The Double Cheeseburger King!

Article and Photo by Eric H.
Charlie's Kitchen in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, has been called many things in its 40-plus years of operation: a dive, a clean dive, a dive with great food, a beer joint, a college hangout, a Harvard Square landmark, tacky, loud, fun, and a general source of irritation.

What sticks out most in my mind about Charlie's is that it is "The Double Cheeseburger King," and a restaurant that offers a good value. A long-time favorite of Harvard University students, professors and families who chose not to take the vegetarian route, Charlie's has all the comfort foods that any hungry person, looking for a lively time, could ever want: burgers, beer from around the world, and, at times, loud rock and roll music blaring on the jukebox. While you can get a good salad here, meatloaf dinner, spaghetti, or a lobster roll, Charlie's reputation for being "The Double Cheeseburger King" is accurate and most important here. If there's any doubt, there are two signs out front that state they are "The Double Cheeseburger King." While there might not officially be a king in the kitchen flipping burgers, the taste of these gems is the ultimate in artery-clogging hamburger delight. The forty years in business validate the greatness of Charlie's cheeseburgers, with hopefully many more years of providing this valuable, albeit unhealthy menu item to this otherwise cultural mecca called Harvard Square.


Charlie's Kitchen, 10 Eliot Street, Cambridge, MA. Tel. 617-492-9646