Charles Plaza is one of those restaurants that makes you want to consider eating Chinese food more often. It has a huge vegetarian menu, and everything I ate was delicious (and quite reasonably priced). Plus, Charles makes the place have an almost homey feel. Most customers said hello to him by name. At one point, he sang “Happy Birthday” to a guest and brought him a small gift. When we were ordering, Charles told us that one of the entrees we wanted was just so-so and suggested another that would be more flavorful. We didn’t regret taking him up on his suggestion. Our entrees were well-seasoned and amazingly tasty. I’m admittedly miffed about how they make the “Fried Whole Fish Szechuan Style made of bean curd, carrot and seitan” as it’s described on their menu, but I’m still looking forward to being more adventurous next time.

Charles Plaza
234-236 N. 10th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-829-4383