Charlie Fox's Pizzeria & Eatery — Restaurant in St. Charles

So, giving 5 stars for what it is. It’s mainly a quick take-out joint with a small dining room for a few families or teens to come sit and dine-in. It’s right by Otter Cove, so a convenient place to stop by after a swim. They are understaffed in the dining room which was a bit of an annoyance but overall for what it is, a pizza pick-up place, they served what I needed which was a quick bite with my kid and food to take home. We had a thin crust pizza, nice and crisp, lots of cheese and pepperoni, no complaints. Came out piping hot and fresh already on the to-go box bc the young lady at the front helped with the order which worked out well. We also tried a large order or chicken wings in two flavors. The bbq is really flavorful. The chipotle honey was a step up in spiciness but side by side less delicious than the bbq. Don’t be fooled by the light look of the sauces, they are like a glaze but packed in flavor. Their meatball sandwich is hefty. Really flavorful. We will be getting that again. It has the real mozzarella balls melted on.

While we were there, there was a mix of people-a table filled with a family-mom, dad, adult and teen kids, maybe a grandparent. There was a table with a senior citizen couple, then a group of teens came and filled up three tables, and a 60 something little group even had a cake and was celebrating a bday. It was a sweet family hang out place with a mix of low and high tables to accommodate different needs and a to-go counter...

21Oct2021 our family (6+ people) had a margherita pizza taste contest. Charlie Fox East Side Geneva won DECISIVELY versus a Batavia pizzeria.

29Oct2021 we had a thin crust sausage and pepperoni taste contest. Again, Charlie Fox won, but it was closer against a Geneva pizzeria.

We have third contest this coming 5Nov2021. I don't know what the crust or toppings will be yet, but, by the rules of the contest, we cannot yet repeat a previous pizza.

My question is: What is a Charlie Fox's "ringer"? We unanimously agreed that the margherita pizza is EXCELLENT. This comes from a group which has a significant bias towards meat toppings (sausage, peperoni, bacon, etc.), so that speaks to how good their margherita pizza is.

Any thoughts on a Charlie Fox "ringer"? I may want to use it for an up-coming contest, when I get to pick the crust and toppings.

--- UPDATE ---- June 2023 Pick-up for St. Charles Restaurant -----

$40 XL Margherita pizza (pick-up) was completely different but worse than in our original 2021 review.

Charlie Fox attempted to remedy this significant difference in their margherita pizza by delivering a new/re-made margherita. I really appreciate the effort to fix this but the re-made margherita pizza was also sub-par.

I will again try the margherita pizza soon but maybe the East side Geneva location will perform as we originally experienced. Please return to your older/original margherita pizza.

-A...

We visited Charlie Fox’s Pizzeria in St. Charles for my husband’s birthday in January. I've also been here after bowling at St. Charles Bowl. My experience there was just ok. For a Friday night, the place was surprisingly not too busy. I initially visited because I read that this place was voted best in the Fox Valley or something like that, so maybe my expectations were just too high.

Let’s start with what I liked. I did like the old school Trivial Pursuit cards that are on all of the tables. I liked having something to do while we waited for our food. I also thought the food was good. Not great, just good. I’ve definitely had better pizza in the Fox Valley. We started with the Heart Attack on a Plate…ahem, I mean the Charlie Chips (kettle chips covered with bacon and mozzarella cheese) and, while greasy, it did taste good. The pizza was just average.

I did not like the service here. Everything just took SO LONG! Just being seated took about 10 minutes. When we walked in there were people at the counter picking up to-go orders and we didn’t even get a “be with you in a few minutes”. We just stood there, waiting. The staff could’ve been way more attentive. From ordering, to waiting on our food, then waiting for our check – everything just took forever. I couldn’t understand the wait. There were plenty of empty tables so they weren’t working at capacity, and it still took a really long time...