My spouse and I visited PJ Clarke’s for drinks on a Sunday
afternoon in mid-February 2019. PJ Clarke’s is open daily for lunch and dinner
from 11:00 am until 11:00 or 11:30 pm, with the bar open a bit later. You can
book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system.
The restaurant/bar opened in 2010 on a corner in the
Downtown area. We stayed at the Capital Hilton, which is located catty-corner across
the street from PJ Clarke’s; the St. Regis Hotel is also located across the
street. PJ Clarke’s offers three additional locations in NYC and one in
Philadelphia. (There may have once been venues in Chicago and Las Vegas, but
they have since closed.)
The interior space offers several places to dine. The long
drinks bar offers a view of the raw bar at one end, with a bar rail against a
wall decorated with interesting framed political photos and memorabilia. In the
main dining area, red-and-white checkered tablecloths top the individual tables
and half-booths, some of which are near the semi-open kitchen. On the lower
level, a more private white-tablecloth dining area called the Sidecar is separated
from the upstairs by a hard-to-miss, gorgeous smoked glass and green iron
“cage”. A large sidewalk patio is available for al fresco dining in nice
weather.
PJ Clarke’s serves American cuisine; however, we only had
drinks. (The cucumber jalapeno margaritas were tasty, with just the right kick.)
The food menu offers seafood, steaks, and other entrees, as well as burgers and
sandwiches, and of course, raw bar items like oysters.
We enjoyed our time at PJ Clarke’s; we are glad that we visited,
because we previously thought of it as a sports bar, but we quickly learned
that its menu, atmosphere, and polished service offer much finer-style dining.
