Charlie’s Burgers Wings & Brew

Delicious turkey burger! Since I don’t eat beef I am always on the hunt for great tasting turkey burgers and Charlies nails it big time! In fact I think it may be the only juicy flame-​broiled turkey burger in the Seattle area (as opposed to fried on a griddle like most places). The fries are perfect too. I have been twice and will continue to go to Charlies. Now that I’ve heard that the wings and jalapeño poppers are really good, I’ll try those next time (but still get my turkey burger to go for later!)

We were seated right away. Shy I’m guessing daughter (young) took our drink order but couldn’t because we wanted a beer so had to wait for the Mom. Ordered wings for an appetizer then were told they were out of ranch and blue cheese. Passed on the wings. Burgers came. Pretty good. We were never asked if we wanted another drink. Food was good, wonder how the wings are. I’ll give it another shot. UPDATE– walked by today and they are perm closed.

Food is too expensive ($ 13 for a burger) for this run down place with crappy service and no décor. The burger was not even good… it felt like the meat was sitting in their freezer for many weeks. Yuck.
Stay away from this place. Red Robin is million times better than this place.
Would have given them 0 stars but that is not an option.

Service timely was off, prices were way too much for the quality of food and the burgers we over cooked (like crispy and burnt).
First they served up one of the side dishes to one person (there are 3 of us), 10 mins later, the other 2 of us got our burgers, but the third member of our party (the one who got the side dish first) had to wait till we were almost finished to get his burger and fries. It was very ill timed, very unprofessional service.
Besides the food being too expensive, the beer prices where off the charts, $ 5 for a bottle of Fat Tire. One would expect better service, better food and a better atmosphere for the prices they charged.

The boyfriend and I came here last night to use our Groupon before it expired. We got there a little after eight, and there was only one other couple in the establishment who told us we were in for quite a treat. Good, because we were a little worried when we only saw one other table occupied on a Friday night…
Hooray! That couple was right! Delicious burgers and fries!
I had the Avocado burger, which was piled high with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, bacon and of course, fresh avocado slices! I think the special Charlie sauce was also on there. Anyhow, it was amazing and delicious — one of the best burgers I have had in a long time. Fully satisfying and full of fresh flavor. People keep referencing Red Robin, but Red Robin is churning out factory made burgers — this was fresh and home cooked.
The boyfriend had the Western BBQ Burger — drawn in by the sauce and the promise of onion rings. Unfortunately, the onion rings were not up to his exacting standards… which means that the onions were sliced thick and not cooked to a hard crisp. He ate most of his burger and put a good dent in his fries and relented that it was indeed delicious, but he wouldn’t order it again because of the onion rings…
I loved the fries — thick and great seasoning, with just the right amount of crisp to them.
It is not the absolute best burger ever made, but it was obviously made with love. Also, it took a heck of a time to get to us. The wait time is a tad long for a burger joint. Would I do it again, though? Oh, I plan to, don’t you worry.
The staff (a young lady and an older lady) were both very friendly, although we had to ask for napkins. I liked their beer selection and all the different possible burger combinations. I would love to try the wings at some point too.
Could the place use a little extra decorating and a few updates? Yes, but then it wouldn’t be that home cooked, delicious, hole in the wall burger joint that it is.

First off, I think they’ve changed the name to «Charlie’s Burgers, Wings and Brew»…
Went for a jog a couple of days ago and ran past this place. I had to do a double-​take, because although it’s close to downtown Kirkland it can be easy to miss if you’re driving (next to a dry cleaners, but surrounded by housing). I came back later that evening and was not disappointed! It’s a quaint place, but it has outdoor seating and great food.
I went with my sister and we ordered the spicy garlic wings, spicy buffalo wings, and the jalapeño poppers. The poppers were really good, but I was especially impressed with the wings. I think he double fries them, because the skin’s really crispy (crispy, not burnt mind you) but the meat’s still really juicy and tender. This was miles better than what I had at Wing Dome a couple night earlier (fatty skin, and barely cooked meat… ugh). Charlie’s wings are also naked, not breaded, which I liked. The Wing Dome may have better real estate, but this gem has much better food and is just a short walk from downtown Kirkland.
On a side note, this place served Bud Light Lime-​a-​Rita. This isn’t the same as Bud Light Lime (which is complete crap). I gave it a shot. They brought it out in a glass loaded with ice and a nicely salted rim. It went perfect with the wings, sitting outside on a beautiful summer’s day!

Although located in a somewhat shady establishment, Charlie’s burgers is a hidden gem. After our first take-​out meal, we were very pleasantly surprised (it’s just shady enough to be awesome).
The burgers are by no means gourmet — but that’s not the niche they’re going for. This place gives you the staples: simple sesame buns, large and thick patties, shredded iceberg, a dab of sauce (probably thousand island), american cheese (try subbing it for pepper jack!), and the bacon just completes the ensemble. Their fries are red robin-​esque: big and thick, but fresher.
We’ve tried the kitchen sink (the hot links are an awesome addition), the manly burger (humongous — a little too large in my opinion), and now order the Charlie burger every time (the hot pastrami on top of the patty is soooooo good). We live a few blocks from this place and get burgers from here at least once a month. Best burgers in Kirkland hands down.

I never heard of this place when it made my radar about a year ago. The location appeared amazing and how hard is it to mess up a burger?
The reviews weren’t that great, but above all it just appeared that most people refused to show this place any respect. Some said too salty, others said not flavorful enough.
Here is my mini review. If you sat me down with two burgers, one from Charlie’s and One from Red Robin, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It was a solid burger, no doubt. I could have used some more fries, but who doesn’t cut corners somewhere in the restaurant biz.
The place was empty, probably post lunch rush. It wasn’t dirty, but not clean. Matter of fact my girlfriend complained about the cleanliness, but I didn’t think it was worth arguing about. I’d say about 25 people could sit inside and the patio holds about another 30.
If I lived here, it just might be my burger of choice, but I wouldn’t drive three cities again to get here. Crazy cool location, limited parking, but I’d recommend it to anyone in it’s zip-​code.

We’ve decided Charlie’s is just too inconsistent for us to return. During our first visit everything was great but we noticed reduced quality on our second visit. The jalapeño poppers were not made the same and didn’t have the same tasty breading. Check out the original review for the details on how they used to be. Also, on our second visit the burger was way under cooked. My wife had them heat it up a bit more, but after that the burger just isn’t the same because it falls apart. I just dealt with it and hoped I wouldn’t get sick later one (I didn’t!). The fries are O-​rings were just OK.

Definitely a decent burger. The price was fair but with Kid Valley just a bit down the road, I can’t say I’ll stop at Charlie’s again.
I had the «Kitchen Sink» burger. The ingredients listed were enough to make me laugh out loud, so I had to try it. My buddy had the bbq burger. We also ordered the «jumbo» wings a la spicy.
Kitchen Sink burger was as hilarious and unreasonable as it’s name suggests. It barely fit in my mouth and it has such a mix of flavors, each bit was like a new burger. haha. It was good though, I enjoyed it and I’m painfully full right now. The fries I give an official «meh». I’m not a big fan of steak fries. Red Robin’s are ok only because I can bath them in their seasoning salt.
My buddy said his burger was good as well.
The «JUMBO» chicken wings… think of something you feel is «jumbo» and imagine the opposite of that. Now you’re on par with Charlie’s definition of JUMBO. They were on the low side of average for wing size and the meat was sparse. The «spicy» sauce, which i think was made in house, left much to be desired.
Funny thing, I ordered a Fat Tire and he brought me an Orange soda. I’m thinking, what in the hell is this. Then I realized it’s Fanta, so either I mumbled or he misheard me, either way, it was a nice surprise :). I hadn’t had orange soda in a decade, easily, and I dug it haha.
So if you’re not a fan of Kid Valley or the parking lot is full over there, drive on by and hit up Charlies. It ain’t bad, but it ain’t great.

Four stars might be a little high, but the food makes me bump the score up.
Came here on a $ 9 for $ 18 Groupon, and that was a good deal. Somebody on Unilocal compared this place to Red Robin, and I’d say that a decent comparison. There are very distinct differences between the two, so I’ll run down a list of categories and specify the winner/​loser of each category.
Food: Charlie’s
We had the BBQ wings, the mushroom swiss burger, and a strawberry milkshake. The burgers are big, well cooked, and full of flavor. I’m a medium/​med. rare guy when it comes to burgers, and Charlie’s cooked it to a perfect medium. Meat and toppings are packed with flavor… maybe even TOO much. What I mean by that is the sauteed onions and mushrooms had so much seasoning that I could hardly taste the meat. The wings aren’t anything to write home about. The shake was awesome. Real, fresh strawberries, and it was obvious. No thawed, strawberry jelly.
Ambiance: Red Robin
Charlie’s is just a small little place with few flat screens and kind of non-​cohesive décor. The red, black, and brushed metal look wasn’t doing it for me.
Service: RED ROBIN!
Don’t get me wrong, the mom and pop feel of this place is nice; but if it’s real food «service» you’re looking for, this ain’t it. Charlie’s staff is neither rude, nor welcoming. They’re just there to take your order, give you food, and ring up your check.
Price: Tie
The price is about the same. $ 10-​$ 15 for a burger with fries. $ 5 for a milkshake. I’d even give the edge to RR since they give you unlimited fries — Charlie’s does not. However, Charlie’s burgers are higher quality.
Worth a try if you’re in the neighborhood and want to try some genuinely good burgers… or if you have a coupon. I would say not worth a trip out to Kirkland otherwise.

In honor of my new nephew Charles Alexander (and a Groupon my girlfriend bought) we decided to check out Charlie’s Burgers in their new location in the ‘Pretty-​K’.
The place is small, but I’m sure during some nice weather the side deck really opens the place up. And décor/​menu/​atmosphere makes me think that they can’t decide if they want to be a ‘Chipotle’ or a dive’y Biker Joint. It’s comfy though, w/​an interesting mix of tunes on the speakers and friendly, family-​like service.
The food came out hot and fast and the burger here is big… very big. I’ll always order a ‘signature’ dish as a first (or ask the waitress if there is a signature dish if it isn’t blatantly obvious on the menu) meal to judge by. The way I see it is, if you’re putting your restaurant’s name on it, it better represent the place as a whole. ‘Charlie’s’ burger is a big, tasty, gluttonous mess, which was about what I was hoping for. Here are the drawbacks…1. American Cheese… weak, some nice sharp cheddar would have been perfect 2. even though they asked me how I wanted it cooked, my medium was more like a mid-​well to well 3. I wanted the pastrami to make the burger ‘pop’ unfortunately the taste of the American Cheese stood out more than the pastrami.
The good news is, if you’re a Red Robin fan, you should give this place a try and tell me this food isn’t a Red Robin w/​better flame grilled beef. From the burger structure, to the bun, to the toppings, to the delicious steak fries… the food was eerily similar to the ‘Dirty Bird’ but w/​an oh so important flame grilled exception.
A pretty good burger experience over all. Oh and one more thing… get your liquor license! If you advertise beer on the menu… you better serve it, especially in this beer crazed city!

Before I came to realize the power of Unilocal,i blindly purchased Groupons based on their cheap offerings. I didn’t do my homework when I bought a Groupon for this place but I figured. Hey– can’t be too bad considering it’s a dirt cheap deal and this place is situated in the upscale neighborhood of downtown Kirkland. Well, well. Let me tell you otherwise.
We arrived at 11am (opening time) and was told by the waitress that the cook had not arrived yet, but would be there shortly. She didn’t come in until 11:15. We finally ordered one grilled chicken club and one veggie burger. Waited and waited. the 2 of us were the only ones in the restaurant the entire time. Food didn’t come out until 11:45 and the grilled chicken club was missing the bacon.
I don’t know if I just came in on a bad day, but I hope their service is typically better than this because their food is quite delicious.

On the really hot evening in Seattle a couple weeks ago, we did not feel like cooking whatsoever. Off we headed to try out yet another place while looking for good burgers — Charlie’s Flame Broiled Burgers. The area around the burger place was really hopping.
For the downsides: Parking is limited. They use the same restaurant parties everybody uses. The turkey burger is pretty plain. The fries were overcooked. The staff was a little slow on refills.
There is no air conditioning, which would not be a big deal usually, but when we went I specifically wanted to go to a place with a/​c due to the heat. Inside was warm, so we sat outside. Unfortunately, all tables with an umbrella were taken. However, after one table left, we moved their umbrella to our table and the staff kindly helped.
We ordered a plain cheeseburger and fries, a turkey burger with fries, a kids cheeseburger meal (drink was full size), and the kitchen sink. The pastrami really good.
The best part of the meal is they have the fun hole-​y ice cubes.
We’ll go back, although only one of the family seems really thrilled about it.

My experience wasn’t as bad as some of the others, but it was nothing I’m in a hurry to repeat. My adult son and I went. He had a burger, I had a fish taco. The food was quite good. But yes, a new waitress was learning on the job and it showed.
Reading all the reviews the take-​away seems to be that Charlie can cook pretty well, but may be somewhat cavalier in regard to child labor and liquor control laws.
As a Kirkland resident I’ve seen numerous restaurants open and close at that location, some in as short a time as 30 days. They didn’t get the traffic Charlie’s has enjoyed — so if the place folds he won’t be able to say people didn’t give him a shot.

HORRIBLE! If I could give this ZERO stars I would.
We showed up Thursday Aug 11^th at 11:30, and were the first and only couple in the place. Music was cranked up. Owner ignored us to swap stories with the Sysco Food guys. Tables were sticky/​dirty from night before. His shy and impersonal 11 year old son waited on us AND cooked our meal. Took him a while to get his act together but hard to blame a young kid. We had to ask for silverware, napkins, and condiments after the food arrived. Food was avg and overpriced with that being said. Burger was way over cooked and laid in a pool of grease in the basket.
After we finished no bill came, so we stood at the register for 10 minute waiting to pay. Other people were walking around looking for napkins, silverware, and condiments by this time as well. You could hear everyone in the kitchen telling stories. If that wasn’t bad enough I used an $ 18 Groupon and was ripped off. If anyone can explain how (2) $ 9.99 burgers and ice water add up to $ 23.xx, and then after the Groupon I owed $ 6.58 please chime in. It’s hard to argue with an 11 year old with no concept of basic math skills. He kept saying he had to add in the tax. Wasn’t that the amount over $ 19.98.
The entire time this was going on the owner was camped out behind the scenes talking a female employee, Not once was he over seeing what his kid was doing or even getting involved with the customers. Even while others started filing in during lunch while the kid did all the work.
The scarey things to think about here is food safety. Does an 11 year old really get it. Remember kids this age rarely brush their teeth, wash their hands, and certainly don’t know much about cooking. It was obvious by the owners comments about the new going Social coupons that all he cared about was cash flow, and wasn’t thinking about return business.
Bottom line this guys a joke and obviously thinks that he can duplicate a Red Robin and it’s prices. At least I know I’m not going to have an 11 year old wait on me AND cook my food there…

Charlie needs to be careful, because if he doesn’t watch it he’ll be out of business by next summer.
A few months ago when me and some co-​workers came here on a nice sunny day during their soft opening, we had a blast! The bacon burgers were delicious, fries were well cooked, service was cheerful and attentive, and the beer was cold.
I have been there 3 times total now and every time I have had to drop a star on this place each time. It SHOULD be a 2, but I will give them a 3 because one of the biggest drawbacks of this place is apparently being rectified –
THEY LOST THEIR LIQUOR LICENSE. How does that even happen?
Being of the male persuasion, do you even realize how much of a nut-​kick it is to ask for a Corona on a sunny day while seated on and outside deck and have your waitress tell you twice in the span of 2 months «Sorry, we lost our liquor license and it’s still pending». So take it off the menu! It really takes the wind out of the sails if you decide to have a nice cold afternoon beer and be told you essentially chose the wrong place for that.
Also, and this is a recent thing AND the reason why I am writing this review. I consider this an open letter to Charlie himself. Dude, do NOT have your 9 yr old (??) son waiting tables, ESPECIALLY when you have an obvious waitress doing stuff in the back. It’s really off-​putting to have a child wait a table. I don’t take a lunch break to help you teach your kid the values of money. I take it to enjoy a nice respite in the day with a NORMAL server who is hopefully nice and deserves a tip. I feel like I am paying for this kid’s allowance by tipping and it’s weird.
It also makes me feel bad to say this, because after all he IS just a child, but THE KID SUCKS. HORRIBLY! He’s shy and awkward. He didn’t bring us water while we waited for our food. He had to be told to bring us napkins and ketchup (honestly…table-side napkin dispensers Charlie! This is basic stuff!), and it’s just WEIRD. Is that even legal? Obviously, he can’t be on any kind of payroll and must be in some loophole where it’s okay for your offspring to work at your family business, but I don’t like it one bit.
What if you did have your liquor license intact, he definitely couldn’t take my order for beer… that much I know. Plus, I wouldn’t want to be asking beer questions to a child in the first place!
So Charlie, for the sake of your business… get your liquor back pronto. Keep your kid to busing tables ONLY if you must insist he help out, and hire a staff that knows how to serve tables! Also, hire someone to help you out in the kitchen, because stuff is VERY slow.
I say all of this and give the place 3 stars because the burgers ARE good. That’s the biggest shame. I would hate to see it go down in flames because of dumb decisions.
EDIT:
I am removing all stars for Charlies. We attempted to go back a little while ago on a nice warm day. There was only 1 party of 6 and 1 table of 2. We sat down, did not even get offered MENUS and we waited… and we waited… and we waited.
15 minutes.
Not a single acknowledgement in 15 minutes.
We walked out and I will not return. Ya done f’d up, Charlie!

I have been back four times. The third trip, they weren’t open on time. Turned out they had tripped circuit breakers and the girls didn’t know a thing about how to turn them on. I showed them how to fix the problem, but didn’t have time to stay for a burger.
On my last trip I got the pastrami burger with the pastrami. All I could say was OMG! Loved it!
They are still working out the kinks so be patient, but definitely give them a try! And for the snobs that think their burgers are too expensive, go to downtown Kirkland and get you food off the Wendy’s dollar menu, don’t come and whine because you got a burger worth the extra bucks!
For those that are not sure, look at the Urban Spoon reviews, 9 there and close go a 5 star rating!

The bad reviews for this place make me sad!
Short & sweet:
Friendly, attentive service
Mammoth burger
Fresh ingredients
Great flavor
Piping hot burger & fries.
My Kitchen Sink burger was so large that I couldn’t get my mouth around it! It was so well wrapped and stacked, though, that I had no problems with it siding around and falling apart while I ate it. Or while I ate half of it, rather. The burger was so big that I could hardly finish half of it. And I’m no skinny Minnie! I’m a fat girl! A fat girl who’s fat because she likes to eat. And I sure did like to eat here!
Oops! Short & sweet… If you have the chance, try it. Go with an open mind and don’t let the bad reviews stop you from having a delicious burger.

Ok. This is my first review ever on Unilocal.Hopefully you guys find it helpful.
So this visit to charlies was strictly a result of a random trip through downtown Kirkland. There not being that many off chain burger joints in Kirkland we decided to give it a shot.
When we (me and my bf) first arrived the décor felt really «thrown together» and it seemed like they were using the same furniture as the previous restaurant. Pretty shabby looking and Kind of a turn off.
But we were there for the burgers. So we grabbed a seat outside and ordered a classic cheeseburger, some hot wings and a grilled chicken sandwich. The waitress that was serving us was friendly but you could tell this was her first job as a waitress. Smoking a cigarette right by the front door in front of all the customers was not a good look either.
Again we were there for the burgers lol. Food arrives and I can tell already tell that its something im not gonna like. The grilled chicken sandwich was truly gross and the ranch it was topped with tasted like a ranch packet from jack n the box but worse. My BF on the other hand really enjoyed his burger. I actually had a bite and it was really good. Good size, juicy, and the toppings seemed fresh.
Overall, if your looking for a decent burger, then you’ll probably enjoy some of the offerings here. However do not expect much from the service or something out of the” ordinary” from this place.