The Charles Baltimore — Restaurant in Baltimore

We went to The Charles on a Wednesday evening for dinner. The first thing we noticed was the impressive building façade. I love unique architecture and tall, bold entrances. Don’t forget to look up at the tiled ceiling... so cool.

We were immediately greeted by the hostess and taken to a booth on the first level. Once seated, we were immediately drawn to the large structure on the far wall atop the bar area. It was more like artwork with the shelving, lighting, tall liquor bottles and splashes of accent pieces. It was very impressive. The structure also encases 5 large screen TVs which gives the room a more relaxed feel.

Our server was very attentive and made several helpful suggestions regarding the food and drinks. Since we were newbies, we decided to sample several dishes, including Caprese Crostini; Cobb Salad Deviled Eggs; Curry Gnocchi; Cuban Stuffed Pretzel; Chicken & Waffle Sliders; and Moroccan Cauliflower. The dishes are smaller plates and thus less expensive than a full meal, and great for sharing and sampling more than one item. My husband and I liked everything we ordered. I particularly enjoyed the Caprese Crotini (the tomatoes were perfectly ripened) and the chicken & waffles (the buffalo sauce adds a bit of kick but you can ask for maple syrup or blue cheese to help lessen the heat). I would have liked to have had more of the stuffed pretzel, but my husband took a liking to it so much that he “forgot” to offer me another bite. He really liked the deviled eggs which were super creamy and the cauliflower. My daughter had the cheeseburger which I sampled and it was super juicy and flavorful. Yikes --- Seeing the list of what we ordered, no wonder we were stuffed!

As for drinks, my husband had the TinMan and liked it so much that he ordered a second one. My daughter enjoyed the red wine. Had it been a Friday or Saturday night, perhaps we would have tried a few more of their signature cocktails.

Our dessert, the Spilt Milk and Cookies, was awesome. It’s a cold chocolate chip cookie dough intertwined on a metal mixing beater, surrounded by a delicious vanilla cream sauce. Yum!

After our meal, we asked to see the upstairs (because we’re nosy that way). It’s an open concept second level with a bar, DJ area, and a space for dancing. Along a separate wall are a few more booths adjacent from the first floor TVs. We could imagine the second floor being a fun, upbeat spot on a Friday/Saturday night.

It was a great first visit and we will definitely be back. Try it… you won’t be...

Considering its relatively new status, The Charles had my interest as soon as I discovered it online. I booked a table here for date night and was pleasantly surprised to find an upscale, classy bar upon arrival.

You're surrounded by a warm, intimate atmosphere on the first floor with booth and hightop seating by the bar. This is in stark contrast to the second floor, where it's obviously meant for dancing and parties. All in all, this is a classy bar ideal for anything from happy hours to group dinners to dinner dates. One quirk however is that the bathroom is located upstairs (why no bathroom downstairs?).

The food was great-- expect a tapas style menu with relatively small plates. While I was a bit disappointed that the food took some time to come out on a night not all that busy, I was ecstatic when it did. My favorite aspect of this bar has got to be the drinks-- the cocktails are phenomenal. See below for my thoughts on everything I had:

Things I Liked: Nashville Hot Avocado - You've essentially got fried avocado dabbled in hot sauce (it's not that hot) alongside zucchini pickles. I really liked this unique dish-- the creaminess of the avocado is perfect against the fried breading. 4/5

Curry Gnocchi - Gnocchi is one of my favorite dishes--full stop. This is a very unique taste, with Indo-inspired spices and chickpeas infusing flavor into the gnocchi. The crisp apples, though seemingly strange, actually work well with this dish. My only issues was that the gnocchi was just a bit too tough for me; gnocchi should melt in one's mouth. 4/5

Chicken & Waffle Sliders - The cornbread waffles are very good; however, I wish the chicken was more crisp and that it eschewed more buffalo spice. This dish has a ton of potential-- but it was a bit lacking for me. 3/5

Tin Man - This has got to be the signature cocktail here. You're served Tin Cup whiskey with cranberry, lemon, and refreshingly crisp ginger beer. It's very drinkable and goes down easy. The rosemary garnish is the cherry on top. 5/5

The Charles Martini - Another great cocktail that is brought together with its lychee vodka and coconut water. 4/5

Things I Disliked: Tuna Tartar Tacos - These weren't bad, but they just didn't have much flavor. All in all, it was an average dish and was the only one I wouldn't order again. 2/5

The Charles has solidified itself as one of my favorite up-and-coming bars in Baltimore. It stays true to its upscale yet approachable vibe while offering decent food and simply...

They put a basketball hoop inside in the worst place...just be ready to be hit and to have your drinks spilled all over you and then still have to pay for the spilled drink. I usually don't mind going there but after tonight I don't think I will return. Tonight my friend and I were there hanging out and having a drink when one of your customers knocked over both of our drinks when shooting hoops inside. They were immediately replaced as they should be especially since mine got all over my pants and drenched my phone. But I'm so upset because we were charged us for the drinks that were spilled onto us. Yes, they replaced the drinks, but we only had a sip of the first drink and to be charged for that is absurd.

Update:

The owner called me and basically said that his staff said that they didn't charge me for the spilled drinks. He literally said "I'm not saying that you're lying or my manager is lying, I wasn't there but he said he didn't charge you"..... but I was charged. I don't think anyone is trying to lie either I think that they are just confused. He also mentioned that the guy who was shooting hoops offered to pay for our drinks which is true but it didn't happen... maybe he got charged too, I don't know. He did offer to give me the money back for the drinks which was nice, he actually gave me $17 which was more than I expected. But he did get very defensive when I mentioned that I thought the basketball hoop was in a bad location and said I was the first accident that happened. That's fine...I'm just giving you my feedback based on my experience. Then the owner asked me to take down my reviews and when I told him I wouldn't he called me immature and said that there was no reasoning with me... rude. I would have been happy to take down the review if he wasn't so defensive and didn't try to make me feel bad for what happened. This is unfortunate because I used to like coming here, I would go there a few times per month. I'm not even upset with the bartenders, I think they're cool but that management needs to work on customer service. I am not at all surprised that they have had so many good reviews since I have left a negative one. They clearly care a lot more about good reviews than actual good...