Charlie’s Restaurant

This is a cute, little airport restaurant. It’s nice for the kids because they can watch planes while they eat.
The service is good and they are very friendly. The only thing that sucked this last time that we went was the food took about 30 – 40 minutes to arrive and there were not many people. Obviously it wasn’t the wait staffs’ fault. They kept apologizing for the inconvenience. The food itself was good. I’m a skillet person and I tried the chorizo skillet and the Denver skillet. Both were equally tasty. I want to try their lunch menu next time we go.

Went there today for the first time. Its to bad that the runway is being rebuilt, we would have liked to watch the planes take off and land while eating. Regardless, we walked in and were greeted warmly by Sheryl and went on to have a great breakfast.
This place is exactly what we were looking for. Simple food, nice people and prices you don’t normally see around the Naperville area. For breakfast I had the Mexican Skillet and a bowl of their chicken and rice soup. Both were very enjoyable. My wife had the biscuits and gravy special. She also enjoyed this.
As believers in supporting local businesses we will certainly be going back. Next time we will make sure to bring our kids so they can see the planes and maybe stop by the airplane museum.

The food was hot, fresh and cooked perfectly. The service was friendly and attentive. The diner features large windows which face the airport runway so you can watch planes land and take off while you eat. All in all this is a gem of a place that not too many people know about. We will definitely be back.

I thought Charlie’s would be a fun activity for us and my sons’ to have a fabulous breakfast and watch the airplanes. However, we picked the wrong time to go. They are currently doing construction on the runways and there were no incoming or outgoing flights. So that was a bummer. I was hoping that an amazing meal would compensate for the lack of scenery. However, I was disappointed in the food. I ordered the blueberry crepes and they were so soggy. The blueberries were mostly on top but the actual crêpe didn’t really have any filling, just a few scattered blueberries were used as a filling. I also tried some of my mom’s omelette and it was mediocre at best. My mom insisted she was fine with her breakfast but she had a lot of her omelette left over and she hardly touched her hash browns which looked like they should have been cooked about 5 minutes longer. The waitress who was friendly and attentive, offered to take off the cost of the crepes from the bill after she noticed that I didn’t eat much. That was appreciated. I do plan to give Charlie’s another try after the construction is completed. I’m hopeful we will see lots of activity on the runways and have a better meal the 2^nd time around!

Breakfast served all day! No waiting during lunch time on a Saturday. The food was good. It was fresh food and didn’t wait long for it. The garbage skillet was tasty with chunks of potato and ham and bacon. Service is great!

We’re in breakfast heaven! Fast friendly service to top it off. The hashbrowns were easily the best hashbrowns we’ve had in forever. We each had an omelet: ham & american cheese for me, 3 meat & cheddar for my husband. Both tasted great & were HOT. The pancakes were light & fluffy perfectly soaking up the syrup. The rye was awesome as well. The coffee was clean & clear in flavor not bogged down with machine residue that is often the case with restaurant coffee. Tucked back off the main road so it’s not over crowded. Can’t wait to come back!!!

Good grub at a good price. Nice atmosphere and it’s cool to be able to look out the window at planes. Friendly service as well. The biscuits & sausage gravy are quite delicious!

My family and I went here for breakfast last week. This is a great out-​of-​the way restaurant. The food was very good. My wife enjoyed her «garbage omelet» and my girls enjoyed the corned beef hash skillet. We didn’t get to see any planes taking off or landing (due to the weather) but our family is already talking about coming back and getting another opportunity to see them.

Super tasty.
Helicopters and airplanes took off all around us.
Food was delicious… Stuffed everything we ordered way far down our throats.
Waitress was constantly there and smiling.

We go here pretty regularly. Good location. The staff is very friendly, the food is good and comes out pretty quickly. This is a great place to bring kids to see the planes and sometimes get tours of the planes that are out there. Both breakfast and lunch are tasty!

Well it has been 5 years since my last Unilocal review at the Charlie’s. Well nothing has changed and the garbage omelet is still my numero 1 go to choice here. Best time to stop in is right around 11am when the busy breakfast rush has left.
FYI — The sausage links look like nice plump cigars. Order them :)

Kids and parents alike will love this place! Watching planes and copters land and take off on a beautiful sunny day while enjoying a cup of coffee? How cool is that?! Good food, friendly service. Great prices too!

A co-​worker & I had breakfast here and I was very disappointed.
Yes, finding this place can be rather confusing… it’s actually located at the Bolingbrook airport, not necessarily behid a strip mall.
If I gave stars based on the setting, this would be a 5 star place: love the fact that it has a great view of the Bolingbrook Airport runway, and the restaurant itself is peaceful and clean.
The food and service, however, have much to be desired.
I ordered the biscuits & gravy, the gravy was ok, but the buscuits were obviously microwaved (rubbery texture gives it away) and they were VERY small. My colleague ordered a waffle, and although decent sized, it looked like a previously frozen toaster waffle. Our waitress was very chatty about herself, a lot of uneducated T.M.I…even unknowingly (mildly) offended my colleague in the course of conversation… and she knew nothing about the airport which the café is located on. Her bright green nail polish made the service & food even less appetizing. Yikes.
I’m sure the locals love it, but we will not be back. Cracker Barrel is just a short drive away!

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a burger! Here’s the deal, this is a fine little resturant owned by the city of BB. The waitress’s are very nice and from what I can see is clean and neat. You can get burgers by the size you want which is a plus vs other folks. Be serious folks, 4 and 5 stars. I agree, the food is ok, it has airplanes out the window, lots of elderly men sitting around eating and drinking coffee, but 4 and 5 stars? I like the place, but I am not going there for my anniversary dinner. Go have breakfast there it is good, but eggs are not that hard to fix. Have fun.

I really enjoyed it. Quality food in a very nice setting. It would be really nice on a summer weekend when there’s more airplane activity

I was first introduced to Charlie’s last year when my boyfriend & I went there for breakfast. He and his friends were regulars for years, and now I’m a frequent visitor as well.
The staff is super friendly, very attentive, outgoing, and down to earth. The food is great and well priced. We usually get breakfast there which has always been outstanding and we went a couple times for lunch which did not disappoint either!
It’s located at the airport so you can watch planes landing and taking off as a part of your dining experience. It’sa small restaurant, almost like a diner. Counter on the left hand side with tables in the middle and right next to the windows so you can watch the planes. It’s a cozy atmosphere and it’s usually not too crowded unless there’s a special event.
I would definitely recommend to anyone!

I was part of a large group that surprised Charlie’s on a recent Sunday. The place was hopping already, but after a short wait, they were able to accommodate us. It’s a small restaurant with a counter and tables. One side of the restaurant has a bank of large windows facing the runway. On our visit, there were many WWII aircraft flying and on display at the airport.
I ordered a Denver omelet and it came with hash browns and toast or pancakes. It was delicious and cooked perfectly ($ 6.95). Our waitress was the best part of the meal. She was friendly, caring, funny and kept the coffee coming. I wish I knew her name to include in my review.
The décor is somewhat dated, but it doesn’t matter. The food is good, the servers friendly and the coffee hot. Add its small airport location and you have a formula for success.

We picked this place to have breakfast specifically because we had a 3 year old with us and in no way were we disappointed! This place is hidden away in a steel sided building and hardly looks like much at all. Inside is full of wooden tables and chairs, a large counter for coffee or eating and there is even an old fashioned pilot statue.
The window tables are just a few feet away from where the little Cessna’s park and just a little past that is the runway so you can see all the planes going up and down. The little man of the group could not have been more excited!
We all ordered breakfast and from what I could tell all the breakfast menu items were under 10 $. The kid’s meal we ordered consisted of two normal sized chocolate chip pancakes and a kid’s juice for about 5 bucks. Not bad at all and they were delicious as well! For five of us to eat with a few drinks only cost 43 $. I think the only thing holding me back from 5 stars were the portion sizes, which could have been just a little bigger.
We even had the added bonus of watching someone training to become a helicopter pilot take off and hover. We will for sure be here again. The staff and guests were all friendly, the restaurant was cool and clean, and we got to watch planes! So much better than Denny’s.

UMMM– Charlie’s is in Bolingbrook, not Plainfield! I should know it’s right next to my subdivision!

Perhaps the best compliment I could give them is this: Even if they didn’t have the airport «gimmick» going for them, I’d still probably give them 3 stars.
Charlie’s rocks.
A classic diner with good food, good service, good prices, and of course the X-​Factor: big picture-​window views of the regional airport runway.
We usually go for breakfast, but have been there for lunch a few times too. Try the wings… surprisingly good!
It goes without saying that kids under, I dunno, 8(?) will consider this place just about as cool as it gets.