Good food to be had at Chicken Charlie, Malate

As a relatively active yuppie, I am almost always on the lookout for food related news in my part of Manila to break free from the usual routine of going to Robinsons Ermita (Manila) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just as I was about to go my usual way towards Robinsons, I remembered my old favorite breakfast place along Adriatico street, near the corner of Pedro Gil. I walked towards what used to be Kopiroti and discovered that it has already been replaced by a newer name in the food industry, Chicken Charlie. 

Orange and proud of it

The sign of Chicken Charlie itself is very hard to miss given the loud orange color that it gives off. The interiors of the place is simple and very minimalistic, just enough to dine comfortably or to lounge around with friends after a long school day or a hectic rally of events at the office. 

I am not particularly in-love with the color orange but the way they did things in such a small space works well with Chicken Charlie's trademark hue. It's clean. It's hip. It speaks of a warm and vibrant chicken place. And they have a message board where cheerful (and not so cheerful) customers can leave notes and quirky messages!

Hidden but conveniently close

I don't know about those not familiar with the Malate area but what we have here is a long-stretching system of side streets, alleys, and dead ends! If you consider going deep into the Malate area from Taft avenue, you'd soon realize that it's a whole different world once inside. A fact that must be noted about this area is that there are surprises in every turn--and I mean it, literally. 

As for Chicken Charlie, there are pros and cons to being located along Adriatico street and not in the busier streets near it. While it takes a bit of walking from various points of origin, it isn't too far in the middle of the long street. In fact, it is just a good three-minutes away from Robinsons Ermita, or less. By car, it's actually even easier to get to. 

Crispy, chewy, chunky

Although I've heard many things from colleagues about the portions served to them at Chicken Charlie, Malate, my dining experiences with the establishment has been nothing but good so far. Four pieces of chicken wings fried (?) to the right crisp is well worth my Php 100. 

Also, for a person that is VERY particular with oily food, I find Charlie Chicken's chicken (forgive the redundancy) quite good. The greasiness of the food leans towards yummy than yucky. And believe me, I give up on terribly greasy food. 

If eating heavy(-ier) is your thing, best that you get their drumsticks instead of the wings though. I don't have complaints about their chicken wings but I always order their spicy drumsticks to pair with a cup of rice. 

Word of advice to those who want to dine at Chicken Charlie, Malate: avoid visiting the branch from between 12 PM to 1 PM as the space would more or less be jam-packed with customers on lunch break. The seating capacity is relatively smaller than the usual fast food place.

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Chicken Charlie, Malate

1635 Adriatico st., Malate, Manila

871 9374

450 8410