LDR Char Pit

The worst restaurant experience I ever had is with LDR Charpit in Charlotte on numerous occasions. The beginning of last year I moved to oldest part of Greece and borders the Charlotte area. Ideally the area is in walking distance to many bars and restaurants. As we all know most small restaurants are also reasonably priced, thus I prefer this type.
Last year Feb, I went to this establishment (LDR Charpit) for a quick bite to eat. Keep in mind this was the first time. Anyways, I experienced slow service from the waitresses. I had to stress I was in rush so they would take my order! Surprisingly the management allows them, including the cooks, to use cell phones in the work place. I guess surfing the web and Facebook is more important than servicing the customer!
It wasn’t much longer, a couple of weeks later I went back to this place and had another experience. There were some customers and a couple waitresses making jokes and complaining about one of the cooks. (This same cook is still employed here today). This guy constantly argues with the waitresses and occasionally with the customer. Just from the comments from others that works with him — he is very immature or has mental issues! His girl friend is also employed there as a waitress, and the exact opposite of this character. (Of course it makes you wonder if she is hard up)!
In summary; it sounds like besides being lazy, he enjoys abusing alcohol and drugs. Evidently at home — always drunk or passed out in front of his kids, and comes in to work frequently hungover! Now, at the job and in public he would demonstrate distasteful acts = be fondling himself! Sometimes the hands are literally in his pants. At first, I had thought they were only joking about playing pocket pool, until I witnessed it as well. Some would say he’s scratching, others would say playing! He is a standout character — stringy hair (bowl cut style) and bad teeth and a scumbag in general.
This is funny, however also very sickening due to he handles food and they don’t wear gloves or hairnets. Last summer I did complain to the manager and was informed it would be looked into!!! Since then, there are a few pics/​video floating around of him doing this on FB and YouTube. This character should not be handling food…
Evidently the management/​owners condones this perverted act/​s due to there is no changes. This cook is still employed at the establishment — today June 2016.

We have been eating at LDR’s for 33 years, the food is great. Love their steak sandwich, hot sauce is yummy too. The people that work there are always friendly and quick to take your order. Feels like home.

They’ve been here for 71 years, so they must be doing something right. I had the featured and famous ribeye steak sandwich, and it was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, served on a nice hard roll, with a sidebar of condiments. I opted for the Rochester style hot sauce, raw onions and mustard. My companion had her favorite, the hot ham club sandwich, which was served with a whole pile of french fries, perfectly done crispy, the way I like them. The staff was friendly and the order was quick and delivered hot and delicious. There is an extensive menu, and it is our fantasy to come every day until we try everything on the menu. Watch for further reviews.

After reading several of the reviews on this restaurant, I have one important comment to make. If you go to a restaurant and they serve you something that you don’t like? Make them recook it and do it right! As for The LDR Char Pit, the house specialty is the rib eye steak sandwich. It is the very best steak sandwich that you are going to find at any hamburger stand in Monroe County. Here are the facts: Their onion rings and french fried potatoes are hand sliced and battered fresh every single morning. Their rib eye steaks are all delivered fresh every morning! The steak sandwich and the onion rings are a must do for any first timers. I like to order mine medium rare with cheese hot off the grill. Then I hit that mooing bad boy hard with some fresh sliced onion and some of the homemade meat sauce that they keep handy at the end of the service bar. These guys make fuddruckers look like a bunch of amateurs! It does not look like much from the outside but they have been in business there since the early 20^th century. That in itself should tell you something about the place. You might get a little attitude with your service from time to time here but don’t take it personally, I guarantee you that they won’t. This place was a family operation for decades and was recently either leased or purchased by a new owner/​manager. They still get it right and it is worth trying at least once when you get down to the lake.

I got a double cheeseburger, which was cooked correctly and was juicy. A bit on the greasy side, but that was ok. I finished it all. I also got fries. They were beyond greasy and looked old, like they were fished from the bottom of the fryer. They were inedible. So despite the decent burger, I give this establishment 2 stars for serving up something as poor as those fries.

A great locals spot! Diners are a dying breed so we are grateful for the Char Pit. Breakfast is delicious and don’t forget to add the homemade hot sauce to your burger!

Be ready to wait to order… but worth it! Meat ground on site. Burgers are really a steak. Fries are cooked a bit to long for me but have that good crunch factor. Waitresses are constantly on the move and work well together!
Would definitely return!

Not my cup of tea! It’s pretty expensive first of all. When I go get a burger I like it to come with the toppings on it, not do it yourself. The meat sauce sucks! The French fries are really tiny and I got them cold. Not cool! Never again LDR!

This folks is an old school favorite of ours for many many many years… Although the onion rings are the crunchy goodies of old they’re still not bad… The best part of eating at the LDR is the condiment bar where you can dress your burger, hot dog or whatever any way you like… The hot sauce is always tasty and the pickles are made just right, not too tangy and not too soft… Whenever we go there I can’t help but to think about all the great times I’ve spent down in Charlotte growing up… They’ve perked up the old place a little and still kept the old world charm… A must to try for anyone looking for a true Rochester icon…

A Charlotte staple. Great diner to get a bite to eat. The place is mostly visited by locals and it can be intimidating at first but once you get settled, it becomes like the sitcom Cheers, where everyone knows your name.

My parents used to love this place back in the day, but I don’t know if it’s gone downhill or if we just came on an off day but it was really disappointing.
Ok, I’m like 90% sure the burgers we got were of the frozen variety. Very sharp edges, uniform and dry consistency, slightly pink tinge throughout, it tasted just like a supermarket-​brand economy style frozen hamburger patty. And my parents are no burger slouches, so I’m sure they didn’t hype this place up for burgers like that.
I had a hot dog too and it was meh, but better than the burger by a mile. Definitely many tastier dogs in Rochester, though. My brother got a small cup of chili and I’m not lying to you when I say it was the thickest chili I’ve ever seen. I literally stood a knife upright in it and it stayed. The thickness was due entirely to meat. I spotted like, 3 beans in the whole thing and the rest was meat and chunks of meat. It had a decent flavor but wasn’t anything to die for.
The fries were really good. Very rectangular and kind of thick but still very crispy and super hot. The onion rings also looked really good, first of all they were huge and had a lot of crispy batter, and they didn’t do that thing where you can’t bite off the onion and then it slithers out of the coating and you have to try to stuff it back in.
I like their homemade hot sauce, (though its more like a thin chili than a sauce, and it isn’t really hot either) and you can do the condiments yourself which is kind of nice. The staff was friendly too, I just hope the cooks haven’t lost their touch, it would be sad to see this place go down.

Stopped for lunch on a Tuesday and went with the signature «Steak Bomber», steak, cheese, bacon and mushrooms along with fries and a coke. How can you go wrong with those ingredients, tasted great. I used a knive and fork as it seemed a challenge to eat as a sandwich with the abundance of ingredients. Friendly staff, fair prices, I would return for an overindulgence the next time I’m looking to go unhealthy.

Great place for anyone looking for a casual meal. Waitresses are wonderful, and food is great. Always a warm atmosphere. Very family friendly!

Here is another ½ star, the rating chart won’t let me give it two and a half stars. Two is rather low and three is don’t push your luck. This one goes out to all of us celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the historic march on Washington, DC for civil rights. I have been to this establishment three times this summer and honestly the food is decent, the prices are excellent but what I and my son will remember most is the atmosphere. If you are of any ethnicity other than anglo-​saxon you will understand this next statement. Have you ever walked into a restaurant and immediately everyone stops eating turns to the door as if behind you just at the door there was standing Frankenstein’s monster? I kid you not, the people stopped chewing and stared not just the first time we entered but every time that I have been there as if to say «darn… they came back».
In this establishment we were told to take our seats and look over the menu, when we were ready to place an order to come up to the counter. They would then bring our meal to us, OK… so why did everyone else get a personal visit from the waitresses? I really don’t want to think that in this day and time, at this juncture in history, in ROCHESTER, NY??? That we still have to deal with stereotypes and bad behavior. I really didn’t want to get preachy while writing a review but all I really want to do is to go and get 20 or more other professional people of ethnic diversity and just go one morning and sit at the counter and booths. It’s just the MLK in me. There is really nothing to do now at the Port of Rochester but to take your kids to enjoy the playground and watch boats come in and out. We did it every morning but only ate there three times in three months. They could of made a fortune off of the parents in our playdate, but when I was asked about their «service» no one wanted to visit.
Atmosphere aside, the prices can’t be beat! The food is good, not great but you get what you pay for and it’s alright. Won’t be going back anytime soon, school has started HOOOOOORAY! But if you are ever in the mood to take a trip down to rural Georgia circa 1960… the Charpit is the place for you. Enjoy.

From the outside, LDR looks like the other hamburg joints running along the lake from Sea Breeze to the Crescent Beach area. What sets it apart, is the cleanliness (more diner then dive) and the waitress service. I tried the specialty, rib-​eye steak sandwich, and it was not a disappointment. Toppings (cheese, fried onions, etc) are extra, but hot sauce, pickles, onions, relish are all free and self serve. Worth a trip to the lake for a relaxing lunch.

We have been stopping for lunch here twice a year on our field trips for a number of years now, and whenever in Rochester on business. The outside may scare you away, but be brave and enter into the world of the Char Pit. Meat lovers in our group sing the praises of the sandwiches, I like their egg sandwiches and other veggie fare a lot. Everything is freshly made, cooked to order and can be hotted up to suit individual tastes. If the condiments aren’t spicy enough, pour over some Frank’s, it’s on every table. Service is friendly, prompt and the food is quite cheap. I believe it’s cash only, but you can afford it!

LDR came highly recommended but to say the least, it was one of the worst places I have ever eaten. I ordered a hamburger with meat hot sauce. The hot sauce is the worst in Rochester, no joke. It’s main ingredient was tomatoes for some reason. I could’t even eat anymore after the first bite. The experience was bad enough that I will never be back again. The best thing about the place was all of the local memorabilia on the walls.

I work on a staff that works near the Char Pit and we get breakfast here every weekend — so delicious!
The staff is always friendly and I love the atmosphere, even if it an older crowd. And after whichever meal you get, it’s a short walk to Abbotts ice cream and the beach.

This place was recommended to us from over 20 miles away and justifiably so. Great local spot in a very scenic area with a friendly owner who gave an us a verbal tour of the area.

Should rename this restaurant THE BARF PIT. Stopped in to grab a burger with 5 adults and 2 children on a Sunday evening. Huge mistake! Five of the burgers were burned black, topped with cheese, slapped in a bun and then served. Our server knew the burgers were burned but she served them any way. Onion rings and French fries were over cooked and greasy. An order of clam strips were cooked perfectly but tasted as if the frying oil hadn’t been changed in a while. The only edible food served was a toasted cheese sandwich. The cost of the burgers was deducted from our bill and the server did her best to apologize for the aweful food. What happened to the Char Pit? It used to be a great burger place. I will never go there again for fear of a repeat performance. So completely disappointing!