer battered fries that are so delicious. We had several people stop by our table to chat which was fun. Service is super friendly and kind, a little bit slow at times, but we were enjoying a relaxing dinner. Other items we've had include their burritos (they are massive) and their grilled cheese sandwiches (they have a whole section of them on the menu). Like I said, everything we've eaten at Charlie's has been good! I will say that the parking lot is a total disaster - it's full of pot holes and it can get kind of chaotic as there aren't any clearly designated spots in the back. That being said, I think it's totally worth it. read more

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Always good food, great service, and a personal welcome from Charlie! Love the appetizers and chicken Alfredo. Large servings, cold beer. CHARLIE read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - Prime rib and fries. The best in town. - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

A friend introduced me to this place, and I'm so glad she did. We had the famous house made mozzarella sticks, potato skins for app. I ordered a gin and tonic that doesn't skimp on the G and walleye sandwich. My guys and had the wet burrito. Both were really good. We had to go back a few weeks later to bring our kids. The menu is expansive with Mexican dishes, burgers, seafood (shrimp basket, scallop entree, etc), flatbreads, and an array of sandwiches and main entree. My son had the best grilled cheese with bacon, and my daughter got chicken tenders. This time I ordered thr French dip (yum!), and my husband enjoyed the burger. You can't beat the prices and the made from scratch quality food. I'm not a ranch fan, but their homemade dressing was delicious with the mozz sticks. Not fancy, just good food, friendly service at this old bar and grill institution. read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - French dip - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Finally made it to Charlie's for the first time and was totally CHARMED by the warm welcome from the staff, including Charlie herself! Went on a early afternoon Valentine's Day lunch date and enjoyed the excellent scratch-made fare, including the 1/2 Bang Bang 1/2 Firecracker Shrimp appetizer, a Caesar salad, the Wet Burrito, and the absolutely scrumptious Pan-Seared Sea Scallop Appetizer. I immediately fell in love with the come-as-you-are, old-school 80s interior and music playlist, which inspired some fun singalongs from the floor and bar workers. It was apparent that they have a lot of pride in and enthusiasm for the establishment and truly enjoy working there. Our server Tracy was friendly and fun, gave great recommendations, and saw to our every need. I chose Charlie's specifically after seeing a picture of the sea scallops posted in a local foodie group and I can say, without a doubt, that they exceeded my expectations! And it was truly a "white tablecloth" entree for 1/2 of what it might cost at local seafood restaurants. Charlie's is the quintessential hidden gem AND a good old fashioned watering hole in one :) read more

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This is a neighborhood favorite. It's always packed and the menu is huge. You could go here over and over not eat the same thing twice. I ordered Charlie wet burrito. It's huge and I had lunch the next day. My sister had the steak special with potatoes and green beans. They have a full bar and the drinks are so good. Come in grab a chair and enjoy the night read more

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Hidden food oasis, great service, extensive menu and very reasonable prices, may not look like much on outside but great food and drinks on inside read more

Looking for a different place for lunch, we decided to go to Charlies Bar and Grill. As far as I can tell, Charlies has been here forever and I've driven past it countless times but have never stopped in. Today we did. First thing that amazed me was the huge menu. The second thing was the reasonable prices. In fact, I thought pricing would dictate quality. I was wrong. I ordered a French Dip and my wife had the "No Name" Ham and Swiss with tomato soup. To say we both loved our choices is an understatement. Service was excellent as well. Given the extensive menu and our first great experience here, we will absolutely be back soon. Another great find! What took me so long? read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - "No Name" Ham and Swiss with Tomato Soup - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Great Ambiance and a classic dive bar feel with upscale food. The staff made me feel very comfortable and at home. read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - Menu - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Great menu, lots of options. They just need to make it clear on the menu that there are FULL anchovies in the caesar wrap. I understand its in the dressing - very rarely are their full anchovies in caesars, if there are it needs to say that. Waitress confirmed that yes there are, but was very kind and took care of it from there. read more

Charlie's never disappoints. If you're looking for a family friendly, cozy neighborhood spot with an extensive menu and it's all great! Bar food to entrees, you can't go wrong. read more

Can't get a burger cooked to order. Meaning just cook it to the temp and not med well all day

The staff is always kind and friendly. Food is always good Charlie is a bright spot of sweet sunshine when she walks around checking on tables. read more

Great food mostly homemade that matches the service you will get here. Never been disappointed!

Probably my favorite bar/restaurant in the area. Food & service is always on point & they mix a mighty nice cocktail. Sort of the hidden gem of Plainfield. read more

Been here many, many times. I love it more each time. Charlie, I am pretty sure she is always here. I love she is so invested. She may sleep here, I don't know for certain. Super friendly staff, great drinks and I usually choose between three things. Mr Fabulous burger, Charlie's choice or nachos. My hubby and I usually split something and it works out great! Great local spot, though I bring all out of towners here or recommend those to try here. read more

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I'd never come here without a recommendation from a friend. It's as local as they come. I'm betting the exterior and dining area haven't been updated in 30 years. I had the Buffalo chicken wrap and it was actually really good! The chicken was perfect, fresh veggies, Buffalo was likely Frank's red hot and pretty good ranch. The fries were pretty bad. Soft, not crispy at all, no salt. The best part of Charlie's is easily the service. Server was excellent, attentive, quick with the refills. Charlie's clearly shines at serving locals. Probably half the people who walked in were greeted by name. It's clean, friendly and decent food. If they fixed up the outside (parking lot is awful!), got better fries and gave the interior a facelift it'd be perfect ratings from me, but maybe that would take away from the charm? You be the judge. I'll try them again I'm sure if not simply because sometimes you just want a friendly face. read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - Buffalo chicken wrap and fries. - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

We went out for charlie's bar and grill great steak dinner special on Thursday. We were more than disappointed. We order steak, red potatoes and broccoli and a salad. Waitress was great . Our meals came ,we started eating ... well the steak was warm,looked like they were cookie cutter steaks so tuff you couldn't cut it .I stared eating my potatoes and they were warm the butter almost melted,then I found a hair under my potatoes. Everyone at the table was having a tuff time cutting their steaks, so I said nothing about the hair. Went to eat.my broccoli but the butter hadn't even melted. Worst meal ever. We won't go there again. I am so angry I wrote this,,,letter read more

We're new to the area and thought the food sounded decent so I called here to place a takeout order on a Wednesday at 7pm and the lady put me on hold, when she came back she told me the chef said "not right now bc we're REALLY busy. I've worked in multiple different restaurants and have never said this to someone before, why not just say it's going to be a wait or something, just throwing away business? Maybe the food is good, I'll never know lol read more

Long wait on a Friday night but the food was bery good albeit slown, but due to the crowd fair. Our waitress Tracy was busy but made sure we were token care and and didn't want for anything. Great over all experience. read more

Second visit was just as great as the first! The homemade tomato soup is my absolute favorite and is soo flavorful with nice chunks of tomato, a must try!! The no name ham and Swiss was delicious too. Nobody liked the Buffalo chicken wrap because it was spicy but my dinner mates should have known that lol! Great hometown place to visit! read more

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Wonderful dinks and friendly staff . Charlie the owner is a very pleasant gal, and will make you feel right at home.

Charlie's is consistently good! Food is homemade and service is quick and super friendly! Mozzarella sticks are homemade and a must have! read more

Great menu and friendly staff. Loved the space. Can't wait to go back and try more off their giant menu.

Great neighborhood location with good unique food offerings! I love to support local businesses.

They have some terrible people that work there one server in particular has an attitude other people I've talked to knows about this she's actually incredibly rude and acts like she's doing you a favor by waiting on you. The food is definitely not as good as it used to be there. read more

I went for lunch and had chili that didn't taste like midwestern chili ( a beef stew). This had just enough sad pice and substance My lunch partner had ribs as tasty as flat landers used to serve. A neighborhood at and grill with a friendly staff maKes me want to come back soon. read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - Half rack of Ribs, broccoli and potatoes - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

We were here so many years ago and it doesn't look like it changed a bit from what I remember. I think at least half the patrons in the place are regulars. Bartender and our server were very friendly. Quick to get our drinks. After mulling over the menu for quite some time, I decided on the shrimp basket. My wife ordered the same, it just didn't take her as long to decide. The food came promptly and was nice and hot. 8 pieces of batter fried butterfly shrimp and some fries. Shrimp was decent size and crispy. Fries a little to greasy for me, but they were go enough to eat. Also came with coleslaw. The good thing was that it wasn't to tart, bad thing was it was a little to bland. Will I come here again? Yes. It wasn't a bad experience, just not a great one. read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - Shrimp basket - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Love Charlie's bar and Grille! Charlie herself is the sweetest. Love the atmosphere and the staff. Feel like family whenever I go in there. Have never had any bad food there - definitely recommend the mozzarella sticks! My goal is to make it through the menu lol read more

Charlies Bar & Grille - Ribs, potatoes, green beans, and side salad - Bars Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

My husband and I were we're up for the Michigan high school state track meet. Looking for a nice little quiet place to have some drinks and snacks came up pun Charlie's bar and Grill and if we weren't looking we would've passed it right by. Let me say it was a great time! Bartenders excellent drinks are a good pour customer Gary at the bar was a real hoot! He recommended what we should eat and he was spot on we had such a great time and it made our long day very enjoyable! Thank you guys very much! read more

Great food, friendly and personal service. Greeted personally. Felt like a throwback to a time when restaurant staff really wanted you to be there and took pride in the food they prepare. read more

Great local place, been here over 25 years and everything from scratch!!! Charlie's a woman btw, sweet as can be! Our server was Tracey, she's awesome too!!! read more

I have driven past this place for 25 years. A friend of mine said "Charlie's is awesome". Just checked it out 3 weeks ago. We have been there twice a week since. The menu is huge, however they pull it off with no issues. In fact they use fresh ingredients and make most food with those fresh ingredients in house. The owner is a pleasure to talk to. Her daughter is a chip off the old block and will keep this business running for a long time! So sorry we missed out by just driving by for years. read more

Waitresses are great. Bartender is horrible. Will no longer serve drinks in glasses. It has nothing to do with weight of glasses since they are still serving pitchers. I also went up with my waitress so I could carry the glass myself and bartender refused... If I'm going to get served like a dive bar- it's not wrong to expect dive bar prices. read more

This is another one of those hidden gems. No frills but amazing food and service. We always enjoy having a meal & drinks here because it is awesome as well as reasonable. Always leave with a smile on our face. No matter who I take there, something on the menu for everyone. read more

First of all...we have been coming here for a long time! It used to be very well managed and the service and food was great! For the last year and a half...it has been horrible. We keep giving them another chance, but we are done. Yuck! And ugh! read more

Great place. Couldn't get a seat at the bar so had to grab a table just myself. Got loaded tors with a fried egg on top that were pretty righteous. Only had two beers because the waitresses looked like they were a little short staffed that night. read more

Stopped in on a whim Monday night (after YEARS of driving by and hardly noticing this place) after checking out YELP and figuring, WHY NOT!? This place is next to some sketchy little shops on Plainfield (Cirilla's, a smoke shop, laundromat, etc) and not a ton of parking up front but more in the back (dirt lot). When you walk in you feel like you are stepping back in time.. maybe to Village Inn 1992? Hubs Inn 1995? It's dark with minimal lighting, dark colored, leather booths, cement floor, and random tables. It was decently busy for a Monday night at 530ish but we were able to grab a seat in the middle of the restraint. Greeted pretty quickly and had our drink order taken and menus brought over. Small draft list, but they did have a few craft and I went with Perrin Black. The menu was pretty impressive! Lots of apps, sandwiches, burgers, GRILLED CHEESES!, mexican, salads, dinners (Kielbasa Plate!), and soups (homemade Tomoto Bisque). Nightly specials, too: Monday was $5 mini burritos (that did NOT look mini) and a meatball dinner. Tuesday is $5 burger and beer! (Lunch menu seemed big and cheap!) We both decided on the Charlie's Choice burger (which sounded more like a melt). I got mine without a bun and a cole slaw instead of chips. Hubby got his with fries for an upcharge. Beers were cold and big! Food came out quickly, too. No frills, good greasy burger. Cheese, olives, sauteed onions (still a little crispy) with a side of mayo (because mine had no bun). Coleslaw seemed homemade, too. No complaints- good bar burger! Second round of beers took a lot longer and we got them after we were finished, but that was not a huge deal. we hung out and watched the Kino board and chatted while we drank. Bill took a little while, too. Waitress seemed busy by the time we were cashing out since the restaurant got busier. Again, not a big deal. She was super friendly and apologetic. Fun little hole in the wall that would be good for a beer or a decent bar meal (step UP from bar food, honestly). Friendly service, decent prices, and quick (ish) service. If we are in the area, we may stop in again. read more