2006
On Eastern Ave
Carlos Cruz — from a dishwashing job to his own kitchen in Highlandtown.
The Story
El Salvador roots, a Highlandtown home
Carlos Cruz came from El Salvador in 1979 and started at the bottom — washing dishes. By 2006 he had his own place at 3508 Eastern Ave, and Carlos O'Charlies has anchored this stretch of Highlandtown ever since.
The menu is exactly what the neighborhood loves it for: Salvadoran comfort food and Mexican plates side by side, with seafood when you want to make a night of it. Two decades in, the regulars don't need convincing.
A Highlandtown institution that grew the honest way — one plate, one regular, one year at a time. Come hungry; leave a regular.