Charlie’s Pantry

Yiiiiiiiiiikes! I think this placed closed… for GOOD!
Went here today around 1145a for lunch. Doors were locked. Dark inside. Chairs on tables. No items in pastry case.
And no sign in window of closure.

My wonderful sisters threw an event for me here. While I loved the super cute restaurant with cheerful décor and a delicious-​looking pastry case, I was highly disappointed in the service.
My sisters had ordered a beautiful menu well in advance, but unfortunately, nothing was ready to go by the time the shower started. The owner had promised to set up an iced tea and lemonade station, but that never happened. As a result, all of the guests ended up having to order individual drinks off the menu.
When it came time for each of the different dishes to come out, they didn’t have enough portion sizes to go around for all of the guests, even though we had an accurate guest count. As a result, I ended up not having a portion of macaroni and cheese, nor a salad, while everyone else got served every dish. I was fine with this, since I of course wanted to let my guests eat, but it was super frustrating that they shorted us the appropriate amount of servings, considering my sisters had paid for a certain number of guests. You know it’s really bad when there isn’t enough to go around for the guest of honor herself, eek…
Interestingly enough, the owner stopped by during our event. When we informed her of all the issues, she shrugged off our complaints and insisted that everything was fine. We were horrified! She didn’t even offer us a refund for the portions we never received and was completely unapologetic and in denial.
I would NEVER come here again, based on the above. I can’t stand places that don’t care about customer service because it speaks volumes about their arrogance! The food that I did end up trying was pretty decent, although it was standard enough (think sandwiches, salads, pastas, lemon bars, etc.) that I’m confident any other café in LA can easily execute the same taste (if not better) just as easily. So with that being said, I bid you adieu… almost as fast as I met you.

When it first opened the good was incredible, even if the wait for service was long and the hours in obedient except for lunch. In the past few months the food has gone way down hill, but the downsides remain. No longer worth it for the price or quality.

By the way, we never heard any response from Charlie’s Pantry. They obviously don’t give a damn (and know that there GroupOn refusal is just simple fraud)

Very disappointed there menu looked awesome but who doesn’t serve decafe coffee? Due to health conditions some people can’t have regular coffee.

i am not one to write a bad review, but errrmigawwwd i am having the worst food shame right now. what a waste of calories and $ 40 on a meal that i am probably going to vomit up in three minutes. where is the integrity here in cooking good food!!!
we ordered the apple, walnut crêpe and the california sandwich and some saltless, ketchupless fries. the crêpe had no sugar, was dry and lacked flavor, which was shocking to hear as the ingredients sounded divine. the california sammie was doused in this ‘tzatziki’ sauce that is the whole reason why i think i am going to barf. spoiled perhaps? left out at room temp too long and maybe grew some bacteria? not to mention some brown avocados and wilted sprouts made this a sandwich worth forgetting.
having just moved to studio city, i know for a fact this is not my new brekkie joint. sorry dudes.

Tried here awhile ago with my bf and sister, it was okay. The food was pricey for the taste, Service was pretty good though. We tried the top choices for here and it was just breakfast. You can’t really ruin breakfast but also not enough to stand out. Nothing we ordered gave us the wow factor.

I came here for a quick bite after hiking at Fryman’s Loop and spotting the outdoor patio while driving down Ventura Blvd. This is a small café, but the food is well-​prepared and the portions generous. I had the yogurt parfait, which was served in an ice cream sundae bowl for added cuteness. I also noticed a B-​list celeb grabbing coffee to go here, so an extra star for that.

What a horrible experience. I’m awarding 2 stars only for the food.
We came for lunch and it appears only 1 person was actually «working».
There was an older women taking orders but she didn’t know what she was doing. A man was standing in the back and there was someone running food. It took around 10 minutes just to order and another 30 minutes to get my food, a salad. My friends order of soup and sandwich came well before mine. Another woman who had been waiting long before we arrived still had not received her food, and was getting very vocal. I don’t know what was going on but it was awful.
My water had a bottle cap on it but there was no where to open it. The tables were left dirty around us.
It was just bad.
What a shame because the food was actually really good. And the décor is cute. I will not be returning unless the place looks empty. I have a feeling that was not a one time occurrence.
I ordered the Palm beach salad. It is also pretty pricey AND I just saw they have a Health Score of C!!! OH HELLL NO

I wanted to send them an email complaint, as I have frequented their restaurant many times in the past. As I can’t find a place to send this, I will share my thoughts with you:
I have been a huge fan of Charlie’s Pantry for over two years, and I’ve come very frequently. My last two visits have been horrible. Now, to be honest, in the past their food has always been amazing, with a side of awful service. Recently however even the food has taken a slide. My last visit was yesterday, late morning. My wife and I came with a friend, the woman behind the counter took our order and upon reviewing the receipt made a few errors. We’re used to this, its ok. 30 minutes later our order, or some of it, arrived. One of the orders was completely wrong and didn’t come with it’s usual sides, my order came (I love their balzac eggs, it usually has a great flavor-​but it was very bland this time), and the third order arrived with the wrong order. On top of that a side of potatoes and potato pancakes and our juices had yet to arrive. Also, in order to get silverware, I had to go inside and find someone to give us a napkin, a fork and a knife. In the past, this has been my go to place, an easy five star breakfast. I’m not sure I’m returning after my last two visits.

Found this place a year ago and it quickly became one of my favorites… good parking, good food with a nice environment.
But within the last year it’s gone a bit down hill. Took a few friends for breakfast and they were out of orange juice, asparagus, hollandaise sauce and cream for coffee. Bad management?
Additionally the waitstaff seem a little confused (maybe they don’t speak English well?) Food came out fast but was cold — not sure how they managed that.
Still get 4 stars and my prayers they return to the little fabulous place they were.

Came here for the first time and I can assure you I WON’T be coming back.
Came for lunch with co-​workers and totally wasted our time. Took 15 minutes just to place our order at the counter. We sat down and took a further 20 minutes for our lunch to be bought out one at a time. By the time the last guy had been served, the first person had already finished. So much for eating together.
Not the best service in the world. Staff really don’t want to be here. No doubt waiting for their agent to call, so they can be the next «big thing» in town.
LOL, full of snooty aging Studio City type women too. Wrinkly skin and all.

BEWARE THE SCAMWICH!
I’m not even waiting until I’m up from the table. This place is a bummer. My boyfriend ordered the $ 10 BLTA which was lackluster, especially given its complete lack of avocado. He brought it back and they added the avocado. Fine. I ordered the $ 13 Croque Sophia: prosciutto, gorgonzola and fig jam or… REGULAR HAM, gorgonzola, and CANNED BLUEBERRIES, as I realized 3 bites in. Like, the shitty, tiny blueberries you get with some muffin mixes. What?! When i brought it back they said, «Oh, the cook said you can choose something else because we don’t have fig jam.»
I chose to get my money back and to never return. That’s some sheisty bullshit. How about maybe telling your customer that you’re out of the ingredient instead of serving up a sandwich of LIES?
Oh, and also, F you and the $ 3.25 can of Coke Zero you rode in on. Next!

They are always short-​handed. I ordered the Lorraine omelet. Ham and Gruyère. They were out of ham. The omelet came with toast. I asked for butter and jam. Never came. They were out of sugar (white or brown).
They were totally overwhelmed. MD

We used to be regulars, but the service and quality have gone downhill over the last year and today was the last straw. I placed an order for pickup. 2 salads and 2 sandwiches and it came to $ 51. OK, that’s a lot of money, but OK, its LA and my people were waiting for their food so whatever. Then they automatically added 18% gratuity because the order was over $ 50. My order came to $ 64 with tax.
WTF? $ 64 for 2 salads and 2 sandwiches? For pickup? WTF? I asked to speak to the manager, I was greeted by dead eyes and a «not here, sorry.»
The owner is never around, the place is run by high school kids, and there’s no quality control. Orders take forever to arrive and when they do they’re often wrong. Did I mention that they were out of tuna today and their salad display was ½ empty?
It’s a shame because it was once a great place to eat, now it’s like that abusive ex that you think might have changed. They haven’t.
Also, don’t try their rotisserie next door, its worse.

Cold and indifferent staff.
I ordered Take Out to share with a friend at home.
Pricey. Stingy portions. I would have thought a TWENTY-​THREE dollar Greek Salad with Salmon on top would be enough for two. It wasn’t. I’d also expected a little more refinement, judging from the look of the place — sleek Euro styling, clean bistro — but the salad was chopped and put together most crudely. The tomatoes were not cored, nor were they ripe. Cold to the tooth and hard. Then to bite into the core! Nah-​eh. I will not be returning, nor can I recommend that you go.

Just… not that great. Really needs a manager or owner on site to straighten things out. The salads we ordered were huge but meh flavored and the service was a bit off. I asked for my dessert and it took them about 15 mins to remember to bring it to me. I feel like this place could be rad if it just tightened up its act.

First trip to Charlie’s Pantry was a Sunday brunch with a good friend from Virginia who has some dietary restrictions– Charlie’s had a wealth of options for us despite that, and on top of it the food was excellent! From the eggs Benedict to the Loraine omelette even down to the sesame snacks we bought to munch on later, no complaints on quality.
The quality of latte is also worth mentioning: they had an almond milk option, and brought a side of vanilla to our table as a last minute addition! Perfect foam, rich espresso, not bitter at all :) I just wish I could buy one of their adorable Pasquini Espresso mugs, I asked but they don’t have them for sale…
All in all a delightful atmosphere, and cheerful service. Will definitely go back!

I got the Stuffed French Toast with strawberries and ricotta cheese. I really wanted to love it but the bread had a really fowl taste to it. As if they had cleaned the grill with something bleach-​like and then grilled/​burned it into the bread. It made me really queasy.
My boyfriend got the Pugliese omelette and liked it just fine. Coffee was good too.
I’m hoping the french toast was a one time issue, but honestly it really deterred me from wanting to come back.

Planning events for work is really stressful, but everything is easier knowing I can always count on Charlie’s Pantry.
They have great customer service.
They never get the order wrong.
Your order is always ready on time.
And the food is delicious!
My only discloser, stay away from the baguettes… the bread is too hard to cut and eat.