Ok, so the baked haddock was awful.Mashed potatoes were instant. Carrots were canned. I am long time resident; have been there many times over the years , but will never return again. read more

I am so disappointed! Been coming to Charlie's for 50 years. Haven't been back in two years due to life circumstances. Came back to Gloucester yesterday and this was my much anticipated first stop. Ordered clams. Undercooked, lukewarm, greasy and tough. I chalked it up to a one-off. Came right back for breakfast this morning. Grass around the parking spot liberally littered with empty airline-size Smirnoff vodkas and beer cans. Eggs were fried as ordered but that's the best I can say for them. Eggs were fried and toast was covered in some sort of butter-flavored oil. Or maybe it was actual butter but a subpar food service brand that was really not good. Corned beef hash tasty but it was served on underdone fried potato cubes. Both times our waitress dropped the food on the table and didn't come back until time to pay the bill. No inquiries in our food or additional needs, no water refill. Charlie's, please go back to what you were doing before. Two stars for nostalgia. read more

Exactly what we needed today - quick, inexpensive, good for families on the way to the beach. Wait staff was a little surly, but also exactly what you'd expect from a diner atmosphere. Husband's lobster roll was excellent - large serving of fresh lobster with a bit of mayo and nothing else. Onion rings were very good. Chicken kabob salad was my choice. Chicken was tender and flavorful. Veggies in the salad were plain and uninspired, but crisp and fresh. Would definitely go back any time we're in Gloucester or Rockport. read more

Lunch / brunch on a Saturday afternoon we had a big party of 10 people. Good attitude from the staff, they were accommodating and friendly. Food was slightly pricey but generally on par with other restaurants. We experienced the fishermans platter and lobsta bisque both very good. Get the bowl size, worth it. Platter was great, good portion great quality. Finally, our friend got the coconut shrimp, tasty. Btw, restaurant is small but they still accommodated our group of 10, awesome. See my photos. read more

See all

Was at the beach l day and wanted to place in an order for take out. Excellent customer service and the fried clams and onion rings did not disappoint. read more

Local spot tried it while I was in town. Very nice wait staff. I had the fried pickles with aioli sauce really good. Then the Reuben special was bomb as well. Check it out for a quick bite on the go read more

Charlie's Place - Fried pickles with aioli sauce - Seafood Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

Great sea food and pizza. There is usually a wait so calling in the order is a good idea.

me and 5 others came to charlie's place for a quick bite and two of the waiters seemed very confused or upset that we were there because none of their tables fit more than 4 people. we finally got seated and pulled up another table and our waitress took our order for drinks and we all got water. they were like warm with no ice and she brought out cold bread with them. some of us shared the captains platter, which had 2 (two) scallops and those are my favorite of everything on the platter. she asked if we wanted dessert and i was making a seemingly upset face and she said something along the lines of "what? is everyone too full nobody's paying attention??!" idk kinda sucked. the building itself was fine though read more

Great food. All of the sauces are magnificent. If you've worked up a appetite from the beach and are looking for some good seafood, this is a great place to eat. I don't understand why this place only has 3.5 stars, It should be at least 4.5. read more

Reliable, down-home feeling. Food is well cooked. Except for the specials, they serve a standard food list of breakfast items, salads and sandwiches. Soups are good. Table and counter seating are available. Good place for families. No gluten free breads available. read more

The best haddock fish and chips ever. Better than Barbara's famous fish and chips in Half Moon Bay and better than the excellent haddock fish and chips at Cooks in Palo Alto. The haddock at Charlie's was light and not greasy - perfect. The haddock chowder was the best since Amelia's closed and that is a real compliment. Good service, reasonable prices and good portions. We will be back! read more

Have been going regularly for a few months. Owner needs customer service skills along with some of the waitress staff. Refills of drinks sometimes take excessive effort to get done. Worse problem we have experised was today my wife found a wire tie from a bread wrapper in her omlette and their response was do you want something else or take it off the bill but still charged us for the rest of the meal. I would think they might think it is a good idea to comp the meal plus maybe even the next meal to win back a customer over the possibility of a trip to court read more

I am never disappointed in this place. This is such a great breakfast place. Delicious food, great staff, quick service, and not expensive. The pancakes are so big they hardly fit on the plate and don't even get me started on the cinnamon bun they offer. If your looking for a cute local breakfast place this should absolutely be your spot. read more

We paid $148 to feed 8 people lobster roles, fisherman platter, chicken fingers, clam plate (with bellies), fish n chips, Caesar salad, clam chowder and more. We couldn't wait to eat but unfortunately everyone was unimpressed with the food. All sea food tastes frozen and dry/overcooked, same for chicken fingers, all fries were soggy, cole slaw was dry. The lobster roles, for $17, were super shredded lobster that tasted like it came out of a can. We started sharing food with each other to see if there was something good but even my brother, a huge lobster role fan, actually spit out the lobster. My brother and I went back a few days later for a clam platter hoping our first experience was an off day...but we had the same experience. I do not recommend this place to anyone. read more

We came here for lunch on August 5, 2018. From the menu alone we could tell we were going to like this place...BUT we were wrong. The food was alright. Nothing special, but definitely not bad. However, the blond server with braces blew a rod over a $6 on a $50 bill. She was making a huge fuss about it and then although the couple that "stiffed" her had walked out the door, another server joined in and said, "Yes! Go eat at another restaurant!" and it didn't end there. The offended waitress continued to stew about it loudly for the rest of our meal. She ruined our visit! Her attitude and complete lack of consideration for the other guests who had to listen to her griping and slew of insults makes me wonder if maybe they had good reason to leave only $6. We had fair service. Nothing great...never refilled our coffee or water, but we left a 35% tip although it wasn't necessarily deserved. We just did because we wanted to fill the cafe with a little more pleasant vibes to balance out the negativity. We didn't return for the rest of our visit to Gloucester and don't recommend that you bother with this place. There are so many others to enjoy, why chance crossing paths with these two servers? read more

We came here for lunch after seeing the good reviews but it was very disappointing. The clam chowder was bland and watery, you could get better from a can. The Gloucester fish sandwich was flavorless and overloaded with Tatar sauce and the chips on the side was literally a small bag of Lay's with only 8 chips in it. My girlfriend had the steak tip salad and ended up chipping her tooth after biting into the overcooked meat. Also the wait staffed seemed very unfriendly. I recommend avoiding, there are far better places to eat in the area. read more

We were very hungry after arriving for vacation in Rockport. This a a great place we found and exactly what we were looking for. Mostly fried seafood platters but many other options, salads, sandwiches, steak tips and of course clam chowder which was very good. Service is fast and friendly. Take out too. Yummy!!! read more

This place is so friendly and amazing! The food was great! I got the cranberry walnut chicken salad, it was unbelievable. My friend got the lobster roll and was thrilled by the way they tasted and another got the American chopsuey And I loved it so much I ordered a plate of my own! I recommend this place because it has a friendly atmosphere and also very inexpensive and for the amount of people they get in there this place is clean! read more

See all

the chicken fingers are the best in gloucester. hands down. i seriously only get the chicken fingers here, which is totally uninspired, but they're ridiculous. if you've been to farnham's in essex, they're like that. SO GOOD. this has been a family favorite for as long as i can remember. everyone loves their fried fish. the service is always quick and friendly. you definitely get your money's worth. the breakfast is good and cheap and fast and tasty. read more

Okay food. Typical fried seafood selections. Chowder was not very flavorful. Spent $15 for 10 fried scallops that had no flavor. The fish sandwich was not that bad. But over $50 for 2 is a bit much. Would not go back. The cook was shouting and swearing saying the f*bomb numerous times. read more

Was looking forward to fried clams and onion rings during my visit from NC -- was not disappointed!

Good food for a good price. They have some of the best fried food around and I look forward to getting take out every year.

Came for dinner. One of us had the baked haddock dinner. The haddock was a huge portion and had a home made breading with fresh herbs that was spectacular. The veg on side was a bit over done but we were there late. The baked potato was done perfectly. The other had the fried smelt dinner. The breading was light and crispy and the fish fresh. It was also quite tasty and the portion very generous. Fries were a bit underdone for my taste. Slaw was from a container or tasted like it. Service was friendly. read more

We just came home from our second visit this summer to "Charlie's Place". Great place for an easy, reasonable breakfast, lunch or dinner. The waitstaff is the BEST! Both times we had SANDY...she is personable, patient..and "on the ball". At the counter the lady that was there was helpful and the young man who greeted us in a friendly manner. BUT, when we go back..we will ask for SANDY..she is the best. We always say, waitstaff make a big difference in any meal taking place at a restaurant. read more

Always fresh, always good! Lots of homemade goodies and the freshest seafood around. Stop by and check out their daily specials. You can't go wrong for the price. read more

My husband and I were looking for a good seafood place for lunch. One of the locals suggested Charlies. We found it along a main road, it's like a diner atmosphere. Food was quick, we shared a bowl of clam chowder...it was "eh", or of large calamari and fisherman's platter (scallop, shrimp, sole and whole clams w/onion rings and fries). I have to say that the seafood was fresh but the taste was "blah"...not much seasoning in their batter. read more

Food was good, but the noise level is awful. I couldn't hear the people at my table, but was drowned out by the waitstaff, the other customers, and the ice machine. A bit of sound deadening material around the place would help. It has an all tile floor, and stark walls & wooden tables. Probably the noisest restaurant I've ever been to. read more

Swung by for a quick lunch and was very impressed. BLT sandwich for $3.99! included a small bag of chips and a pickle. Chicken Salad sandwich same story. Unless you're really hungry, carbo loading or bulking up to sit next to me on a coach flight Atlanta this is all you need, good quality and super cheap. The pink lemonade was tasty and refilled at no charge. Only one visit but I wouldn't hesitate to return here. read more

Went to this place this morning. I was in town for a wedding. It looked like a nice place to grab some breakfast. We sat down and asked for new coffee cups becuase the ones on our table were dirty. The waitress gave us a look little we were just giving her a hard time. Her exact words were, " Both cups are dirty?". She walked off annoyed. A few seconds later she brought over two more dirty cups and asked us they were clean enough for us with an attitude. This lady was the worst. We let her pour the coffee in the dirty cups and then we walked out. Not sure what this ladies problem was but i will never go back. read more

I thought about reviewing Charlie's Place about six months ago, but I hadn't had Charlie's food since I moved to San Francisco a few years ago. Before writing a review, I wanted to revisit the place just to make sure the quality has stayed the same. My meal today was as good as ever. I had the chicken tender basket. It was delicious, and the basket was overflowing with chicken tenders, fries, and onion rings for under $10. My parents feel the lobster roll is the best in Gloucester. Great local spot next to Good Harbor Beach. read more

Yum yum yummy. I had dinner there last night (went the fried route - delicious! ). I pigged out on the fisherman's platter. Standouts are the shrimp, clams and scallops (yup, they can fry scallops - who knew?). For lunch today went back for the lobster roll and I was not disappointed. Fresh and sweet -- perfect. Lobster & mayo and that's all -- overflowed the bread even. I sat at the counter, service was fine. Cute little diner, clean bathrooms - no alcohol though. read more

The food was mediocre at best and the servers acted like we were inconveniencing them by making them do their job. What a big waste of money. If you want good food go to the Causeway of Essex Seaford instead. This is a place to avoid. read more

I can't complain about the food. My husband and I both got specials to go. Although this wasn't really a to go place like we first thought, they accommodated us so that we could go eat on the beach. Burger was great as was the chicken salad but my husband pointed out that he saw the waitress drinking and then eating behind the line. I used to run a restaurant so this is a major turnoff for me! After seeing this health code violation and clearly seeing lack of glove use in the kitchen, I would be reluctant to trust the sanitary conditions of the place. read more

Owner is the rudest person I've ever encountered and the food was sub-par. Have been twice now and each time she's made me regret it. The first time she gave my group a hard time when we asked for an itemized receipt (for work). She wouldn't even give us the one that had our orders written down on! The owner and her staff need to take some hospitality courses if they want to remain in that line of work read more

The wait staff is extremely friendly. I can't speak for the entire menu, but the lobster roll lives up to the hype. I watched two orders of fried clams come out that also looked awesome. A strong recommend! read more

If you like fried food this is a great place I don't eat a ton of fried food but the cheeks were on the menu and great. Atmosphere was loud as staff was courteous service was quick overall a good experience and good food read more

Great lunch place. It's open for breakfast and dinner but lunch is the star. Great fried fish, get the cod cheeks if they have them. One of the best cheesesteaks outside of Philly and amazing desserts. Not fancy but great food at a good price. Been going for ten years and never had a bad experience. Today's was just as good as we expected. read more

The Haddock Chowder is awesome! Simple, delicious, and a ton of fish!

The fried pickles were good and shrimp was fantastic and super fresh! I was sadly too full for dessert but their pies looked incredible.

Excellent lobster bisque. Shared a bowl with 2 other diners. Next time I get my own. Fried seafood platter was very good, but there was more fish than I'm used to. I'll return soon. read more