Carlos’ N Charlie’s

This place downright sucks and I truly wish that I could give it ZERO stars. I came in on a Friday afternoon with a group of friends after a day on the boat. I’ll admit that we were a little bit loud, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary to raise any red flags. I could already tell our server Mike was in a bad mood/​did not want to be there and it set the tone for the rest of our experience. We ordered some appetizers, but were mainly there to try the drinks. The group ordered and I decided to drink water for the moment. One of the people at the table decided that they wanted to go with a fruity drink and passed me their beer. Our server quickly swooped in and moved the beer from in front of me and stammered «I did not serve you that» and that he did not check my id. First of all, I understand if that is the policy of the restaurant, but there are ways to go about informing customers of policy which do not include rudely moving the drink from out in front of me. Secondly, I pulled out my id and he looked at it, before he continues to say «I am not serving you because you are too intoxicated». If you were not going to serve me, why go through the trouble of looking at my id? Furthermore, I had done NOTHING to provoke this server to believe that I was «too intoxicated» for a corona light, which leads me to believe that this was a case of racial discrimination because everyone else at the table that was served was white. When I asked Mike for his last name, he smugly gave it, and later brought over his managers business card as if he did not give a crap. He singled me out and humiliated me, it is no wonder this place has such shitty reviews, they have a lot to learn about customer service and about how to treat human beings in general. I have never felt so singled out at an establishment, especially because there were white people in my party way drunker than I was. I will be filing a complaint with the better business bureau as I saw that they have a BBB seal.

I have been disappointed for the last time. Every three or four months i have eaten at CnC with a friend when they come to town and each time i am reminded how bad the food is at this restaurant. I have a never left a Unilocal review in my life, but I wanted to make sure that i never make this mistake again. I am writing to let others know that this place is truly one of the worst.
This last time my brother and I got food poisoning from eating the chicken strips. I will admit, I am now 0 – 4 againts CnC’s

This is definitely a laid back joint that caters to folks coming and going to play out on Lake Travis. Mainly this is a great place to go during the Summer and there are lots of hot chicks in bikinis along with some chicks that definitely shouldn’t be wearing bikinis. The sheer entertainment value of the variety of bikini clad females alone make this joint worthy of three or more stars but the food brings down the rating and while it isn’t terrible it isn’t all that great either. When this place is happening it becomes a parking nightmare that is severely unpleasant to deal with. If you drink at one of the bars you can typically get pretty good service but if you sit at one of the tables the wait times can grow considerably.
Tip: Just drink and check out the hot chicks in bikinis but don’t drink so much the ones that shouldn’t be wearing bikinis start to look good!
Hint: Dude I don’t care how much you’ve worked out just don’t wear the Speedo! Nobody wants to see that dude!

Convenience is the main thing this place has going for it. It’s right next to the marina, so you’ve got great views, lots of seating, and right next to whatever boating you are doing.
It’s not a super fancy place. It’s definitely meant to be a fun, hangout, and enjoy the summer with all the other people enjoying the lake. So, if you’re going during off-​peak time, don’t expect too much.
Food selection is average. Most of the food that people got looked ok. Nothing special and decent portion size. I ordered a Crispy Chicken Salad and it was pretty darn good!
Biggest complaint is that there were little spiders EVERYWHERE. Throughout the meal, you’d hear ppl going «ugh another spider» They were falling from the ceiling and under our table. Literally, my friend had to point out that I had my foot in a spiderweb at one point :(I get that the restaurant is supposed to be casual and «lake-​y», but I think people would really enjoy their food more if someone cleaned under the tables too.
Service was great though! We had a large group and they were accommadating.

Do you like to listen to White Snake? Do you smoke Camel Lights? Do you drink Lone star and Yager? Do you like scantly clad and sun scorched biker chicks? Did you get wasted out on the lake today?
If you answered yes to all of these questions, then Carlos’ N Charlies will be the greatest place on the face of the planet to you.
p. s. stay away from the expensive boat drinks and just get drunk like the rest of the white trash. It’s best to be drunk if you’re going to eat the food.

The only reason they get two stars is because they have a decent size bar and are close to the lake. Food is ok and inconsistent, restaurant service sucks. Bar service is ok if you sit at the bar. Girls dancing in bikinis… priceless. Ghost town during the week and winter.

Talk about a huge disappointment from other Carlos n Charlies we have been to. Wow. If not for the good band that was warming up to play and fact Unilocal does not allow it, I would give this place a zero. We walked in and sat down for 25 minutes with not one waitress acknowledging our presence. EVER! It was not even that busy. I had to walk to the bar for the next two hours to get everything from drinks to silverware. Once up to the bar the bartender was frankly not very friendly and she did not offer to get us a waitress, nothing. Note: we were not the only ones not being attended to. Two groups of four got up and left it was so bad. The kids were starving so i ordered up at bar some fried fish and nachos. It took forever to get the food and while we waited my wife and I drank two very expensive speciality drinks that were AWFUL! I mean seriously, no alcohol, watered down, and tasted terrible and very expensive. The food is below average for the price. After talking to a few others from Lago Vista area who have had similar experiences here, we will definitely be taking our business to a better establishment when we are hitting the lake.

I recently wrote my last review and shortly after the owner sent me a personal message apologizing for my recent experience. I want to just mention that and say it means a lot that an owner would take the time to do that. If you’re looking to go here, give it a chance, as I know that I will again, next time I’m in Austin. Like I said in my original post, the food and drink we had was quite nice. Sometimes, you may just get a bad batch.
Thanks again Mr Carlos’ N Charlie’s we will give you another chance.

We went here this Saturday to meet friends returning from a boat day. We previously ate dinner at a popular dining spot not far away. I wish we would have just stayed there.
We had a group of 6. When we moved tables from one bar to the other, the waitress didn’t split our checks, so that was cool… We got to figure that out and just ended up paying for everyone.
I know this place is on the lake but seriously… The place was crawling with «bro’s». Everywhere you looked, there’s a bro, here’s a bro. After fist-​bumping my way through the mobs of people to get a drink at the bar, I was terribly disappointed at the lack of seating.
There was a band playing that looked like a ZZ-​top cover band. The biggest difference between this band and ZZ-​top was the fact that ZZ-​top is good.
Boring drinks, poor flow, lack of seating, mobs of bro’s. Next time, I think I’ll just go somewhere else. It wasn’t worth the drive out.

Until today, I had never been to C’n’C’s unless I had been out on the lake and indulging in an adult beverage or two (or 10).
Now I know why! Whoops!
My pops is in town visiting and after driving around aimlessly in the Lake Travis region, INCLUDING a brief stop at the Hippie Hollow fee collection booth («What do I get exactly with my $ 12?» «Uh, sir, you get a clothing optional beach»), we got hungry. My Dad has already been to the Oasis and Iguana Grill, so I mistakenly mentioned C’n’C.
We got there and were the third group occupying the entire restaurant. While we had a humorous view of a giant sign perched atop a pile of dry rocks proclaiming «NO WAKE ZONE» and various dried up boat docks (thanks drought of 2011!), the funny stopped there. There were flies and other insects abuzz and it just was an overall gross atmosphere.
Dad’s gf received a yucky lemon in her water and Dad got a Shiner. The bartender was serving all of the three tables himself and was obviously multi-​tasking between attending to us and his bar duties. There was no one AT the bar, but he seemed busy nonetheless.
I’m vegetarian, so I ended up ordering a kid’s grilled cheese. There was literally nothing else on the menu that I could have had (other than a measly side salad). Congrats C’n’C, you managed to make one of the worst grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. The bread was clearly low quality and it tasted as if it had been spread down with some serious imitation margarine spread. The cheese (or fake cheese? «feese?») was barely melted. HOW DO YOU MAKE A BAD GRILLED CHEESE?
My bad for choosing to eat at your establishment. I know that people come here more for the boozin’, so I’ll stick to that, but only if I’m a few drinks in first.

I got a chicken sandwich cause I thought that was safe. My friend got chicken strips cause she thought it would be safe. They both were very low quality chewy stringy. I understand your next to the lake and people dont have a choice but it could be great and it just isnt. Wishing atm I hadnt gone if you know what I mean. NASTY! If you go just go for drinks!

It had been about over 10 years since I’ve been to CnC. This summer, I’ve been back 3 times.
The food is not any better and service often slow. Last time I was there, the waitress waited 20 minutes to bring a beer when the place had 3 tables.
This Saturday, a group of 6 of us hung out there and drank beers for about 6 hours. No kidding. In the heat but next to their big fan. We had rented a boat and got a last minute call that it was broken down and there wax nothing else available for us. We all had sitters so CnC was the closest place.
The two waitresses we had Saturday were nice and food and drinks came out fast. I really appreciated their service especially we were all disappointed with the boat rental place.

My lovely sister came into town for the 4^th of July. She really wanted me to drive her and her friend out to the lake to enjoy some afternoon drinks. Me being the good brother that I am, I obliged.
Immediately it became clear that Carlos ‘n Charlie’s has a huge parking problem. Cars were parked in ditches on the side of the road. The lots closer to the restaurant were all full and the signage made it unclear if it was even OK to park there. I drove up and down the street for 15 minutes until I was able to find someone leaving.
Drinks were the only thing on our agenda, so we chose to sit by the bar. Unfortunately every table that wasn’t occupied by people was occupied by trash. I took it upon myself to bus my own table.
As we sat there waiting for service I decided to take a look at their menu. It’s all over the place: Bar Appetizers, Burgers, Tex-​Mex, Pasta… With a clear lack of focus, there’s no way their food could be worth the price! Come to think of it, their drinks were expensive too.
When we finally got a waitress, she was slow, to put it nicely. She only showed up every 15 minutes or so and would often forget parts of our order, thus making us wait even longer.
I really don’t understand how this place can be so inattentive to their customers, considering how many people I saw «working.» When we arrived, there were employees chilling out front smoking. There also had to be 6 bartenders behind the bar. There were 2 «girls» in the t-​shirt booth doing nothing. Yet, no one cared to bus tables or pick trash off the ground. There’s a whole lot of merit in all the bad reviews on here. Be warned and take your money elsewhere.

The major positive I can say about this place is the location. We seated ourselves at a high table overlooking the lake (which was about 20 ft down, so it was interesting to see the boat parking just as a bed of sand). We came on a Friday during the early afternoon, where it was very slow. So we had pretty good service.
The food was OK bordering on blah; definitely nothing I would come back for. We ordered the nachos and peel-​and-​eat shrimp with a side of crawfish seasoning (seriously… if you’ve never tried boiled shrimp with Lawry Seasoned Salt you are missing out). That being said, the shrimp was a little overcooked and they used they had a house version of the crawfish seasoning which I thought was not as good as Lawry’s.
It was interesting to go once, but I probably won’t be back.

First the Stars. Food: acceptable (½). Service: Acceptable (½). Atmosphere: Excellent (1−½). Price: too high (0). Will return: Occasionally (½).
A really neat place, however the prices are a little too high for the quality of food. I had the Chicken Fried Rib-​Eye with mashed potatoes and a salad. The steak was fair (Z-Tejas’s is much better), the portion was large but I’m not sure it was an actual Rib-​Eye cut (maybe it was a poor cut of select grade?). The potatoes were a little on the dry side, but where a slight step up from ordinary with the addition of blended in cheese and bacon. White gravy was served on the side and was a little runny. I could have used twice as much as it barely was enough to cover the steak. I’ll stay away from this dish in the future.
On the bright side, beer was cold (bottled), the only draft was from the covered open air seating area that let a nice breeze swirl through the restaurant — nice.
I’ll go back occasionally, probably more to hang out with friends than to eat.

Service is terrible — they have about half as many servers as they need.
The location is awesome, almost makes up for the service.
Make sure to get the fried pickles. There must be some jalapeño juice in the pickling brine, they have just the right amount of heat. The Carlos’ sauce is great with them. The Chicken Fajita Nachos were great too.
If service was better this could be a 4* place.

Location, location, location!!! That’s about the only good thing about this place. I think I have had maybe two good plates of food out of the good number of times I have been here… The drinks are alright but I probably had the worst Mexican Martini I have ever tasted the last time I was here. The server seemed completely out of it and continued to get our orders wrong.
I don’t recommend coming here for the food, but it’s definitely a good place to hang out after a long day on the lake.

Returned to Carlos N’ Charlie’s after a few years of neglecting it.
Not much has changed, still have the beach atmosphere, it’s fun, very laid back. However, I don’t think its excellent. The food is pretty mediocore, greasy fries with the monterey chicken sandwich is decent, pretty much what you’d expect from a lake bar. However, at $ 10 a sandwich, it feels overpriced, It’s as if you’re paying for the view.
The view, which was once a nice refreshing look at a nice boat marina has turned into a desert due to the draught. It’s a sad view.
This is a great place to go and have some drnks, but even the beers seem overpriced to me ($ 3.75 for a domestic bottle, no thanks).

Lastnight I went to CnC’s with my girlfriend. She drove from Manor, Tx and I came from Cedar Park. It started off by the 5 teenage boys sitting at the entrance way cussing up a storm and as I proceeded to tell them that I prefer not to hear the «F» word and one of them said he was going to have my girlfriend’s «f***ing truck towed! I asked to speak to the manager and they pointed to the older gentleman standing next to them, are you kidding me??? He sat there while his employees were using fowl language towards 2 beautiful ladies? Not a great way to increase clientel… Needless to say, I will never go there again and I will definitely not reccomend the place to anyone unless you want to hang out with a bunch of young teenage boys with serious attitude problems. my 14 year old son has more class than all the staff put together!

Oh, the plate-​throwing incident. You see, I don’t like bees. I am not *afraid* of bees, as I fear nothing in life or death, but I dislike their presences intensely. Our table was repeatedly buzzed by a repeat offender who took a liking to my brightly colored sarcastic band t-​shirt.
This situation was, of course, unacceptable. Lacking bug spray, lightsabers, or telekinetic powers (we used them up earlier in the day), we resorted to waving appetizer plates around. Humidity equates to sweaty hands, which equates to flying plates. Thankfully, the unintended target was forgiving after I bought her a pint, but I was shamefully embarrassed.
The food is always mediocre and overpriced. The oysters are terrible, and the margaritas are too sour. The music, for four o’clock in the afternoon, was overpoweringly loud. The service was crappy. The crowd consisted of late middle aged, overly hairy, disgusting looking men in horrifying floral print shirts left hanging open and musclebound thirty-​something douche. I mean, doctors. who rode their $ 60,000 Harley the eight miles up to C&Cs to show off their tanned, hairless, overly muscled bodies to the wrinkled old wretches that call themselves women.
Ever heard of skin cancer? The view isn’t close to as good as Oasis, and frankly, I’d much rather go to Hula Hut.
I’ll never go back, thank you very much, unless it involves incendiary devices.