Clarke’s Standard

Waited 18 minutes to get my order while everyone took their time since they’re getting min wage. Ketchup bins were also out and soda machine wasn’t working (and this was on a busy Sunday afternoon)

I am a little surprised that this place is not even getting a 3 star, but other reviewers seemed to have their reasons. In my case, it was an ok experience.
While passing by this store a lot I really wanted to try this place. I went in, and ordered a cheese chilly hot dog with cheese chilly fries. Well, when I got my chilly dog, the bun was so soaked wet, and I wasn’t able to hold the hotdog at all. Very inconvenient. They tasted ok, but it wasn’t something special.
I guess using a thicker bun might help? I don’t know. Oh by the way, even in new york standard, I don’t think this is a cheap place for what they serve.

Do not come here if you are expecting fast service.
The turkey burger was oh-​so-​good! Full of flavor and there was this sweet sauce that made it perfect.
My friend got the burger and said it was so-​so but the sweet potato fries were delicious!

standard cheeseburger
green chiles and cheese
the cadillac
brooklyn au poivre
french fries
sweet potato fries
nice cashiers, nice busboys, nice cooks.
overall great service.
burgers take some time to cook.
a bit on the smaller side.
sweet potato fries are too greasy.

Friendly and fast but sweet potato fries were way too greesy. Burger was burnt on edges. I got the number 1.

Pros:
(+) Old school diner look with a modern twist
(+) They sell ice cream and shakes
(+) French fries!
Cons:
(-) Food poisoning from raw hamburger meat!
(-) Workers at the food prep station was unsanitary (read details below)
(-) Why are the straws way in the back near the restrooms? But the drinks are at the front? Shouldn’t the straws be near the drinks by default?
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All I have to say is… what the hell happen to this place?
Clarke’s is a fairly new place, just opened this year. If you are a local, then you should already know that prior to Clarke’s this place was initially another burger joint called «GoodBurger». However GoodBurger was everything but a good burger joint for the simple fact that the service was horrible, slow and the food was mediocre. When GoodBurger closed down to make it’s way for this new place Clarke’s Standard, my heart beat the tempo of promise. As a matter of fact, the first couple months was excellent! If I did my review a couple months ago, I would have given the place a 5 star just for the simple fact that the place was fully staffed with people who had excellent customer service, quick, friendly and on top of that, the burgers were on point and flavorful! Don’t even get me started on the french fries. I had become an addict, that I had to enter the «Say No to French Fries Rehab Clinic.» No lie, it used to take me 5 minutes to get my entire meal and the manager at the time (Anthony) would walk up and down the kitchen to make sure things were running smoothly.
Fast forward 2 months on hiatus from this place for the simple fact that this place was too addicting. Now I ask this, what the hell happened to this place? Since I last came, the quality of this place just plummeted like the Great Depression stock market! The old manager here transferred to a different location, there is now different staff, the food was horrible and the service was slow!
I had ordered my usual burger meal that used to only take 5 minutes on a busy day… and this day it was almost 20 minutes on a slow day and I was still standing waiting for my meal. I walked over to the grill area and there were 2 cooks at the grill. I saw a hispanic girl prepping a burger, and naturally I thought she was prepping mine. But she looked at me and took a huge bite out of the hamburger! What? Did my eyes just see correctly? She was straight eating a hamburger from the grill! The second cook was a guy texting away on his phone with his gloves still on and spatula in hand! Don’t believe me, see picture here:
Is that even sanitary? I made a complaint to the cashier asking what was taking so long.
The cashier yelled at the cooks, «she’s been standing here for a long time, where’s her burger!?» One of the cooks asked «what did she order?» which confirms to me that they never made my order. The girl who was probably eating the hamburger at the grill was probably eating MY order! SMH. Don’t they have a break room to eat their food or eat at the table like the rest of the people during their breaks? I don’t think she was on her break though because she was in between eating her burger and tending to the fries.
So, I had to wait another few minutes for my burger. I was on my lunch break so my time was limited since I wasted my entire lunch break waiting for my food. By the time I got back to work, I took 1 bite out of my burger just to find it still RAW! I had asked for medium-​well done and I got medium-​RAW. Picture:
The lettuce was old and not crisp at all, it had browning spots on it with mushy edges. There was no time for me to take the burger back since my lunch break was over so I threw it out. It was horrible! I barely had any time to finish my fries. But still somehow after eating whatever I had, I ended up having food poisoning and was sent home early from work.
What’s going on Clarke’s? I used to love this place. But the way it is now, not so much. Looked like I was having de-​ja-​vu all over again with GoodBurger since it seems like that’s the route this place is heading right now until they make some serious changes.

Disgusting. Avoid at all costs! I just paid $ 11 for raw meat and the lowest quality sweet potato fries you can find. Check my picture of the burger. And I wasn’t even asked how I wanted it cooked. I just hope I don’t end up with food poisoning or e-​coli or something.
I went up to order and asked for the Brooklyn Au Poivre and the woman kept asking if I wanted chicken for some odd reason. More than once… I had a feeling my burger experience was gonna follow that same low IQ pattern but I went ahead and paid anyway. No question some of the worst stuff I’ve eaten in my life. My mistake for not consulting Unilocal first :(

For the price, and service its just not worth the money. SKIP IT
Inaccurate burger temps
A female manager who would make a McDonalds employee a pleasure to deal with
Overpriced
If I am going to pay this much, I expect good service and accurate orders.
I use to love Good Burger and the first two times I tried Clark’s it was good as well, but not great. However its very convenient for me so I would have continued to visit. The last two visits were totally unacceptable however.
The first time I went, there was a male manager that made the rounds to insure the satisfaction of the guest. The last two times I was there (one being yesterday), there was a female manager who seems to care less about customer satisfaction.
The same manager was there the time before when I ordered my burger medium. When I got the burger it was extremely well done. When i spoke with the female manager she was rude, argumentative and dismissive and never apologized. Apologizing when there is an error should be lesson one in customer service. It is an over priced burger, if the customer wants it recooked, just do it, apologize and move on. I ended up calling the owner, explained to him the situation, he apologized and offered me free food, which I declined. I didn’t call for a free meal, I just wanted what I had paid for.
I returned yesterday and again the same manager was there. She doesn’t smile she isn’t friendly and is certainly in the wrong line of work. The rest of the staff was, and usually is very friendly. However, this time I decided to order my burger medium rare, since last time it was over cooked. It was just as well done as it was the time before. This time however I didn’t bother to complain, I just endured my $ 18.00 burger, drink and fries and left, never to return.

This was my first time coming here, but it didn’t really make enough of an impression to make me want to come back. I think, however, if I was hungry I would be willing to give it another chance– push come to shove.
Service was fast and good, no attitudes here. It’s a narrow area near the cashier station where they take your order, but further in where there is seating, it becomes significantly less cramped. I like that they have a condiment station in the back, ketchup, mustard, tomato relish, bbq sauce, spicy ketchup. Lots of napkins in the dispenser, at least at the table I sat at; it was a good thing too, I really ended up needing it.
Got the chili cheese dog and an order of fries. Fries were definitely good, fresh, not burnt or used in old oil.
the hot dog itself was, Meh. I probably would have enjoyed either a Wawa’s hot dog or making my own pack of hot dogs at home and opening a can of Hormel chili and drizzling on cheese sauce. The chili was stingy, but the cheese was plentiful, and the ensuing mess was sloppy. Edible of course, but better to eat this kind of meal alone so you don’t look like a disgusting slob in front of whatever company you have, with cheese sauce and beef bits hanging on her face and dripping off your fingers. Not cute. Not sure what kind of hot dog they used, and what kind of quality, but it was average at best. The bun was good, toasted and had its own flavor somehow. Maybe a buttered hot dog roll, toasted? Either way, it was OK. Oh and they added mustard underneath my cheese sauce. Maybe I didn’t read the menu correctly, but I would not expect that on a chili cheese hot dog. It kind of overpowers other flavors or contradicts, at least in my opinion.
if I did come back, I’d try a burger– the rolls they use look so cute!- and a milkshake, maybe cheesy tator tots too. I love when they use liquid cheese instead of melted cheese. Just a personal preference.

Clarke’s Standard is a burger place in the old Good Burger location in Columbus Circle. The interior décor is bright, with white tile walls, reminiscent of an old-​school butcher shop. The staff is very friendly when taking your order and can accommodate a lot of changes and substitutions on an order.
I got the Standard burger with cheddar cheese, cooked medium. The burger was definitely formed recently and tasted very fresh. It was cooked perfectly as well. It was delicious and very juicy, as in juice dripping down your hand juicy. The burger comes on a fantastically chewy potato bun with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and some kind of a Russian dressing burger sauce. I also got fries, which were perfect.
Clarke’s Standard has quickly become one of my favorite spots for cheap eats in Columbus Circle.

I have to say I love the restaurant itself. Cashier sweet, its clean, has a bathroom and well designed.
Now, for the burgers,
They ain’t no five guys burgers.
I ordered a cadillac. The burger was underwhelming compared to its name. The flavors were good but I ordered mine well done and it was nowhere near well done. I do like the «roll» style bun they used compared to regular hamburger buns.
I paid about $ 10, in my opinion it wasn’t worth it. And more standard burgers are about $ 7…which is even more of a waste. Atleast mine had bacon, cheddar cheese, etc.
My favorite part of ordering this burger was eating it a the columbus circle fountain… absolutely lovely!

I am surprised by the low reviews, as I was quite happy with my burger. I’d probably do 3.5 stars if it was available, but all in all this was a pleasing meal. For midtown, it’s good to have a better burger choice like this. I’ll be back.
Why not more than the 3 stars, then? Well, as others have mentioned, it’s not cheap. And it feels strange to pay so much for a cup of fries. Lunch for 2 (2 burgers, 1 drink, 1 milkshake, 1 order of fries) was about $ 25.
I had the Brooklyn and enjoyed it, though I didn’t really taste the peppercorn sauce and felt the burger could have used a bit more salt. Also, the way the burger is presented is cute, but it means the burger sits in a puddle of juice at the bottom of the box, making it a bit soggy on one side. Sweet potato fries were good dipped in some mayo and my colleague says the milkshake hit the spot.
The layout of the place is strange, with no straws by the fountain, requiring you to go all the way to the back of the place by the sauces to get a straw. The front ordering position felt strange and constantly in the way of folks coming and going.
The service was excellent with helpful people all around.

Fantastic burger joint near Central park. Simple food and good ice cream!

I think their burger to bun ratio stinks. Burgers are too small compared to the size of the bun.

My husband and I went here last night after seeing the Museum of Art and Design just across the street (not big but pretty neat, and Thursday is pay what you wish night!). The place was clean; long and narrow, the menu not too extensive, and the food came out made to order without taking too long. We tried the banh mi hot dog, the turkey burger, and the chili cheese fries. The turkey burger was AMAZING. It was a small and roundish kind of patty, but so hot and juicy and tender. The patty was somewhat smaller than the bun, which wasn’t too big, so I agree with other reviewers about their size complaints — this was $ 7.85 or something like that, and not big for the price. But DELICIOUS. I would go back for the turkey burger in a heartbeat. (I asked for extra lettuce but didn’t get it, so if you ask for a topping modification you may need to ask again.)
The banh mi hot dog was fine, but the bread was too chewy. The dog had a nice snap too it though. The carrot/​cucumber/​cilantro slaw on top was ok — too much cilantro for me, and maybe too vinegary, but not terrible. The chili cheese fries were good, although the chili wasn’t really chili — just cubes of kind of tough beef cooked in a weak tomatoey sauce. The cheese was a spicy smoky cheese sauce that I liked a lot, even though I normally prefer shredded cheese on my cheese fries. The fries themselves were of medium thickness — bigger than McDonald’s, smaller than a potato wedge or steak fry, and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, just how I like em.
Our total bill was just under $ 25, so it’s true the prices are a little too high for what you get, but boy that turkey burger! Mm mm.

I came here for a burger to see how it was as it opened something like 2 weeks earlier. I had 0 expectations going here and with that — I give it a 2 Star rating for food flavor, price and quality.
This restaurant is nice and clean when first walking inside — the menu is on the left on a board that has everything with the prices, so you can look up and think about your order before you get to the cashier. Quickly you’ll notice Shake Shack like prices at about 8 bucks average per burger, it’s not exactly a cheap burger. Sides and drinks are also a premium price — at over 3 bucks for fries and another 3 for a drink, a meal for one person (Burger, Fries and a drink) will average between 14 and 18 bucks.
Ok so now you know how much you’ll pay for a meal per person — what do you get for that $$
The burgers are cooked to your doneness BUT in my opinion, it was underdone. Medium came out nearly rare and my buddy’s medium rare looked exactly the same as mine. So they could use a lesson or two in timing. So right off the bat — lost some points. The meat was flavorful and tasty even though it was a little under done (i’m not one to send back food unless it’s horribly messed up). I got the cheese tater tots. That was over fried to too crunchy and it was powdered too liberally with what seemed like Parmesan cheese and some green thing. I kinda wish they mentioned that in the description — but it just said «Cheesy tater tots» which i think is a misrepresentation. And a beer from their tap of 2 beers. It wasn’t bad — b/​c it wasn’t watered down.
TL;DR:
You’ll be paying Shake Shack Prices — for So So food, inaccurate cooking and strange tatertots.

I got the brooklyn burger with the tater tots and sweet potato fries. Tater tots were little weird with the parmesan topping, probably wouldn’t get it again. The fries were waffle style and pretty darn good. I loved the gouda cheese that my burger had, it even stretched a little while I was eating it. Ordered it well done and it was cooked that way. The décor was old school fifties but still so shiny and new. They have plenty of people to help clean the tables and even bring the food to you if you choose to eat in.
Be prepared to pay shake shack prices, but at least I won’t have to wait on that ridic line or walk all the way to 42^nd st.

I didn’t pay for my burger here so I can’t really complain too much — it does suck that they still working out some «new opening» kinks and that cooking a burger to order isn’t apparently their strength.
I ordered my burger medium-​rare (as I do in most places where I don’t think dying from bacteria poisoning is an issue) and I got exactly what I ordered — Two Unilocal stars here!
Unfortunately I have no pictures because taking photos of my food and surroundings wasn’t really an option because of the people I was with — I was forced to act as if photographing stuff was lame. It killed me inside, really.
The burger patty was juicy and pretty delicious. The bun was your average burger bun, nothing too special, but lightly toasted on the grill because I requested it and they happily obliged — one Unilocal star right here!
I agree with other reviewers that the cheesy tater tots were super disappointing and deceptive considering the name. But eh, I ate them anyway and I’ve had worse. They’re not bad, they’re just lackluster and BLAH.
For me to return they either need to step up their game or lower their prices because $ 12+ for a burger and a side here really isn’t worth it. You’re better off walking a few blocks up and going to P.J. Clarke’s. They make a decent burger — Burger Joint is also nearby and they’re BANGIN’.

Atmosphere and customer service were the strong points of my visit. Staff was very friendly and the décor is cool with lots of cow pictures and a rustic modern blend that works for a burger joint.
I had the standard burger cooked medium and it was on the rare side so I see a trend based on the first reviewer. You cannot open a burger joint and not cook the burger to order. I enjoy a juicy burger but not when the juice is red! The quality and flavor of my burger was pretty good though. They display the rolls like they’re something special but I found it a little chewy and ended up finishing with just the top bun.
I must agree 100% with the first reviewer as I was also very disappointed with the cheesy tater tots… a dusting of Parmesan cheese does not make it cheesy, not what I expected at all and I think it’s normal to expect a cheese sauce when ordering something with the word cheesy! Also for $ 4 I would say I got about 12 tater tots and they were nothing special at all.
Burger and tots with no drink was $ 12.41. Not worth the price and I don’t think I’ll be back unless I’m drunk late at night in Columbus Circle and wander in by mistake.

While the service is beyond nice and professional the food is pretty bad. My burger’s meat was not only to finely ground, which gave it a weird texture, it was also full of gristle ribbon. Which, in turn, either got caught between my teeth or was constantly being spit out. It did have nice taste, but between the gristle and being rare (I ordered ‘well-​done’) the $ 7.50 spent on a basic burger felt like a big letdown.
The cheesy tots were not only not ‘cheesy’ (they were dusted with low grade Parmesan) they tasted like reheats or tots that had been sitting in a warmer for quite a bit of time. ‘Cheesy’, at least IMO, means the orange Velveeta like processed stuff that is delivered hot and through a pump (or poured from a pan). These guys were luke-​warm, hard, greasy and pretty small considering they charge close to $ 5.
To their credit, the staff did make the rounds asking customers how they liked their food. At the same time I don’t think any of the staff was older than 19, if that. So really, what influence will they have with management. Another, older gentleman, who seemed to be of some importance (he didn’t tell me what position he held) asked as well and I told him and he seemed to have given me the traditional ‘okay/​yes, I understand’ head-​nod and thanked me for my comments and business.