Charlie’s Bakery

This is my favorite Chinese Restaurant in town! Wonderful service and AMAZING food! The portions are so huge that I haven’t tried any of the beautiful desserts that they offer. We usually go on Saturdays so I can get Boba Tea. Next time I plan to get an egg tart — they look amazing!

Ok, chicken bou chicken had about 8 small pieces of chicken and about 10 big mushrooms. Not as spicey as I like but ok, White rice very very sticky. 2^nd time here. Not sold yet. Maybe give it another try.

As others have mentioned, this may be the best place in town for Chinese food. It saddens me I hadn’t visited it prior to only a few months ago. My boyfriend is crazy over pork buns, so when we found out they do them up right here, we checked the place out. The pork buns are on the sweeter side and the pork was lacking in quantity, the texture and taste was quite wonderful. He tried the thai curry chicken and I had the sesame chicken. This may be the only place I have ever had sesame chicken that tasted as if it had been made on the spot, rather than sitting under a warming lamp in a coagulated mess. The chicken was plentiful and the batter has a delicious crispiness. The sauce was a touch too sweet but still savory. The second time we went, I had the sheet rice noodle with beef and my s.o. had the Mongolian beef. The mongolian beef was outstanding and my noodles were satisfying, though not as good as the previous meals.
Will definitely be keeping these guys on the top of my list come a Chinese food craving. I wish they were open on Sundays!

The most authentic Chinese food in Alaska. Real dim sum, amazing authentic specials like string beans and chicken in home made, real sauces. No canned veggies in sight and a clean, crisp style bakery as well. This place deserves a solid five as the hot, fresh dishes are served by friendly and expedient staff. Charlies is not for the average China Garden Chinese food fan but for those who require heart and soul in their food.

This is hands down the best place to go for Chinese food. This place is jam packed during lunch rush with the 9 to 5 crowd and rightfully so. The dining area is small, but don’t let that deter you from trying their dishes and their baked goods. My advice is when you come in during the rush, make sure you secure a seat first by putting your coat on a chair before going to the register to take your order. For lunch, I ordered the pork spare ribs. These were the best I’ve had since my visit to Chinatown in New York City years ago. The ribs were tender and juicy and they were marinated in a sesame oil sauce sprinkled with chopped green onions. The steamed rice that came with was also great. The rice is more on the moist and fluffy side but in my humble opinion, this is the way white rice is supposed to be made. For dessert, I tried their Boston Cream Pie. This was a multi-​layered dessert with a decadent amount of chocolate, vanilla, and whipped cream. I certainly didn’t have to eat dinner after I was finished. Definitely recommend to all of my fellow Unilocalers when you guys get a chance.

I grew up in L.A. and just moved here after living in Las Vegas for 16 yrs. I blame Las Vegas for developing in me a picky palate, but I definitely know what ethnic foods should taste like. Charlie’s Bakery can definitely hold its own in both of those major cities!
I had their custard tart, «manapua» or steamed pork bun, Seschwan chicken salad and BBQ pork in flaky pie crust (Sat menu only for both), and chicken veg filled bun. And of course I ate it all! :) not in one sitting though… ate the chicken veg filled bun later. :)
Loved the food… reminded me of places in Las Vegas and brought back good memories.
So I found my to go Chinese place! I will lahv you long time Charlie’s Bakery! Go and enjoy! :)

Just finish dining at Charlie’s Bakery. Bf had the beef noodle soup and I had the beef stir fry rice sheet noodles. It was wonderful. The food came fast, it was what we were looking for. I moved to states from Taiwan, and always try and seek out authentic Taiwanese food. And I can say I found my Taiwanese to go restaurant in Anchorage :).
When you first step in, it doesn’t seem like much. But it is clean. It’s organized and tidy.
The front of house service is a bit slow, and it could take awhile to order, considering they have two girls who does the majority of the serving food, answering phones, taking orders, and cashier. They could use some extra help, I wouldn’t mind working here. Seems like a good environment.
Anyways, the food still came out fast. And it was hot, fresh, and delicious! Bf and I both agree that we will return for that beef noodle soup!
We also had an egg tart at the end of our meal. Creamy, rich, and just the right amount of sweetness. 超好吃！讚讚讚！

I think this is a great Chinese place — and I grew up in the Asian part of Los Angeles area AND lived in China for awhile. I was surprised at how good the dim sum was — and the rest of the food when my Aunt brought me here to eat. Not entirely authentic but still delicious.
Atmosphere is a little loud and was crowded when I was there, so try for a slow day if that off putting for you.

Tucked into a tiny sort-​of strip mall, this place is a wonderful find of you want Chinese food! I am addicted to their beef noodle soup bowl. The pastries are classics from my childhood. Service is always friendly. Compared to Chinatown offerings in the lower 48, the prices will seem expensive but Chinese food is so sparse here; Charlie’s is a happy find.

I usually had great food from this restaurant in the past today was horrible. I found 7 bugs in my food and of the 7 found there were 3 different kinds. 1 was a roach for sure and the others Im not sure what kind they were but I DO KNOW it had legs… EW!!! Nonetheless, I will NEVER eat here again.
Service was great friendly and fast… food um… I think I would rather take my chances in the vending machine at work…
VERY DISAPPOINTING! I didn’t have time to report this to the health department :(but thought everyone should know.

So I absolutely LOVE the baked goods here at Charlie’s! Every single thing in the dessert case is fantastic. There baked buns with various items inside are wonderful as well.
Charlie’s is the only place in Anchorage that I am aware of that actually does Dim Sum and it’s not bad. The steamed dumplings and shy-​Mai are quite tasty as well.
I have not tried there other Chinese dishes so I can not attest one way or another.
But if you want an amazing cake, pineapple cheesecake, or really yummy bakes items please try this little spot out!

Ordered pork spare ribs and a pork steam bun and it was ready in less than ten minutes. Waited for my cab to take me to the hotel to eat and wow. It was still hot (20min later) and it was so tender I could cut it with my chopsticks. The portions were enough that two could share. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. The baked goods looked amazing and it seems like Saturday is the best food day because everything gets sold out.
The service was exceptional. The two women at the counter greeted me with smiles and let me know to call them if I had any questions. I will definitely be stopping here every time I’m in town. Definitely five stars!!! Can’t wait to try the rest of their food.

Solid 3 stars for Alaska but 2 stars compared to the lower 48. There is a huge wall with pictures to help make your choice and then you place your order at the cashier. After a few minutes, your food comes out smoking hot. The portions are large and the food is decent. I recommend coming here if you are looking for your Chinese (Americanized) fix. I didn’t get a chance to try out of the baked items but they looked good. Prices are expensive in Alaska!

I’ve been enjoying their food for 20 years now… I’m 20 so basically my whole life. I love the eggplant dish, it’s probably my favorite aside from the (Saturday only) ginger chicken. I also enjoy the pork and chicken steamed buns they will satisfy your carb and protein cravings. If you’re hankering for something sweet the sesame chicken is hard to beat! Service is ok to nonexisten some days (hence the minus 1 star) but don’t let that stop you from trying their food and baked goods. If you like coconut, get a coconut bun they’re butter-​y, soft and delicious.

I swear I thought I had already reviewed this place but apparently I forgot. I’m kindof torn here, really would like to give 3.5 stars, but aside from Chinese food, and dim sum, Charlie’s is also a full bakery and has amazing cake, jelly rolls, and egg tarts, so based on the desserts alone which I absolutely love I’m going with 4 stars.
Last time I was here I had the wonton soup, the big bowl with noodles. The broth itself is rather lackluster and boring, but the wontons are good and I liked the noodles. I ordered the spicy wonton soup before and it was just a small bowl of wontons with a spicy sauce on them, I again liked the wontons but the spicy sauce was a bit sickening and kind grossed me out after a few bites (I should add I love spicy food so this is unusual.)
I’ve tried the Mongolian beef which many folks love, I don’t really care for it, but I like my Mongolian beef kindof sweet and this is not sweet. I’ve had the sesame chicken and it was ok, but not amazing.
I like the pork and shrimp dim sum, and the Har Gow, and Crystal dumplings the best, they also have good pork rolls.
I’ve heard the braised beef noodle soup is very good but I haven’t tried it.
I like them, and do think they have some decent Chinese food, but you have to try several different dishes to find what stands out for you! Dim sum is probably the best I’ve been able to find in town though.
As for dessert, I absolutely LOVE their jelly rolls. Lightly sweetened sponge cake with a very thin layer of cream and jelly, rolled into it. It is the PERFECT amount of sweet and yummy. Springy cake that is very satisfying but that you don’t feel sick after eating. The chocolate jelly roll is also good, its chocolate sponge cake with a light layer of cream in it. Again not overly sweet, and not much cream which I like, but so so good! They also have great egg tarts there. Love love love them! Again they are just an ever so slightly sweet egg custard in a light flaky crust. I highly recommend them if you like custart type tarts. We ordered my sons graduation cake from Charlie’s and again were not disappointed. It was wonderful. The frosting is delicious! Most places have that super rich butter cream, but Charlie’s uses like a whipped cream type frosting that is just sweet enough to give the cake flavor, but not overpower the flavor of the melt in your mouth cake! Whenever I want a sweet treat, that tastes real to me (real as in homemade, not fake and full of presevatives) I go to Charlie’s. When I eat their baked products I never taste any chemicals they taste like something you bake in your kitchen at home with quality «real» ingredients. Check them out!

Love their angel food cake. So light and not too airy! Just the right sweetness. Can eat this cake everyday.

Seasame chicken is best in Anchorage!
Don’t let the bakery name fool you. Charlies is hands down one of the top Chinese resturants in town!
Love the customer service too!

I think Charlie’s is the closest to good Chinese food! Their Saturday menu is basically what I look forward to. Roasted Duck & boiled dumplings. Yum! Their food is the closest «authentic» Chinese food I’ve had in Anchorage. Definitely better than ChinaTown! They don’t really have a large variety of items, but they are good with the execution of the items they do have. So If i have to eat Chinese food, they would be my pick.
Their cakes are pretty amazing as well! I’ve ordered plenty of birthday cakes and even had them do my wedding cake! Be sure to get the fruit filling in it! Bomb! :) The bakery portion definitely earns them the 4 stars. Without it, my review would be at 3 stars!

This review is NOT for the bakery portion, which looks delicious.
Man, I just don’t get it? I’m not sure why this place is so hyped. I thought it was pretty run-​of-​the-​mill Chinese food. Nothing insanely good or bad, just he usual menu with pictures on it with all the Chinese-​American standards. As the 3-​star rating suggests, everything was just «A-​OK». There is nothing to distinguish the food from every other mall or strip mall Chinese food you’ve ever had.
Maybe people are reviewing the bakery. I will definitely come back for that portion!

I really wanted to like this place. I’ve been privy to some amazing dim sum and with all the great reviews I thought this would be fantastic. Our experience here was mediocre. If you’re looking for table service this isn’t quite the place you want to go to.
We ordered several items to include sticky rice, steamed bun, pot stickers, shrimp dumplings, steamed rice, bokchoy, and sesame balls.
While some of our items made it promptly to our table, others took way long. My dumplings arrived after I had already finished my rice and bok choy so I was not a happy camper. The shrimp dumplings were slimy and overcooked. Even my husband who will absolutely devour them left one uneaten. My husband’s pork bun never even made it to the table. When we went to claim it the lady said she forgot about it while pulling it out of the microwave and putting it in a bag for us. Really?
Although she was very kind I was taken back by the use of microwave. So in retrospect, I guess not everything is freshly made. I think this place would be really awesome as a bakery that is also a restaurant with table service. The lady even said she’d bring us water and that never happened.
I definitely notice a lack of efficiency here. It seems every employee is taking on multiple tasks so it’s no wonder things fall under the cracks. The same lady that took our order and money was also bringing out the meals and preparing things (even with other staff around). I’m not sure we’ll be back but if we do I’ll be sure to update this review.