PJ Clarke’s: A burger review

[This is really exciting- my 200th post! Just wanted to thank all my readers, subscribers, and fans for making this post possible!]

I wanted a juicy, delicious, giant burger. I used the handy dandy slot machine (courtesy of Urbanspoon) on the right hand side of this blog and as Marty “J” Siegel would say, “ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching!” It spit out “PJ Clarke’s,” which reminded Ling that word on the street is that PJ Clarke’s has one of the yummiest burgers. Ling and I obviously had to check it out (although she initially intended to get the chicken pot pie).

So there it is. A heap-full of goodness. I know, I’m disappointed in my photography taking skills too. I focused on everything except for the best part- the smothered onions and bacon. But hear me out- with a burger like this, you don’t really need a picture.

Pros:

• The patty is OMG amazing. Ordered it medium (the default temperature) and it came out as a bit past medium rare. It was so juicy and gosh. I don’t know what else to say.
• I didn’t ask for bacon but geez, I’m glad the server misheard because everything is better with bacon. So if you get a burger, you must get it with BACON, CHEESE, SMOTHERED ONIONS (at minimum).
• Even if you get smothered onions, the bun sits on top of sliced raw onions. I just thought it was a nice gesture to keep the bun from soaking (even though it didn’t really work…)

Cons:

• The bottom bun got soaked. Ling’s bottom bun disintegrated. Guess they should have put the patty on the lettuce instead of directly on the bun!
• Around $15 for a burger ($8.95 for just the plain burger, no cheese, bacon, etc…)?! And no fries?? That’s blasphemy. The burger was good, but… I could have gotten at least 3 at Shake Shack! And honestly, for those of you who know me, you know that it takes alot for me to say this but… if you’re looking for value, go to Houston’s across the street. The burger itself may not be as juicy (actually their burger is more flat), but the portion sizing is bigger and they give you fries.
• The fries were a let-down. Perhaps a notch up from Mickey D’s but just 4 times the price!

So the conclusion is that while the burger was really delicious and made the top burger list in my book, it’s not a great burger for value. I’m a true believer that you can get just as decent of a burger for at least half the price. But that’s just me. So splurge if you can.

The service was also really friendly. After our server came to take our order, this other server actually pulled up a chair to sit and chat with us for a bit. When our food came, he volunteered to take our picture without us even asking. Later, the manager came by to ask us how we were doing. I think it’s the cameras. They probably thought we were mystery diners/auditors or something.

We, of course, couldn’t skip out on dessert. The chocolate chip cookie souffle sounded somewhat exotic so we got it a-la mode. It was… interesting.

I tried capturing the layers of chocolate chip cookie, but I’m not sure if I succeeded. Basically it tasted like a giant cookie cake with lots of chocolate sauce. It was a bit dry, but the ice cream and chocolate sauce helped that out. Overall, interesting for the concept, but a 6 on a scale from 1 to 10 for taste.

PJ Clarke’s is one of the city’s oldest yet loved burger joint/bars. This location is the original so don’t be discouraged if you see a huge crowd when you enter. It’s just all the corporate people doing what they do best- smoozing and chatting in the bar area. Squeeze yourself through and you’ll find the dining area.

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915 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022
at 55th St.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-317-1616 Send to Phone

Posted in Burgers, Midtown, New York City, Top Picks in NYC