Charlie Wanton Special — Restaurant in Mandaluyong

Parking is around 10 slots so during meal times its hard to find a slot. The store is located along a 2 lane st. and street parking is not recommended. Thankfully the guard on duty is great with assisting you with the parking. Tip that guy well for managing the traffic in the area. There is actually a waiting line to get in the restaurant that nobody is manning. It gets kinda confusing since the staff would occasionally show up to let people in and leave the station unsupervised. Clueless diners who enter the place will then return outside and line up eventually. Staff is efficient and friendly but the place is so understaffed. The noodle shop has a main room which can seat 40+ dinners. Quite small and tight with AC blasting at high so avoid the center tables. Its a rather old place with dated and worned interiors. There's a certain no nonsense small eatery charm to it. The noodles is actually good. Bright yellow color, thin and soft with just the right bite and slight chewy texture to it. The Beef Noodle broth is quite tasty and a side bowl of soup was provided for your meal. Siomai is huge, a single order has 3 pieces. The texture and meat is very dense. Its almost came out like a beef or a luncheon meat ball. It has a simple taste that needs a splash of chili sauce to coax out some flavor. Nothing spectacular with the wanton but its ok. Patatim is very lean which can be a bit tough and covered with lots of sauce thats very sweet. Overall the food is good but people obviously over hyped the whole thing to unbelievable standards that a reality check is in order. It still a good place for a noodle soup meal in the area but its not worth lining up for outside if the line is very long. Better to drop by off peak hours. I did end up with a slight discomfort and headache afterwards from drinking all the broth from my bowl and the extra soup given to me. Its my first time at CWS so I guess I really need to manage my...

I recently dined at Charlie Wanton Special, and overall, I had a pleasant experience with some standout moments in both food and service, although there are some areas for improvement in terms of atmosphere.

Starting with the food, I ordered the Special Beef Wanton Mami and a Bola-bola Siopao. The Special Beef Wanton Mami was delicious; the broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles had the perfect texture, and the beef and wonton were tender and well-seasoned. It’s clear that they take pride in their ingredients and flavors, and this dish left me satisfied. The Bola-bola Siopao was also enjoyable, with a soft, fluffy bun and a savory filling that complemented the soup nicely. For anyone looking for comfort food with deep, authentic flavors, these two items are worth trying.

The service at Charlie Wanton Special is a high point. Despite the heavy lunchtime crowd, the staff was impressively efficient, managing to serve us without much delay. The crew was accommodating and attentive, ensuring we had what we needed, which is impressive given the busyness of the place.

As for the atmosphere, I did find it a bit challenging. It was fairly crowded and humid during my lunchtime visit, which detracted from the dining experience. A little more ventilation or perhaps some adjustments to the seating layout could make the atmosphere more comfortable, especially during peak hours.

In summary, Charlie Wanton Special has excellent food and friendly service, but improving the dining environment could make the experience even better. I would still recommend it, especially for the food and quick service, but be prepared for a packed setting if you’re going...

The noodle soup and wonton dumplings are truly one-of-a-kind. They both have a smoky flavor which is odd to have in a soup dish, but it complements the experience surprisingly well. The broth in the noodle bowl is rich with the beef flavor and is slightly sweet, with a nice, slightly thick consistency. The beef itself is very tender and lean, not at all like the "puro taba at litid" meat you get from cheap mami houses. And the wonton dumplings are very packed with finely ground and mildly seasoned pork, which is perfect because it doesn't compete with the flavor of the soup but, again, complements it nicely. The lumpiang shanghai (fried spring rolls) also taste great, with a crispy wrapping and tender meat inside. The whole fried chicken, while not bad, is also not very noteworthy. Its meat is tender and skin is crispy and tastes like it was cooked in seasoned oil, but lacks any signature flavor. I also noticed that the meat tasted like it was merely reheated, which I seriously hope isn't the case.

The place is pretty cramped, and looks more like a large carinderia - similar to Chinese eateries in Binondo - which I don't mind, but some people might. Also they seem understaffed because the wait staff are always on their toes and orders take longer to arrive than expected. I would also appreciate if the kitchen crew could wear proper kitchen attire such as gloves...