Charcoal Zyka |
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10249 South John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL 32837
Formally known as Charcoal Joe, Charcoal Zyka serves up a unique twist of American and Indian BBQ. Our Custom-built charcoal grill give each dish a rich and unique flavor, and succulent tenderness. We use only the freshest products daily. We offer both dine in and take out of our entire menu. Our facility is located only minutes away from Universal Studios and SeaWorld, and offers a fun, family-oriented atmosphere. Added on June 6, 2010 and last updated 11 years ago
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The owners of this restaurant are Muslim and have confirmed its halal status.
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ADD YOUR REVIEW OF CHARCOAL ZYKA
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| as selected by the Zabihah editors |
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★★★★★ This place was a superb find while we stayed in Orlando for a 5 days vacation. We stayed the Bueno Vista hotel near Disney; Charcoal Zyka was only 15 minutes away from out hotel. We tried both chickent tikka and burgers. The food was great. The outstanding feature of the food was that it was cooked very well. The place is clean and spacious. We went to this place twice and each time we ordered items for eating in and take out. We ordered burgers and sandwiches to take along with us after we ate in. We kept this in our hotel room's fridge. The next day we took it with us to places we visited like Universal Studio theme park and Kennedy Space Center. We saved a bundle by taking along our lunch this way. I recommend that you do the same; order items to take out and use them for lunch at theme parks and other sites you visit. Posted on August 22, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Came from Southern CA and found this place on Zabiha app. Loved the order of ribs that came with two sides from the lunch menu. My wife had the inferno burger which was very spicy and bursting with flavor. Son enjoyed the mild chicken wings and daughter loved the beef steak wrap. They want to go back again which is a rare request from them.
They have plenty of other menu items that are varied. Owners are friendly and the place is conveniently located near a number of hotels. Posted on July 4, 2013 |
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NR I came back again after 3 years of my first visit in 2018.
This restaurant maintained quality and hospitality. I wished they opened a branch in Canada. Posted on December 24, 2021 |
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★★★★★ Steak was very good and we were all happy with the things we ordered. Not a fancy setting but food is good. Posted on February 2, 2019 |
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★★★★★ Wonderful food and service! Provided me prayer rug and area to pray, hope to come here again whenever We are in Orlando Inshallah Posted on January 13, 2019 |
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★★★★★ This is Nandos 2.0. Came here with my family and left exceedingly happy with food, location and hospitality. Posted on July 20, 2018 |
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★★★★★ They have probably the best American style BBQ I've ever had. Try the beef short rib, so tender! Posted on April 18, 2018 |
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★★☆☆☆ Disappointing to come back to this restaurant that was so much better as Charcoal Joes. They didn’t have the ribs, so we ordered a rib eye steak, wings, chana and Portuguese chicken. The wings were ok, Chana was good, but the steak and chicken were poor. The beef quality was actually quite poor and stringy. Real shame. Posted on March 27, 2018 |
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★★★★★ Their portegese chicken has been their hallmark since they started and it still is unique in the Orlando metro. The grilled chicken burger and their inferno burger are also both unique and tasty. Beans on the side go good with any of these items along with French fries. In desi fare their biryani is very popular if you get it fresh. Posted on January 24, 2018 |
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NR Food was excellent. Ordered 6 different dishes. Tried it all. Service was excellent. Definitely coming back. Provided salah facilities for us. Posted on January 8, 2018 |
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NR I will never return to this place again . Super slow service . Quality of food is very bad . The place is very dirty . Young boys are running the place with very bad attitude. Posted on December 31, 2017 |
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★★★★☆ My Family and couple of my family friend visited this place twice while we were here. The steak were absolutely phenomenal so was the short ribs. Also tried the indian food, equally good. Our server anjin was the entertainment for the night with his witty comments and was very hospitable. A1 service *pun intended* lol. Family owned and with homey environment. Would definilty recommended it to all orlando visitors Posted on December 31, 2017 |
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NR Great food. Visiting Orlando for the holidays and stopped by for some desi/american food. We ordered the Beef Brisket sandwich, Inferno burger and Tandoori Chicken. Very fresh and tasty. Will definitely visit again. Posted on December 31, 2017 |
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NR Extremely rude customer service. Food was mediocre. Bunch of kids running this restaurant and have attitude. I was disappointed. Posted on December 27, 2017 |
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★★★☆☆ I would never return to this restaurant. Service is too slow . They served to 3 persons and 4th person meal served when 3 ppl finished their dinner. Posted on December 25, 2017 |
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NR ribs are amazing Posted on October 5, 2017 |
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★★★★☆ I loved the food. We ordered grilled chicken and really enjoyed the food. Must try Posted on September 26, 2017 |
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★★★★★ Excellent Food. Eat here multiple times a week. I prefer the Deluxe Burger or the Chapli Kebab burger. The beef steak wrap is awesome as well. Highly recommended. The owner makes you feel right at home the minute you walk in. Posted on January 21, 2017 |
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★★★★☆ We were visiting Orlando over winter break. We ended up eating here, 3 times. The menu was a combination of Indian and American food items.
We loved the short rib sandwich, Portuguese chicken and ribs. All of these items were reasonably priced and tasty.
The service was a little slow but I would definitely go back here again. . Posted on December 30, 2016 |
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Dhahran, Eastern Province |
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★★☆☆☆ [No review submitted] Posted on November 13, 2016 |
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★★★★★ [No review submitted] Posted on October 10, 2016 |
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★★★★★ Tried this place twice last week.
Very tasty Portuguese chicken ate that both times.
Good service, clean restuarant. Posted on August 7, 2016 |
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★★★★★ Had the inferno burger and ribs. Ribs were really good, as was the burger. Nice sit down place, clean with good parking. Posted on February 12, 2016 |
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★★★★★ Been here twice in one trip. Service was good and Food was fantastic. Highly recommended! Posted on December 29, 2015 |
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★★★★☆ "Today is the busiest day of the year" said our waiter anjeeb with a beautiful smile :). Despite being in the busiest day of the year we were served properly by the waiter, our steak was a bit dry but its fine. The inferno sandwich was the best burger to have when you stop by charcoal. Overall a good family diner Posted on December 26, 2015 |
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★★★★☆ Stopped by after universal and good food. Halaal and clean. Tried the chicken wings and half a chicken. Posted on December 18, 2015 |
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★★★★☆ I had the spicy chicken wings and the inferno burger. Chicken wings were good without being great but the burger was very tasty. Just the right mix of spices in the burger plus the jalapeño's and hot sauce made it very tasty. Staff were friendly but since I ordered to go, didn't have a lot of interaction with them. Overall good food and would definitely recommend. Posted on October 19, 2015 |
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★★★★★ Great fresh food and great service. Located close to Rosen shingle creek resort. Posted on September 10, 2015 |
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★★★☆☆ Great food and well priced too. A bit disappointed when they insisted on 18,5% service charge as we were 5 people even though 1 was a baby of 10 months. Posted on September 5, 2015 |
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★☆☆☆☆ Very very poor customer service.. called in ahead of time for a party of 4, verified closing time, but once we arrived there, we were denied service and seats. When asked why we could not dine in, servers and lady at the counter were extremely rude and told us we were lying about calling in. Extremely disappointed about this type of service. these type of desi restaurants need to get their act together and learn to respect their customers. Posted on August 5, 2015 |
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★★★★★ Had the jerk chicken and spicy chicken sandwich. We also tried the chicken tenders with fries. I loved all the food in this place, however, the food can be spicy for the kids. I would definitely visit again. Posted on May 26, 2015 |
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★☆☆☆☆ Never got to the food. Told us its 9 bucks for a single chicken seekh kabab stuck. Posted on April 2, 2015 |
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★★★★☆ We have visited this place twice during our 6 day visit. The place does not have an impressive sitting place but the quality of the food was very good!! We had butter chicken, steak, beef ribs, and peri chicken.
All dishes were very good. I would recommend this place Posted on March 20, 2015 |
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★★★☆☆ The restaurant looks nice inside. The fries tastes like it was reheated and the fried chicken looked like it was overcooked. The skin had too much seasoning on it. Posted on January 2, 2015 |
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★★★★★ Charcoal Zyka is my favorite resturaunt in Orlando. It has great food and fantastic service. The food is always fresh and thats what I always look for in a resturaunt. I went there 4 times in 1 week and never got bored. Everything on the menu taste delicious and satisfying. Once you take a bite from their food, you will be amazed by it. It has both indian and american food which is fabulous and I definetely enjoyed both cuisines. Anyone visiting Orlando must go to Charcoal Zyka and you will be enthralled by what you have been missing! Posted on December 30, 2014 |
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★★★★★ Great Desi food. Visiting Orlando on vacation. Ordered Dal, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Seekh Kabob. Although, I believe that that the kabob portion was a bit small. Food tested real good and fresh. Posted on December 24, 2014 |
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★★★★☆ Have been to this place twice. Both times were really good. The food was fresh. First time got the short ribs - amazing. then got the grilled chicken - amazing. Tried the indian menu - very good. The french fries were also very good. Nice place to bring the family. Pricing was well worth it. Definitely returning. Posted on December 16, 2014 |
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★★★★★ Great food! Went with my family for dinner, we ordered Portuguese-BBQ chicken and Tandoori Chicken. Ask for their spicy Inferno rice, it's amazing!!! We loved every bit of it :) Definitely a must try if you are a local or just visiting. Posted on November 22, 2014 |
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★★★★★ AMAZING! Came here with the family from Toronto and wanted to taste the same Indian savory taste and got exactly what we desired. First thing to start off with, the restaurant it self, it looked pretty nice! Then the food which is a must. Must say, haven't tasted such mouth watering and satisfying meal in a while! The prices were perfect, the Portuguese chicken was beyond perfect, the delicious palak paneer with the must samosa chaat. it was just brilliant. And the service is one I will not forgot. The young waitress was very welcoming, sweet and pretty. She did her best to make sure we were all satisfied and continuously checked on us to make sure we were OK. A very family like feeling. The experience was worthwhile, will definitely go back! Posted on November 20, 2014 |
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★★☆☆☆ Quiet disappointed. Ordered beef short ribs, beef brisket sandwich and a jerk chicken sandwich. Beef ribs were horrible, seems like they boil the ribs and store them in the freezer to be defrosted and lathered with BBQ sauce when a customer orders this item. The brisket sandwich was the best item we ordered. The jerk chicken was poor also, basically it was a dry grilled chicken breast with some black pepper sprinkled on it and then sandwiched in a bun.
Also, the server seemed to either lack training on how to wait on tables at a restaurant or was totally un-interested in her job. We asked for water and she came back with one glass of water for four people, I thought maybe she misunderstood and reminded her again that we would need more water and she came back with just one more glass of water!
The same thing happened when the food came, she quickly disappeared after bringing our food; I thought she went to grab utensils, but to my surprise she just disappeared in the kitchen. Now, I realize some people love eating their ribs with their bare hands, but almost all restaurants I've been to provide an option to eat it with a fork and a knife. Posted on November 15, 2014 |
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★★★☆☆ The food was pretty good !! Chicken purtaguisi was the BEST . Chicken biryani NOT so good. Chaat was awesome . So over all good experience from
The food stand point . The dragon I gave them 3 points is because of their cleaning .... Restrooms NO soap . The dishes were nOt so clean . The waitress were nice though. Posted on October 31, 2014 |
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★★★★★ We really liked the food at this place. Specially B.B.Q chicken was tasty. Also there rolls were yummy. Posted on October 27, 2014 |
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★★★★☆ Had the Portugese chicken and the burger. Both were good. A little on the sweet side though, but good. Owner tried to convert me to Islam so that was reassuring in terms of halalness :-) Posted on October 2, 2014 |
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★☆☆☆☆ I visited here few days ago with my family. I ordered short beef ribs and was really disappointed,looks too old and tasted weared.It has a very small amount of meat and on top had a crust I talked to the management but no satisfactory reply..It came with sides which are very small in quantity specially cole slaw look like they just put cabbage in milk no taste.My wife ordered chicken it taste average but very small quantity verses price. Overall food is not that tasty . their prices are very high.Definitely wont visit here again! Posted on September 14, 2014 |
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★★★☆☆ We were visiting Orlando from Canada. We pick this place based on Zabihah review. BBQ or American food was ok but we order one Pakistan dish it was horrible. I would never recommend any one to try Pakistani dishes there. Posted on August 30, 2014 |
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★★★★☆ Port. chicken is great- spicy bbq style specifically. Posted on August 22, 2014 |
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★★★★★ The food is amazing here and I love the service which two young boys brought me and they told me about Orlando as I was visiting on vacation. I highly recommend this restaurant as the Portuguese chicken and the curries that they have we're very tasty and excellent ! It was so nice that I came back once again whilst I was visiting to eat the food Posted on June 20, 2014 |
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★★★★★ They were out of ribs when I went, which was a letdown, but the beef brisket I got instead was AMAZING Posted on June 17, 2014 |
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★★★★★ Awesome food esp Portugese chucken, beef steak. Strongly reccomended. Ask for their hot sauce , it tastes like Nandos. Posted on April 12, 2014 |
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★★★★★ Excellent food. Must try while in Orlando. Posted on March 24, 2014 |
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★★★★★ We were visiting from the west coast and we decided to take a break from the amusements parks and try out this halal establishment. We waited outside patiently for them to open and almost left when it was still closed 15 minutes after opening time. Just as we were backing out of the lot to leave, we saw someone open the door and boy we are glad we stuck around. This place has the best chicken wings ever ! If you can handle the heat try the spicy bbq sauce. We also tried the steak which was perfectly cooked as well (medium-well-done). Unfortunately they did not have the Portugese chicken on the menu that fine day. Now I am back home on the west coast and I still dream about this place every other day and mouth starts watering. Posted on March 23, 2014 |
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★★★★☆ 3 stars for indian food and 4 stars for american. We tried portuguese chicken which was very good and chicken tikka burger which was excellent. On indian food side tried chaana masala which was so-so have had better, chicken curry was good, palak goat was good, and chicken tikka biryani was very spicy. Agree with other reviewers place was clean but could use a little updating. Posted on March 12, 2014 |
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★★★★★ love their food best rib and tikka biryani is awsome must try Posted on March 1, 2014 |
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★★★★★ Great place..lovely home cooked food, there are even prayer facilities. Really pleasant staff..A must eat place Posted on February 18, 2014 |
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★★★★☆ Very delicious food. Loved the Portuguese chicken.
The location is somewhat close from International Drive which is a plus. Posted on January 3, 2014 |
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★★★★★ Its nice to see a place like tthis doing good. The food is exceptional and the service is amazing(our server was Raad, handsome young boy). The place does need a little working on but it'll get there with time and money. Good luck! Posted on December 20, 2013 |
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★★★★☆ Went here for the first time while visiting the area. Good food with a wide variety of options unlike what you find at a typical desi place. The place can use some TLC and cleanup though. Posted on December 10, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Excellent food, wide variety of items to choose from. I went there several times during my few days' stay in the area. Enjoyed everything, but specially liked the chicken burger and the biriyani. Posted on December 10, 2013 |
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★★★★☆ Nice place for a family. Good portions and reasonably priced. Away from the high traffic areas. Did not try the Indian menu but the Portuguese chicken is really good similar to Nandos chicken,chicken burger was awesome. Defiantly will recommend this place. Good for locals as well as tourists like us. Posted on November 30, 2013 |
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★★★★☆ Had a lunch here with family and friends ordered only only two dishes for four peopl
- Chicken Masala
- Portuguese Chicken
Food and service was great, would like to go back and try their lamb chops. Posted on October 30, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Great food. Great service. Have been going here for a few years. The quality had gone down for a bit but now it's back to being a great halal restaurant in Orlando. I hope it stays this way. Would recommend the Portuguese chicken or the short ribs. They also have an indo-pak menu now but I haven't given that a try yet. Keep it clean and you're already above most of the dumps here in Orlando. Posted on September 30, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Try there Portuguese chicken very delicious Posted on September 23, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Excellent food (freshly cooked). Great value for money. If you like authentic Indian food, you should definitely try this restaurant. They also serve very good halal american food. I will come back whenever I am in Orlando. Posted on September 15, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Delicious beef ribs!! Inferno rice is a definite must for all to try and be careful of ordering the chicken wings you'll want to order more!!! :) really great food and service :) Posted on September 9, 2013 |
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★★★★★ I came to visit Florida for a few weeks, and my family and i were looking for something different other then typical Indian food, we came upon charcoal joe on this website, and we're glad to have visited! The waitress was a hijabi which is always a plus for me, she was very sweet, and took care of us well, we were quiet a handful. The decoration of the place seemed a bit messy, but it seems to be doing well. The cook did an excellent done, for a small man, who cooked big food that left a lasting impression. I wish i lived in orlando, i'd come to eat at charcoal joe everyday! I'm not sure if the fat man was called joe or not, but he was quiet nice as well. Posted on September 6, 2013 |
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★★★★★ I love their grilled chicken. And the staff was very friendly to talk to. I will come back here many times. thank you! Posted on September 6, 2013 |
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★★☆☆☆ Service wasn't that great, decor is bad, staff looks like they just woke up from a nap at 4pm. Food was disappointing at best. The Portuguese Chicken was dry AND greasy something I didn'tz Posted on September 4, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Great sandwiches and food, definitely a great spot to eat if ever visiting Orlando. Posted on August 30, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Excellent food. Excellent service . The inferno burger was too good :) Posted on August 27, 2013 |
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★★☆☆☆ One of my must to-go places whilst visiting Orlando is Charcoal Joes. Have been there over three times and this was my 4th visit, and also my LAST unfortunately.
The food has always been consistent and amazing whenever I visited there. But this past visit on Thur 8/22 was a disaster. The food was horrible across the table. Items ordered were:
1. A rib-eye steak (which was basically a piece of rubber)
2. Brisket sandwich which was soggy and overly salted.
3. Two orders of the BBQ ribs. Both orders tasted funny and left an after-taste as if the meat was not fresh.
The only items that were edible were the wings and the Portuguese chicken.
I thought it was just me but then I talked to friends and they mentioned that ever since the original cook/partner left, things have been in a state of deterioration.
Time to find another spot!!!!! Posted on August 26, 2013 |
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★★★★☆ i went to eat at churcoal zyka about 2 months ago when i went to Orlando. I had the best short rib. which was phenomenal. very friendly envirnment. the serivice was excellent too. our server hanjeeb. served us very well and recommend excellent food choices. i would definetly recommend this place to. when ever you go to orlando, you have to try their rib. Posted on June 30, 2013 |
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★★★★☆ Ordered the brisket sandwish and the rib eye steak... Pretty delicious, sandwich was kinda small, but rib eye was cooked really well. Bathroom are dirty tho, i think because they got it from a previous owner and havent really renovated. Posted on June 12, 2013 |
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★★★★☆ One of the best places in Orlando for American and Desi food. Great Food, good family run place, very well maintained. Take your family out and enjoy your time. Ask for their best dishes and they will not disappoint you. Highly recommended. Posted on June 11, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Salam. My friends and I visited this establishment yesterday afternoon. When coming in we saw a young man take off chicken from racks. The smell was so good we bought 2 whole chickens. The best thing I've had in my life. Our server was telling us how usually people have to call in a hour and half earlier to have it fresh off the charcoal pit. I was very happy with my visit there. And the service was very nice. Posted on June 2, 2013 |
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★★★★★ I dont think this place gets nearly enough credit as it deserves. I came here like 10 times in the last two months and I loved it. I'm in love with their butter chicken. And the young workers there are super friendly always conversating. And amazing ribs! Charcoal Zyka and Slims are two of my must go to places. Posted on May 31, 2013 |
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★★☆☆☆ i was there about a week ago and i noticed some unsanitary behavior by the employees. there was one employee (a young kid with glasses) who was putting raw chicken on the racks with his bare hands and proceeding to serve and handle already cooked food. another employee just sitting around while the phone rings and i decided to walk out and leave. i DO NOT recommend this restaurant to anyone who plans to visit in the near future. Posted on May 27, 2013 |
Im sorry for your inconvenience but its hard to believe an employees of ours would do that. We strive to be as clean and sanitary as possible as we have 3 sinks around the grill 2 of which the customers cannot see. Also where you not attended too by any of the servers? And im sorry for your experience and hope to give us another try. |
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★★★★☆ My family visited in December of last year. I enjoyed my ribeye steak and my family liked their selections as well. The restaurant could have used more upkeep in appearance and cleanliness. Prices were reasonable. Posted on May 19, 2013 |
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★☆☆☆☆ This place has been rebranded to charcoal zyka (ok?) and one of the partners has left I believe...and the quality of food has dropped dramatically. I used to like it before when it was charcoal joes, but now this place is bad..sad to say Posted on April 27, 2013 |
Which dishes have you tried that you where not satisfied with? and please let us know in the future about your dissatisfaction so we can help you have an enjoyable visit and hopefully you come give us a try again. |
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★★★☆☆ Good service but average food. The brisket sandwich was nice and the burger was too dry. The place can do with a makeover Posted on April 21, 2013 |
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★★★★★ They just chqnged their name recently so we got lost while looking for it but when we did find it was worth it! The inferno burger was amazing! Super spicy super tasty. My wife had the butter chicken and loved it. Decoration needs an update but didnt bother us . Our server who was very friendly recomended a chinese place not farfrom them . Well return again for lunch tomorrow Posted on April 20, 2013 |
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★★★★☆ The owner, Hashim, confirmed it was halal, and there is a sign to say so.
The food, primarily American with a Cajun twist, was very good. The owner was very friendly, and the service was excellent. Its a little far from I Drive, but well worth the effort. Posted on April 9, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Salam everyone....I must say that this is by far ONE OF THE BEST HALAL SPOTS I've ever been too!! The food is fresh and absolutely delicious!! Excellent food, excellent service at a good price - cant beat that! I can not wait to go back again! Posted on February 23, 2013 |
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★★★★☆ We have visited Charcoal Joe's two years in a row while in Orlando for our family vacation. We found the owner to be genuinely warm and service-oriented. We were always greeted with a warm welcome, and left with a warm good-bye. The food was consistently excellent. We loved the burgers, and were done according to our requests (not well done). The mashed potatoes were absolutely delicious and the crispy buffalo chicken sandwich was a personal favourite. We even decided to try some of the Desi items, and were not disappointed. The only drawback would be the seating and decor. We feel an updating of the decor would really make this a go-to eatery. Nevertheless, this is a restaurant we plan to return to whenever we find ourselves in Orlando. Posted on January 24, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Free wi-fi, prayer area, and delicious, one of a kind halal food. Love it! Posted on January 14, 2013 |
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★★★★★ Fair price, good foods, fast and helpful service, free wifi... need I say more? Posted on January 1, 2013 |
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★★★★★ How should I start this review? Do I praise the exemplary peoples skills of Mr. Haseeb the owner, Do I give this place a five star for the great location or should I just start talking about the sumptuous and mouth watering food? We went there twice in a span of three days because we enjoyed the food so much!
Whether it was the Rib Eye Steak or the Beef Short Ribs, Portuguese Chicken, Chicken wings, Biryani, Beef Brisket Sandwich or the Tandoori Chicken.....all were phenomenally good. Will definitely highly recommend Charcoal Joe to every one. Kudos to Haseeb bhai and the entire team of Charcoal Joe! Posted on December 27, 2012 |
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★★★★★ Nice restaurant with good food. The menu offers a big variety of different meals. Friendly and fast service.
We highly recommend this place! Posted on December 24, 2012 |
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★★★★★ Great food and the service was exceptional. Definitely a must when in Orlando Posted on December 19, 2012 |
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★★★★★ I love there Ribeye. Posted on December 10, 2012 |
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★★★★★ flame grilled goodness. Fantastic restaurant with really good service. Enjoyed their flame grilled beef burger, their fried chicken was ok'ish. but their flame grilled meat stuff is a must have! Posted on December 10, 2012 |
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★☆☆☆☆ Tried this place a few times.. Always the same 'blah' tasting items. Not looking for "desi" spices.. but ANY flavor would be good.
Meat portions are average. Prices are above average based on quantity and quality.
Instead of spending so much time telling people off on zabihah.com, the owner should work on improving their food :) Posted on November 26, 2012 |
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★★★☆☆ We had the Portuguese Chicken & the Chicken Tikka for take-out today, both were OK, and that was all that was OK. The large fries that was offered with the Portuguese Chicken was barely enough for a single serving, when I was told that the meal would feed 3-4 people. The Tikka Chicken is served with plain basmati rice ( also a very small amount ). I was told that I could not substitute the rice with another side. The food is also way too expensive for the size of the servings. When we were done with our meal we had to buy more food because we were still hungry. They also do not serve any complimentary condiments or sauces with the meals. Posted on November 21, 2012 |
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★★☆☆☆ yes i agree the owner haseeb is a jolly man and fun to converse with, but the food needs help and some inspiration. i ordered the wings after being informed they were more or less special custom cut whole wings that's why they are expensive..when i received the order..the wings were below average in size..very dissapointing also was missing any kind of associated condiments such as blue cheese with celery or ranch dipper sauce.for the price they need to include everything else one expects. also portugese chicken means being prepared in a rotating basket contraption over the grill.i have NEVER seen it prepared in that manner..giving them benefit of the doubt maybe they make it very early in morning..but i have been in here for lunch and dinner..and never seen it cooked portugese style..only reheated on the fire grill..it is ok tasting nothing special..needs some type of blend of spices but also expensive..expensive restuarant..taste is a let down..but nice guy to talk to, and good location. Posted on November 18, 2012 |
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★★★★★ It's a nice place to eat and I was pleasantly suprised.I like they'r shrimps and charcoal chicken .And the owner Haseeb is a very nice guy. Posted on November 4, 2012 |
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★☆☆☆☆ the portions are small, bordering on tiny
it is definitely not a cheaper place as indicated by Zabihah's guide.
lot of the food was overcooked and hard to swallow
customer service was nice, but still pretty expensive place given the quality and size of the portions.
the american style food is average, desi is ... never mind. Also, if the owner himself is absent, I would advise you to just go to a diff restaurant as no one else there knows how to cook
Again, no complaints with customer service. Posted on October 30, 2012 |
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NR Came here Oct 8th for lunch. Service was very good, although we were the only ones in there lol. But order was taken promptly, and the owner actually gave us a bit of keema naan for free! We ordered the deluxe burger and the short ribs. Prices seemed reasonable for the menu items overall when i scanned the menu. I will definitely agree with some other reviewers and say the place needs to be spruced up inside. It really looks like its been neglected; paint/drywall chipping off, a vent on ceiling comin off from one side. It doesnt look dirty or dingy, but it looks weathered, Posted on October 8, 2012 |
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★★★★★ Good food, good service. Have become fairly regular here for lunch, and everything has been tasty apart from the beef brisket sandwich which didn't appeal to me much. The cheeseburgers, jerk chicken burgers and inferno burgers are great, and I liked the steak as well. Posted on September 5, 2012 |
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★★★★★ This use to be my luch hot spot a year ago, but I stopped going after I was relocated for my job. My wife has never had food from charcoal joe so I decided to take her to treat her to some halal steak. She had the NY steak, and I decided to try their Chicken Tikka Masala. To be honest I was hesitant at first to try the Indian dish because I had come for some Steak and Ribs, but I'm glad I did. It ws one of the creamiest Chicken Tikka Masalas I've ever had. Wonderful staff, wonderful good. Charcoal Joe FTW. Posted on September 4, 2012 |
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★★★☆☆ Service was average & nothing special. Our table was not cleaned prior to seating & the server did not take the time or effort to have the seats properly arranged at our table. Food quality is also average. My wife's burger was over done. The brisket in my sandwich was too soft & the sandwich was very messy. Probably will not return as I did not find it to be a good value. It's sad that as Muslims we try to eat halal, but the quality & service is lacking at halal establishments. The recent health inspections have shown that the sanitary conditions are also lacking at many Muslim restaurants. Posted on September 2, 2012 |
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★★★★★ This place was recommended by friends so I went with my family to try it. Hands down one of the best places I have eaten. It is real hard for some people to make steaks the right way but this place hit it DEAD ON!!! Fast service and very friendly employees. The cook made a mistake on our burger but admitted it and made us a new one right away. I live in Pittsburgh and will definitely recommend this to all. The beef brisket sandwich, the ribeye steak with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies, the delux cheeseburger and everything else was FANTASTIC!!! Good job and keep it up guys. Posted on August 25, 2012 |
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★★★★★ As salaamu alaikum, I had come to Disneyland from the U.K a few weeks ago and researched halal options with zabihah. I really wanted to try halal American food and this place exceeded my expectations. Ribs and steak were excellent, well worth the long drive! I just wish I had the chance to try other dishes. First impressions of the place are overcome by the wonderful food and excellent staff. A must try for anyone... Can't wait to come back again...! Posted on July 13, 2012 |
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★★★★★ great food, was looking for a place which served great burgers-found it!! going back for steak and ribs. inferno burger awesome.!! Javid was pleasant and friendly Posted on July 9, 2012 |
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★★★★★ Went there for the first time, the food was great so was the service. The Pakistani waitress served us, she was very nice and gave us an excellent service. Will definitely go there again :)) Posted on June 6, 2012 |
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★★★★★ The food was amazing! Get the deluxe burger only if the manager with the pony tail is present. The service is first class, there's one Pakistani waitress who was perfect like all Pakistanis. I <3 Pakistanis. Posted on June 1, 2012 |
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★★★★★ Excellent food, excellent service, and clean restaurant. If you're visiting Orlando, definitely go here. Posted on May 15, 2012 |
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★★★★★ I was visiting Orlando and was very hesitant to try this place based on the low scores. Once I started reading people's comments, I realized most of the low scores and reviews were no way relevant to the food. Let me tell you the truth...this place was AMAZING! I was running late for my flight and called in my order, and my food was ready for me when I arrived. The owner let me pray in the back of his restaurant. My wife and I had the steaks (rib-eye and sirloin), and they were cooked to perfection...delicious marinade, beautiful charcoal taste, and amazing size! As a matter of fact, the owner gave me two steaks in my order because he felt one steak wasn't big enough for my order. How fair is that!!! He makes his own sweet iced tea, so whether you are a fan of iced tea or not, make sure you give it a try! Delicious! The one reviewer was right. The owner does have a ponytail and wear shorts, but I felt that added to the atmosphere of his restaurant. We loved his friendly attitude and cooperation with our situation. As for the price...it is pricey, but folks...realize that zabihah halal meat is not cheap. Taste the food...the price is justified! One reviewer criticized the owner for keeping the outside dirty. He had an employee that was constantly sweeping outside. If you do not eat at this place, you are not doing an injustice to the owner, you are doing an injustice to yourself. I cannot wait to go back to Orlando and eat at this restaurant again! Posted on May 14, 2012 |
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★★★☆☆ the owner needs to freshen this place up..some brighter atmosphere would be nice.. the prices of steaks , ribs are expensive..i havent had them yet feel guilty paying so much and not being in a 5 star environemnt or at least 3 start the decor is 70s .the place looks run down...they have a good brisket sandwich ..but they charge for extras, like tomatoes, cheese , side dish substitution etc before long u pay 12$ menu says $7.99..... Posted on April 27, 2012 |
Thanks for your comments! Most of our customers like the low lights and they say they are glad that we are not overly lit like most other Halal restaurants. As for the prices, again, only a few complain as most understand that getting premium quality Halal Ribs and Steaks costs about 50% more. Same Rib that we have for $12.99 is for $19.99 at Bahama Breeze.
Also, 90% of the customers take Fries with with the brisket and no cheese and they pay $7.99. Cheese is additional $.50 cents so not sure about paying $12. Unfortunately, 95% of the satisfied customer or regulars don't leave reviews which is quite sad as anyone who is new to the area would miss out a chance to form their own opinion on the food at Charcoal. |
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★★☆☆☆ came here with 3 other adults, as we descended upon the door, we quickly noticed outdoor small patio seating area, we were thinking of sitting outside since it was a great breezy afternoon, unfortunately, upon close inspection, we saw how filthy, dirty the tables and seating area, was..looked and appeared if not cleaned in ages, various stains on the chairs, used napkins clinging on to the side of the tables, ciggarette butts everywhere, and filthy dirty plastic utensils on one table top..it was a real turn off, as entering this place. once inside, we were asked if we were eating here or to take out, we decided to eat here, at the time we were the only customers, and we noticed not 1, but 2 tv sets, but both were turned off,and no background white noise of any kind, was making the wait and locale tedious, so we asked if there was some "talk radio" or tv news they can turn on?..quickly a radio did come on, blaring rap music..so when our orders arrived, i had the rib, which was soft, tender, steamed piece of meat, accompanied by some poor choices for this price. my friend had the steak, and he also said the sides "stink"..his entree cost a whopping $21..both of our fries, were plain ordinary fries, with NO SEASONING WHATSOEVER...NOT EVEN SALT..the other side was greasy rice with beans, ..at this "grill" and at these upscale prices, what happened to customary sides such as a fresh vegetable medly?..or loaded baked potatoes?..or "premium mashed" potatoes?.thick cut battered onion rings?..something to justify the price?..the sides did ruin the meal 50%, thrifty tasting and poorly made. was told owner was not on site, or i wish to explain to him or her, or show them, these hardened unseasoned fries, and ask if he or she would pay these premiums? for these low cost food choices?..please upgrade your sides, or cut down the prices...again, the RIB and possible STEAK (friend said was good) is EXCELLANT...but 50% of the plate consists of your side items..and they ARE POOR AND REMEDIAL. please improve, maybe next trip to orlando ,we revisit..also please clean patio area.looks bad for a first impression. Posted on April 11, 2012 |
Thank you so reviewing Charcoal Joe. It's true the outside area is not cleaned as frequently since the tables are not really for dining purpose. The staff from the school next door come and sit in the afternoon and they do make a mess (we have complained many times). If we have had a busy lunch, they my staff doesn't get to the outside until closing or next morning. Anyway, a simple request would have gotten them to clean it up for you to enjoy the weather.
The plain and ordinary fries are called french fries and we do carry salt and other seasonings to satisfy your tastes. Did you ask your server? As for the side, I don't know why anyone would order Rice and Beans with a steak?! We don have Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Veggies, Mac & Cheese, Corn, Cole Slaw which go very well with the ribs and Stakes. As for the Whopping $21, It's almost a pound of New York strip premium Halal meat which costs us at the rate of 38% food cost. Most restaurants have food cost of 30%. Our steaks are very good and simmilar quality meat is sold at other steal places for $24 to $35. Don't you think I did a price analysis in the area before pricing my menu items? I don't just cater to Muslims only and my Non Muslims customers don't complain about things without first asking the staff to fix things in the event something is wrong.
I would urge all the future customer to Charcoal to please communicate with your server regarding any problems that you may be having. JazakAllah, Ahmed |
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★★★★★ Charcoal Joe's is a must visit for whenever we come down to Orlando. I love their Ribs and their burgers have always been juicy and fresh (I love the inferno burger!). The Portuguese chicken was reminiscent of Nando's up in Toronto, very flavorful. The atmosphere is friendly and the staff is always very helpful. We came here multiple times during the two weeks we were there. Posted on April 10, 2012 |
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★☆☆☆☆ The only thing good that i've had there is their Buffalo chicken wrap. Their Philly cheese steak is not a real Philly cheese steak. Their service is mediocre and their food is okay. The French fries were good though.. Posted on April 3, 2012 |
Thanks for your review although I though it was a bit harsh to give one star for things that you thought were okay and not horrible. We are working to improve on service which has been a challenge as most servers quit after dealing with our Muslims customers. So we have to resort back to desi servers who don't quite have the service experience. |
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★★★☆☆ we were somewhat confused and conflicted about the description of the resturant, and what we encountered, first off, as soon as we parked, we saw the sign was broken off and damaged, so we were'nt sure if it was still operational, once we arrived, we were shown to a booth, but the booth unforunately had this strong cleaner spray type smell, so we asked to move to another booth, and again, the strong fumes were present, i believe they may have been doing deep cleaning with harsh sprays during slow time, but please this should be done only after closing, as some customers have allergies, or respiratory illnesses, and the spray chemicals are needing of ventilation, such as open doors and windows, in case it helps, it had a "lemon" like tinge to it, and the table was wooden, also, when we saw items for dinner, we were expecting as described american and caribbean food exclusively, but we also saw nihari, tikka, curries, etc..i mean, that takes away from the experience, as it is not as advertised or intended, we want "american" experience, we came here to get away for once from nihari, haleems, and tikkas,..so anyways we ordered the hot and spicey burgers with fries..the burgers were good and the fries were ho-hum, they had some items which were affordable, and other items which were very expensive..i wish them the best, but the menu does not reflect the impression given by the broken sign and overall expected vibe..please do not let this place turn into a typical indian resturant, and try to keep the exclusivity in place, which is diminishing. Posted on March 23, 2012 |
I am thoroughly confused and not sure what to take away from your review. First of all, only the Rib portion of our sign fell off and secondly, we do not have nihari and other things you mentioned on our menu. We do have a curry dish which is made in Caribbean style. We do have chicken tikka burger which is very popular among desi as well as non desis. As for the cleaning, we have to use a sanitizing spray in order to make sure that the table are clean after every customer and can not wait until closing. We will however look to perhaps change our cleaning/sanitizing liquid to a different one. Charcoal Joe will not become a typical Indian restaurant despite most of our desi customer want more and more indian items and we lose a lot of business due to lack of those items. Thanks, Ahmed |
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★★★★★ I know that there have been mixed reviews for this establishment, but we went twice during our recent trip and absolutely loved it. Granted, it was not very busy during each visit, but the staff were very attentive, and the guy in charge was very friendly, checking on us regularly and playing with my little girl as well.
As for the food, we thought it was outstanding. The chicken wings were excellent, both the spicy and the barbecue ones. Their spicy burger (inferno burger) really packed a punch, and the chicken tikka burger was also full of flavor. The ribs were pretty good too, and the kids loved the chicken strips. I had a NY steak the second time, and it was also very good. We called ahead to order the second time, and the food was virtually ready when we arrived there nearly 15 minutes later.
We loved this and would highly recommend it. In my books, the best halal restaurant in the Disney area. Only 10 mins drive from any of the major parks. Posted on March 18, 2012 |
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★★☆☆☆ dinner prices are on the plus side for a place that resembles a quick service restuarant. i wish they would serve at least bread rolls or offer pitchers on the table of drinks, instead of tightly regulating the soda machine and giving the patrons a barebones style meal. the side items are restrictive, you have a choice of vanilla sides like rice n beans, fries, or cole slaw.which is fine if meal was priced at $5 or $7 and not $15 or $18. the worker or owner or team leader, what have you strongly recommended the steak even though it was uber expensive. i did not want to say anything at that point as i had guests and not want to make a fuss, but my sides were "mixed up" with my other 2 guests plates and the steak was too dry and cooked all to well, making it tough to chew on. i could'nt justify paying the price for the dry meat piece and will pass on this place. perhaps will try there lunch special someday. but dinner was a let down due to low quality for a premium price. Posted on February 20, 2012 |
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★☆☆☆☆ All the negative reviews make sense.. I had 2 bad experiences here. Undercooked food. I would rather go to mc donalds and eat a fish sandwich then go back to charcoal joes. Posted on February 20, 2012 |
I am sorry for your experience at Charcoal Joe. Did you try to resolve your bad experience with the manager on site? If so, did he not make it right? I would love for you to try it one more time and if you are not satisfied, please have your wait staff call me. I would appreciate you giving us one more try. Thanks, Ahmed |
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★★★★★ I have lunch regularly at this place. Grilled chicken burger and grill chicken salad are very good. They have spicy grilled burgers too and tastes really good. They are little pricey, but are cooked fresh right in front of you. Posted on February 18, 2012 |
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★★☆☆☆ Problem is there is no consistency.. One day food might be decent and the next day totally un-eatable. Last time I went my child bit into a piece of chicken which was pink and totally raw inside. Another time our food was almost burnt! I'm sorry I wouldn't go here again! It's not everyone's game to own and run a restaurant in a professional manner. Allah knows best Im not lying! Posted on February 17, 2012 |
Thank you for your review. It is somethings difficult to maintain consistency with multiple cooks on the grill especially when they are in training. In the past few months we have to go through a entire new cooking staff. Most are now certified chefs and we are working very hard on maintaining consistency. Another thing that makes it difficult with desi customers is that they want everything well done which gets it very difficult to explain to american chefs. Anyway, if things are not made right, the manager on duty should try to make it right. We would appreciate your return to Charcoal. Please ask for Kamran or Haseeb and if you are not satisfied, please have them call me. JAK, Ahmed |
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★★☆☆☆ unfortunately our first visit was disheartening to say the least. I had ordered the grilled chicken wrap and the waitress said we could pick whatever dressing we wanted on it. i asked for ranch. she said ok, she asked if we wanted drinks. i said coke. well then she left with the order. she brought drinks out to us same time as food. and then my grilled chicken wrap was a complete dissapointment. there was obviously a "minimalist" approach to the chicken meat, as all i could really taste is lettuce, and very least amount of meat. they also forgot the ranch, and the waitress said. "it comes like that".well 15 mins ago. you said i can choose whatever i like in it.we also ordered the steak which was cooked without marination as the meat was tough and a bit dry. i was expecting an excellant steak with the recommendation being given by the person in charge. it was in dire need of tenderizer and some sauces.the side was also a dissapointment. although the waitress did point out we "picked the wrong one" after i mentioned it was well made but in her defence she did offer to replace it and then the waitress had to be asked for a soda refill even though our glasses were clearly empty for several minutes. the underneath problem lies in that the food is served more like fast food places, the prices are like for a full service dining experience. the service is abysimal and the restuarant could use some brighter colors and cleaning up as it is "humid" for some reason. please look to improve upon this restaurant, although the items we had ordered left a lot to be desired and we can't see ourselves coming back for medicore food at the premium pricing. Posted on February 6, 2012 |
Thank you for your review. Our grilled chicken wrap is very popular and come with 4 oz of chicken and ranch is standard unless someone wants another dressing. As for the steak, if you order medium well, it should not be dry. A well done ribeye is pretty tough to eat. As for the pricing, we serve only hand cut hormone free chicken at Charcoal and the beef is also premium grade, I think our prices are much lower in comparison to other restaurants which sell similar grade non halal meat and charge close to $30 for their steaks.
Although we appreciate every review on various website, we find it most hard to lease our Muslim customers who constantly complain about the prices. We pay 90% more for hand cut over machine cut and on top of that, 75% of Charcoal's clients are non muslims! I would urge all the customers who come to Charcoal and have a sub par experience to please get with the manager and if he doesn't make things right, then you have the right to complain and I will make sure that I fix things as needed. Thank you, Ahmed |
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★☆☆☆☆ Right when we walked in the place smelled like a butcher shop, a couple of us started getting nauseous. The waitress took our orders, the food came, and the food was okay. The problems started occurring after that. One person from our table asked for hot tea, and with a box of Lipton tea bags clearly on a counter in front of us, the waitress said that they don't offer tea. The worst part is yet to come, when another person from our table ordered dessert, the waitress made a face and said "Do you really want that? I have to make it you know." Uh Isn't that her job to make it? Charcoal Joe, get your act together. I'm not even done yet. This place charges a 15% tip along with everything you ordered but its not clearly mentioned on the receipt. Make sure you keep track of everything you order. Two things come of this. 1. The service will suck regardless because they're already charging you a tip. 2. I wonder how many people they've ripped off already because they didn't look at the receipt carefully enough and payed an extra tip. Terrible experience, never going back again. Just another typical desi-run halal restaurant experience. Highly disappointed. Posted on February 1, 2012 |
I am not even sure how to respond to your review. The lipton tea is for the ice tea and we do offer tea on special request mostly at night but only the manager can take special request. at for 15%, it's understood in Florida on party of 5 or 6 or more. We charge on 6 or more. Customer's can request for it to be taken off. Anyone who thinks Charcoal Joe has ripped them off, please contact me personally at ahmedfaruqui@yahoo.com and I will personally pay them the amount that thought they were ripped off of. |
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★★★★★ Awesome food and definitely not fast food so the place needs to be a little more refined to more of a fine dine place. Besides that nice people and tasty food Posted on January 29, 2012 |
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★★★★★ What an amazing find, in a sea of way to many Halal restaurants in a small area, we took a gamble and decided on Charcoal Joes, what a great gamble it was...Let me start with the service, as soon as you walk in you are treated like an old family friend, greeted with Salams, offered drinks and made very comfortable...The food is out of this world (I highly recommend the brisket, wow!) everything is very well done, spiced to order...and the meat is all hand slaughtered, TRUE ZABIHAH, none of that fake halal, low quality machine cut meat with a recording of an Imam, nope, not here... The cost may be a tiny bit higher than some Halal restaurants but 100% worth it, remember folks you are paying for real hand slaughtered zabihah here! I can't wait for our next FL trip just to eat here!!! Posted on January 28, 2012 |
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★★★☆☆ they need to bring at least paratha with their chicken tikka and also they can make chicken tikka paratha roll its also a fast food, i ate jalapeno burger it came with a dry beef patty please make it little juicy, i ate couple of the time there but i never had any WOW kinda feelings, and also they have very short menu, Staff is Amazing thou. Posted on January 25, 2012 |
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★★★☆☆ Prices are too expensive food is OK they need a lunch menu for local people looking for halal lunch. Also I get told different prices when I ask different workers. Would he nice to have drink included with combination meals also. Why try and overcharged Muslims my coworkers get the same food at a non halal place for cheaper and they get a drink. Posted on January 13, 2012 |
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★★★★☆ ...this one has it's pluses and it's minuses,..the rib meat just simply is'nt worth the price, it's tasty, no doubt, but my understanding is, it's an custom special cut, and has a premium attached to it, but it does bit you hard pricewise for what you get on your plate, the better deals are the whole chicken combos with fries and coleslaw, grilled chicken is just as good as anywhere, the drinks were a little flat, and service was so-so, nice desi sister but more times than not, items were pointed out to me to fetch for myself, instead of desi sister bringing it to our table, so service can use work, pricing can use work, but the taste of the main entree is really really good, sides are acceptable, but portions can get bigger for the prices charged, honestly if there charging let's say $15 for a plate, i see $10 worth of food on there, thats the issue for me, but i will still come in when i'm on the southside of town for a burger or wings, pricey but good. Posted on January 12, 2012 |
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★★★★★ I've tried the portuguese bbq chicken and MashaAllah, it was the most delicious chicken entree I've ever had since i came to US. My friends tried other entrees, and I would say all of them were very good; either western or indian. The ribs is juicy and mouthwatering. The service was very, very, very, very, VERY excellent. The price is really reasonable. Below $10 per person. Insyaallah, I will definitely come to this restaurant in the future - strongly recommended! :):) Posted on December 25, 2011 |
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★★★★★ The best food in Orlando by far,
The rib eye steak is a must it will melt in your mouth. The chicken is also very good. The staff are helpful and friendly. 10/10 Posted on December 25, 2011 |
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★★★☆☆ some items very expensive, other restuarant sell halal chicken for $8-$12..they sell for $18-$20., the side dishes are not well made, and taste cheap, the staff workers are friendly and nice big tv to watch while waiting for food..too small size fries with wife's chicken burger, asked first for other things, they don't have?.then had steak, very expensive, tasted good, not big, but ok sized piece.wife like sandwhich, okay price for sandwhich, only 5 pieces of fries come with it, steak come with small amount of salad,and rice left hungry, went to fast food and drank milkshake for dessert. try it, but nothing better here than what others can do for half price. Posted on December 8, 2011 |
As-Salaam-Alaikum,
Thanks for your review. No restaurant sells Hand Cut Halal Chicken for $8 to $12. There is one restaurant in the area that sells their chicken for $12 but it is a 2 pound chicken, and our's is 3 1/2 pounds. We get a lot of complement on our side and most people praise us for keeping such a wide variety for if you didn't like them, I wish you had brought it up with the manager and he would have made it right for you or given you something else. Also, did you really count 5 (five) fries? I wished you would have taken a photo to send to me and I swear to Allah, I would have fired the entire staff! As for steaks, ours are 12 to 14OZ steak which go for between $25 and $35 in other comparable restaurants (As for halal, there are no comparable restaurants). I hope you give Charcoal another chance and if you have the same problems, I wish you call me at 4074141985. JazakAllah, Ahmed |
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★★★★☆ did'nt have what i came in for, (slab of ribs)..it says ribs but they just serve up one piece on a plate..not worth it for what there ask'in.. but i'm glad i ordered up what was recommended..it was good!!!..spiced right!!!..BBQ Grilled chicken along with rice and beans and coleslaw..hit the spot, and the chicken was done right!!!.sides were "meh".my better half had an order of wings and waffle fries, and for drinks it was a downer, we had like 2 choices left for soda, everything else was out..but hey, life happens.good chicken, definitely be back for the BBQ Grilled chicken next time. Posted on December 8, 2011 |
ASA, actually it says rib on the menu but it's a short rib which has about a 5 to 7 oz steak on the bone. We do run out of the ribs in the busy season. They are hard to come by (special Order) and take over 5 hours to make. I encourage everyone to call ahead for ribs. As for the drink, not sure why we were left with only two choices but I apologize for that and assure you that it will never happen again. Jazak-Allah, Ahmed |
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★★★☆☆ eh, i really dont know what to say about this place. I cant say my meal was bad because i havent had beef ribs in a long time. But i cant say i was totally satisfied. The meat was rare and extra fatty. It seemed like the meal was cooked previous and recooked again. Again, i am not sure of the number of customers on a regular basis but it seemed like a lot of the food was just frozen and sprinkled with seasoning at the end. I really had high hopes for this place, but it seemed like quality needs to be relooked. Posted on December 7, 2011 |
ASA, nothing at Charcoal is precooked or frozen apart from some appetizers and sides. The ribs are cooked in the oven and kept in the steamer. The Portuguese Chicken is made on the BBQ Pit and is kept in the steamer (We can cook to order but it take about 50 minutes). Everything else is made from the cooler to the grill or fryer! No exception! Thanks, Ahmed
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★★★★★ I've had my share of halal food around Orlando. Charcoal had been on my list to go try out for a while and Im really glad I did. The owner suggested we try the ribs so we did. The portion was a bit small for someone with a big appetite like me but it was still worth it. Delicious. My mouth is watering just from thinking about it. Overall the place had a very friendly atmosphere. But I give it a 5/5 for the rib. I will be back! Posted on November 29, 2011 |
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★★☆☆☆ there apparently are still some kinks that need to be worked out, i wholeheartedly agree with the previous poster, some of the outages were baffleing, as there is a vegetable market next door, and wholesale store just up the street, a lot of our orders were deficient, mainly because of "not having this" or "we don't have that"..or "let me check first, sorry we don't have that either, sorry.sorry"..that is all we heard, and also the menued items decribe preparation in a certain way, but the sandwhiches and even appetizer come out made with again as noted missing ingredients..this has been happening over again and again, the young muslimah sister is very kind and apologetic, but not well versed in taking orders, my advice to staff would be to start writing down orders on a pad, that way..you will not keep messing up...on the plus side the prices of some items went through the roof over the summer, but i am glad to see more reasonable pricing this fall...i would like to continue supporting this restuarant, but some of the outages are almost inexcusable..why can't someone run to the store?..i mean, even go next door?..my friend and fiance joked..maybe they ran out of tap water also, because that's how bad it is getting at times..by the way you have the ribs market cornered, indeed fantastic..but everything else falls flat because of missing key ingrediants not available, and no new person was training at our visit, and it was'nt too busy either, and if it was one or 2 items it could be understandable and overlooked..but it was more like 4-5 items and just basic things like condiments, vegetables, sides, etc..poorly managed inventory..please work on it..left dissappointed..will try again, maybe better next time? Posted on November 22, 2011 |
ASA, thanks for your review. From your knowledge of the local wholesale store etc, seems like you are local. I urge you to give us another try and if you are not satisfied with the service or the inventory, I would love to hear back from you at 4074141985. Please remember, your feedback helps us improve on a lot of things which is essential to running a successful restaurant. Thanks, Ahmed |
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★★☆☆☆ Services was slow, and some of the basic food was not available on the menu and food took time to come out. They didnt seem busy so I am not sure what the issue was. Posted on November 16, 2011 |
ASA, The food at Charcoal can take long depending on what you order from the menu since most items are made fresh when ordered. The only quick items on the menu are the Portuguese chicken and Ribs since we precook them and keep them in the steamer. As for the not having basic food, I am not sure what you mean. I apologize for the slow service. We have hired a few new people for the holiday season and we are in the process of training them. I hope you give us another try. You didn't mention how your food tasted. |
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★★★★★ Their ribs are to die for coz the meat on them is so tender and juicy, it literally melts in your mouth! Their steak is pretty good too but their ribs are just excellent!! Posted on November 16, 2011 |
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★★★★★ My husband and I are visiting from Chicago. We ordered 3 different items (brisket sandwhich, inferno burger, and short ribs) and all three were so so good! Wish this place was in Chicago :( We leave Thursday and are planning to come here everyday to eat...it's awesome! Friendly owner and great service! Mashallah! Posted on October 18, 2011 |
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★★★★★ [No review submitted] Posted on October 13, 2011 |
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★★☆☆☆ Asalaam Alikum everyone, i have been to this restaurant about 4 times now, so I thought i should post a review. It's just like any other desi restaurant, in the beginning service and food is great but slowly both go down. My last experience was not so great, i got the bbq chicken sandwich, which had a smear of bbq sauce,unacceptable! the waitress always seem like they rather not be there. However I will say the brother with the pony tail is nice whenever he is there, but this place is sorta expensive so when you go there you want to be able to enjoy the food.It's definitely not one $ Please don't get the beef brisket sandwich, it is NOT brisket, just a lot of hot spices on a piece of cooked beef. I am sorry brother but gotta bring your service and food back up to par. asalaam alikum. Posted on September 27, 2011 |
We don't have BBQ chicken sandwich on the menu so when you ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, we had to put BBQ sauce on it. Some people like more sauce, some like less, you could always tell your preference. But, whenever you deviate from the menu, you take a chance. As for the Brisket, it is one of our most selling items! Our lunch crowd is mostly people from the corporate offices near by and we can't up with our brisket. As for the service, we have fired a few servers. Getting good and efficient employees is a challenge but we can only try. I am sure your server was not Desi though so no need to compare us to a desi restaurant, however, you cannot compare us to the big chain restaurants either! Thanks for taking the time out to review us. Ahmed |
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★★★★★ Family and I were vacationing in Orlando and I made it a point to try as much of the halal flavor as I could.
Charcoal Joe's was one of the best restaurants we visited. The decor was good, service was excellent and food was amazing. I ordered the New York Strip Steak and Ribs while the family ordered a couple burgers.
The Ribs were moist and succulent, the steak was extremely tender and the side dishes complimented the entrees perfectly.
The owner came by and was extremely friendly and welcoming as well. I can't wait until my next Orlando trip so I can go back here Posted on August 19, 2011 |
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★★★★★ I have been going to Charcoal Joe's whenever I am in town there. Usually with 6-7 friends. First, the owner is a nice guy. Really tries to make you at home. He went out of his way to tell us that his food is hand cut and not halal that is machine cut. Something that is very important to me.
As for the food? The rib eye steak is to die for. It was cooked to perfection and juicy. The Chicken steak (cajun) was very very good as well (yes i had them both). The wings are the best I have had in florida. But they only come in 6's, which can get expensive if you want to chunk down a lot of them. It would be great if they can make it 20 or 30 wings. Polynesian chicken and beef brisket is good also. The only thing that was not good was the blue cheese for the wings. They could do a lot better.
So the price? It is a little bit expensive compared to other desi restaurants. But where else can you get great steak at the same price as a place like Outback or somewhere else? Overall, great place to eat. Posted on August 17, 2011 |
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★★★★★ My family and I love Charcoal Joe! We went there about a month ago and the food and service was fantastic. There were two young girls working and they were very friendly and had great recommendations. The ribs were AMAZING!!! We ordered more to take home after eating they were so good! Thank you for the excellent food. We will definitely eat here again. Posted on July 24, 2011 |
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★★★☆☆ during our visit to Orlando in July, we went and tried several restaurants, but we settle on this one. he had a average service, which you can expect from most of the desi restaurants any waz, un clean table, slow server approach and lack of courtesy. but the food was good. there Portuguese chicken was exceptional. my kids ordered burgers which they liked it. restaurant had a poor choice of beverages. water, and couple of soda brands, don't expect more. but if you want to eat good food, than i recommend this. Posted on July 23, 2011 |
I am glad you liked the food at Charcoal and apologize for your experience with service and cleanliness of the restaurant. We are working hard to find the right staff which has been the most challenging task since we opened last year. Your review is greatly appreciated as it helps us focus on improving the quality of our customer's dining experience. As for the beverage choice being poor, we have Coke products including six fountain drinks, Vitamin Water, Mango juice and Ice tea which is pretty standard. Regards, Ahmed |
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★☆☆☆☆ quite the poor experience, we are sitting at a table with party of 7 peoples and 3 of us already have sodas, but our food is being boxed and handed over the showcase/counter in bags..so fine, no big deal, we were headed to my friends apartment anyhow..we will eat over there, get there, and another dissapointment, the food is NOT made the way we asked, i take that back, our hostess, she kept asking US about the preparations and flavors and side choices,...but in the end, it all was just random or more like there way or the high way....need to seriously work on listening to customers and pay attention to what is going on, we are SITTING at a table, you CAME to us with our orders, we told you to make ONE chicken to go to take home to mom & dad, yet, you just boxed any and everything, then you missed the boat by NOT MAKING ANYTHING the way we asked, makes me mad just thinking about this place..cost us almost $100..and what did we get in return?..ONE OF THE WORST EXPERIENCES AT A HALAL RESTUARANT. Posted on July 12, 2011 |
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★★☆☆☆ I went to this place two times and the first time it was good but the second time it was not. I've thought about giving it another chance but I'd rather go somewhere where I know it's going to be good all the time. Plus the sides are weak. Posted on June 26, 2011 |
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★★★★★ First timer to this place and really loved the food definitely going back there soon Posted on June 22, 2011 |
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★★★★☆ Came here while vacationing, tasty food and nice atmosphere; however, the two girls behind the counter were not very pleasant. Wish their attitudes could have been a bit better. Hardly spoke a word and my friend and I left with a poor impression. But, would return for the delicious food :) Posted on June 14, 2011 |
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★★★★★ I'm a local and a regualr at Joe's. This place has the best steaks and delux cheese burgers in FLORIDA! The owners and staff are great! I have been satisfied every time I'm there. I brought friends from Canada and they LOVED IT! I can't believe all the negative comments out there when my whole family enjoys both their restaurants EVERY SINGLE TIME! Great consistancy! I think you should bring back the Prime Rib eye steak! It was amazing and worth the price. Posted on June 13, 2011 |
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★★★★★ Great fresh halal food, good prices and very nice people. Loved it and I recommend it for all. Posted on June 5, 2011 |
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★★★★☆ Brisket sandwich and wings are great! The guy who works there is really nice and very courteous. He made everything fresh and tasted great. Cant wait to visit when I come to ORL again. Posted on June 1, 2011 |
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★★★★☆ In July 2010 i went to this restraunt in Orlando.
The whole Place is fine not bad , but the food is Nice liked the Ribs and also chicken spicy.
The stuff and friendly from india and one american girl , They have lovely Service and i went with my cousins to this restraunt.
Also before saying goodbyes we take a photo with the stuff inside the kitchen. U have to try it i love it and when i visit orlando again i'll be there.
Ahmed Alsaleh - Kuwait Posted on March 21, 2011 |
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★★★☆☆ I have been to this place twice. To sum it up, the place is run by a nice gentleman with a Pony hear style wearing a Short. The place lacks proper management. He is welcoming and will take your order alright, but you'd see inconsistency in the rest of the service.
Food: Depends on the chef of the night. One night our sandwich was alright, the second night the chef was debating and fighting with the owner and our sandwich suffered by losing some key ingredients.
I find it too pricey for what you get. Kids will like the place because it's dark but I'm not taking guest over there, that's for sure. Posted on February 17, 2011 |
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★★★★☆ this is a great place to hang out for the younger set or the young at heart..i think the environment definitly encompasses a cheery, happy fun vibe,...and the menu hits all the spots and is more or less met our expectations with one exception..the chicken bites..it was honest to god almost inedible..just covered in batter with a greasy residue, dried out, and rock-hardened with minimal flavor of chicken..not sure if it's homemade or prepackaged, but we were 4 people and we had it taken back, because all 4 of us found it terrible..we regret wasting food, however, not sure if the cooks let it sit in the fryer too long or the brand is no good..but again, i feel it has no place in a restuarant of this caliber...the dinner menu left us craving for more..the ribs were soft and the meat slid right off the bone and tasted like a bbq steak..plus the chicken was better than rottiserie style but made in a similiar fashion and it was nice to see soo many options for sauce coatings..variety is the spice of life!...that being said,..the service was quite lacklustre and dismal..i felt with the prices being asked and the way the establishment represents itself, there should have been no reason for us to constantly grab her attention as with the exception of one other table, we were the only ones dining in at that moment..but she tend to "shy away?".from us?..or perhaps was a little bored, but her nice smile and friendly attitude does make up for it.,.again the owner has addressed this apparently in other reviews so i'm hoping it does resonate more at the table...and we cannot wait to return again for the dinner menu. Posted on January 28, 2011 |
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★★★★★ Very delicious food. The first time I tried the takeout, we got two grilled chickens, one jerk, one spicy. It was way too salty to the point where I felt it must have been a mistake. So we gave them another shot, and it was just absolutely delicious! The ribs were fantastic too, just falling off the bone. Oh man, just writing this review is making me hungry. Posted on January 21, 2011 |
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★★★★★ The RIBS....OMG the Ribs were soooo gud!!! Wish I could fly down from chicago during my lunch break and have some more :( request to the owners - please open a branch in chicago Posted on January 19, 2011 |
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★★☆☆☆ i too agree with some of the posts when it comes to service.lol..the person who took our orders at my table, went over to the counter, handed over the slip, and then sat right back down in a booth in front of the t.v. and started texting.lol..never got back up until the food was ready, which was around 20 mins time.lol.where are our drinks?..why do we want our appetizer with our food all at once?.lol...why am i being served on porcelin plates and lol styrofoam cups?..how come when i requested the sauce bottle, i was told to "bring it back up when i'm done with it".lol..should'nt my server try to at least put in some effort to earn the tip she graciously pointed out and was tapping on the line at the end of the receipt when cashing out?.lol..on the menu front, the items are very tasty and definitely different from any other place i visited, the chicken is especially outstanding!..this is a MUST try!..but be prepared to have to fight tooth and nail to try to get something more servicewise other than just handing over dinner plates back to texting i go..(btw, which is very rude in front of customers)...my advice to the person who owns the place would be, i implore to perhaps send a trusted friend or a "secret shopper" and see what exactly does go on, when the owners are not around, it just becomes too casual, too laid back, too rowdy, the biggest detractors are text messaging and employee's being glued to the t.v...you definitely nailed the food department..it is a treat, but need to work on how to treat "neglected" customers right. i'm only rating poor for service, the food get's 5 stars. Posted on January 12, 2011 |
I appreciate the review and that is really the only way we can improve on things as we can't be there all the time. We have been struggling with the employees since we opened but then that is always the case when you are only seven months old. It took us about two years at Golden Dynasty to find reliable and trusted employees plus my brother is there all the time. Next time, I would much rather people ask for me and complain to me so I know who the employee is rather then posting a review. I do have some good employees and I have fired a lot of the previous ones but contacting me or asking for the manager's number should be the first step if you want to help and not hurt the business. Inshallah, things will get better in the service department over time. Ahmed |
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★☆☆☆☆ i wish i too could submit a "glowing" review as the others, but i must say i left with a less than stellar impression and it appears they have a long way to go to get it up to speed, first off, service takes a dive when the owner/manager has stepped outside or on an errand run (as i was told). basically i had to get up twice and ask my 'server" (the 2 girls slumped over the counter watching tv) for my refills and the cookies i requested for my child to snack on as they were too busy in watching tv dramas., then i specifically was looking for a sandwhich for my child that is not full of gonk and fillers etc, and i was told the delux burger is the way to go, and i was charged an upcharge..not sure why they offer 2 kinds of burgers, one that is freshly made, and the other that is some frozen commercial patty..after i received assurances and paid the upcharge we were nevertheless given the frozen prepared patty, because the person cooking the food, either did'nt care or is'nt aware of 2 distinct kind of burgers on the menu. ( i did'nt realize it was the inferior one until i got home and looked my childs left overs and saw it was the frozen patty)..the whole time we were there, the "girl" who took my order NEVER came by our table, and then some gentlmen walked in who happens to be a friend, and next thing i know it is like time to "hang out" like we customers did'nt even exist...it was quite difficult to get their attention from our table when there to busy "hanging out and goofing off and watching tv"..i had visited before when the person in charge is there, he is very friendly and seems like impressinable guy and a good cook,..but i am sorry to say, as soon as they step out..be prepared to have a miserable experience in an extra loud environment where young adults are carrying on about "getting drunk" and "boyfriend/girlfriend issues"..also get used to seeing these "friends of the business" receive free sodas on the house and get to sit down and watch sports while the paying customer is left hanging out to dry..the only time i saw some resemblence of being in a restuarant is when the person in charge walked in and everybody scrambled and he did ask me how everything is, as he walked in, and i just did not want to say anything then because i realized kids are going to be kids, but again, there is a time and a place for it, and not acceptable when we are paying in excess of $40..p.s..the 2 burger idea is nonsense, because the kids doing preparation don't care, or can't tell them apart, or believe "we won't ever know"..but i don't want to feed my kids that preservative filled patty so, if you are going to charge me more, but doing the old bait n switch then it's best to forgoe the "hand made fresh patty" since obviously it's not available..not sure who to hold accountable for this "experience" at charcoal joe,..(the owner?.for he is responsible?..the person in charge?.obviously has not trained the staff in customer service? or the kids?..since it appears to be "party time" at the expense of the customer service when owner is off premises?..just angry i shelled out soo much and got soo little in return service wise, the food was tasty except the burger was bad, but then again that was NOT what i was promised. Posted on January 10, 2011 |
I apologize that you did not get the service you should have on your visit to Charcoal Joe. The servers should have been behind the counter and giving their 100% to take care of you and your needs to make your dinning experience a fantastic one at Charcoal Joe. However, that is the crucial time when customers need to ask for a manager/owner and tell them first hand so we can fix the situation. I did layoff one employee based on a similar complain but I knew who was working when the complain came to me. As for the two kinds of burgers, I am not sure why is that nonsense!? One is a 1/4 pounder regular burger and the other is a 1/3 pound premium meet with special marination so they have a different taste. besides, the regular burger is usually ordered by kids. If you live in town, please stop by and I would be happy to give you your money back for the mix up in your order. If you live out of town, please call me at 407-414-1985 so I can make arrangements with you to refund your money. It is never our intention to cheat anyone but we cannot be there all the time and unless people contact me right as something happens, there is very little I can do. I do appreciate your review and am sorry about your experience. I hope you will come back at least once more since you didn't find the food too bad. Jazak-Allah-Khair, Ahmed |
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★★★★★ My husband and I discovered Charcoal Joe on our trip back in august 2010, were so thoroughly impressed by this place that even today we can recall the taste of the most delicious steak we have ever eaten, I cannot really describe how tasty the steak was, you have to taste it to know what im talking about, We viisted pakistan this winter and couldnt find a single place that served the steak the way charcoal joe does ....after every dinner we said oh its not like the one in orlando. The Portuguese chicken was very good too. I'm sure the owner remembers us coz we ordered seconds on steak both times we went there. We were visiting from kansas n chicago. And oh ya the ribs were amazing too and the service was excellant, owners know what they are doing. I want to visit Orlando again, not to go to all the disney n universal attarctions but for Charcoal Joe's steaks :) . My two cents will be to try the steak Medium done they are the juiciest at that level. Posted on January 9, 2011 |
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★★★★☆ BBQ CHICKEN TASTE VERY GOOD.MR,COOK IS NICE GUY.HE KNOWS HOW TO TAKE CARE OF CUSTOMER Posted on December 27, 2010 |
Thank you for your kind comments Salim bhai. It means a lot coming from you! And yes, Mr. Cook(Haseeb) is a nice guy Alhumdulillah! JazakAllah Kahir, Ahmed |
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★★★★★ I was visiting from Dallas and i have to say i was pleased to eat here. Me and my wife ate here twice. We ordered Portuguese chicken and New York Steak the first time around, and frankly i was very very pleased with both the dishes. I haven't eaten chicken like that before. The second time we ordered fried chicken and brisket sandwich. The brisket sandwich was awesome, but same cannot be said about the fried chicken. The Fried chicken was overly oily. It wasn't made correctly, I have had better fried chicken in dallas. Nevertheless, not every restaurant can have everything perfect but all other items we excellent therefore it gets top ratings , i just wish there was something of this caliber in dallas. This says a lot about the food they are serving. Posted on December 22, 2010 |
Thank you so much for your feedback and the complement. It means a lot when a customer leaves an honest review. I am sorry about the fried chicken. I serve it only for a few regulars who have it all the time since there are not too many halal fried chicken places in Orlando. If not for them, I would just concentrate on the BBQ/Grill items and sandwiches. Hope to see you again soon inshaAllah. |
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★★★★☆ I was in the area for a convention with my family and used Zabihah.com (which is a great asset for the muslim community) to find Charcoal Joe. Good american style food, nice new and clean place with good service where you can dine in with your family. We had the Portuguese chicken, which was the best, a good portioned sirloin strip steak, chicken tikka and a burger. The kids liked and enjoyed the food and would like to come back again. The only suggestion I have is have some smoked flavored meats and serve a whole rack of ribs instead of just two and maybe charge a little more. Posted on October 21, 2010 |
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★★★★☆ Great Food! I lived in Hunters Creek for a while and never get a chance to go there - since I moved to Oviedo we go there for Halal food 2 to 3 times in a week - food is great and the chicken is awesome - We also like to go to Golden Dyansty for Chinese. Only thing is the Quantity in Golden Dynasty is lesser but the taste is great in both places. Keep up the good work Ahmed bhai..you are doing a job good to provide us Halal chicken and burgers Mashallah...:) May Allah gives you success in future and make your business more successful. Posted on October 20, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Excellent food ! service was great. Absolutely loved it. The owner was at the restaurant and he was kind and generous to his workers and the customers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Posted on October 8, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Good food. Love the Nando's sytle grilled chicken. The deluxe burger is good too. Service is little slow but worth the wait. Posted on September 17, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Had an interview in orl, my dad, my brother and I thought 2 make the trip to as many restaurants as possible lol. After our gr8 and usual stop at dynasty, we saw the same owners opend charcoal joe. First of all, u gotta b out of ur mind if u don't like the taste. Second I personally thought the prices were reasonable for what they were serving. U may b right abt the restaurant depot chk, but how much do u think they get beef ribs for? The staff? Pure gentlemen, they offerd many ways for us 2 take the delicious chk bak for our family, but I felt they should experience it fresh. Good work guys, should b comming bak soon IA. Our tour stopped here bcuz we were stuffed. Oh and a tip, definately go for the deluxe burger. Posted on July 27, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Hey their everybody =)
I was visiting from Virginia and stumbled upon this amazing restaurant! The customer service was great and the vibe the restaurant has is very chill. I've never had Portuguese chicken before that tasted this good! The staff members were very polite and always had a smile on their face =) The owner of this restaurant actually came over and talked to us, asked us what we thought of the food, that was soo sweet! The sauces that they had available were not the generic sauces that are offered typically at restaurants, they actually made it themselves! If you are ever in Orlando, you must stop by this restaurant and try their food! Thank you for serving such tasty food and for all your hospitality! Posted on July 24, 2010 |
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★☆☆☆☆ Please don't let this guy fool you by getting his friends to leave him amazing reviews. You will definetly be disappointed, and better off buying your own bbq grill and doing it yourself. This restaurant is by far one of the worst halal restaurants i've ever been to. The owner and staff are very rude and cocky, boasting that his chicken is the best. I don't understand where he gets the concept of portuguese chicken, when he admits to buying the chicken from restaurant depot, and I go there also and have never seen "portuguese" chicken. His prices are out of the roof, $16 for a whole chicken? $7 for a sandwich? seriously? Just to give everyone an example, a whole 40lb box of halal chicken at restaurant depot is roughly between .50-$1.50 per lb. depending on the type, so this guy is ripping hard working people off. He claims his beef brisket is the best in town, when to me it tasted like a sloppy joe. The chicken in the jerk sandwich was not fully cooked. The only thing decent to eat at this restaurant was the fried chicken, but even that cost an arm and a leg. And finally, what put me over the top was when I saw a sign by the ketchup and napkins that said please do not take more then you need? I would not recommend anyone to go here, because you will spend quite a bit of money and not be happy. Posted on July 24, 2010 |
This is the funniest review I have ever received for either of my restaurants!! First off, I am not fooling anyone by letting my friends leave reviews and you should be ashamed of yourself for that assumption if you are a muslim as that is against the teachings of islam! Secondly, Portuguese chicken is not chicken that comes from Portugal! It is chicken which is prepared with special seasoning with skin on over a fire or charcoal grill and we got the concept from the previous owner who was from Portugal. Thirdly, regardless of what we pay for the chicken ($1.18 a pound roughly 3.2 pounds), there is additional cost associated with preparing it(cutting, seasoning, coal, employees, rent etc. so yes, we sell the whole chicken with a large side for $16.00 and Alhamdulillah we sell a lot of it. Fourth, we have burgers starting at $3.99 but you had to pick the only $7 sandwich we have. Lastly, before you call me or my employees rude, please take a moment and come talk to me! Also, before going over the top reading the sign by the ketchup, you should have noticed the ketchup, the A1 sauce and the spicy sauces that we have on each table! I do appreciate your feedback and regret that you experience at Charcoal Joe was less then great like most of the people who eat here. Regards, Ahmed |
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★★★☆☆ good food not great but good i will come again Posted on July 22, 2010 |
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★★★★★ I love the menu. The deluxe hamburger was really good. My favorite is the jerk chicken sandwich - spicy and tasty.
I haven't tried the beef ribs or steak but plan to in the near future. Posted on July 6, 2010 |
Thank you Naushad! We really value you as a customer at both the restaurants and coming all the way from Lake Mary once or twice a week for numerous years!! Ahmed |
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★★★★★ This restaraunt is amazing. The service was good, the food was excellent, and the overall atmosphere was great! I'm definately going back for their steak and that portogese chicken!!!! Thank you for finally opening something with steak and other halal things that can't be found anywhere else!!! Posted on July 4, 2010 |
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★★★★★ AMAZING PLACE MASHALLAH MAY YOUR BUSINESS THRIVE AS A STUDENT WHO IS STUDYING HOSPITALITY I DISAGREE WITH THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS LEFT ABOUT THIS RESTAURANT. THE OWNER TREATS EVERY PERSON WITH THE MOST AND UTMOST RESPECT AND MAKE THE FOOD FRESH AND ALWAYS ASK "HOW'S YOUR MEAL" I FEEL THAT THIS PLACE WILL THRIVE AND I PRAY IT WILL DO GOOD. Posted on July 1, 2010 |
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★★★★★ One of the newest halal joints in O-town.Don't knock it if you haven't even tried it!.Request the homemade sweet & spicy pineapple chicken marinade and you will be hooked!. Great Staff! Great Service!.Open Kitchen let's you watch your food being prepared right off the charcoal grill! 5 stars all around! Posted on July 1, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Despite reading these 2 "negative" reviews, i thought that i would give this place a shot anyway. I'm visiting this area while on a conference. I first tried Charcoal Joe's about 2 days ago. I thought the food was FANTASTIC!! The place was clean, the staff was friendly and extremely helpful. A nice personalized touch was when the managers/owners came over to ask how the food was. I definately recommend the beef brisket sandwiches along with the beef ribs. I didn't find anything wrong with the taste. If people are gonna nitpick about paperplates then i think they have missed the boat completely. It's really very simple - try the place out - and if you like it - great and if you dont like it then not so great. I still give the owners an "A" for at least venturing out and providing the Orlando area Halal eating population with an alternative to daal/chawal and tikka masala. Kudos to Charcoal Joes. I will be going back. PS it was reasonably priced and it was VERY kid friendly!!! Great staff and great food with consistency - twice in three days. Posted on June 28, 2010 |
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★★★☆☆ i initially visited this place for take out during their first week in operation (at least that is what i was told) and it was quite challenging at best to place an order as there were many discrepencies and "shortages" and more or less inconsistencies with everything from pricing on the menu to what is actually available compared to the printed menu..basically i had to settle for my third choice which was a chicken dish...i was'nt really in the mood for chicken..but that is what i ended up during the process of elimination while looking over the menu with the staff..i had an overall disappointing experience..and i can cut them some slack as it was allegedly week 1.(another patron told me otherwise)...but i am spending my hard earned dollars..so perhaps the "grand opening" advertised was a bit too soon..i did make a follow up visit the other day and yet still they are in the process of revamping and sorting out the menu...i can only recommend this place if you call ahead and clarify that items are available otherwise prepare to be dissapointed..one or two non-availability is understandable..but beyond that is ridiculous when the menu is rather limited. Posted on June 22, 2010 |
Based on your reviews of both my restaurants it seem like either you don't like us or a tough customer to please. I just left you a reply on your review for Golden Dynasty and there also, you had a lot of assumptions as you do here. We took over the place on the 30th of May so I don't know which other patron told you otherwise. I will be more then happy to refund your hard earned money if you were not satisfied with the food or service for a valid reason (taste/incomplete order on take out etc.). We have a full menu and the only thing we did not offer for the first two weeks was the Chicken Skewer. The first few weeks, we could not keep up with the orders due to the overwhelming response from Muslims and Non-Muslims alike and due to that, we kept on running out of our beef ribs, everything else was available. Since, it takes over five hours to prepare the ribs, and it is a very expensive item, we can only make so much to minimize wastage. Calling ahead is a good idea but only if you are in a rush! No one so far has been disappointed at Charcoal Joe other then you albeit people had some feedback which I always welcome. So I encourage you to first talk to the owners/manager of any restaurants you go to before putting up a reviews to deter other customers a great dining experience. I can be reached at 407-414-1985 and will make sure that you leave satisfied if you give us a try again. JazakAllah Khair, Ahmed |
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★☆☆☆☆ no taste at all,secially chicken Posted on June 21, 2010 |
If you mean by "no taste" meaning no desi masalas, then yes we have no taste at all! We are serving to over 80 customers daily from all walks of life and they are all very pleased with the flavors of our food especially the Chicken. You should also try our special spicy sauces if you decide to give us a try again. Ahmed |
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★★★★★ I live in Orlando and have been looking to find a restaurant that serves Halal Grilled Steaks, Burgers, and Chicken but there was non till I found Charcoal Joe. The restaurant have been recently taken over by a Muslim and the food is delicious. I have been there several times and the best thing I liked about them so far is that they have maintained the quality unlike other Halal Restaurants in Orlando. Posted on June 19, 2010 |
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★★★★★ I will definitely return to Charcoal Joe. The food is very different and super tasty. The fried and portugese chicken is phenomenal. Great atmosphere, not to mention how clean it is! as i said before, i will go there again for sure! Posted on June 18, 2010 |
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NR From the owners of Golden Dynasty comes Charcoal Joe. Home of Portuguese Grilled Chicken, Beef Ribs, Steaks, Burgers and Wraps. Come try our custom hot sauces and have your food at your spice level. Our food is made fresh and our facility is clean and stylish!! See you there soon!!! Posted on June 17, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Great food! Even better customer service! Though its a new restaurant, its a hit! Amazing sandwiches and absolutely LOVE the Portuguese chicken! Will definitely go again, recommend for everyone, prices are fair, place is comfy, and food is served fast! Owner is very friendly also! Posted on June 17, 2010 |
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