Tallahassee, this is this place to be! It was the best of times, my Foodie Friends. Charlie Park, located at 801 S Gadsden St, Tallahassee, FL 32301, is the gorgeous new rooftop bar overlooking Cascades Park, opening to the public this weekend, including brunch!
First and foremost, thank you so much to Charlie Park for hosting Tallahassee Foodies for an amazing VIP event before opening to the public! We were honored to have a first-look and a first-taste of the latest restaurant in town that’s sure to be a massive hit! Thanks also to our Tallahassee Foodies members that showed up for a festive evening, in support of our latest local, Charlie Park!
This is another one of those rare spaces in Tallahassee where you walk in and feel like you’ve landed in a big city restaurant. There are now a few in town that have changed the local expectation, but there is nothing else quite like Charlie Park in terms of light, bright, and airy, good time vibes with an amazing view! Every turn is Insta-worthy!
The second you step off the 8th floor elevator entering the rooftop bar, you are greeted with smiles, and a heavy dose of light bright and airy vibes, the most gorgeous decor, heavy in greenery, and walk a few steps further to catch the most gorgeous view in all of Tallahassee!
There was something about this night that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time, including pre-pandemic! It honestly felt like a wedding reception – a festive get together filled with great friends, our foodie fam, amazing drinks, delicious food like none other in town, and lots of laughter.
I was so very happy to see some faces that I hadn’t seen in a very long time! It was one of those parties that you wish could happen again and again because it was filled with so much to love!
I reached out to Matt Thompson of For the Table Hospitality to learn more about the origins of Charlie Park. This space is just so amazing, that I needed all the details!
The owner of the new AC Mariott in Cascades Park, Robert Finvarb Companies, also owns the Residence Inn near Madison Social. Four years ago, he and Matt Thompson struck up a conversation about this new hotel going in at Cascades Park that would feature a rooftop bar with gorgeous views overlooking Cascades.
The ideas to collaborate ranged from For the Table owning the bar, to a joint venture between the two, and eventually, For the Table felt management of the space was the best fit for them. They had full creative control to name the bar, interior design and development, and all else that you see and taste when you visit this amazing space.
Unlike a traditional restaurant that delivers food to your table per course, Charlie Park serves each sharable small plate as soon as it is prepared by their chef. Another fun fact – they’ve also worked a few local food and beverage establishments into their unique menu.
At our Tallahassee Foodies VIP event, each guest enjoyed a signature cocktail, two passed hours devours, and their choice of many other amazing selections from Charlie Park + Tallahassee Foodies “sneak peek” menu, specially curated for our event!
Foodies Cocktail 
Smoked Tomato Arancini 
Bellies & Berries 
Lobster Bao Buns 
Lemon Curd Toast 
Chocolate Pretzel Trifle 
The Charlie!
My favorites were the:
- Smoked Tomato Arancini – smoked heirloom tomato, manchego, saffron aioli, basil emulsion
- Bellies & Berries – Heritage Farms pork belly, champagne strawberries, charred jalapeno, blackberry goat cheese, with a whiskey glaze
- Lobster Bao Buns – butter poached lobster, yellow curry, bao bun, and make sure you get a little soy-collard kimchi in every bite
- Lemon Curd Toast – I had this at the Cleaver & Cork Food and Wine Festival and kept coming back for more!!! Lemon curd, prosciutto, house made ricotta, cashew dust, dried cherries, on sourdough
- Chocolate Pretzel Trifle
Charlie Park has designed the most amazing craft cocktail menu, and I kept a few in my rotation lol. In addition to our specialty tapas menu designed for our Foodies night occasion, they also crafted a signature cocktail just for us featuring fresh strawberries, bubbles, and Ology vodka! I also tried the Lush Slush (Ology vodka, passionfruit, guava, hibiscus, lemon, sula brut tropicale, black lava salt) and the The Charlie (empress gin, coconut water, lavender syrup, i.p.a. syrup, pineapple, ube dust). All were fantastic!
It’s only been a minute, yet I’m so ready to visit Charlie Park again! I overheard several attendees immediately making reservations for their upcoming birthdays and events, and they’ve already sold out for their first ever night open to the public!
Not only are they opening to the public today, but they’re also jumping right into their brunch menu and hours this weekend! Based on a few brunch pics I’ve seen at their Facebook page, I’ll take one of everything, please!
Find Charlie Park at – Reservations, Website, Instagram, Facebook
Disclosure – Thank you so much to Charlie Park for treating every guest to a free signature cocktail, and 25% off their tab. Thank you also for treating the entire admin team to two free cocktails and two free plates. Everything was wonderful!
