Charlie’s Place

Whoever picks up the phone here is SO RUDE. I called and wanted to order for delivery. She asked for my address, which I told her. She told me that they only deliver within a two block radius. I took a better look and realized that I was within two blocks of their location. She then told me that they don’t deliver at all. I’m not sure what’s going on over here, but don’t waste your breath calling this place.

The Symphony sushi appetizer is on of my all time favorite sushi appetizers EVER. I’ve had it at all of their locations and I’ve renamed it «Sex on chopsticks», it’s that good.
Other items we had:
Grammercy park roll. Too much lemon. Overpowered.
Spicy titanic — very good
Kiss of fire — spice lovers rejoice!

This place is reliable and fast. I’ve been going here for the past 4 years, and I’ve never had a single complaint. The sushi isn’t super fancy, but it’s great for lunch or dinner. The roll and roll is a good deal. Also, the delivery has always been fast.

Excellent sushi and fast delivery. Their Lo Mein is classic with no meat. Loved it! It is good to see a great sushi place in Harlem!

I love it when Unilocal leads me right to the door of a perfect meal. Charlie’s Place on Madison b/​w 125 and 126 is that place. I guess you could call it a hole in the wall, but I prefer hidden gem. Heading for the upstate Metro North train on a Friday afternoon, I knew I’d be hungry an hour or so into the trip. But I hadn’t a clue as to where I could find something that would be tasty, satisfying and light whilst easy to eat on the train. Charlie’s hit the spot.
Atmosphere — hole in the wall/​hidden gem. Either way, it was small, immaculate and friendly, They have maybe six tables with most of the business apparently takeout. The hostess was very friendly and pleasant, took my order promptly and packaged it nicely when it was ready to go.
Food — sushi, teriyaki, tempura, katsu and udon were all being served and/​or prepared as I waited for my sushi order. Everything looked and smelled wonderful and it was fun to watch both the sushi chef and the line chefs preparing the various dishes. I ordered a spicy tuna roll and a spider roll (soft shell crab roll). They were both delicious. Another Unilocal-​er recommended ordering rolls made to order rather than taking from the pre-​made rolls in the refrigerator case. I took that advice and was extremely satisfied.
Service — very prompt. I waited no more than ten minutes (maybe less) for my order but it was, after all well after lunch hour. If they were crowded, it might be more of a wait for sushi.
Next visit, I will leave myself enough time to eat in the restaurant so I can order something like the udon or unagi don which would be hard to handle on my lap on a Metro-​North train!
Yea for Unilocal!Yea for holes in the wall and hidden gems!

This place is becoming my new hidden gem for a few reasons. 1^st, its right in the middle of Harlem right next door to the juice store. So you can get both for a very healthy meal. 2ndly, I cant express how the sushi in this little hole over delivers. The sushi is AMAZING! Its so good, it can compete with a 5 star sushi restaurant downtown in the city. Im amazed & definitely keeping this little spot to myself lol

I love Charlie’s Place. I always go for the Spicy Tuna roll and I add crunch! Delicious… also French Roll… amazing. Sushi made fresh :-)

Charlie’s Sushi is generally reliable and provides standard delievery sushi, nothing too fancy. Until recently this was one of the few sushi spots in this part of Harlem. My only complaint would be that sometimes it takes a while to get your delievery, I only live a few blocks away so I’m never sure what the hold up is.
There is also a space to eat-​in, it is clean and fairly well maintainted.

My cousin was visiting for the holidays & she, basically, lives off a sushi. As I was looking up places on Unilocal I found this place. It was a bit skeptical at first, but I was always taught «not to judge a book by its cover». It’s a comfy, yet spacious, restaurant. The food was pretty good & the prices weren’t bad at all. I would come here again. Cheap date or just to chill out.

Come here pretty regularly, foods pretty good and prices are reasonable. Place is very clean with quick and friendly service. Would definitely recommend for anyone in the Harlem area.

Judging by appearances, you aren’t really expecting much from Charlie’s but holy hell this sushi is good! Don’t get the ready-​made sushi from the fridge — wait and get it made fresh. Perfectly rolled, rice room temperature and fresh, great fish quality, good ratio of rice to avo to fish in rolls… Soooo good! I was told 15 minutes and had to wait 25 but I honestly didn’t care. I’m still a bit in awe by how good the food was and how good those prices were!
For reference I ordered a salmon avocado roll, a spicy tuna roll and a miso soup. Yummmmmmmmmmmm.

Bomb sushi! The prices are pretty legit. Not too expensive and it is so delicious. I wonder if they have a lunch special because I would come by pretty often. I ordered the spider roll and the French roll and they were both so good. I definitely would be coming back here.

I’m new to the neighborhood and was wandering for something light and inexpensive. Sushi doesn’t come to mind when I think of Harlem, but I’m happy to support businesses that add some culinary diversity in the area. This place was spotless. Yes, it’s more of a fast food type place, there are a few tables but you order at the counter. Everyone was super friendly and it seemed like half the people in there were regular customers.
The menu has some interesting items (fried fish and lo mien /​chicken wings and fried rice), but don’t let that throw you off. I ordered a sushi bento box and it was freshest inexpensive sushi I’ve had in the city! Really! It was the same quality as places two or three times more expensive.
This will definitely be one of my go to delivery /​take out places. FYI, most of the bad reviews are for the teriyaki/​combo dishes. It seems counter intuitive, but I would stick with the sushi and sashimi.

I’ve been coming to Charlie’s place for years. I was so excited when they were the first Japanese restaurant in the East Harlem area and they have yet to disappoint.
They have tailored their menu for more casual eaters with their numbered menu, and less expensive prices, but they also have more traditional bento boxes and great sushi. While I don’t really go for the raw sushi here, I recommend their great variety of specialty rolls, including the French roll and 125^th street roll.
While there are new places around that even do grubhub and seamless (I recommend Charlie’s consider this for even more business), the quality here cannot be beat, and the staff are regulars and very professional… Plus they deliver! Highly recommend.

I love this place. Was sooo surprised at this little gem in Harlem. The prices are unbeatable.
I got the spicy tuna roll (added crunch), salad, and miso soup for $ 8! I can’t wait to go back and feast on more.

I come from a long line of sushi chefs. I’m lying but I’ve eaten sushi at other places. My two favorite parts about the sushi here were the rice and the fish.
All kidding aside this is quality sush. I don’t know if it’s always cash only but I believe she said the credit card machine was broken. This caused me to leave my apartment to get cash and I DONT LIKE TO LEAVE MY APARTMENT. Hence the 4 stars instead of 5. Overall an incredible experience I’ll never forget.

Excellent Food & Excellent Prices !!!
A few years ago, Many people use to call this place, the Best Kept Secret in Harlem NY;
Due to it never being overcrowded and 90% of the time there’s always a table available upon arrival.
As of today, More people are aware of the good food, especially the Sushi. (Tables are limited but not recommended for parties over 4)
Basically, This is definitely the place to go for Sushi… Enjoy !

Great sushi for a small and unknown place in the middle of Harlem. Very good and fresh rolls. They have many specials and the bento box is plenty of food. The dumplings are a great starter.
Inexpensive and good quality. Definitely the sushi place for Harlem

Last semester, I started a search for the best affordable sushi spot in NYC. I have been to various sushi places in the city. And SO FAR this place is a close #1 or #2 (I have to visit its competition again to make a real decision)
The first night I came here I immediately wrote a review. I said that you could get «way better» sushi if you just go downtown. After exploring their menu further, I learned that I was wrong.
In my search for great sushi I have visited over 10 sushi places in one semester. And this is the only place I have returned to (at least 6 times by now).
As a sushi lover I will continue to explore all the city has to offer. But this place is truly a gem. If it’s your first time here, don’t be like me. Don’t be skeptical and ready to hate it because it sounds too good to be true. Just enjoy it.

I love Charlie’s Place. I have to work near 125^th during the summer, and this is my go-​to spot when I forget my lunch. Their hot food is okay, but I go there for the solid quality sushi at rock bottom prices. Cheap sushi just screams «I WILL GIVE YOU FOOD POISONING AND/​OR A PARASITE»… however, I’ve eaten here several times and it’s been really fresh consistently. No problems as of yet, knock on bamboo.
Super tasty spicy tuna roll for $ 4? Yes, please! An order of fresh edamame I can pay for with the change at the bottom of my purse ($ 2)? Of course! I’m also a big fan of the mildly racist «125^th street roll» with fried tempura chicken, avocado, and eel sauce. It’s seriously the best. Surely it’s not authentic, but it’s damn good.
Let it be known that this is not really a sit-​down restaurant with waiter service. You go to the counter and order and they either a) give it to you in a bag because you ordered it to go or b) give it to you on a really nice plate (aww) because you ordered it to stay. Don’t expect glasses of water or someone to bring you menus. It’s obviously a take-​out place. Use your big sexy brain and you won’t have a problem.