Charley Dove

Way back in November, my cousin and I attended a wine dinner at Del Frisco's where we met a lovely couple. We exchanged numbers and made plans to hang out. Well those plans came to fruition Friday January 20th. We decided on Charley Dove (which apparently used to be Audrey Claire's). Reservations were made by the husband of the couple. I arrived first and was led to a table by the front of the restaurant. I'm glad they didn't make me wait for everyone (some places won't seat you until your whole group arrives). The husband arrived a little late (his Uber hit a pothole and a flat tire ensued). Normally they have a 90 minute turnover for their tables, but extended our time due to the circumstances. The atmosphere was nice and intimate. The staff were friendly and didn't hover. This is a BYOB establishment, so they were on hand to assist in opening our various bottles of wine.Once we decided on this restaurant, I perused the menu on the website. I ordered:-- Duck Confit -- Brussels Sprouts, Dijon Duck Jus-- Boeuf Bourguignon -- Short Rib, Potato Fondant, Glazed Carrots-- Crème Caramel My cousin and our new friends ordered:-- Vichyssoise -- Caviar, Crème Fraîche, Lemon (first course)-- Trout a là Grenobloise -- Brown Butter Caper Sauce, Potatoes, Blood Orange (second course)The meals were amazing. The duck confit and Brussels Sprouts were delicious. The Boeuf Bourguignon was juicy and tender. Everything was well seasoned and delicious. I cleaned my plates with each meal.We drank, laughed and had a great time. We also were able to have nice conversation with the two young ladies at the table next to ours. The staff was super friendly and didn't mind taking a million pictures of us. I would definitely return in the future

Great restaurant with a very fun atmosphere. We made a reservation for Friday night and got seated upon arrival. Everything we ordered were delicious. All foods were a perfect combination of texture and freshness of their ingredients. We had roasted beet and honey nut squash for appetizers. My friends enjoyed the halibut and eggplants for entrée. I love my veal short ribs. It is not too heavy and the meat was so tender and coming off bones easily. Rice pudding is a MUST!!!! Olive oil cake is ok, may try sth different next time. The service was great. BYOB similar to many restaurants in Philly.

Audrey Claire was one of the first restaurants I went to in Philly over ten years ago. Over the years I went back several times and it was always great. Delicious Mediterranean food, BYOB, and a bustling atmosphere that is casual and cozy but still classy. Somewhere you could bring your foodie friend and your picky friend. Charley Dove preserves all of that and offers a slightly more adventurous menu, and due to the pandemic, a way bigger outdoor space. Interior is underrated but cute- tiny glasses and succulents.We went early on a Tuesday (5:45) and had the place to ourselves. We opted for indoor bc of the heat but it may actually have been hotter inside (fans but no central air). Service was great, attentive but not overbearing. The kind of place that brings you an ice bucket for your wine and a pitcher of water but doesn't pour it for you.Food was delicious! They brought out a complimentary goat cheese ball amuse bouche, then we ordered the octopus (loved the sauce) and cauliflower (maybe a bit overcooked but delicious) and whole branzino and veal short rib. The short rib was fall off the bone tender and I loved the Israeli couscous with pomegranate. The fish was perfectly deboned but served with the tail and head and the most delicious sauces. We were going to pass on dessert but the waiter overheard me wish my friend happy birthday and they sent out the chocolate ganache with candied orange peel and olive oil (so rich and so good!)In love with Charley Dove, and glad we dove in to try this new place! To another generation of kids names after this neighborhood gem!

I am still thinking about the rice pudding! The rice pudding was very good (prob my fav dessert in the city for now). We came as a group of 4 so we were able to sample a couple dishes. The appetizers were very solid (especially the grilled prawns). The short ribs and the branzino were both good. The branzino was very interesting because it came with 2 sauces, so there were 2 different flavors in 1 dish. I think I preferred the red side!The rice pudding was interesting. Even not being a rice pudding fan, I am not sure what had gotten into me that I ordered the rice pudding for dessert but it was definitely good!! I still think about it from time to time and I think I dreamed about it once lolThis place is BYOB, so we just grabbed 2 bottles of wine from COOK across the street before walking over here for dinner. Would recommend.

I loved Audrey Claire. For years. I have so many memories eating in this intimate space with a bottle of wine. We even celebrated my mom and dad's fiftieth anniversary at Audrey Claire as it was the reservation I made when they flew in from Texas. Being back here at what is now, Charley Dove felt pretty nostalgic to me. I was reminded how much I liked the intimate dining room and busy open kitchen. The space is lovely and a pleasure in which to dine. I landed here on a busy Friday night to treat my middle daughter and her friend for dinner. We started with the baked feta and the BBQ baby octopus. I love tomato ANYTHING so the base of the feta boasting spicy tomato sauce and egg seemed exciting. However, this dish wasn't high on my list. The sauce tasted too acidic... it reminded me of sauces that I've eaten that included too much tomato paste. The baby octopus was good, however...tender and tasty with the BBQ sauce complimenting the char. My main was the sword fish, my girl ordered the whole roasted branzino and her friend the grilled lamb steak. I liked the way my fish was prepared but I was looking forward the grilled mushrooms as accompaniment. They were a bit lost as they were, in my opinion a bit over cooked so the flavor of the mushroom seemed a bit dull. However, as I said the fish itself was tasty. I believe the star order was the branzino. The yogurt added brightness while the zhoug added a bit of heat. Well done. The Mediterranean rice pudding for the end was delicious. The crispy puffed rice added wonderful texture and the pudding itself with candied butternut squash and pomegranate seeds added clean bright flavors that tasted light and delicious. My girl said her dark ganache was rich and decedent... just the way she likes it. The meal was good, the place is delightful and I was happy with my lovely meal. PS... still a cozy BYOB. Don't forget your bottle.

Charley Dove is a good restaurant with a nice ambiance. The flavors are strong, the menu items are interesting (I've seen too many boring Mediterranean menus recently!), and the service is solid. My only negative feedback would be that some of the dishes just taste very similar. We ordered the baked feta, which was delicious, followed by stuffed peppers.... which tasted a lot like the baked feta. It was good, just very similar.Two of the other people at dinner with me got the lamb steak and loved it, and one other individual got the baby octopus, which he enjoyed. Overall, it was a solid meal with good service (and a liquor store across the street for the BYOB aspect!).

Charley Dove is an adorable restaurant with a great variety of tasty foods. Anything you order at this restaurant will leave you feeling satisfied. If you are hungry, you will want to order both a "first course" and "second course" because neither serving is particularly large. For the first course, I recommend the beet salad. It is served with goat cheese and pistachio pesto. Another great first course option is the fried feta. This is served with tomato sauce, plum jam and mint. Be sure to ask what the specials are, because those are also delicious!! Know that this restaurant is BYOB! If you happen to forget, there's conveniently a store right across the street. The atmosphere in the restaurant is welcoming and the waitstaff is attentive. The outdoor dining area is just as lovely as the indoor. It's the perfect place for any occasion- a date, getting together with family, or catching up with friends.

A pleasant dinner location on a recent trip, they have inventive dishes and flavors. Starting with a complementary falafel ball, moving to the cucumber avocado chilled soup (perfect for summer), the finishing with the eggplant main course. I could have sworn I detected a mesquite spicyness to the tomato sauce accompanying the eggplant (which I liked), but the waiter said there was only pepper. I could've used a little more pita/carbs, but otherwise enjoyed the meal. The inside was not super-chilled, which was also nice.

Makes me sad to write this review, as Audrey Claire (restaurant that formerly occupied this site) was one of my favorite philly restaurants for years. Unfortunately, the food here has changed for the worst. Starting before we ordered - they used to have the best bread with olive oil. Now? 6 little pickled vegetables. It was fine, certainly worse than bread, and had me feeling worried for the night ahead. I was there with two friends, and we got the steamed mussels, baked feta, and lamb sausage and goat cheese stuffed peppers. We were excited - this place has never let us down! Unfortunately, all three starters were absolutely drowned in a tomato-y sauce. It was like eating three shakshukas. All cooked in identical pans and looked/tasted extremely similar. We almost laughed when the third identical dish came out! It was all fine - maybe 5-6/10? Tough to taste much when it's all in a thick tomato sauce.Needless to say we were underwhelmed, but ordered veal short rib as an entree and could not believe our eyes when it also came out doused in tomato sauce!!!To be clear, the way these dishes are described makes you believe they will all be different flavors and preparations. Furthermore, our server said nothing and was happy to let us order a bunch of dishes that were basically the same thing. The reason I give two stars rather than one - I have loved this place for so many years and so I still have hope they can turn it around, and we ended up getting the baby octopus, which was delicious and something I would order again. Please - bring back some of the old amazing Mediterranean food!!!

What the crap that YELP sent to me. Who is Charley Dove and why do you want me to review it? don't know anything about this business or even know where it is. I wouldn't give them a bad review because the screw up is Yelp. don't trust reviews because Yelp doesn't know what they're doing