A family of Charlies now has a pizzeria to match. Charlie's Pizza opened this past June at 406 W. Harding Road in Springfield, taking over the space long occupied by Mikey's Pizza and filling it with stone-baked pies, smoked wings and a dining room designed to feel like an open-concept Italian cafe.
The restaurant was founded by Mike Valley and his wife, Dani, according to a Springfield News-Sun restaurant profile. Mike's full name is Charles Michael Valley, and the paper reports the business name is a tribute to four generations of Charlies in the Valley family: Mike, his father, Charles George Valley, his son Charles Adam Valley, and his grandson Charles Ryne Valley. Their daughter, Brooke Elizabeth Valley, serves as the restaurant's general manager, per the same profile.
Mike Valley grew up in Pitchin, Ohio, and graduated from Catholic Central High School in Springfield, the News-Sun reports. Dani Valley, meanwhile, hails from Kansas and later moved to Lexington, Kentucky. The two met online, and Mike courted her for two years, traveling on weekends to see her before the couple eventually married and settled down in Springfield, according to the profile.
A Remodeled Space With a Story
Charlie's occupies a completely remodeled interior, the News-Sun reports, featuring earth-tone stone floors and walls, soft jazz playing in the background, and walls decorated with portraits of famous people eating pizza. The space holds eight tables seating 24 patrons total, along with handicapped-accessible bathrooms that Mike Valley described to the paper as beautiful. He told the News-Sun that success comes down to the food, the staff and the surroundings.
The building has its own history in Springfield's pizza scene. It was previously home to Mikey's Pizza, owned by Michael Shaw, who passed away in June, according to earlier reporting from the Springfield News-Sun, which first identified Charlie's Pizzas, Sandwiches and Wings as the business now renting the Harding Road building. That earlier report noted a website for the new restaurant listed the same address as Mikey's.
What's On the Menu
Charlie's menu centers on pizzas, sandwiches and wings, with ingredients including log-smoked brisket, ham and chicken wings, the News-Sun reports. The restaurant's own website describes its pizza as stone-baked and made to order, topped with a three-cheese blend of mozzarella, Provolone and Romano, according to charliespizzas.com.
Specialty pizzas run $15 for nine inches, $21 for 10 inches, $23 for 12 inches and $25 for 14 inches, per the News-Sun's rundown of the menu. Cheese pizzas are priced separately — $14 for 10 inches, $16 for 12 inches and $18 for 14 inches — with topping charges climbing by size, and extra toppings cost $2 each, a price confirmed on the restaurant's website. There's also a nine-inch gluten-free crustless pizza bowl for $15, the paper reports.
Beyond pizza, sandwiches are served on 8-inch Italian bread for $12, with a brisket and cheese version running $14, according to the News-Sun. Smoked wings seasoned with five spices go for $1.50 apiece, and the kitchen makes its own hot honey and queso sauces. A four-topping calzone costs $18, cheese bread with sauce is $13, and sides include a $5 side salad or a $15 dinner salad that serves two. Dessert options run $5 for tiramisu or for two lemon bars, and non-alcoholic drinks, soda and water are $2.
Hours, Delivery and What's Next
Charlie's is closed Sundays and Mondays but open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to both the News-Sun profile and the restaurant's own website, though a kitchen cutoff applies: the News-Sun reports the kitchen closes at 8:30 p.m. even as pickup and delivery continue until 9 p.m. Customers should allow 30 minutes for pickup or delivery orders, and DoorDash handles delivery, per the paper's reporting. The restaurant's listed opening time is 11 a.m.
The restaurant is also hiring, according to its website, which asks interested applicants to walk in and apply in person at the Harding Road address. Charlie's distributes coupons through staff throughout the community, the News-Sun notes, and the owners plan to hold a Charlie's Special Spring Event in 2027, with the exact date to be announced two weeks beforehand.
The restaurant's website also touts a 2026 ranking from BusinessRate naming Charlie's the No. 1 pizza spot in Springfield's 45504 ZIP code. A separate WDTN/Stacker listing of highly rated area pizza restaurants put the same Harding Road address at a 3.9 out of 5 rating based on 76 reviews. The Springfield News-Sun's restaurant profile series, written by contributing writers Glenn and Kim Creyts, appears in print and online every other Sunday.
