Charley does standard Thai with fresh-as-you'll-find ingredients and no MSG. Like at most Thai joints, there are upwards of 70 menu options here, if you include the Jasmine rice and cucumber salad-type side dishes. But Logan Square denizens hit up Charley for the curries, special mention going to the gaeng pa dish, loaded up with sauteed red curry paste, green beans, bamboo shoots, baby corn, eggplant and straw mushrooms. It starts at $6.95, depending on what kind of meat or vegetables you care to add.
Shrouded in brick walls, a lofted ceiling and white tablecloths, the restaurant has no more than twenty tables, making for a cozy, chic industrial tone. On multiple visits you're liable to find many couples, or literati loners highlighting the pages of their latest reads, as opposed to big tables full of families. Which is a shame (or a great thing, depending on whether you're the proprietor or the customer), because the staff is all charm and smiles for BYOBers.
Average cost: <$10
Centerstage Reviewer: Gavin Paul
