P J Clarke’s

Great spot for a cold beer and bar food. Sliders were pretty decent. Service was slow, but it was crowded, so that is to be expected.

Food– ok. Drink selection ok. outdoor patio– tiny, but ok.
This is ok for a quick mid-​level meal if you’re in the neighborhood, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here.

PJ Clarke’s was our first stop on our girls weekend in Chicago. This was mainly because we started walking from our hotel and this was the first bar we saw that looked inviting.
The place was busy but not too packed to get a table at 6:45pm. We sat at the bar and started ordering beers. The bartender was friendly and kept us very well hydrated. There was also a big security guy that stood by the door watching over the place. He ended up having to run off a crazy drunk lady that was pretty much harassing us at the bar. And I thought it would be ME that ended up getting kicked out of a bar. Not this time! People were eating — it looked average — but we just drank our dinner. When in doubt stick with the booze.
Not a bad place to start the night and catch up with friends at the bar before rolling out to more festive locations.

Restaurant review
If it is too good to be true, it likely is… The google offer pulled me in. 25 dollars for 50 dollars worth of food sounded like a good deal for a place I have never visited even though it was right around the corner from my house. This is in a prime location located along the walk way to Navy Pier. I should have ran away after seeing the reviews on Unilocal,but I still decided to go in order to cross off another restaurant. Service was relatively friendly and there is ample seating in the non-​bar area. The food is two thumbs down
Grilled Chicken Quesadillas (10.50) — this is something that you can make at home and totally not worth 10 dollars. 4 slices of quesadilla with barely any chicken. You are better off going to taco bell to get something similar
Chicken Pesto Pasta (15.95) — again where is the chicken. Also the sauce was not enough so some of the penne noodles had no flavor. Even the sauce itself was underwhelming with barely any flavor except for the oil
Pro: free bread/​butter with your meal
Cons: ridiculously basic foods that are way overpriced and have no flavor. I guess that is why it is located adjacent to a hotel
Hidden gem: None, I saved or lost money depending on how you interpret the savings from the google offer.

Had been here last year and from what i remebered, they were good with the quality and quantity. But this time, was dissapointed on both fronts. The fried calamari were extremelyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy overpriced for the quantity and quality. The fish and chips were okay. The complimentary breads they served were good though.
The service was okay too and definitely not worth the price we paid for.

This place was right under our hotel: Embassy Suites.
So we had a drink while waiting for an airport van.
The prices were OK, cocktails were cold and sweet,
but the service could get better– it can!

It’s 1 o clock in the morning, we should go to bed soon. But instead my tummy was rumbling and growling at me «FEED MEEE». So I took out my hand dandy cell phone, and looked up what was opened.
Lucky me this was down the street, got there and we found a table, the busser got us water and menus. The server took our drinks and when she came back we were ready to order. Her tray was full of drinks, I told her we can wait until she unloads those drinks. She said it was okay. I was not sure she’s ready to take our order. I had a feeling she was going to forget it. She didn’t write down our order either.
Let me set the scene for you. There was one bartender, one server and one busser. Every table was full, there was about 50 plus people at PJ Clarkes, she was the only one server taking orders for each and every table. I was surprised how popping the place was at 1am. Well back to what I was saying, she didn’t write down our order, but she did go to the table behind us and write down their orders.
So what did you think happen? half an hour passes. Where’s my soup? That shouldn’t take that long. I see everyone around us get their food except us. The server came by and told us the food should be out soon. Another 15 minutes and still no food. The server came and she pretty much lied and said the kitchen never got our order. She said it got half our order. Which didn’t make sense because we never got one thing that we ordered. Finally about a minute or two after her fibb the salad came out, wrong salad. I didn’t not order a side salad. The server came by and she was very apologetic, and I was very frustrated but since she made so much effort to make things right I felt like it made things better. She first offer us free drinks at the first half hour wait, then half off our food after 15 more minutes, and then she didn’t charge us for a dime after we got the wrong salad and waited about 1 hour to get one dish.
The food was good, we ordered off thier late night menu. I was surprised how good their quesadillas were, and the nice tasting salad with olives and cucumber is what I needed to feed my hunger. The meal was topped off with chili soup and beer.
Yes I was really upset about the service, however seeing that the Server made an effort and its not her fault she’s all by herself on a packed night. I give her much props for doing so well overall. Since the food was good and they open super late, I am compell to say I would definitely return if I ever visit again.

I give this place 3.5 stars actually. Went in there yesterday after seeing a movie at the AMC River East. I lived for a summer in NYC at 55^th between 2^nd and 3^rd, so PJ Clarke’s in midtown was a neighbor. That restaurant is a older and has a bit more variety than the one here (the midtown one has a raw bar and a much larger menu which is why it isn’t 4 stars) so I was a bit skeptical coming in here.
It is in a bit of a tourist spot so a bit of everyone was there. It’s actually bigger than you would think because there’s the bar area, a dining room, and an upstairs dining room. All of the food we had was great. I had a fantastic grilled shrimp salad. Our service was fine. I would actually consider coming back before or after another movie, but I wouldn’t take any of my New Yorker friends here.

I was staying at the Sheraton across the street and walked over here around midnight… the place was packed and we ended up sitting at the bar. I have been to PJ Clarke’s in NYC and had a similar feel to it except that I actually ate something this time instead of just drinks…
Good bar atmosphere, good food, and awesome bartenders… These guys know how to take care of their customers…
I would go back for just drinks next time since there are so many other good restaurants nearby… :)

The place is good and had a good crowd on an average weekday night. It has a good location for tourists of all types and believe me you won’t go wrong… the food is good and so is the atmosphere. It’s just hard to recommend a good restaurant when so many other great options exist in Chicago. It’s like a small mid-​west town’s harvest queen who everyone adores as the prettiest girl in town but then goes to compete in the big city… the restaurant would be great in my small midwest town but in Chicago it’s lost alongside the awesome.
Anyway, the service on this particular night was really really slow but I don’t perceive it being an epidemic problem here. Just stay on top of the wait staff if it starts heading in that direction!

In town on business. Wanted some decently priced food close to my hotel (Sheraton). Wandered in after a long day of workshops and a long evening of shopping on Magnificent Mile and everywhere in between.
We were seated immediately but it took awhile to be served. Our drinks were served very quickly so that made up for the lack of initial service. Our server (Alex) was attentive and made sure our refills and other needs were taken care of. We ordered onion strings to share as a group in addition to our individual entrees. They were great — breaded and flash-​fried. You could tell these were coated in more than flour — parmesan cheese was a nice surprise here.
Dining partner #1 ordered spaghetti and meatballs. She raved about it.
Dining partner #2 ordered the chicken pot pie. She really enjoyed the velvetty sauce and the fact that the vegetables were not mushy.
I ordered the Southwest chicken salad and it did not disappoint. I probably would try something else on a future visit, but hey, it was good.
I came into PJ’s because my dining partners wanted cheap and simple. Not sure if I would return on a future visit. There are so many other places to see and try in this city…

It was a girls’ night out and we figured we should go somewhere nearby for some drinks and a mini birthday celebration. We stumbled upon PJ Clarke’s upon leaving AMC and decided to give it a try. We ordered:
* Chips with guacamole and salsa
* 2 vodkas with pineapple juice
* Bangkok Margarita
* Cranberry Fizz
* Corona Extra
* 1 more cocktail that I can’t recall
* 4 lemon drop shots
The chips came in a big basket with a cup of guacamole and salsa to the side. The guacamole had huge chunks of avocado in them. You have to be careful when scooping them out because there were multiple occasions where our chip would break and sink into the guacamole because of those avocados. I’m not entirely exaggerating either. (Tip: There are no free refills.)
The margaritas and cocktails were averagely priced from $ 8 – 13 and they were decent. Unfortunately, we couldn’t say the same for the lemon drop shots. Not only were the shot glasses not sugar-​rimmed but they also forgot the sugar for the drink itself. These $ 8 shots were not worth it.

Great sliders!!! Small bitty burgers with a big burger punch, just make sure you order them with cheese. You can order them starting at 4 per order with string fries that are crispy good. The beer (New Castle) on tap was consistently cold and they don’t close the bar until after 4am! Cool atmosphere, and cool deco; a lot of wood on the bar and leather in the booths.
The cool bar tender explained that in Illinois, a bar can sell alcohol at what ever time they want as longs as they don’t sell any for five or six hours straight in a 24 hour period. Here I was used to California that stops serving at 2am. I was in haven here, I really felt I was on vacation. Thank you Illinois!
My hotel was just up the street from this place; AWESOME!

Been to this restaurant several times. Always have had good service and a meal that I’ve enjoyed. Prices are reasonable for being downtown. Remember… location, location, location.
I’m sure I’ll be back. Keep up the great job.

It was just ok. It’s like comfort food in need of steroids.
The chicken florentine came with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic mashed potatoes and was served in a portion enough to feed a small country. Quantity definitely reigns over quality in this land.
Try to amp up your experience by requesting crayons so you can doodle on the paper tablecloth to your little heart’s content. Also noticed that the upstairs area was way cooler than the downstairs. Take note.

While I have been to this PJ Clarkes a number of times– my heart still belongs to the PJ Clarkes up on State Street– there’s just something about the ambiance that I like better (although I am sure it all comes from the same «kitschy bar» catalog.)
The original PJ Clarkes opened in New York in 1884. The two locations in Chicago are offshoots of the original.
This location in Streeterville is a perfect place to grab a drink and a bite to eat before or after the show at the AMC theater located directly east– or on the way to or from Navy Pier. And of course– because of it’s location– you’ll probably find yourself sitting by tourists to our fair city «oohing and ahhing» about what they saw that day (always a funny experience as they usually have the facts wrong)
My most recent visit was only for drinks but I’ve had their burgers (quite good), their southwest chicken salad (also tasty) and several of their appetizers (go for the chili– always a good choice)
Service is usually spot on and this visit was no exception although I was seated at the bar. Good drinks– perfectly poured and some polite chatter as well.
If you are jut grabbing a drink– street parking is available across the street (2 hours) or if you have to park in the garage, ask about validated parking ($ 16 for 4 hours).
I doubt this PJ Clarkes will ever be a destination for me like the one up on State Street. But when I find myself in this area– it’s a good bet for consistent food and good service in a fun environment.

We had dinner here Wednesday night after watching Avatar at AMC River East. We left the movie at 9:40 and wondered what we could eat for dinner. We figured PJ Clarke’s might be the only place open in the area, so we stopped in.
We shared a quesadilla appetizer, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of guacamole on the side. We all covered our wedges with guacamole, and there was still tons left.
I ordered a Southwester chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Again I was pleasantly surprised. My salad was enormous. I probably only eat ¹⁄₃ of it, I took the rest for lunch. The salad and the dressing were both quite good. There were big chunks of avocado mixed in.
One friend ordered an omelet, and that also looked big. The «hash browns» on the side were amazing. I think those were some of the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten! That is ironic, since our other friend had mashed potatoes for his side and they tasted like they were from a box. How can they serve one form of potatoes that are crap, and one form that are incredible? On the other hand, the mashed potatoes were the only thing one the table that wasn’t good, so people just shouldn’t order those.
Oh, and I was super thirsty that night, and everyone there was so good about refilling my water glass. The second I took a large gulp, someone refilled my glass. The servers were really attentive without being in the way.
The place looks kinda touristy (at least in the bar area, I don’t know about in the dining area), however the food was solid. I would eat here any time I was going to eat in the area.

The location of this bar is great. Close to Navy Pier and right next to the AMC theater. However, dont plan on visiting this place if you want good food and service. This place does not have it.
We walked in and no one attended to us. I guess we just seat ourselves? And thats what we did.
We sat. We sat. We watched three more groups of people walk-​in. We watched the three groups that came in after us get handed menus and attended to before us. We watched for about 10 minutes before we got a menu. We waited another 10 minutes for the waitress to take our order.
I had ordered the shrimp salad. It tasted like grass. There was practically no flavor or dressing. I would have asked for an extra side of dressing but our waitress never came back to check on us. We spent an hour at this bar and the waitress checked on us twice. Wow. I wont be back.

This was the closest cute bar that I found minutes after I turned 21 so my boyfriend and I stopped in. Our waitress, whose name I don’t remember, was adorable and a sweetheart. She kept coming around with happy birthdays and was incredibly attentive. The free drink she offered me was the most expensive Martini they sell which I didn’t mind not paying for… plus, it was delicious. It’s the pomegranate one by the way. :) My boyfriend got a bloody Mary which, unfortunately, I’ve had better at house parties. The Dirty Girl Scouts we ordered were delicious and so was the random fruity drink I requested from the bartender.
The place was full but not overcrowded which was nice and I liked the crowd. It ranged from 21-​about 50ish, which is nice when you’re used to friends who like clubbing with 18 year olds donning fake-​ids. I’d totally stop in here for a drink again.

After a long flight, my self-​diagnosed hypoglycemia was kicking in. P.J.Clarke’s was the closest restaurant to my hotel so I wandered in to order dinner to-​go.
A quick look of the American fare menu and I settled on an order of their sliders and a side of fries. My order was ready in under 10 minutes and I was back in my hotel room ready to eat less than 5 minutes after that. Yet despite my speedy walk back to the hotel, I found that my food was really cold. The sliders were dry and the cheese tasted like plastic. My fries tasted like cold styrofoam (that is, if it mattered what temperature styrofoam is)… No bueno.
Whoever said that it doesn’t matter what you eat when you’re starving is totally wrong. After eating only one slider and a couple of fries, I decided to save the calories for something worthier.
And that worthy item was the olives in my dirty martini from the hotel bar :)