Chicken Charlie in San Juan

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I've been hearing about Chicken Charlie for a while already but has not found time to visit their first branch. Sometime last November, while on the way to Serenitea yet again, I spy a tarp announcing the opening of Chicken Charlie a stone's throw away. I was excited since there would be no more excuse not to try it because of location.

Fast forward to a little before Christmas, we went for a quick dinner with Lauren. The place is small, capable of accommodating around 20 or so people inside and a couple more outside.

Ordering was quite easy, go up to the counter, look at the informative menu then order away. They actually have two sauces for the chicken, soy-garlic and hot sweet sauce. We of course picked the soy-garlic one.

10 pieces of wings (P235). We purposely picked wings because we felt the sauce would not penetrate that deep into the chicken since the meat part is thicker. The order was served with a small container of pickled radish. The chicken were crispy outside, though not as crispy as Manang's but the meat inside is much juicier. The wing pieces were also moderately sized so you won't feel "bitin" (hanging).

Yam Fries (P35). This reminded me of the ones served in Max's restaurant but with a little more crunch probably because it was freshly prepared upon ordering. I liked the earthy taste, very different from the starchy french fries.

I got to try BonChon Chicken and its two copycats, Chicken Charlie and Manang's in a span of two weeks so I can better judge them. I still rank BonChon the best followed by Chicken Charlie just a little notch lower, then Manang's picking up the rear, a letdown because of its dry meat inside.

Would I go back to Chicken Charlie, I probably will since I like the yam fries and the wings are also quite good for me especially with rice.



Chicken Charlie
15 J. Abad Santos,
Little Baguio, San Juan
477.7422

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