Reviews Chopstick Charley's

This was our first time coming here. But I can assure you that this will not be our last. When you walk in you don't expect the food to be as good as it is. Ms kitty is wonderful. She greets you with a smile and helps you order the best on the menu also. Ever order is cook when you order it. We had the bacon wrapped shrimp and shrimp and beef fried rice and chicken egg foo young. If we didn't have to go home to the children we would still be ordering. I can promise you this I have no need to go anywhere else for Chinese food now. And it's cheap and wonderful size portions.

Yes, it's open and it's an adventure. I've driven by Chopstick Charley's and the adjoining Joe Motel for a few years never giving it much thought, other than it being a closed and deserted building. It wasn't until a recent article on a local Jacksonville website caught my attention pronouncing that not only was the joint open but it served palatable food.

(If you want to get right to the food, skip down to the next paragraph - this next entry details the restaurant itself) With the restaurant being only a quick 10-minute drive from work, me and a buddy decided to go on the adventure to try a place that pretty much caused most of my co-workers to verbally question my judgement and sanity. That said, I'm going to get right to it - after parking I was still unsure if the restaurant was indeed open. A quick push of the front door led us into the unique atmosphere, that is dark, old, decrepit with a touch of third world-like grime. The structure feels like something from the 50's - the building and its interior also feel like they haven't been cared for since the 50's. But this is also about where the bad ends - we were greeted by an older jovial woman who goes by the name of Kitty. As well as being the greeter, Kitty also cooks. There's another younger gentleman there, who spends a majority of his time changing stations on the television, but doesn't seem to be too involved with the actual operating of the business. This might be good, as it appears he may have some peculiar quirks, which adds even more tinge to the already dilapidated and aberrant environment.

Now, as for the food, it did take about 20 minutes to be made. But the wait was well worth it. I ordered a cup of won ton soup, which contained mostly shredded pork, won tons, delicious and perfectly cooked Chinese cabbage in a flavorful broth. Perhaps a touch salty for some, the soup nonetheless made for a hearty and tasty prologue. For an entree, I tried the chicken chow mein which came with an egg roll and side of fried rice. First, the fried rice is totally unlike the processed, bright yellow-orange drek most of are used to in the fast-food world. It's actually a light-tasting gently seasoned accompaniment to the chow mein. Now, I'm not an expert on Chinese cuisine, but I thought chow mein was a noodle-based dish. However, what I received did not contain noodles, but was mostly chicken, sliced celery, and chopped onion in a light, garlic-like sauce. Though not what I expected, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and textures of the dish. The flavors were relatively muted, but it was appropriately seasoned and was fresh-tasting (celery tasted as if it were pulled from the garden that morning; chicken was undeniable chicken - no need for the "cooked-cat" remarks). I will post some pictures of the dish shortly - if anyone knows exactly what it is/called elsewhere, please comment! The egg roll was a beautiful golden brown (as far as I could tell in the dimly-lit dining room); it was stuffed with freshly shopped celery and onions - if you're not a fan of these staples, you may not want to try.

In all, I was extremely satisfied and pleased I tried Chopstick Charlie's. I absolutely will go back and try some more off the menu (which I've also provided here - the chow mein I tried is on the second page under "Combinations"). I will forewarn those who tend to be squeamish - while the food is terrific, the experience is not for the faint at heart. It does feel third-world and perhaps down-right filthy. But I will say, fresh linens, which were clearly laundered and pressed recently, were brought out to us. There was NO evidence of pests/rodents (as odd as it sounds for a place like this). I will also add this - I ventured into the restroom and that's another adventure. It's awkward, tiny, cramped, and falling apart (like the rest of the building). In the sink, the cold-water handle gushes water along with the faucet; your shoulders will touch the surrounding walls as you use the urinal; the doors don't shut all the way; and yet it still feels cleaner than 90% of the fast food restaurants around town. If any of this bothers you, just call in your order ahead and pick it up (or have a friend pick it up for you)!

Not as bad as it looks. I found out this place was open when I saw it on Urbanspoon, called ahead to make sure it was open. The food was pretty good, Ms. Kitty served us and cooked our food with a smile. This is a pretty rough looking building, not for the light hearted. Probably best to just get take out. Large portions and fresh veggies. I had chicken/snow peas/brocolli/mushrooms in a brown sauce and had plenty left over for lunch the next day.
You are gonna have to have a pretty good sense of adventure to try this place, but I was really impressed. Don't judge a book by its cover.

They food is very tasty. The Sweet n Sour pork was like when i was a kid. Not like the breaded one's you get nowadays. The eggdrop was great and the eggrolls were also tasty. The bacon wrapped shrimp were good, kids loved shrimp lomein, pepper steak was delicious just a little glutinous. The chicken fried rice was the only thing that was not as tasty. Didn't mean not good just not as tasty as the other items.

I knocked on the door and got some of the best pork fried rice ever. For $5 and it was so great.

Kind of creepy inside but the food was great! If you come with a large group be prepared to wait. I was with a group of 5 (including me) and it took about 1.5 hrs for our entrees. The bacon wrapped shrimp took about 40 minutes to come out but was well worth the wait!!

Call in your order after 1230. Bring cash. If the door is locked, your order isnt ready. Just stand there. The pork Egg Foo yung(ask for gravy on the side) and bacon wrapped shrimp are amazing. Building upfront is scary. Kitchen is not, although you cant see it. Be sure to tip Miss Kittee.

I have been coming here since I was a child and the food is still just as delicious as ever. I have taken people here that never liked to eat chinese food, after they go one time they always go back again. Granted, this is not somewhere you eat for the ambiance you come here for the quality of the food. We normally call our order in ahead of time and do take out. It's quality that you come here for and you won't be disappointed.

I tried this place based on a newspaper article about "hole in the wall" restaurants and other reviews. The outside of the restaurant next to Joe's motel looks like a movie set from an Alfred Hitchcock suspense/thriller. I went there by myself in the daytime. I had already called in an order 30 minutes ago and I was expecting to see someone, anyone acknowledge me when I walked in. The place was empty except for 1 Asian guy watching cartoons at the back of the restaurant. I thought he heard me open the door so I waited for a minute before I yelled: "Hey!" I asked him about my take out order. He looked surprised that I was there. He asked :"Are you sure you called Chopstick Charley's?" . He opened the door to the adjoining room and yelled something about take out order. Another 15 minutes passes. So now it's taking 45 minutes for my lunch. No problem. As long as it's cooked fresh, I can understand the long prep time needed to stir fry lo-mein noodles with beef and vegetables. While I was waiting, I noticed the ceiling that so many reviewers mentioned. There is a hole in the ceiling above the register. There were no eyes peeping at me from the hole. There were about 11 renuzit air fresheners in the "dining" room NOT 40 like another reviewer commented. All the tables looked like they had sugar substitute packets and half empty salt shakers. I was thinking, did they really have people eat and drink in here that the salt shakers were almost empty and the sugar substitute packets were almost gone? The place looked like it was abandoned and the current owner just bought it and moved in without any renovations. It had a "musty" odor when you first walked in, like when you visit your grandparents or great grandparents house and it's cluttered with all their memorabilia and it "smells" because they don't open their windows? After a while, your nose adjusts; just like your eyes adjust to the 2 flickering ceiling lights in the middle of the room. Even though it looks run down, it is still clean. It was not dusty and the air conditioning was working. I ordered chicken with broccoli with steamed rice, eggrolls (2/order), beef lo mein and large won ton soup. I paid $20.13 for entire order. It was enough to feed 3, maybe 4 people if the 4th person was a child. The food tasted fresh and I could recognize that the chicken was from the thigh meat not breast meat. The beef was recognizable as beef not an unknown mystery meat. The egg rolls were half filled with celery and 2 shrimps (about the size used for bait for fishing). I know other reviewers said their egg roll had cabbage but the cook must have run out of cabbage and decided to use celery in mine because they are in the same color group. You should at least try this once, just like every one tries "Tower of Terror" once. It is an interesting experience.

Food is actually really good. Looks like the place isn't even open and you will drive by it and think it's shut down. The older lady cooks all the food and makes everything even the egg rolls are hand made.

I have been eating here since I was old enuff to chew food! Best Chinese around... this is the most authentic u will find in this city... Hands Down. Those other Chinese places taste like the cheapest imitation of Chinese. Don't let that "Lived in" look of the place scare u... lol... Kitty owns the place and is a character for sure! 😁