Around the Clock 24 Hour Restaurant

I really miss this place. So many memories, such great hot chocolate! COME BACK!

I’ll grant that I have been to better places for food… hell, even better diners.
But there was something special about Around the Clock that made it worth making a 2-​hour roundtrip subway ride from Morningside Heights at 2:30 a.m. on a Tuesday (back when Tuesdays were 24-​hours for ATC) to get chips and guacamole and a turkey burger (with the word «turkey» misspelled on the menu).
It was lovely to see other reviews here that showed this place was as symbolic of college for other people as it was for me.
There are better restaurants and diners in the thousands, but Around the Clock held some sort of strange-​yet-​lovely grip on my heart. It will be greatly missed.

This was actually the first place I ate at after coming to NYU. It was my orientation, and like a typical asshole freshman with no concept of what a budget was, I bought a steak. You know what, it was actually pretty good too! Everything here was pretty cheap (including pitchers) and the food was pretty good too, and I used it as a solid go-​to place when I had no better ideas or it was very late. I remember I went to it a few months earlier for just this reason, and it was all boarded up. This may not have been some great fine dining establishment or a cheap, hidden gem place, but it was like old reliable. I’m gonna miss it all the same.

Oh, Around the Clock. When nothing else is open, you are always there…
I wouldn’t go out of my way for the food, but it is solid and cheap. The brunch special is reasonably priced and includes an entrée, a caffeine boost, and something boozy to start your day off right. I always get the eggs florentine because they are a weakness of mine. They are always good, not the best, but the hollandaise is always passable.
The BLTs are also good. Sandwiches come with veggies instead of fries, which I love and my boyfriend hates.
I hope it isn’t closed forever!

AROUND THE CLOCK WE LAMENT YOUR DEPARTURE… but wait…
According to Reuters, aka a barkeep at ATC, Around the Clock is just closed temporarily. Some renovations are taking place, which actually are sorely needed, and then this treasure will return.
Along a great and very visible spot along 3^rd Ave this place manages to never be overcrowded. I hesitate to Unilocal here.
Going in the evening can net you a chicken sando or a BLT for around 5 – 6 bucks… yes you read correct. Not the finest of delicacies but certainly can break a hunger strike. They also have some cheaper drinks and surprisingly pretty decent sangria.
It not never seemed like the cleanest place in the world, we’ll see after the renovations, but they’re open late and unlike many places their kitchen actually stays open too.

I came here last fall and it was nothing more than a mediocre brunch experience. I guess with a name like «Around the Clock», I probably should have eaten here at 4 AM and severely under-​the-​influence. That might have helped the situation. My main beef with poor bar/​diner food is that it usually costs too much. Around the Clock is case-​in-​point.

The very first time I came here I was barely 18 and had just left Avalon at 6am. My friends and I stumbled into a cab and asked the driver to take us somewhere, anywhere with food. Maybe he was taking advantage of the stupid, drunk Jersey girls when he decided to drive from 21^st st and 6^th ave to 9^th st and 3^rd ave just for a 24 hour diner. Or maybe he knew: There was something special about this place.
Gone are the days of willingly going clubbing in Flatiron and getting excited about it.
Gone are the days of meeting my friend from Cooper Union here for lunch.
Gone are the days of paying an exorbitant amount of rent to live in the East Village and coming here three nights in a row because I couldn’t afford anything else.
If nothing else, you were reliable and familiar.
You will be missed.

The East Village lost a good diner with the closing of Around the Clock. I feel sorry for future broke, drunk, college students that they will no longer have ATC to stumble into late at night when they have to sober up before getting past the dorm security guards. I’ve had a range of service there, from great to completely miserable, and being yelled at by the little ray of sunshine late-​night manager for refilling our own water; when our waiter’s water refill game was terribly sub-​par.
The food wasn’t anything to write home about, but the wings, nachos, and french toast were great deals that I shuffled between. Somebody below mentioned Cozy’s on Broadway, but it’s way more expensive and would never play A Tribe Called Quest’s «Midnight Marauder’s,» after midnight.
I’m gonna go pour out a 40 of O.E., another relic of freshman year, for Around the Clock.

I figure I should get this review in, as Around The Clock is on the verge of closing. Sad times my friends. But it really was in the cards. Around The Clock has a great location, but it was just too cheap for where it was.
Of course, this means that I took great advantage of it on several occasions. I’ve had a lot of black bean nachos there. And Collonades. I’ll miss being able to get dinner on the cheap.
But it’s a new East Village that will charge new higher prices and drive out all the old-​school places. I wish that ATC were relocating to a neighborhood that could use a decent late-​night dining establishment, but perhaps another will rise in its ashes.

When I’m in the East Village, this is my Diner.
When I walk in, you see the Tin Men sitting on the last booth on the left. They call me over, wonder how I’m still making bets when I’m absolutely broke, working at a hair salon.
Our booth is always the last one on the right. Last time I came in, my friends were having a serious debate about a serious subject: who’s better — Sinatra or Mathis?
When I eat, i always get a cheeseburger with french fries, with a side of gravy. Come on, you can’t NOT go to a diner and get fries with gravy? Not getting it should be almost against the law.
More to come later. Right now we have a bet as to whether Carol Heathrow can go for my, ahem, while on our first date. She is «Death», which is a very good thing. Details to follow!

I stumbled into Around the Clock late one afternoon, in need of a stiff drink (or drinks) after a rough day.
Lucky for me, they have great happy hour specials… $ 3 pints and well drinks, with Stella on tap.
My friend got some quesadillas, which were pretty basic and good, but who makes a bad quesadilla anyway?
Bar service was great, quick and friendly without being too pushy.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here. but you need food/​drinks/​a place to hang out and you’re in the neighborhood at any hour of the day, it’s a pretty safe bet.

I’m struggling to give this place one star. I wish Unilocal had the option of giving half stars. This place is pure hell. The staff took our friend’s birthday cake, making it seem as though they would let us actually eat it there later on. No dice. Instead this angry manager comes out after our meal and tells us we can’t have the cake there. Thanks.
Food was bland. The calamari was some of the worst I have ever had. They didn’t know how to make a bahama mama. The list goes on and on. Never going back here, ever.

I went there last nite with about 6 friends. It was my friends 21^st b’day, and we went here to get some greasy food b4 we drank ourselves silly. We called ahead to make sure we could bring a b’day, it was fine so we bought a big one!
This place a the slowest service, didn’t no how to make a Bahama mama The Food: chicken fingers and calamari. Both were fried to destruction, it was discussing and came with a mystery sauce.
OK NOW HERE COMES THE DRAMA: the cake that we brought and handed to the waiter, was dropped of by a bus boy, still in the box. Confusion sets in, as we start to open up the cake box, this Asian woman (the owner?) runs over and screams that we cant eat that here.
Even thought we called to confirm the cake, she still said no, that the person told us the wrong thing and we would have to take our cake elsewhere.
I’m not in the restaurant biz but i’m pretty sure, if someone just dropped over $ 100 bucks in my place i would let them eat cake.
Ok yes this place is cheap, yes, but that is were the goodness ends. I WILL NEVER BE BACK!

This place really takes ‘good cheap eats’ to the max. I came here last night with two friends and our entire bill was 22 bucks!
I ordered the Turkey Club which was alright. There was an overall component missing which I just can’t put my finger on​.hm.
Boyfriend ordered the Country Combo (Waffle, 2 eggs over easy and canadian bacon). Me, being into really odd concotions, put an egg ontop of one of the waffle slices and gorged. Took the meaning of delicious to new heights.
The menu is pretty edgy for a diner. You can get everything from sandwiches to breakfast to pasta to mexican. Oh, how I love variety.
Our waitress was super cool. She gave me a huge plate of pickles when I only asked for one extra and she was hilarious.

This place is across the Street from my old dorm. People used to go in there because it was a 24 hour diner.
Things have changed. The place has been redone. It is not 24 hours anymore. They have hours. They close. So… Call if you are making this part of your plans. At the very least, do your research because, you may end up disappointed.
That being the case, its a diner. They have food. Its not a traditional diner and they have some funky interpretations of things but think, east village diner and you wont be too far off. Its not that expensive. You can get burgers or breakfast, etc. I once saw a crazy fight/​brawl take place between a group of black gay men and a group of younger white female club goers after the men were forced to sit and wait even though the smaller group of white women walked in and immediately got a table. It was quite crazy and lasted like 15 minutes. They were all ready to fight and I think one of the guys pulled out Vasoline and started getting his face ready for war (If you are not ethnic you probably don’t know that Vasoline is used in female fights to prevent the possibility of facial scratching). Its either quiet in there are something amazing is going on. Vasoline is not included, you must bring your own.

I have never been so anxious to get home and write a bad review of a place before. I’m not even sure why i’m being so generous and giving it a 2^nd star.
maybe its for the fact its so cheap, i dunno. but i would be tempted to say you get what you pay for, but i didn’t even get that. ok maybe the onion rings were passable.
i got a pint of flat beer, and my medium rare burger came extremely well done and cold. how do you do that? not sure. i sent both back, only to find they were out out of bass, and that was the only barely passable beer they had. then the burger came back. hot and medium, if not medium rare. so i felt a little better — until i tasted it. bleech. not yummy.
ordered a cup of tea. i wouldn’t take a bath that cold.
finally the check came, and it was incorrect.
if i didn’t go next door to angel’s share after, which improved my mood, this would have gotten one star.
i can assure you — i’m not going back

This place is a staple of my monthly restaurant routine. A solid diner with healthy choices and a delicious, cheap brunch that includes a beer.
Normally I order bacon, eggs, french toast, side of fries, and an english muffin along with beer and coffee in the morning. And while the French Toast can be a bit bready at time (not warm enough in the middle, doesn’t have that almost custard feel) everything else, though simple, is spot on. When my fiancée and I want a quick place to get a bite, she can get her hummus and I can get my burger.

Why in the world would this be a default place on Saturday nights at 3:00am? Hmm. maybe because you just want to have a neutral place to sit down and order some early breakfast with a party of 10. no hassle…
Maybe because you simply want a chicken piccata to detox, maybe because you want to CONTINUE to tox with a beer of a glass of cheap wine… maybe coffee for two on a 4:00am Tuesday night, maybe you want burger and fries? or maybe because you were too tired (or drunk) to think about some place else. Whatever the reason, around the clock is indeed one of those New York bleh default places, that rain or shine, will always be there for you. Even if you are not always there for them.

Usually, when it’s late and I’m drunk, I want FOOD. I don’t really care if it’s gourmet stuffs (as long as it doesn’t taste like ass) or if it’s healthy (as long as I don’t get sick the next day) or if it’s Zagat rated. I just want quantity and a reasonable price.
Around the Clock exceeded my expecatations on those fronts and more, when my friends and I stumbled in one night for some grub. I ordered a spinach omelet and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a huge plate covered with a plump steaming omelet. It was also nice to be able to order a Stella to wash it down and provide a nightcap.
I believe we also ordered some appetizers, though my memory is a bit fuzzy on this point. I think it was the calimari, and I think it was really good.
I do have one memory of that night, however, that sears itself forever in my mind, a burning scar that triggers a clarity of experience that stands out amongst a landscape of memories blurred by alcohol.
It was towards the end of the meal. My friends seemed to enjoy their food as well that night. Arthur O. gulped down his spicy plate with relish, and then started picking at the peppers. Or was it the peppers on Gretchen B.‘s plate?
Whoever’s plate it was, Arthur issued an enthusiastic recommendation for the peppers and offered it to Michael S. and I. Still a bit hungry, I eagerly took on his offer and used my fork and knife to slice off a nice chunk, then quickly stuffed it in my mouth and chewed like a starving dog. Michael S. followed suit.
It was good, at first. Only after swallowing did the spiciness of the pepper finally reach my brain. My mouth was on fire. I realized that I needed water. Immediately. Unfortunately, none was around. I started drinking my beer. The carbonation only served to compound the burning sting.
Eventually the burn spread down my esophagus and into my stomach, and I responded by going into a half-​comatose shock, sitting there dazed and looking ill, yet unable to do anything about it. I was worried about the ramifications of the pepper when I visited the toilet the next morning. Surprisingly, nothing painful happened the next day, to my relief.
The pepper hit Michael S. in the same way and we were both angered at Arthur for having played a cruel joke on us. He of course looked at us innocently and denied having done anything of the sort. It was hard to tell at that point of the night.

Pretty crappy diner. The waitress was nice. Thats about all. Got brunch. We were never offered the mimosa of bloody mary thats supposed to come with it. The table was incredibly wobbly and it spilled our coffee numerous times. I got a steak with my eggs that was so tough it was impossible to cut especially in the stupid dishes they serve them in. It was a bad experience and will never go here again. One extra star because of the waitress.