The Charles

The Charles reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. J

   Joanne

   Greater Boston17 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 21, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Loved the food and music last night! I’ll be back again.
   

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2. O

   Oleg

   Greater Boston3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 14, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Fod was expertly cooked and very delicious, service was very prompt and servers were friendly and very attentive
   

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3. J

   James

   Greater Boston1 review

   5.0

   Dined on February 7, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The Charles is a high-quality culinary experience with warm, friendly service hiding in Reading, MA. Menu items come out of the kitchen looking like the finished product from a Gordon Ramsay TV Series. Not only are they beautifully plated, the flavor lives up to the looks. We have really enjoyed almost everything we have tried there. My only hope would be that they would offer a special Steak occasionally. Their Short Rib is exquisite but just too large and too rich for a night when you feel like trying a little of everything. The mix of local musicians playing in the front corner adds a quirky and fun ambience without overwhelming the ability to converse over dinner.
   

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4. R

   Roger

   Greater Boston2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on February 1, 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   First, they couldn’t find the reservation. The teenager receptionist told us “luckily there is one table left” . We had another teenager coming as a server and took a good 20 minutes for the drink to arrive. Not back to take our order for the appetizer. The bartender then showed up and told us about the specials… 1 hours later we haven’t place our order… then a DJ arrive for a music bingo night… extremely loud. Was time to leave, hungry…
   

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5. B

   Barbara

   Greater Boston8 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on December 12, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   I dined in a party of 6. Everyone enjoyed their meals. I started with a Mistletoe Martini which was rather nice, and then I had the seafood scampi: mussels, 4 shrimp and a piece of codfish served in a creamy garlic sauce over linguini. It was very tasty. Service was on the slower side. There was a musician making good music but the place is small and the music was loud so that made it difficult to converse with anyone not sitting right next to you. Overall a good experience!
   

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6. B

   Bill

   Greater Boston1 review

   4.0

   Dined on December 5, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Music was excellent. Cait and Pat!! Food was ok. Nice place for dinner and music.
   

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7. M

   Micahel

   San Francisco6 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on November 2, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   The food and the Charles was great. Two got the beef ribs and they were a very healthy portion and very tasty, as was the gravy on the mashed potatoes. Two got the scampi, it was very flavorful. The sliced zucchini with the pasta was a nice accompaniment. The side of bread was warmed/toasted and was the perfect combination of crunchy & chewy yet just soft enough. Service was good and attentive, but the server could have know more about the menu. The sound level was high and there was a sort of music bingo going on which while perhaps a local tradition seemed a little out of place in a finer restaurant on a weekend night. Cost was an excellent value for the quality of the food.
   

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8. J

   Joyce

   Greater Boston10 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on October 18, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   First time at The Charles The food was great (one pan chicken!) and The Getaways acoustic duo was outstanding!! I’ll be back!
   

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9. J

   Jim

   Greater Boston1 review

   3.0

   Dined on September 21, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   The music was very very loud! I couldn't hear my guests who were sitting across the table. The music that was being played would have been more enjoyable as background music. The loudness spoiled our first experience at The Charles. Three out of four meals were very good, the Chicken piccata was tough and rubbery. Seemed like the wait staff were young and learning the routine.....
   

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10. D

    Doug VIP

    Greater Boston19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on September 20, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Love this place. Live music on weekends. Plenty of GF options. Great food and cocktails.
    

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