Streetcar Charlie’s Bar & Grille

I am so sad to say that Streetcar Charlie’s is gone. The Laughing Cat Restaurant which was previously across the street has taken the location.

We had a coupon for $ 25 off so we decided to check it out. The cook messed up one order and the waiter messed up the other. The waiter was completely unapologetic for the whole mess and actually chuckled when I asked him to make things right.
I had a burger and a bowl of soup and my date had a tofu dish and it cost $ 22 even after the $ 25 off.
I would definitely recommend steering clear of this one!

I like this place. I sat at the bar (as is my usual choice) and struck up a conversation with the sexy bartender, Ray. Ray set me a place setting so I could eat my dinner there and gave me a menu. I ordered a cesar salad and ahi tuna. It was delicious (the tuna was a little overcooked — but I didn’t mind this time, because it was so delicious: crusted with something that I can’t remember, and the plate was drizzled with a delicious sauce that was out of this world). Ray the bartender set me up with some delicious draft IPAs and then made a great chocolate martini for my after dinner dessert.
I recommend sitting at the bar so you can get the 411 on the situation in town that night. I met some younger kids and they invited me to follow them across the street to G Bar afterwards (FREE drinks from 9 to 11 on Wednesdays. Crazy, right?).
All in all, a great experience — good food, extremely great service and fun customers.

Usually I have been here for drinks and volunteering for women’s social events. It takes quite awhile to get the bartenders’ attention and a long time to get your drink but the owner remembers my name. They didn’t honor the happy hour on my bill one time and that was a little disapointing, I didn’t realize til after the fact.
I have tried a couple of their appetizers, nothing to write home about, especially for the price. I just feel you are really paying for a safe place for GLBTQ community for date night.

Lunch is usually a great way to test out a new eatery before dropping the dinner money, so we decided to try Streetcar Charlie’s. I walked in with some coworkers to find an almost empty restaurant. Off-​season and on a Wed this was par for the course and not a strike against them.
We sat down, ordered drinks and looked over the menu. It was filled with creative options as the previous reviewers had led me to believe. After a quick scan, I decided to have the Flank Steak Sandwich. Typically in a restaurant 3 – 5 minutes should cover decision making time for the customer and you’d expect the waiter to return around then. Our 5 minute window passed and we still waited.
The place was a friggin’ ghost town and our waiter was nowhere in sight. Then it started getting uncomfortable. Craning my neck around I caught a reflection off the front door only to see the waiter shooting the shit with another employee around the corner. I watched them chat for another 5 minutes.
When he did finally appear, the waiter informed me they were out of steak. That threw me off, so I scrambled to choose something else while the other two ordered, eventually settling on the Buffalo Chicken sandwich as my replacement.
The food came out reasonably quick (with no one in the place how could it not?). The guy to my left ordered a BLT and was unimpressed. The guy across from me had a pulled pork sandwich, but was equally unenthusiastic. My buffalo chicken was way too salty (between the hot sauce and the bacon it was a salt lick) and the crunchy bread they used on the sandwiches just didn’t work.
As we left, my hunger was gone, but I was far from satisfied. With such a bad impression for lunch, there’s no way I’m returning for dinner.

I’ve been the 4square Mayor for a while now and I have to say this is my favorite joint in Tampa. As I consider moving again I am sad to think that I won’t be able to come to SCC’s regularly any longer!
This place has it all, great bartenders (everyone should have a bloody mary here), good food and the owner is a genuinely great guy! It’s got an unassuming crowd of friendly guys who aren’t afraid to chat up someone new.

heading from Tampa to Lakeland, I was looking for some place new and interesting to eat and review. I pulled off into Ybor City’s 7^th street and let finding a close parking place guide where I ate. After a third pass thru town one opened up at Streetcar Charlie’s.
What a great find! I was seated near the ceiling to floor glass windows that overlook 8^th street, a brick street that the yellow Ybor streetcar runs up and down, just down from Ybor Centro. The place is painted fire engine red and canary yellow to matcht he passing electric trolleys. The menu is extravagant and white tablecloths are covered with folded white paper as a table topper. I had a N.O. French Quarter feel.
Though the menu sported many «novelty foods» to try, I decided on a burger from their burger bar. It was superb. Free range, all natural hormone/​antibiotic-​free beef, cooked properly and served with yum dill pickles, lots of lettuce and a perfect slice of tomato (so many places ruin a sandwich with crappy tomatoes – not here). This was a 5 star sandwich and beat my standing favorite (at Chili’s). Their fries are fantastic – maybe a double fry? great crunch and great catsup.
You need to plan on spending a little money here. Entrees start at $ 10. They have a Sunday brunch with mimosas and bloody Mary’s. They have $ 9 desserts from chocolate cake to bread pudding to wonton strawberry shortcake to apple pie ravioli. They never let my soda drop to half way before they were replacing it. (almost uncomfortably so)
The waiters were all great looking slender young males – of the spin that made you wonder if they were gay. (Reading other reviews here, perhaps that’s a yes) They were genuinely polite, quick to serve, and warm with a smile. Music was a bit loud and of a younger «hip» energy – the many TV’s were sporting MTV music videos. The crowd was eclectic.
With a couple more tries of their food, I could move to 5 stars! only the lack of parking, a dirty mustard jar, and a dark women’s bathroom brought down star points.

Was in Tampa on a business trip and decided to have dinner here. The staff is friendly and I have to say quite good looking! I was there on a Tuesday night when they were having a two for one special. Couples can come in and order two entrees but only pay for the higher priced one… the lower priced one is free. It was nice but since I was alone, it did not really help me. My server told me that he would give me a coupon for another free entrée to use another night! I did not take it since I was not sure i would be back before my trip was over.
I wanted to order the filet mignon but was told they have been out of it for a few days. A few days? They promote themselves as an upscale place to eat… why would you not have filet mignon in stock at all times? I ended up having blacked Tilapia with rice and vegetables. The food came out fast but I have to say the fish was a bit dry. The rice and vegetables were fine but I felt the fish had been pre cooked and kept warm. This was the main reason I did not give more stars to the place. I ended the meal with crème brûlée and coffee. That was fine. I had also had two vodka tonics with the meal. Both were served in a tall glass with no lime… kind of weird to me.
In all it is a okay place to go. It is clean and the staff tries hard to make things right. After dinner I went to the bar side of the place and had one more drink. I ordered vodka on the rocks and again, I watched the barman pour the drink into a tiny glass… just the opposite of what I got at dinner! I have never seen it done this way but it was a full drink and it was fine. As I sat there I saw the barman working and I soon saw that this guy was very new. He kept referring to the menu and a bar book on how to make drinks… hence the weird glasses for my drinks…
Anyway hopefully you will have a better meal than I did. I do plan to visit again and will try again to see if it was just a bad meal or me.

A subsequent visit to Streetcar Charlie’s solidified their higher star rating for me.
For one, I was wrong about the beer selection. They have quite a few special bottled beers and one seasonal tap — just ask and they’ll give you a list of what’s available.
But the real reason that I’m reviewing them again is the level of neighborhood friendliness and service that I received the other night.
I walked in around 11pm, fresh off a plane from New York, kinda tired, but not wanting to go home. I asked if they had a late night menu, which they do, but the kitchen was closing since it was a weeknight. Totally understandable, so I said I would just have a beer.
The bartender was undeterred, however, from finding me food. «You can’t just have an empty stomach!» she decried and promptly went into the kitchen. A minute later, she came out of the kitchen, beaming, with a bowl of clam chowder that was freshly made a few hours before.
«There, we can’t have you starving,» she told me, lining up Tabasco sauces and crackers.
Most places I’ve been to would have just pulled the late night menu out of my hands and plopped the beer in front of me, informing me that they were closing soon… but not Streetcar Charlie’s. Charlie himself came and chatted with me, asking me about my trip. I didn’t feel rushed and when I left, everyone waved and wished me good night.

As I tour the country photographing flowers for
I’ve eaten at quite a few places. This by far is one of my favorite restaurants in the country. I’ve never had a bad meal or bad service. It is a regular stop when visiting Ybor City. You will not be disappointed if you decide to stop for a bite to eat.