Located at 26 Main Street in Niantic, Charlie’s Place features great food at a reasonable price, made fresh daily. Owned by Charlie Kostas Anastasiou and his wife, Penny, the venue offers lunch and dinner six days a week. They pride themselves on offering an extensive menu of traditional favorites.
Here, you’ll find a full range of choices from a variety of sandwiches, salads and burgers to entrees that include fresh seafood and comfort food like meatloaf and a turkey dinner. The children’s menu is sure to delight the young ones in your group. The menu is the same for lunch and dinner, so you can always order what you want, any time of day.
They’re happy to participate in this year’s tenth annual Niantic & East Lyme Restaurant Week – March 4 through 13. They’re offering your first meal at $20.22 and your second entrée for $15.22.
Charlie says, “We continually adapt our menu to customer preferences. When a dish is ordered regularly, it stays on the menu. If an item is not ordered very often, it comes off the menu.” When asked about customer favorites, Charlie is quick to point out that everything on the menu is a customer favorite! Each day, two dinner specials and one appetizer special are offered. Be sure to try their homemade desserts, too.
Charlie was born in Greece, moving to America with his father in December 1972 when he was a young man of 17. While Charlie started off working at a pizzeria in New London, within a couple of years he and his father decided to open their own restaurant. They purchased Golden Pizza in Preston. Charlie did take a break to go back to Greece to find the love of his life – Penny – who he married in 1979. Together, they have a son and a daughter and six grandsons.
In 1992, Charlie and Penny brought their culinary skills and restaurant expertise to Niantic with the purchase of the Seashell Restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue. When David Johns Restaurant became available for sale at the current Main Street location, the couple jumped at the opportunity to purchase it. They renamed it Niantic Diner and then later to its current name – Charlie’s Place Restaurant.
Charlie says, “We love the Niantic community and support local organizations and events when we can. Our focus is on delivering great service and food in a comfortable setting for you and your family.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Charlie’s Place voluntarily chose to close the restaurant for six weeks. They worked on a plan for outdoor seating and an online ordering system. They have remained open ever since. Once the indoor dining area fully opened again, they removed the outdoor tables. Their user-friendly online ordering system remains, and it works well for them.
Follow them on Facebook to stay on top of their news, special offerings and events. Visit their website at http://www.charliesplacerestaurant.com to see their full menu.
Charlie’s Place Restaurant
26 W. Main Street
charliesplacerestaurant.com
Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Sunday: 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
About Our Main Street Blogger:
Joanne lives in, and loves, our community. She was looking for an opportunity to help share all that our local businesses do to make East Lyme such a special place to call home, and she is excited to contribute to our blog. Joanne brings to the role her experience from New London Main Street where she contributed content to their website, newsletters and email communications for many years.