text: I feel bad giving this venerable downtown institution only stars It is got a damn good bar and vibe and the service would be an easy if it were not for a distant memory of outside food or drink flack but two things it is a restaurant first I will always be back nnI first went here years ago and was profoundly disappointed with the selection of the side so much that I almost did not come back Chips or orzo The chips are good do not get me wrong but a small handful of chips do not make an adequate side for a sandwich The orzo is a pile of boring riceshaped nonsense in an equally idiotically small portion And it seems like everything here is about a buck or two more than it should be nnRegardless my standby here is the CarlyQ a roast beef sandwich that destroys all its previous concepts found elsewhere with sheer deliciousness Slather on the horseradish and I am in heaven Tonight I deviated from the norm with a Santa Fe Whoops It was soaked in a bland chipotle mayo that killed the subtle flavors left over nnThe Carlys Side Salad almost made up for it The greens were above average the dressing was just enough to write home about and the bread was hands down the best sidesalad bread I have yet to have nnAt this point with mediocreplus eats why would I come here nnBecause nowhere else do I get my slice of Chicago in downtown Phoenix Beer and music can make up for any lack of food offerings Carlys is my latenight beacon my superfriendly casual spot my one of two or three places downtown I can actually stop by myself and not feel completely out of place drinking a beer or three and enjoying the music and everything the place has to offer nnTonight the DJ was good not great but he found a comfortableenough mix between downtempo and hiphop that one should expect from a joint that borders on the sophisticated Carlys delivers with a live band every other night Doh nnThe crowd is as diverse as they comewith every minority and majority represented This is as the mural with the baretittied vixen proclaims a place for people nnBrief reality checkdisclaimer before I go ondoes your local suburban bullshit restaurant have a DJ or live music every night if it is even open that late Carlys does High standards are set in Downtown for a reason Carlys would be five stars anywhere else in the Valley but Downtown Phoenix nnI certainly enjoyed the service at the bar and my choices from the perfectlypriced vast beer selection The frontend staffs steadfast patience among a growing crowd and my random requests after another made me feel right at home I was thinking maybe this could still be a four or five star placeif it had a drinking patio five would be a serious contendernnIve got to piss like a racehorse at this point and then I remember my genuine test of a good restaurant or barthe bathroom is a microcosm of the whole place Shitty joint shitty bathroom Kickass joint kickass bathroom nnMy eyes wander as I walk in Is the swarm of graffiti intentionally left there Taken aback from the rest of the place it really offers its own brand of kitsch And then you see the slurs and gang tags and an overflowing garbage and fixtures that need a good onceover with the nnEw Three stars it is nnI only halfblame them for the bathroom Keeping the graffiti clean would be a nonstop job maybe they could help you complement it by dangling permanent markers from the ceiling And every time I have been here at night there is only been two people up front to keep the place going and they do a phenomenal job so again I feel bad for three starsthe staff should not suffer for the establishment But with only two people you can only do so much nnThe text on our star ratings rubric is AOK And that is just what Carlys is Maybe it is just me but I do not go to star places all the timemaybe they would lose their luster too quick The places I am a regular at have their own annoying little quirks but dammit they are what they are for a reason that I as a lowly patron just cannot comprehendthe bar and restaurant gods have made it this way It works as it always has and I go there happily nnAnd like true gods of their industry Carlys will be a place that will stand on its own and years from now It is Phoenixs core captured largely for the best