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    Chicken Charlie's

    2.7 (52 reviews)
    ModerateChicken Wings
    Open 10:30 am - 9:30 pm

    Chicken Charlie's Photos

    CHICKEN CHARLIE'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Chicken Charlie's

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    Sad lobster
    Jay L.

    Total waste of $40. I got this at the San Diego County Fair and ordered the deep-fried lobster and fries, and it was honestly one of the worst meals I've had. The lobster was stale and overcooked, and one of the pieces was literally just an empty shell with no meat inside. The actual lobster meat I did get was the size of my thumb, barely anything. To make it worse, the ambiance was chaotic because no one was directing the line and the service was just as bad. The person taking my order didn't bother to check or care that one of the lobsters was missing entirely. No apology, no effort to fix it. For the price, this was a complete rip-off. I left feeling frustrated and disappointed. I want my money back. Avoid this place.

    a pineapple and rice dish
    Karen L.

    You are at the fair and have to eat fair food. The pineapple cut in half with rice and teriyaki chicken looked great. $24.96 but never again. The prices at the fair are outrageous for the food. But you have to try it once. The chicken was good but I wanted some teriyaki or soy sauce and the sauce they call teriyaki sauce is a sweet pineapple fruity thing. NOT what I wanted. It worked to help moisten the chicken but that's all. The young man was polite. 6/22/23

    fair special
    Emily G.

    It is okay food that is expected at a fair. I ordered the Fair Special, a platter that comes with 2 chicken tenders, some onion rings, and fried zucchini. Not much flavor other than a "fried" taste, but it was okay. The chicken tenders were more like chicken "toughers", in that they were overcooked. They give a ton of fried zucchini, almost too much but given the platter was $20+ I can't complain that they more food than less.

    Maui chicken at Del Mar fair
    Maria M.

    The Maui chicken is really good! Sweet pineapple teriyaki sauce smothering a mound of grilled chicken served in half a pineapple with a scoop of white rice and pineapple chunks. Delicious protein meal at the Del Mar fairgrounds this summer. Never disappoints. Prices are pretty high but so is the fair in general. Dove was a tad bit salty for my liking but overall a great option.

    Ribs and fried and Krispy Cream Tripple decker burger
    Shana Q.

    At the San Diego County Fair 2017 and this was definitely an eye catcher. I give them 5 stars for the creativity of their fried everything literally. Fried peanut butter meat balls, fried avocados, bacon wrap chicken, Krispy Cream burger, and fried frog legs!!!! Insane! I ordered the ribs and fries($14), sister and mom got the Krispy Cream Tripple burger ($10) bacon wrapped chicken with fries($12). Hands down the Krispy Cream burger was BOMB delishious!!! A must try. I like more of a sweet bbq and this sauce was tangy but still okay. My mom's bacon chicken was also okay but 1 of the 5 drumsticks were raw inside(yikes) but she still ate the other 4 and didn't make a big deal. Definitely try them out it's super crazy!

    Chun P.

    Each year I crave the giant plate of deep fried zucchini... Each year I regret it about an hour after I eat it... $7.95 this year. Two years ago it was under $7...price increases are more than the rate of inflation, why so greedy Chicken Charlie? Been getting tips from Mickey Mouse?

    Deep fried kool-aid
    Maria C.

    Fried everything!!! It's only once a year that I come to indulge at this stand at the SD County Fair to try the latest and greatest. Some notable deep fried foods consumed in the past from CC and other stands are: Oreos, Klondike bar, Twinkies, Snickers, Crispy Creme sandwich, avocado, and S'more, Reese's, zucchini, and funnel cake. During this visit, decided to attempt the hyped up deep fried Kool-Aid. I had heard on the radio that it was a must for this year and how good it was. The order came with 5 - what looked like - burnt donut holes. When you bite into them, you get a small taste of kool-aid with the contents being a pink/red color. Honestly, it wasn't all that. It tasted like old, dry up donut holes. Do yourself a favor and skip it, or if you're dying to try them, at least share with others. Kudos for the creations, however... Note: My fave fried foods at the fair - Aussie potatoes and the deep fried Snickers... Get some...

    Fried kool-aid
    Mike C.

    You can't miss this. This place has the most unusual fried stuff out there. You can tell by the neon lights and stuff that you're at the right spot, but I was here specifically for the fried kool-aid. And I want to say that this is some invention that will bring me back here again and again. Nicely cooked all around and they even sprinkle it with even more kool-aid powder. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/7oGeVZYthZe2IWoj2wfLoA?select=1TgH2a8TV_j-V3o7KzUDAA For just under $7, you get 5 donut ball sized kool-aid pieces. It's fluffy and sweet and luckily not a lot of oil. Seriously, it tastes like cherry kool-aid. Good stuff!

    Mmmmm
    Del R.

    Dear Charlie, I have you to thank for my fried food hangover every year. I also have you to thank for my greasy face the next morning. I should send you my Proactive bills. ;-) I had my first real one night stand with Chicken Charlie last year at a Yelp event. We were given deep friend Oreos and Zucchini Weenies. Weeners FTW! That year, when I went back to actually enjoy the fair, I kept with something simple and traditional, I had the frickle pickles. Deep fried pickles, that is. That's what they call them in Kentucky, don't remember what Charlie calls them. But, this year I went all out. I damn near killed myself in a dipped-in-batter, deep-fried blaze of glory. I had, get ready for this, Deep fried Klondike bar. It was surprising delicious. I had garlic fries. They were good too but, tasted almost magical when dipped in the Klondike bar. I had the deep fried butter over deep fried strips of flour tortilla, sprinkled with cinnamon, sugar and coated with whipped cream. It was a MAJOR LET DOWN! Instead of advertising this grotesque excuse for carnival food as deep fried butter, they should have called it what it actually is.. a flippin' churro! blah! If they had told me it was a churro, I would have been pleased. They called it something else, and I bought it. I got 'carnied". Those cooky con artists! But, no folks, the devilment didn't end there, nope. I too had the deep fried avocado. I know, I know. There is no reason to mess with the most precious fruit known to man. But, Charlie did it. And, he did it right! It's really quite a marvelous thing. It's sweet, soft, crisp, hot, cool, salty and sweet all at the same time. It comes with a wedge of lemon. "Lemon?", i thought, "that's odd. But, okay Charlie, you win. I'll taste it." And, taste it I did. Did I call this marvelous? Nay! It's right next door to perfect! Thanks Charlie! You're a crazy man with crazy ideas. But what genius isn't crazy, I ask you? Love, Del

    Dung N.

    There was a long line for this stand and it looked promising, so we tried the chicken kabobs since the guy cooking it recommended it over the beef ones. I was disappointed that it was dry and didn't even finish the last piece. Even the pita bread wasn't that good. I guess their fried stuff is better....

    Deep fried avocados

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    12 years ago

    way overpriced and most of their stuff is fried in a disgusting pancake type batter

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Chicken Charlie's

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    My kiddos were running a 5K in Los Angeles and with my son having driven up earlier this week, I…read moredidn't want us to have two cars driving back home, so I took the Amtrak for the first time to meet up with my kiddos. Since my train wasn't leaving until later, I decided to find a place to eat dinner and found Chief's Burgers, Brew & Spirits. Chief's was a cool place to chill out and grab a bite. The burger and fries entree, the quality customer service from Nora, and the vibe were memorable. What was irritating was hearing a customer show his Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) by talking out loud about his disdain for our President. You lost old dude, but I won by dining at Chief's. 4.5 stars! Chief's Burgers is located in Solana Beach specifically on Lomas Santa Fe Drive. It's conveniently a short walk across from the Amtrak train station and within the Solana Beach Plaza strip mall. The plaza has Solana Frosty and Solana Beach Fish House. There is plenty of parking. As you step inside Chief's, you'll quickly determine that it's a sports bar with plenty of televisions, sports memorabilia, basketballs hanging from the ceiling, and a variety of modes of travel also hanging as decor. It's a spacious restaurant with bar top seating, low table top, high table top, picnic benches, and outdoor seating. There are a lot of Native American statues, framed pics, and depictions throughout the restaurant. There's a whole section decorated for Denver Broncos fans. I liked seeing tributes to our local sports teams. The customer service from Nora was noteworthy and I appreciated her friendly demeanor. I asked Nora why the restaurant was named Chief's and why there was an homage to the Broncos. She kindly explained that the owners were Native American and that they came from Colorado. Prior to embarking on the train, I initially thought I'd eat dinner with my kids once I got into Los Angeles, but since my train wasn't leaving until 5:40pm and wouldn't arrive at Union Station until about 8pm, I decided to find a restaurant to eat dinner. I found Chief's really quick since it was across from the station and walked over to dine in. Chief's serves a diverse menu besides burgers, which includes sandwiches, sides, Mexican food, appetizers, wings, salads, sliders, soup and chili, rice bowls, and dessert. I honestly wasn't sure what I was in the mood for, but I ordered their Jalapeño Jack burger, which comes with a 1/2 lb all natural angus beef thick patty, fresh jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. All the burgers are served with french fries, salad, or coleslaw. Instead of fries, pay an additional $3 to substitute onion rings, sweet potato fries, frings, or potato salad. Unless I didn't hear Nora, I wasn't asked how I wanted my burger cooked. My burger came out well done, I liked that it was substantial, the toasted bun was a good vessel, the toppings were fresh, and I thought that was a delicious burger. I recommend that they season the patty a little more. I thought the fries stood out because they were crispy, golden brown, seasoned perfectly, and when dipped in mayo or ranch, they complemented the burger. For my first visit to Chief's, I really enjoyed my burger and fries. Next time I visit Chief's, I want to try their Philly Cheesesteak. Hanging out at Chief's before my first train ride made for a good start to my trip, but that old dude talking smack about our President made me wish the Trump Train made a stop, so it would drown out his crying.

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    Bronco spot.....
    Bronco spot.....
    Chief's Burgers Brew & Spirits
    Chief's Burgers Brew & Spirits

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    Entry. Nice open air space near the beach.
    Entry. Nice open air space near the beach.
    Best Pizza & Brew Cardiff By The Sea
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    Photos
    The bar area with the TV
    The bar area with the TV
    Burger - came with their homemade sauce that has mayonnaise so we had it on the side.
    Burger - came with their homemade sauce that has mayonnaise so we had it on the side.
    Outdoor seating with heaters

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    Outdoor seating with heaters

    Chicken Charlie's - chicken_wings - Updated August 2026

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