Charlie's Handcrafted Burgers

Coming home from LA some months ago and remembering the mouth-watering comfort foods Dino and I gorged our appetites on during my visit, got me to thinking. I’ve been around, your typical Manila burger joint. I’ve sampled and even loved some of them. But after sampling the offerings of a place wherein when they say ‘big’ or ‘a lot of meat’ and really meant it, our local versions pale in comparison. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not just about the size, but also the flavor. Juicy, tender, well-seasoned, perfectly grilled moo-moo’s just waiting to be nom-nom’ed (google it). I thought to myself; man, Manila could use a proper unpretentious burger joint. By unpretentious, I mean I just want a burger joint to quit with all the ‘pa-gourmet’ attitude and just slap me with a good slab of beef, cheese, tomatoes, some veggies, and top it off with good buns and treat me like a bad, bad man.


Some time after that, I stumbled upon a forum thread that mentioned Charlie’s, a joint I’ve never heard of before, offering Black Angus burgers and it was a few minutes away! I was out of my desk and in the car so fast, that I forgot to take my camera. Hence, I had to go back and take pictures (which I did after just 2 days from my first visit).

When I got there (on my first visit), less than 5 minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it shared frontage space with a car wash. How perfect I thought, since the two parking slots reserved for the place were taken, and my car was in desperate need of a wash. I parked my car between the plastic curtains, left my keys with the guys there, and made my way into Charlie’s.

Their frontage did little to give justice to this place. Their ‘al-fresco’ area looked like the waiting area for the carwash. However, the inside is a different deal. I sat down, ordered, and while waiting for my order, I had free reign over their flat screen TV so I channel surfed to my heart's content and finally settled on an NBA game (and no, I'm not a big fan).


On my first visit to Charlie's, I ordered the Black Angus Burger with Fries (PhP 175) and a bottle of Corona Extra (PhP 135) with the lemon wedge no less. Their fries were fresh cut potato fries perfectly seasoned and crispy -- you’d know when you see it. And while their kitchen door was open I snuck a peek and saw a heap of whole potatoes waiting to be turned into little golden pieces of heaven. The beef was right on the money; juicy, tender, and oh so flavorful. It did not disappoint! It’s topped with a slice of tomato, onions, crisp lettuce, and a sesame bun that doesn’t get soggy on you. Coupled with the fries and the Corona, it was a match made in heaven.


On my second visit I got the Cheesesteak which had two sizes Starving and Hungry (PhP 380 & PhP 220) or as they cleverly dubbed it, Philly and Fili size. It had on the side a Jalapeño chili (don’t worry its not too hot), and Smokey Ranchero sauce (again not too hot). Unfortunately, the Cheesesteak doesn’t come with fries. But trust me, when you see the thing, you’d be glad it didn’t. I ordered the smaller of the two sizes but upon seeing it, already wondered how the heck I was going to eat it burger style. No wonder they give you a knife and a fork with the thing. And man was it delicious! The bread was crunchy on the outside, but has a good chewiness to it inside. The beef was juicy, and was topped with caramelized onions, tender green bell peppers, and a healthy dollop of cheese. It was a total package of flavor goodness. Also, it was a good thing I brought my brother along, he ordered the Black Angus Burger with Fries and a Chocolate Milkshake (PhP 150) to wash it all down. So this time, I got to take some relatively good pictures (point&shoot) of those as well (but God knows I’m looking for an excuse to go there again). A lady from the table in front of us wasn’t too excited seeing her Strawberry Milkshake, probably thinking about the hours in the gym she’d have to put it to burn it seeing as it was topped by a healthy spiral of whipped cream and a cherry. I got to taste the Milkshake. It was good and served well to douse the fire from the jalapeño and ranchero sauce. Also, they serve the burgers to you, open face so you can easily take out toppings that you don’t like. Isn’t that thoughtful of them?


I got to close this post now, because I feel like it’s getting too long. All in all, Charlie’s Handcrafted Burgers, two thumbs up. They’re doing good to tone down the whole gourmet feel of it, which also reflects on the price tag as its relatively lower compared to other places with similar offerings. They also offer some other foreign craft brews, which I have yet to sample but are priced uniformly at PhP 200 a bottle.

Piece of advice if you’re making your way down to Charlie’s, try to go before or after peek hours of lunch and dinner as you might have to wait quite a while for your order to come out, not to mention that it’s a small place with limited seating inside and outside. Parking will also be an issue, as I’ve mentioned they only have 2 dedicated slots in front so you’d have to look around for side street parking. However, you can call in your order in advance for pick-up or get to know the staff so you can call in early so its chow time when you get there. They’re open till 1AM, but the kitchen closes at 12:30AM (this is on weekends I think).


Hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you’ve already eaten there or are going to, let me know how you like it by posting a comment or sending me an email. Peace!


FoodieGoesCulinary,
JC Dayo


Charlie’s Handcrafted Burgers
#16 East Drive
Brgy. Kapitolyo
Pasig, Metro Manila
Tel.# 635-4857

P.S.
The car was was PhP75, inclusive of vacuum. Winner!