It’s a loss for Mona Vale with legendary charcoal chicken store Ace’s closing, but Fairlight’s just gained a Chargrill Charlie’s!
Chicken-and-chip loving locals can now head up Sydney Rd to try the brand new Chargrill Charlie’s which has opened its doors where Manly Vet Clinic was.
When humble chicken shop Chargrill Charlie’s first opened in 1989 in Coogee, with the view to cooking good food for “family, friends and the community”, no one would have guessed that a national takeover was in order. Fast forward 22 years, and they now have 20 stores across Sydney and Melbourne. And it’s no surprise the greatest concentration of Chargrill Charlies stores are on the Northern Beaches – with locations already at Dee Why, Mona Vale and Frenchs Forest.
Known for their clever marketing, as well as their fun and often bizarre merchandise (Chargrill Charlie’s pjs’, anyone?), it’s the consistently good food with lots of healthy options that’s no doubt behind their success.
They even have quite the celebrity following with the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Rita Ora and Michael Clarke popping in for their bbq chook fix. Other famous fans include Nicole and Keith, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, foodie queen Nigella Lawson, Oprah Winfrey, numerous sports stars – and who could forget the headlines made by Justin Bieber when he sat down for a quarter chicken and salad at the Mosman store.
While Fairlight can now satisfy their appetite, the Beaches community also said a heartfelt farewell to an institution this month – Aces Charcoal Chicken in Mona Vale officially closed its doors. Aces has been serving up mouth-watering charcoal chicken since 1993, earning cult status among locals. For many, it was the ultimate post-beach pit stop for their delicious schnitzel burgers, or family Friday night meal of chicken and chips, a side of cauliflower and cheese, and that divine berry yogurt for dessert.
“After much reflection we have made the difficult decision to close Ace’s Charcoal Chicken,” wrote the Harries. “Since opening our doors in 1993, we’ve had the incredible honour of serving this community for over 30 years. We are deeply grateful for your unwavering support, loyalty and kindness thoughout the decades. Your patronage has meant the world to us and the relationships we’ve built with so many of you have been the heart of everything we do.”
With many in the community wondering what will take its place, and speculating it’s likely to be another tobacconist, it’s Johnny Gio’s Pizza signage that has quickly gone up.
Another chain, the New York style pizza restaurant has 17 locations already with two on the Beaches at Balgowlah and Dee Why. “We hand stretch every pizza in-store, to create a delicious thin, crispy base then load it with fresh ingredients and generous flavours and cook it to perfection in our signature authentic brick oven.” They claim.
Will it fill the Ace’s void?
We’ll look forward to the community’s verdict!
