Charlie’s in Folsom, PA

Charlie's Front View

I first found out about Charlie’s from George Motz’s amazing book Hamburger America. Charlie’s was one of two entires for the state of Pennsylvania and I had never heard of it. It turns out that Charlie’s is somewhat near the Philadelphia airport. I should say that it is conveniently located near the airport. The inaugural visit happened while Jessica and I were on the way to drop her off for her flight back home.

As we pulled up to the shack that is Charlie’s, I was actually confused because the parking lot looked empty. It was a Sunday afternoon about 4pm and it was supposed to be open. Charlie’s doesn’t much look like an impressive place. In fact, when you go inside, there is a grill, some space for condiments, an ice machine, an ice cream freezer, a milkshake machine, and a fountain drink machine.

Charlie's Side View

There are about 5 stools on a counter overlooking the action and some other stools along the wall where you can wait after placing an order. The menu is actually posted on the wall behind where you would sit, so Jessica and I were really confused about what to order. They only sell hamburgers and grilled cheese along with drinks and milkshakes, so there are not a lot of options. You can buy a bag of chips if you need to get some extra salt and potato action.

These are very thin burgers and they are smashed down with a spatula as they are placed on the grill. The burger patties are made from fresh ground beef and are pre-shaped, ready for the grilling. As you watch the process, you realize that these may not be the healthiest of hamburgers. They’re fairly greasy, but that also contributes to the taste. Jessica and I ordered cheeseburgers on our first visit and sat at the counter. We also split a chocolate milkshake. The shake was of the old fashioned variety, chocolate ice cream with milk added mixed so that it was fairly thin, straw-drinkable thing. And, it was amazingly flavorful. Maybe a little thin for my tastes, but delicious nonetheless.

Menu

The shake complimented the burger very well. Charlie’s uses american cheese on the burgers and quite a bit of it. The meat ended up being very loosely packed and the burger was very thin, but incredible. One of the best burgers I’ve ever had. We decided that we had to have another, so both ordered up a second round.After those two initial burgers, I started to daydream about eating at Charlie’s. I began to plot about how to get back there – started to justify that it was actually on the way to a party in West Philadelphia or on the way to Fishtown, if I took the long loop around the city. I decided to undertake some experiments and compare double cheeseburgers vs. single cheeseburgers. You can get burgers “loaded,” which includes raw onions, relish, pickles, ketchup, and mustard, or can get some variations of these ingredients. I compared “loaded” vs. plain. I also found out that you can get grilled onions on the burgers as well. I think that the ratio of burger to cheese to bun is the best in a double cheeseburger. The grilled onions are placed on the somewhat greasy grill, so of course

Charlie's Burger Wrapped in Wax Paper Bag

are some kind of amazing. There is a burger on the menu that has a slice of fresh tomato on it. I did get that on my first visit, but haven’t revisited it. I wasn’t as much of a fan of the plain hamburger, I think the cheese adds quite a bit to the flavor.

The burgers are fairly small, maybe a little larger than a McDonald’s single cheeseburger, though Charlie’s bun has a little more heft to it. So, I experimented to see what the right amount of burger actually was. I pushed the envelope once and got three double cheeseburgers which was definitely excessive, though one double cheeseburger just isn’t quite enough. You may want to reconsider having three double cheeseburgers before going to a Mogwai show, for example. But it is an important life lesson.

Unwrapped Burger

I’ve taken a few people to Charlie’s since the initial visit and the experience is very consistent.

After a Bite

The burgers have always been incredible, if only a little on the greasy side, and definitely one of the best I’ve ever had. I would be lying to myself if I didn’t put Charlie’s into our Hall of Fame. I love coming here for both the experience and the burgers.

Photos by Jessica G. and Brit R.

Tags: hall of fame, hamburger america, hamburgers, philadelphia