The Charles

4.4

90 Reviews

$31 to $50

American

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 16, 2025

10:30 PM

Good for groups
Neighborhood gem
Gluten-free-friendly

The Charles is a modern American Restaurant with craft cocktails, live entertainment and an old Hollywood Vibe! New to Reading, which is fast becoming a beautiful walkable downtown location, with new new restaurants, new stores to shop at and we are happy to add The Charles to your choice of dining and entertainment choices. We are located right in the center of town which is easily accessible from 93 or 128/95 with a very short drive. Located right next door to the up and coming famous award winning Bunratty Tavern, you can't miss us.
Open for Dinner Thurs-Saturday 5-10pm. Available for Private Functions Sun-Wed and Saturday during the day.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Italian, Mexican
Hours of operation
Thu–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(781) 779-8246
Website
http://TheCharlesReading.SquareSpace.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Catering
We offer great options of appetizers, full and half tray entrees, and dessert. To see our full list of offerings please check out our website!
Private party facilities
Any and all events! Call us at 781-779-8246 to set up your next private event!

Location
614 Main St, Reading, MA 01867
Neighborhood
Reading
Cross street
Haven Street
Parking details
Street Parking or Public Lot of Woburn Street
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Lettuce Wraps$14.00
Crispy lettuce wraps, Grilled Chicken, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Corn Salsa and Crema
Lobster Rangoons$15.00
Lobster, Cream Cheese, with Siracha Mayo Dipping Sauce
Mussels Fra Diavolo or Scampi$15.00
PEI Mussels, Shallots, Garlic, Crostini
Calamari$14.00
Lightly breaded Tubes & Tentacles, Banana Peppers, Sweet Chili
Stuffed Mushrooms$11.00
Fontina and Parmesan Cheese over a Creamy Garlic Herbed White Wine Sauce
Seasonal Flatbread$14.00
Always made with fresh ingredients
Shrimp Peri Peri$16.00
Pan Seared Shrimp tossed with Sweet Garlic Chili Sauce over Roasted Cauliflower
Mac & Cheese Balls$11.00
Homemade Mac & Cheese, lightly breaded, deep fried, served on sriracha mayo
Stuffed Zucchini$13.00
With Herb Risotto, Mozzarella Cheese, on a bed of creamy Parmesan Cheese

Entrees

Grilled Steak$26.00
8 oz. Prime Aged Steak Fillet, Whipped Potato, Roasted Asparagus
Seafood Scampi$25.00
Shrimp, Mussels and Cod in a light Shallot Scampi Sauce on Linguine
Bolognese$22.00
Ground Pork & Beef Ragu on Pappardelle
Grilled Salmon$24.00
8 oz. Top Loin Salmon Fillet, Chilled Seven Grain Rice, Roasted Asparagus, Bourbon Balsamic Glaze
One-Pan Chicken$21.00
House marinated Chicken Breast, Garlic, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato, Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Mexican Bowl$21.00
Chicken or Steak, Spanish Rice, Corn Salsa, Pico De Gallo, Guacamole, Crema, Fried Tortilla Strips
Fried Goat Cheese Salad$18.00
Fresh Berries, Avocado, Fried Goat Cheese, Balsamic Glaze, on a bed of Baby Spinach
Charles Pork Chop$23.00
12 oz. bone in Pork Chop, Scalloped Potatoes, Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Grilled Shrimp Salad$22.00
Tiger Shrimp served on a bed of mixed greens, red wine poached pears, grilled apples, avocado, red onion, balsamic glaze
Rustic Chicken Sandwich$17.00
Chicken Breast, spinach, avocado, portobello mushroom, caramelized onion jam, focaccia bread, sweet potato fries
Chicken Piccata$22.00
Boneless breast of chicken, shallots, lemon, capers, over linguine
Braised Short Rib$26.00
Bone in short rib, garlic mashed potato, green beans, au jus
Scallops & Zucchini Noodles$25.00
Pan seared Sea Scallops served over fresh Zucchini noodles in a light garlic wine cream sauce

Dessert & Sides

Strawberry Shortcake

Vanilla Ice Cream, Strawberry Puree, Whipped Cream$9.00
Cheesecake$9.00
Caramel, Chocolate, or Strawberry Sauce
Side Mixed Green Salad$5.00
Side Caesar Salad$6.00

What 90 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4

4.4 based on recent ratings

4.7Food
4.5Service
4.2Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

90 Reviews

O
Oleg
Greater Boston
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 3 days ago
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
Is this helpful?
J
James
Greater Boston
1 review
5.0
1 review
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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R
Roger
Greater Boston
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
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…
Is this helpful?
B
Barbara
Greater Boston
8 reviews
4.0
8 reviews
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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B
Bill
Greater Boston
1 review
4.0
1 review
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.
Is this helpful?
M
Micahel
San Francisco
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
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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J
Joyce
Greater Boston
10 reviews
5.0
10 reviews
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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J
Jim
Greater Boston
1 review
3.0
1 review
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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D
Doug
VIP
Greater Boston
19 reviews
5.0
19 reviews
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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B
Bobby
Greater Boston
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 7, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Had a great meal with friends and live music was great
Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Charles offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (781) 779-8246.

The Charles is rated 4.4 stars by 90 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 16, 2025

10:30 PM

Order delivery or takeout

614 Main St, Reading, MA 01867

Additional information

Cross street
Haven Street
Neighborhood
Reading
Hours of operation
Thu–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Italian, Mexican
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking or Public Lot of Woburn Street
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://TheCharlesReading.SquareSpace.com/
Phone number
(781) 779-8246
Catering
We offer great options of appetizers, full and half tray entrees, and dessert. To see our full list of offerings please check out our website!
Private party facilities
Any and all events! Call us at 781-779-8246 to set up your next private event!

The Charles

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Shareables

Lettuce Wraps$14.00

Lobster Rangoons$15.00

Mussels Fra Diavolo or Scampi$15.00

Calamari$14.00

Stuffed Mushrooms$11.00

Seasonal Flatbread$14.00

Shrimp Peri Peri$16.00

Mac & Cheese Balls$11.00

Stuffed Zucchini$13.00

Entrees

Grilled Steak$26.00

Seafood Scampi$25.00

Bolognese$22.00

Grilled Salmon$24.00

One-Pan Chicken$21.00

Mexican Bowl$21.00

Fried Goat Cheese Salad$18.00

Charles Pork Chop$23.00

Grilled Shrimp Salad$22.00

Rustic Chicken Sandwich$17.00

Chicken Piccata$22.00

Braised Short Rib$26.00

Scallops & Zucchini Noodles$25.00

Dessert & Sides

Vanilla Ice Cream, Strawberry Puree, Whipped Cream$9.00

Cheesecake$9.00

Side Mixed Green Salad$5.00

Side Caesar Salad$6.00

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

Does The Charles offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is The Charles restaurant rated?

Is The Charles currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information