Charlie's Stars And Stripes - Upland

This spot in the Downtown area of my Hometown Upland is hard to put into words. My husband always throws this as an option to go to when he wants to watch a sports game and grab a bite to eat and it makes me cringe every time. One DEFINITELY should not come here for good food, but it 's a cool and convenient spot for us to catch a game. Case in point: My husband wanted to leave the house a few weekends ago to watch the Rams vs. Saints football game and I let him pick the spot since it was his thing. Although I rolled my eyes when he said, Charley 's, I agreed to it and brought along my People Magazine to read while I kept him company during the game. The restaurant wasn 't busy and they were showing the game on dozens of TVs scattered throughout the space. (Two thumbs up from my husband 's perspective. Since we were going to be there awhile, we ordered the chips and queso as a starter and what came to our table was a joke. It was some scattered bagged-tortilla chips and two small cups of nacho cheese similar to what they serve at a movie theater. (See attached picture. Such a disappointment! (Two thumbs down for me. For our main meal, my husband ordered a burger and I decided to try the fried chicken sandwich. Upon receiving our items, it dawned on me that they use all pre-packed items for their food. For example, they use bagged shredded lettuce, pre-shredded cheddar cheese, etc. They had to take back my sandwich because they did not make it as I ordered it and when it came back, it still wasn 't right. Once again, this is not a go-to spot for the food. What 's cool about this spot is that they do live music on certain nights, they do show high profile games with the sound on throughout the restaurant, the staff is fairly friendly (although not necessarily professional , and there 's a large space in the back that can be rented out for parties. Will we be back? It 's likely because the husband likes it for the games. But I 'm not sure it 's ever going to be a spot I 'm jazzed about.

I am loathe to give less than three stars unless a business place service really lets me down. Charlie's was on the bubble of getting into 2 1 2 star territory. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt as an indy restaurant on a cute street in the historic part of Upland. Dear Hubby and I were spending the last day of our mini vacation wandering around vintage neighborhoods in Ontario, Upland, and the surrounding areas. We happened upon the historic district of Upland, parked the car on 2nd Avenue near the gazebo and started walking around. There were a few antique stores open. Restaurants were the most plentiful commodity open on a Sunday afternoon. The striking Americana graphics for Charlie's drew us in. I was thinking that DH and I would split a deli sandwich and be good to go until dinner time. My pre conceived notion of a deli counter with seating wasn't what turned out to be the situation. Charlie's features a big bar and table seating. In contrast to the rich wood bar that has seem some stories unfold, I imagine, the dining room is lined with big screen TV's. The better to watch sports on. Is it a deli? Is it a sports bar? Does the food live up to the beer and wine offerings? These questions unfolded into semi satisfactory answers. What elevated the experience to an okay one was the quality of the hot pastrami sandwich. The amount of well seasoned pastrami, paired with lots of dill pickle slices and spicy mustard, sat well on a French roll. We chose a side salad, though regular fries, sweet potato fries, and other choices also existed as part of the sandwich price. DH and I have reached the stage where sharing meals at most restaurants is the right amount of food. Carrying out leftovers while on a trip doesn't usually work out, and wasting food is not a good feeling. The sandwich and salad were just right for us to share. One point of downgrade they had very few options for me as a beverage choice. I don't drink caffeinated sodas, and don't enjoy sugary drinks, either. A bar that doesn't have some non alcoholic options more interesting than something out of the Coke machine doesn't seem like a very creative bar. Just one woman's opinion. If we found ourselves in the area again, I'd probably try another establishment over returning to Charlie's.

Decent place to watch a football game on Sunday. Tvs are first come, first serve! Lots of open seating and waitresses were super friendly. Wasn't very hungry, but we ordered the buffalo chicken wings with ranch dressing. Pretty good as a starter. Finished off our visit with beers and mimosas. If you're in the area and don't want to deal with the sports crowds at other bars, this is a great place to come hang out at.

First visit to the Upland Lemon Festival. Decided to duck-in and have a bite and a beer. Apparently they have problems with folks dinning and dashing because after we ordered we were required to give a credit card to be held before we could get our food. they also believe in gouging patrons as well because we could not get a cup of water with our beers and food. We had to fork over$2.50 for a bottle which was sold outside the restaurant at the event for an acceptable over price of a buck. I guess Charlie's water is so much more superior than other bottled water. Is it even legal to sell water when alcohol is sold whereas not allowing those who have an adult beverage benefit from water? The boneless buffalo chicken nuggets were fair but never will I see the inside of this very disorganized and unfriendly establishment.

Somethings never change like the poor service and slower than molassas. I haven 't been here in over a year. Walls have a new coat of paint...staff has turned over but not for the better unfortunately. The place is less than half full. Server: what can I get you to drink? Me: a Cape Cod please. Server: oh thats a wine right? (PUZZLED LOOK) Me: no its vodka and cranberrry. Server: then why didn 't you order a vodka and cranberry? Me: I did. 15 minutes later she brings the drinks. Allen orders another Corona. Me (I shake my head): no I 'm good. She looks at me like a deer caught in the headlights... Me: duh I said no I don 't need another drink . Server: oh you are good? Me: yeah thank you. Later Mimi orders another vodka soda. 20 minutes later the server shows up with her drink.