Meet Charlie's Place: An oasis for craft cocktails, fresh food + dog-lovers

About three months after Cristy Shank and her family bought the former Flashback and YOLO Event Center on North Wells Street, the U.S. shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All of our events got canceled, and nobody could dance, so the night club concept didn’t survive,” Shank says. 

Instead, she and her family decided to do what they’ve learned to do well: focus on what they can control, and make the best of it.

With a background in equestrian shows, they purchased a vintage horse trailer, converted it into mobile bar and started serving craft cocktails — a newfound passion for her daughter, Elizabeth Shank. They called it The Charlie Horse mobile bar, named for Cristy’s beloved rescue dog, Charlie, an all-white, mixed-breed protector.

“He’s the caretaker,” Cristy says. “He watches over our other dogs.”

Step into Charlie’s Place today at 4201 N. Wells St., and you’ll find a colorful mural of Charlie by the entrance, eager to greet you. The family restaurant and bar has become a home base for The Charlie Horse that feels more like a cabin – rustic and relaxed with tabletop games, pool tables and shuffleboard. It has an expansive (and dog-friendly) patio that’s partially covered and adorned with lights, flowers – even pear trees.

Cristy says this little outdoor oasis is what made her “fall in love” with the sprawling brick-and-mortar bar in the first place. A former ICU nurse at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, she moved to Fort Wayne about 26 years ago when her husband, Dr. John Shank, purchased Dupont Oral Surgery. He led an oral and maxillofacial surgery practice there for 12 years, and they raised four children together before John suffered a massive stroke in 2010 while attending a horse show out of town with the family, leaving him with severe disabilities.

“Today, it is myself, my daughter Elizabeth, and my son Dan who run our businesses,” Cristy says, noting that Fort Wayne’s growth and care for her family over the years is part of what inspired them to get into the local bar and restaurant industry. 

Elizabeth co-manages Charlie’s Place with Cristy and leads the bar there, while Dan heads up The Charlie Horse Bar stall at Union Street Market at Electric Works – a location they opened about two years ago to be closer to the action Downtown.

“We love seeing Fort Wayne grow,” Cristy says. “That’s a big part of why we wanted to do this.”

In addition to these locations and their mobile bar, the family also runs an event center at their location on North Wells Street, now called The Venue at Charlie’s Place, which offers rentable space for up to 200 guests, and remains popular for corporate and private parties.

Menu-wise, Charlie’s Place focuses on affordable, craft cocktails, as well as fresh American food, weekend brunch, and of course, special treats for its four-legged guests.

“We have a lot of dog lovers who are regulars, and we have a lot of dogs who are regulars, too,” Cristy says.  

We sat down with Cristy for a few quick tips for your next visit to Charlie’s Place.

Give us a quick rundown of your weekly hours and events at Charlie’s Place.

CS: We are open Tuesday-Wednesday 4 p.m.-11 p.m., Thursday 4 p.m.-midnight, Friday 4 p.m.-1 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and closed Monday. We offer weekend brunch and happy hour specials Tuesday-Friday, 4-6 p.m., and Sunday, 5-8 p.m. 

We are all-ages most days, except after 9:30 p.m. on weekend nights, when we become 18+ and host DJs year-round. In the summer, we host live music on the patio, and I post about it on social media when it’s happening, so keep an eye out there.  

In the winter, we also do a DJ-themed brunch once a month, and a lot of people come out and dress up for those, like an 80s brunch or a Taylor Swift brunch.

Tell us more about what makes Charlie’s Place unique.

CS: The guest experience. I’m here almost every day to ensure the quality of our customer service. Our patio is also extremely nice and large, which is rare in Fort Wayne, so we host live music outdoors when we can.

We hear all the time that we have great food at affordable prices, too. Most of our craft cocktails are below $12.  

One thing that hurts us sometimes is that we’re not located within a neighborhood, and Fort Wayne tends to be very neighborhood-centric, where people like to stay in their own parts of town. You might have to venture outside of your neighborhood to come here, but the parking is easy, and when guests do visit us for the first time, they’re usually pleasantly surprised, and they come back, so the word is getting out!

What are some of your favorite menu items?

CS: I’m a vegetarian, so I pride myself in the quality of our salads. People make fun of me for that, but I eat a lot of salads, and I want them to be good. We use chemical-free, hydroponic-grown, all green romaine lettuce.

We’re happy to accommodate dietary restrictions, and we have vegetarian and gluten-free options. We offer gluten-free buns on our burgers, and we use local, free-range Wood Farms angus beef. 

For brunch, some of our best-sellers are breakfast tacos and avocado toast, using sourdough bread from Zinnia’s Bakehouse. We also offer a vegetarian breakfast sandwich. 

Our head chef is Zachariah Wagoner, who formerly worked at Paula’s on Main and Hideout 125. He has a big seafood background, so we have a popular house-made lump crab dip with shrimp and smoked gouda cheese, the Very Gouda Crab & Shrimp Dip. Zachariah is very creative, and we have worked hard to expand our catering menu, both on-site and off-site. We are adding a new boxed lunch menu this fall, as well. 

What drinks do you recommend?

CS: We strive to offer balanced cocktails that taste great and remain affordable. We just placed in the top three for Reader's Choice for best cocktail, and I am proud of the work Elizabeth has done with our menu. We use quality liquor and ingredients, and we make our own infusions.

One of my favorites is the Mother of Dragons (named for Game of Thrones) made with Belvedere vodka, St. Germain, lime, basil-infused simple syrup, mint, and basil leaf. Our Espresso Martini is not too sweet, made with fresh espresso, and it’s very balanced. Three of our most popular drinks are probably our Traditional Old Fashioned, our Blueberry Mojito and our Pineapple Habanero Margarita, which has tequila infused with fresh habanero peppers to give it an authentic flavor.

Any other pro tips for guests?

CS: Bring your dog! We have complimentary grilled chicken for dogs called Dog Chicken on our menu.

 Try it!

In September, The Local is partnering with Charlie’s Place to bring all paid subscribers a free order of “Fries, but Loaded” with beer cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream. Grab your friends – including the ones who bark – and enjoy a relaxing evening on the patio with craft cocktails.