We haven’t done a road trip in quite a little while. Since the weather’s getting nicer, MBIP Wheelman and Pal, Scott Turley and I decided to try and do one a month till next winter.
I’m letting Scott pick the places and w’re going to be on the road again…whoops, let’s see who that is knocking…
Willie Nelson! Yeah, I know you’re always on the road again too, but Scott’s behind the wheel today. Plus I quit smoking weed years ago! Stay high and let your freak flag fly, Willie!
Okay, this is more like it, here’s the Road Trip Master, himself, Scott Turley. And he brought a gift…
It’s a bottle of wine, but not just any wine, it’s Turley Wine! How very cool, thanks Scott!
And we’re off, this destination is just in East Peoria, so it’ll be a quick trip!
I told you it would be a quick trip! I read in the PJ Star that Charlie’s mascot in the logo is the owner’s pet dog. Hopefully we’ll be able to meet him!
As always, Scott leads the way inside to this road trip destination!
Wow, it’s huge in here!
Let’s go belly up to the bar and get a beer and get settled in for the afternoon!
Amanda, Max and Mia were all working behind the bar and were quick to serve us up some drinks! Everyone in here is really friendly and hospitable and it was nice to meet these three nice people!
Here’s the quartet of beers on tap behind the bar.
The dining area is spacious and comfortable booths line the glass walls.
There’s the owner of Charlie’s, Chris Stewart. Chris formerly owned an electronics business and is new to the bar/restaurant business, but this place is a testament that he’s a natural in the bar business!
This place is new, but it has the feel of being some place that you’ve been before and that’s always the sign of a classic bar.
Great to meet Chris and thanks for welcoming us here!
There’s so much to see in here it boggles the mind!
Here’s an elevated section of the dining room which gives you a birds-eye-view of the bar.
As I snapped a photo this table said hi to me and I went over and had a nice chat with them. I hope I don’t screw their names up, but my phone messed up and didn’t record them properly. I think they are, from left to right: Leroy, Lonnie, Dawn and Tanya.
Tanya was featured in the blog back in 2016, when I stopped in to her business, Lost & Found Again in the Heights. The shop has since closed, but it was great to see her and all of her friends again!
There’s an outside patio with a wonderful view of the Illinois River. Especially when the sun goes down!
Meanwhile, back at the lit-up bar, Scott and I placed an order for one of their homemade pizzas.
They have a full menu in here with burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, pasta, pizza and daily specials.
Here they are whipping up our pizza and throwing dough up in the air!
And like magic, here’s Chris with our pizza pie. It looks incredible!
The pizza was delicious and there’s Scott enjoying a slice!
Just as we were getting ready to go, Chris’ fiancee, Angela showed up with Charlie! He was tough to get to stay still for a photo, but I finally got a nice shot of this cute doggie who’s the namesake of the bar!
Thanks to Chris and everyone at Charlie’s for a fun afternoon and evening! And thanks to Scott for hanging out and driving, we’ll do this again in April! Stay tuned!
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111 Sunset Drive
East Peoria, Illinois
309-822-1800
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Related Post: The MBIP List: Road Trips!
Charlie had to take his medicine…
Surprise link, click on it…I dare you!
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Bonus Photos From Scott Turley!
Scott not only picked the place and drove, he also took some photos and here they are!
Great work, Scott and check out the train right above the Swordfish on the wall. It travels the perimeter of the bar and dining room all night long!
Thanks for the extra photos, Scott!