Charlie's Seafood Market

Been there a couple times, I'm not a big seafood person, but the other food is pretty good. The place is small, so doesn't take many people to make it feel "crowded". Had some issues with one of the staff, so kind of stopped going there, but I learned that person is no longer there, so will returning soon.

The experience of eating at Charlie's is a little like eating in someone's finished basement, with a small bar and some scattered tables. They have an uncovered outdoor patio that is a fenced-in area of a parking lot which we chose to avoid. We picked up takeout from there twice (be prepared to wait a while for your food). The crab roll was good with just leg meat (no lump) and butter. The fried shrimp were also good with a crisp batter. Their onion rings were wonderful, made with whole rings and seasoned well. The lobster roll was okay for the first couple of bites, but I noticed an ammoniated flavor halfway through. For the last meal of our yearly summer vacation in Lincoln, I wanted fried seafood. Even though Gillmor's and Timberhouse both had fried seafood/fish available, I chose Charlie's so we could try their fried scallops and clams along with more fried shrimp. We got the triple combo platter ($32.99), onion rings ($5.99), a crab rangoon special ($6.99), and a soda. I guessed our total was about $49 without tax and tip, a good amount for dinner for 2 in Lincoln, plus we were sharing. Our waitress was nice enough and joked with us a little. The crab rangoon were great as were the onion rings. Before our entree came out, our waitress asked if we wanted cocktail sauce or extra tartar. I knew from the menu that extra sauce was an upcharge and we didn't need it, so we declined. I had an inkling she was deliberately trying to upcharge us without notification of it but I ignored my instinct. The fried clams were whole belly and really good, as were the scallops and shrimp. I don't like the fries they serve and neither does my husband, so the huge mountain of them that came with the entree went untouched since they didn't allow for substitutions. We were offered a take-out box. We weren't presented with an itemized bill, but were told the total was $57 and change. I didn't even think about it much since I heard another couple at the bar get charged $54, so it wasn't unusual. After we paid by credit card, we were given an itemized bill showing a $5 charge for an extra plate. Despite the fact that we ordered almost $50 worth of food, we were charged for a sharing plate, a charge that wasn't specified on the menu or on the blackboard. My husband asked our waitress about this and she basically brushed him off. I didnt want to make a scene in front of the local customers, so I hurried out, but felt targeted and ripped off. A sharing plate charge should not only be listed clearly on the menu, but should be applicable if only one member of the party is ordering food. The 2 of us ordered 3 dishes including their largest-portioned entree, enough food for 4 people. We shouldn't have been charged the extra $5. We have vacationed in Lincoln nearly every summer for 10 years and normally have great experiences from everyone with whom we have business dealings. Steaks and Stuff next door to Charlie's has some of the most conscientious customer service I've ever experienced, with a lovely lady from the deli counter giving us some free ham salad since they didn't have the amount we ordered. They also went out of their way to make my husband's breakfast sandwich exactly the way he requested with no additional fee. It makes me feel like Charlie's took advantage of us because our license plates were from out-of-state, even though it was our 3rd time being there. At Charlie's, while we were waiting for our food, the conversation between the staff and locals focused a bit on visitors and vacationers in a not-so-pleasant way, as if their presence was an irritant to them. Having spent so much time in Lincoln, I never really thought of myself as a tourist there. However, after our experience at Charlie's, I was reminded that we are. We weren't made to feel that our business was appreciated (I still left a 22% cash tip). I'm willing to sacrifice the great fried food and crab rolls they have in favor of going to a place that wants me as a customer, not a place that wants to wring my wallet dry with undisclosed fees and sneaky upcharges.