A nice vibe to hang out and have drinks with friends. The late night crowd is younger but I'm fine with that

Old school bar style and vibe. Lots of clutter and interesting bathroom in the joining building/room. They have pool and video poker/keno machines. Didn't try the food but people were eating and it looked good bar style. Lots of riff raff out front. read more

Great food and atmosphere. Loved the appetizers and the half pound burger. They're in a great location. read more

When my hubs and I walked in I got an instant "Cheers" vibe. Our waitress was super friendly & attentive. My fried green tomato blt was amazing!! And the rings...ginormous and so crispy. My hubs Italian sub was just as huge. The portions were shareable for sure. Nice friendly bar read more

See all

BEST Valentine's Day meal this year was the annual "Galentine's Day Brunch at Sam's Uptown Cafe!!! Petite filet, huge crab cake, crab bisque, great potatoes and more, plus the dandy Bloody Mary's! Great vibe, food and service!!! read more

See all

The food is good. Lunch specials are great and easy on the pocket. Brunch is some of my favorite ever. Today I made the mistake of going in the bathroom and unfortunately that's all I can think about. I don't care how long they say they've been remodeling, it's well beyond construction dust in there. I am beyond disgusted and extremely disappointed. Do better! Please. read more

Everything food is great. Service is top of the line. Live music everything you should need if you're passing through or just out for a meal or entertainment. read more

Was in town for the expo at the civic center and stopped into one of my favorite places in Charleston for a quick lunch. Sam's is a small sports bar great to catch a game. The staff there is very friendly and makes you feel at home. I ordered the Italian club sandwich and it was very good. The banana peppers and melted cheese added a ton of flavor. The chips are good but I'm more of a French fry guy but I didn't want to be too full heading back to work. If you're in the area I highly recommend stopping into Sam's, especially for their wings 10/10. read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - Italian Club Sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

Best club sandwich I have had in my life. And weirdly the best food we have found since being in Charleston. We have tried a few other local restaurants but this just hit the spot. read more

The food was surprising great. I crave good pastrami sandwiches and this one hit the mark. My husband got the veggie burger and was very pleased too. The Mac n cheese bites, were a little salty, but pretty good. The fried mushrooms would be better if the mushrooms were sliced. What brought the rating down to a 3 was how filthy the place is. The bathrooms and hallways were nasty and smelly. There were several holes in the floor that looked like rats could just freely enter and exit. The bartops were sticky and the bar chairs were torn with the inner cushion exposed. If they take more pride in their cleanliness, they could easily be a 5 star business. read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - Mac n Cheese bites - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

See all

Cozy Cheers type of bar. My Haddock Hoagie and steak fries was delicious! Allison handled the bar without a hitch with a full house! Jennifer was professional and friendly when checking if I was pleased! Great place to be for MNF! read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - Haddock Hoagie - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

See all

This place is a Charleston institution, been around forever. Great dive bar food, but goddamn the restrooms are disgusting! Urine on the floors, no soap in either bathroom, flies and gnats everywhere, dim lighting, I'm afraid to see what's going on in the kitchen. If they would focus on sanitation, this would elevate my rating, unfortunately the conditions are consistently so poor I probably won't return. It's a shame too, they have great wings and wraps! read more

This was our first visit, we ordered a cheeseburger and the Roast Beef Au jus, both with fries, everything was served hot and the food was amazing, so flavorful, buns and hoagies were so soft and also grilled. So impressed with the top notch quality of the food and its freshness. They are open till 2 am so this place is a perfect stop when leaving Corridor G from shopping in the late evening and nothing else is open. A friend we were with had their onion rings and they looked incredible, and he stated they were light and crispy, can't wait to give them a try on my next visit. read more

The most disgusting food I ever had in my life. Pulled pork that looked like a pile of cow sh**on a stale bun. I managed to choke down a couple of bites and gave up. Chips so old they could bend and not break. Cole slaw red in color and tasting nothing like slaw (what the he** was it??) To say I was disappointed is understatement. I paid the bill ($100 with tip) rather than disturb the others in my party who were mostly satisfied, but I still can't believe this place got good reviews. My meal actually ruined my evening-----I ate almost nothing and since the hour was late, that was it for the day. read more

What a fun find! We were in town for a quick overnight on a road trip and stopped into Sam's cafe for a drink and dinner. The food was great and the waitress was so friendly! read more

"Mozzarella sticks" old , double fried and burnt mozzarella sticks ..... not edible.... Did not take photos of the chicken wings but they were old and dry as well ... never again read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - "Mozzarella sticks"... - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

Great for late night food! Tenders, wings and burgers with chips. Too late for fries, alternatives served with chips. A great bar for drinks and plenty of parking on the street. Big signage so you won't miss it! Will return on next trip. read more

Went there tonight only 3 people here bartender on phone drank my one drink. Bartender was offended by me asking her middle name cause first name so pretty. Preceded to tell us about tummy problems and tests she had ask what doctor she goes too. She was offended so still waiting on drink she's in her own world. read more

This place was recommended by a couple of co workers and the kitchen stays open late. Went in about 1130, ordered a cocktail to sip while I waited on my Reuben and onion rings. The bar seating was occupied but the bartender, Brian, came to the table to take my order... My food hit the spot, had to choose between the other half of my sandwich or my onion rings (onion rings won). Good food here, great service, open late. read more

Always delicious, whatever you get. Best brunch in Chas. Super nice folks. Burgers are great. Hot sandwiches too.

The food is decent, but the service leaves much to be desired. If you are not one of the bartenders' favorite regulars, they can be cold and unfriendly, and even ask you to move seats so that their favorite customers get the seats they want. If you're not "in" with the bartenders, then it won't be very enjoyable. read more

So I tried this place today not only was the food dry. But the waitress was rude and not wanting to help find my credit card, that she sat on the end of the bar instead of handing it back to my the way I handed it to her. The card had fell behind the bar. I order a Ruben. There is very little sauerkraut and I'm not sure if any dressing the sandwich is just dry. Next is the BLT with fried green tomatoes everything on the sandwich was old the bacon the tomatoes and the wilted the lettuce when it was heated in microwave read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - BLT with fried green tomatoes - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

See all

Always great food. Great people here and so nice! Today we started with fried mushrooms. They are fresh and delicious. I posted as soon as they came because I knew better stuff was coming. My husband loved his chili (he loves spicy) but my fries and chicken philly trumped everything. Clarifying brunch and restaurant week are my faves but any day of the week (or year) you cannot go wrong at Sam's Uptown Cafe. Nice people, great service and better food... read more

See all

This was a neat little cafe/bar in downtown Charleston. It has a very large menu with a lot of different sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and much more. I started off with an appetizer of fried cheese cubes. They had great flavour, a great crust to it, and their house made ranch dipping sauce was as good of ranch as I've ever tried. For my main course I tried the WV Hot Bologna Sandwich with a side of onion rings. The bologna was high quality and blackened perfectly and was served with hot sauce on it (Texas Pete's maybe?) The original sandwich comes with tomato and lettuce on it but I had it left off so I did want to mention that. The flavours of the bolonga and hot sauce was absolutely delicious and the bologna was really thick so it will definitely put a dent in your hunger. The onion rings were slightly above average kind of similar to Steak And Shake's onion rings. The meal was a great no frills lunch that satisfied me. I must mention I also saw skee ball machines in the restaurant but they seemed to be off due to covid (I may be wrong about that. I didn't press the issue.) Anyway this is a great, inexpensive cafe. read more

See all

Finding a good place to eat in this town near 10pm on a weekday seemed like a challenge, since I'm not from around here. I got turned down by 2 restaurants even though it was 45 mins before closing at one and 30 mins b4 close at the other. I finally found Sam's, which enticed me by the fresh ground beef burgers. I had a nice basic call drink and a good hearty burger and added the steak fries. It's a nice local divey bar...with decent food. It has an upstairs lounge with a small outdoor deck, although I didn't stay long enough to check it out. read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - Cheddar Burger with steak fries - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

The food is overrated and the service here could not possibly be worse. The bartenders are incredibly rude and I once waited almost an entire hour to be served on a night when there was literally no one else in the bar. read more

I love Sam's Uptown Cafe! Live music, drinks, and delicious food. Great place to watch a game or enjoy live entertainment. Affordable prices and a great staff. Order a Club and you won't be disappointed read more

I recently ordered the Philly Cheesesteak with everything and jalepenos, Fries, a glass of water, and a glass of SweetWater Blue. The Philly Cheesesteak was mostly pretty good, but it did have a couple excessively hard chunks of gristle mixed in that I did need to spit out. If it weren't for this, the sandwich would have been excellent. The Fries were not very good. The SweetWater Blue was excellent. The bartender was courteous, professional, chill, and great overall. The food was received quite quickly. Cool place with a chill atmosphere. read more

It's decent. Burgers are decent. They're known for their burger but I've had better burgers at at least three other places in town. There's nothing special pulling me here. read more

Very good bar food at reasonable prices. Never had a bad meal or experience whether eating in or ordering through Grub-hub or Door Dash.

We were only in town for a short while and had no idea where to go. Finding this American Bistro was a stroke of luck! I cannot say enough about Sam's!!! The management & staff were extremely accommodating and the food was delicious! Being out with friends we were able to sample several of the appetizers before our meals came out! All I can say is, "Whenever you're in Charleston, WV you have to go to Sam's Uptown Cafe". You will not be disappointed!! read more

Sam's is one of the best places to have libations or eat and here's why: 1. The staff are friendly, no bs, no frills, and know how to actually hustle (this place gets busy). I appreciate multi-taskers when it comes to bars. 2. The food is damn good and is always consistent. The kitchen is open until 2am 7 days a week. I could get a burger at 10am or 2am and it's still going to be the same quality. There's a lot of great options to choose from. My faves would probably be a regular cheeseburger, the prime rib Sammy, pg fries, the pulled pork bbq, tuna melt, or a wrap! Seriously, I could have went on with my favorites because it's hard to pick but there's always something on the menu for whatever you're craving. 3. They are open when many other establishments choose to be closed which rings in the consistency thing again which, IMO, is really important for a small town local business. 4. Its a bar you can go to and just hang and relax. You can actually hold conversations with your pals and not have to scream over loud music. 5. Plenty of sports to watch if that's your thing. It's my thing so... 6. Drinks are well-made. Not the widest selection of liquor but does its purpose. I'm a big bourbon drinker and occasionally there'll be a good bourbon available. Plenty of rotating craft beers in bottles/cans or on draft, too! 7. Brunch on Sundays 10-2. Holy heck. There's a couple items that are staples and remain on the menu each week. The rest of the items are always something new! Huge portions and everything is always SO good! You're missing out if you miss brunch at Sam's!!! Go check out Sam's and grab a bite!!! read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

Although The service could have been better, The decor of this place is perfect for charleston! It's a great dive bar spot with really great food. The burgers we had were delicious and the hotzerrella sticks are awesome! read more

With the exception of weekday lunch service, Sam's is a bar first and restaurant second. However, it's a pretty good bar (and the food's okay, too). The bar has the standard mix of medium and top-shelf liquors and a half-dozen taps, along with Jaeger and Fireball dispensers. The draft selection varies but there's usually a couple of craft or craft-ish beers to choose from and a decent, but not overwhelming, bottle/can array. Prices are standard issue for the area: $3 for a Pabst tall boy to $6 for a glass of craft. Service is pretty efficient, mostly attentive, and friendly. The menu is mostly sandwiches and deep-fried bar food. The signature item is the Samburger, a half-sausage half-beef hamburger that's solid. The wings are also worth checking out. Most of the sides come out of a bag (does any place really make its own jalapeno popper?) but for a bar, it's not bad. Also, and this is pretty important, the kitchen stays open LATE. If Sam's is serving alcohol, it's also serving food. The pre-cut fries taste a lot better at 1:00 a.m. There's also live music on the second floor most weekends and some week nights, with a decent sound system and reasonable cover charges. And it's also a regular meeting place for several social groups, like book clubs and beer appreciation groups. All-in-all, Sam's is a place worth going. read more

Stepped into this place on the Thanksgiving weekend. Waited at the entrance expecting to be seated. No one came to me and took me to my seat. If I am to seat myself, at least the bartender behind the counter could tell me that. I am sure at least one of them notices me because she glanced at me several times. Instead I was left there standing for couple of minutes. After about five minutes I walked out and decided to go to another place 3 minutes away. Will not come back to this place if I am in Charleston again. Looks like they don't want my business. read more

I actually came here last night with friends for drinks. Nice crowd for a sat night. Service was good and no complaints. My friends and I agreed to meet here Sunday morning for brunch. Wow! They have a short brunch menu which changes each week I'm told. I had the hash brown casserole while my friends had the chicken and waffles. Outstanding! Mimosas were great also. With the new laws in WV they can start serving brunch @ 10:00am. This is my new "go to" for brunch! read more

See all

Excellent spot with awesome employees. Don't let the outside doors intimidate you. Very friendly atmosphere.

I am from out of town and this bar is clean and operates well under pressure. Great beer and great food! I recommend coming heading to Sams Uptown Cafe for a good time or just to kill time! Sams burger is off the chart! That's a good ass burger! read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

See all

Great food! Kitchen stays open late night. The prime rib, french dip and club are outstanding sandwiches. Sam's burger is always a win and the grilled cheese with bacon is huge and delicious! read more

Sam's Uptown Cafe - The club sandwich is gigantic and delicious!!!! - Sandwiches Near Me - Charleston, West Virginia

I'd go back! Had the Rachel which is a Rueben only with Turkey - highly recommended! Seems to be a local hang out, like Cheers, everyone knew your name! read more