Skewers and grilled cheese at Charlie’s Kitchen
Good local Eats
Grilled chicken kebabs at Charlie’s Kitchen in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Bar food always presents challenges to a writer. Many joints sling burgers, fries, chicken fingers and flatbreads and, sure, some are resoundingly better than others, but distinction is hard and comes usually from the quality of ingredients (locally sourced beef versus Sysco, for instance), and if housemade (hand-cut fries, vine-picked marinara or a backroom-crafted veggie burger instead of out of a freezer). The key in such places is to find what they’re good at, what works and what’s unique – and don’t get too adventurous. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, though.
At Charlie’s Kitchen, the longest-running establishment in Harvard Square now that Whitney’s is shuttered, it was a long list of grilled cheeses, double cheeseburgers and twin lobster rolls that served as a culinary calling card. When it reopened at the end of the pandemic lockdown, we noshed our way through the robust griddle-pressed cheese sandwich slate and were fans of the salt-and-pepper french fries that came along. Since then, Charlie’s has undergone a change of management to the folks who ran The Cornerstone, the short-lived makeover of R.F. O’Sullivan & Son. They have come in, embraced the old and added many of the Hawaiian-accented dishes from their Somerville business.
The blending is a win-win. You can still get your twin lobster rolls and double cheeseburger, but also the garlic shrimp, moco loco (essentially a Hawaiian Salisbury steak) and Hawaiian chicken salad that were popular standouts at The Cornerstone. The new team also hosts luaus on the weekend when the beer garden is open.
Other than that, not much about Charlie’s has changed. The space still has those linoleum floors and a classic 1950s diner vibe that is 100 percent legitimate, as that’s how long Charlie’s has been a Harvard Square institution.
On the food, I’d say the handover has been good. The grilled chicken kebabs are definitely a bump up: good before, but notable now. Lightly charred, juicy and moist, and flavored perfectly by an overnight marinade. Whoever is overseeing the process and working the open flame is on their A game.
Sadly, that vast grilled-cheese lineup is gone (there is a hot dog menu that mirrors the burger menu, topping off with a double-chili-cheese offering), but on the sandwich slate there is The Edgar, billed as the “ultimate grilled cheese sandwich.” It has a trio of cheddar, American and pepper jack cheeses, grilled tomato, lean turkey and applewood smoked bacon, and is a satiating, handful of molten gooey goodness that comes hot-pressed and golden off the griddle. Other Cornerstone imports include a crunchy crabmeat salad and mahi-mahi tacos, which came in a nice, soft shell but were flat and open on the plate. Memo to management: Someone needs to send out for some of those neat metal taco holders.
Charlie’s now offers brunch on the weekends and weekly events that include trivia, comedy and karaoke. The place could use a spruce up, but to do so could rob Charlie’s of its character and melting-pot appeal: On my last visit in there, there were biz school bros, classic old-schoolers in steel toes drinking tallboys, dapper briefcase-toting banker types and courier-chic hipsters, all lined up and engaging in opines on the “White Lotus” finale.
And speaking of The Cornerstone: It folded recently after itself undergoing a management change, but will soon reopen as Bonanza Bites & Cocktails, a South American accented gastropub.
