I pass this pub daily. Usually dodging around the persistent small gathering of tourists gathered around the Greyfriar's Bobby statue. I imagine this bar often gets a lot of passing trade from said tourists, and locals alike.  The bar has recently been renovated inside, and the result is a very homely, traditional Scottish pub feel inside. It reminded me immediately of the local village Smiddy pub that my family took me to every Sunday for lunch or dinner (the type that did pate,  steak sandwiches, death-by-chocolate cake. That was my order for a good 12 years). Anyway, I digress. What I mean is, it's homely, it's inviting and not only is it homely, it feels like home. A magic wee trick, where it will both appeal to tourists looking for something very Scottish-y but isn't OTT or a faux-Scottish feel, and instead recreates the cosy Scottish pubs of old.  There is a very large dining area, for a bar. The bar area itself is quite small and I can imagine would get crowded if many people tried to stay here all at once. So I can imagine they'll be looking more for families for dinner, and larger groups, than a large group of mates all meeting for a pint. But that's just fine.   The food menu itself is extensive, and I was immediately intrigued by a Crabbie's Ginger Ale glaze on the chicken. Served with a good helping of skins-still-on chips, it was hearty and filling and good, honest, pub fare. The Thai green curry looked delicious, and I heard the prawn and chorizo salad was very spicy (if a little on the small side compared to the other mains).  If I had my family visiting and in need of a good pub lunch, I wouldn't hesitate to bring them to Greyfriar's. Definitely not a 'tourist trap' or selling out, they've recreated a genuine little pocked of a quieter Scottish lifestyle.
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positive


Don't come here for the Mexican food. Don't come here for the awesome service. DO come here for a rollicking good time.  My sweetie pop and I had a Groupon, and we both LOVE Mexican food, so we decided to stop by after seeing the 4pm comedy magic show with Nathan Burton. We sat out on the patio near the outdoor bar. The first thing I noticed about the menu is that this place is EXPENSIVE!  Our server--Britany--was exceptionally adorable. She seemed genuinely helpful and wanted to ensure that our meal was done correctly, but she was quite "green" as a server. We placed our order for an entree salad as our appetizer and our food order at the same time. By the time we had taken 3 bites from our GINORMOUS salad the food runner came out with our plates. I protested and let him know (wasn't it obvious?!) that we hadn't even begun to finish our salad . He said he would bring the food back later, and he came back not more than 5 minutes later and tried to server our plates again. Really?! Yeah, we were still eating the salad, he could see that, but he still looked bewildered as to why we didn't want our entrees at that point in time.  So, finally,  another lady brings out our food, and lo! I behold the world's smallest $15 chicken burrito! Egad, I asked for a "wet" burrito, and they put the sauce on the bottom of the plate. Hmm, since when did wet plate = wet burrito? I'll never know.  Sweetie Pop ate the chicken enchiladas with a combination of the red and the green sauce. Salsa verde is my favorite, but theirs isn't done well here. The red sauce was much better: spicy and delicious. I've NEVER been hungry after eating an entree sized burrito, but my tiny little chicken burrito was downright pathetic. Who puts CUBED chicken in a burrito anyway? Carlos and Charlie's does.  We were attended by a number of servers, the manager and food runners. However, when we asked the same genius (insert sarcasm here:_____________) who kept bringing our food out prematurely for some water with lemons, he proceeded to bring out one glass of water and a saucer with exactly ONE, according to Sweetie Pop,  "sad, sorry, sucked on lemon" on it. Britney promptly corrected his error (after all there were TWO of us, so why not bring each of us  some water and lemons?) and she apologized for the series of food service mishaps.  Ultimately, I would recommend this place for the giant nachos (I saw them on someone else's table)  and the beverages. Thursday is Ladies Night, and ladies get all you can drink frozen margaritas. Bonus! After dinner we danced to the few line dances, and had a good time before calling it a night.  Carlos and Charlie's is a place for fun, not food! Those nachos looked pretty exciting though, and as my girlfriend once told me, "It's hard to F**K up nachos." Too true.  p.s. Contrary to the sign on the way into the building advertising Carlos and Charlie's their happy hour has NOT been "extended until further notice." It only goes until 6pm...Another disappointment since we arrived at 6:04pm. *sigh*
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negative


Only one experience,  Went Sunday evening, service was OK, no personality, no "specials", ordered a glass of wine and given about half of a cup in glass. I had the 3 sauce manacotti,  my partner had the shrimp lemon linguine. Hoping next time will be better.
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negative


Loved it.   Food came out in a reasonable time.  Person taking orders was friendly and helpful for first time eating there.  Mac and Cheese Muffins  are fantastic.
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positive