With its brick façade and ornate wood-grained doors, Carlos O'Charlie's is not the sort of place you'd expect to find near the Value Village and unnamed medical stores of Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown.
This expansive sports bar boasts two indoor fountains, two full bars and one half bar, a dance floor, three pool tables and a lounge area. We visited on a deserted Sunday afternoon, but the waitress assured us the restaurant is quite busy on weekends when a DJ seduces the masses like some earphoned, turntable-enabled Pied Piper (our words, not hers).
Unlike some restaurants with dance floors, Carlos O'Charlie's handles the crowd effortlessly thanks to its immense size. However, the cavernous stone walls and brick interior of the restaurant remain warm thanks to the yellow and orange color scheme throughout. In-between the ubiquitous TVs is some eye-catching artwork including an awesome Spanish language Clint Eastwood poster. Nothing says "enjoy your meal" like a picture of a man holding a gun, especially when that man's a gnarled spaghetti Western gunslinger.
With a name like Carlos O'Charlie's, we were worried that the restaurant specialized in fusion food -- some strange Irish/Mexican hybrid. Luckily, they serve no haggis enchiladas or corned beef burritos, but there are tons of Latin dishes including Sopa De Res (a beef soup, $8.95) and Salvadoran pork chops ($10.50). The menu also features American classics like hamburgers ($7.99), chicken Parmesan ($10.99) and crab cakes ($10.99). In addition to some metaphorical heavy-handedness -- menu headings include "Through the Pipes" and "Nothin' but Net" -- meals are served on some seriously heavy dishes. Mine arrived on a plate the size of my torso.
Dish: Two of us decided to stick with the Mexican cuisine and ordered a burrito ($7.99) and a quesadilla ($6.99), while another in our party -- rebel that she is -- got the BBQ grilled chicken sandwich ($7.99). My burrito, with its thick spice-flecked tortilla, tasted authentic and came with rice with peas, corn and carrots.
Damage: Our check came to $25 and change. With a tip, we just barely made it out for under $10 per person, however we did leave with enough food for a full meal of leftovers the following day.
Decision: This surprising spot, just down the road from the Patterson Bowling Center, deserves a return trip, especially during a weekend or sporting event to see just how many people it can pack in.
This expansive sports bar boasts two indoor fountains, two full bars and one half bar, a dance floor, three pool tables and a lounge area. We visited on a deserted Sunday afternoon, but the waitress assured us the restaurant is quite busy on weekends when a DJ seduces the masses like some earphoned, turntable-enabled Pied Piper (our words, not hers).
With a name like Carlos O'Charlie's, we were worried that the restaurant specialized in fusion food -- some strange Irish/Mexican hybrid. Luckily, they serve no haggis enchiladas or corned beef burritos, but there are tons of Latin dishes including Sopa De Res (a beef soup, $8.95) and Salvadoran pork chops ($10.50). The menu also features American classics like hamburgers ($7.99), chicken Parmesan ($10.99) and crab cakes ($10.99). In addition to some metaphorical heavy-handedness -- menu headings include "Through the Pipes" and "Nothin' but Net" -- meals are served on some seriously heavy dishes. Mine arrived on a plate the size of my torso.
Dish: Two of us decided to stick with the Mexican cuisine and ordered a burrito ($7.99) and a quesadilla ($6.99), while another in our party -- rebel that she is -- got the BBQ grilled chicken sandwich ($7.99). My burrito, with its thick spice-flecked tortilla, tasted authentic and came with rice with peas, corn and carrots.
Damage: Our check came to $25 and change. With a tip, we just barely made it out for under $10 per person, however we did leave with enough food for a full meal of leftovers the following day.
Decision: This surprising spot, just down the road from the Patterson Bowling Center, deserves a return trip, especially during a weekend or sporting event to see just how many people it can pack in.
