Sidecar

As the upstairs neighbor to P.J. Clarke’s Side Car is the elegant, more business, option. Great for both lunch and dinner with a nice variety of daily specials.

In an attempt to be exclusive you need to get buzzed into the hallway stairwell that leads you into a fairly cool space. However the exclusive stops there. The service and the food were less than satisfactory and when we attempted to return the tuna special which was over cooked and unimpressive the waiter laughed. I’ve been there for private functions and that works but I won’t ever be returning for anything else.

In Nyc visiting friends … Came to sidebar at pjclarks… Wow, Greta food and great service. They really know how to do this. Families and business people and out of towners all together .
Really enjoyed the place … Will come back for sure Lizzie

Perfect midtown spot for a midday meal.
Most of the customers are clearly there on an expense account (however the food wasn’t that pricey). I had the chicken pillard (which was awesome, and super moist).
The restaurant is a little sneaky to find (around the side of PJ Clarke’s, you must ring a doorbell), but I liked it and wouldn’t mind coming back!

I don’t even bother coming in here anymore. Things got worse after it became a «club». Don’t even try during Christmas season. It’s usually taken up for corporate. Food is great. Staff is great. It’s that it’s closed a lot times for corporate. This Wednesday it happened again. I called on Monday for reservations. I rang the bell. Someone intercepts me that they’re closed. I have a reservation. She told me I might have called the other location. Thinking it was my mistake I left. Just to check my sanity, I looked up my iPhone messages. There it is! 59 seconds with the correct Sidecar. Yeah. That’s my last visit. There’s choices out there.

I took my cousin, who was in town from DC, here last week for dinner because it was near her hotel and we had a pleasant meal. Sidecar’s feels more clubby, and is definitely more quiet and chill than its parent restaurant PJ Clarke’s downstairs. Even though they don’t have burgers on the menu, you can order them from PJ’s, which is what we both did. They are very good burgers, and that is always what I get when I go. When you order wine with your burger, it ends up being a pricey meal for what it is, but the Member’s Club atmosphere helps make up for it.

If you are looking to have the best burger in the world but want it to be in slightly nicer atmosphere then this is the spot for you! This is a great place to take your parents, visiting relatives, etc. The burger comes with great fries (I prefer the sweet potato ones), very welcome as PJ Clark’s doesn’t! Dessert is still great here.

Loved this place! First of all, it’s close to home but most importantly, the food was all yummy. I ordered New England Clam Chowder and grilled chicken. I also shared parmesan tater tots and did some tasting from my friends dishes. Now I have a place to go to when I want to treat myself.

Better off downstairs. Ambience isn’t worth the price. Unfortunately, my food was off (actually left really nauseas) which was a drag given my previous visit to Pj Clarke’s. Nice looking spot but too many other choices in the area to make it worth a special trip.

Sidecar is a great neighborhood place and wonderful for business lunches or dinners. The service is very well polished and they are good at paying attention to details. The food is good, but not necessarily exceptional. I have had the salads, soups, sandwiches and burgers and nothing has disappointed.

Came here for my birthday dinner and it was absolutely fabulous! From the cocktails to the appetizers to the dinner and dessert, everything was so well prepared and fresh.
We started out with great cocktails — mine was a lemon-​infused vodka drink that was very, very smooth. By the time that kicked in, our fresh oysters from the raw bar, crab cakes, and tuna tartare tacos came. The oysters were some of the best I’ve ever had! We then got our dinners. The lamb chops were so well cooked and my friend’s fillet mignon was to die for. Not to mention that the orzo that comes w the lamb chops was wonderful! We finished up w the apple cobbler topped w ice cream. Wow! Dangerously amazing.
Will definitely be coming back!

Extremely disappointed in this establishment. Service was terrible– they were very obnoxious and tried to rush us out. The staff was blatantly talking about us in a negative way. Will never go back. You shouldn’t either.

Burgers, fries, grilled fish, salads, clam chowder… something for everyone. Lovely food and great service. Will return soon.

Surprisingly easy to get a reservation here for dinner, considering how PJ & Clark’s is always packed; maybe because it was a Wednesday night. I’ve always loved speakeasies, so I was glad I got to finally check this place out. Host was really warm and welcoming but our server seems stressed and overworked (and it showed). After a while it wasn’t a big deal because we were busy talking and enjoying our drinks. I chose a nice red Barbera, my husband got the Tom Collins and my friend got another cocktail which I forgot now. It’s a simple one page menu, so it’s easier to know what you want to eat. We got the skirt steak and the short rib which were both equally good. Orders came out fast for a semi-​fancy place. It’s definitely worth a visit when in the area.

I was expecting more from this place after the build up on their website. I thought it was going to be an exclusive, intimate dining area but its no different to any other corporate lunch spot and didn’t stand out at all.
We shared the calamari to start between 3 of us which was delicious and I followed that with the house special crab cakes which were quite good, but again over-​hyped just like the venue, certainly not worth $ 40(?!). My colleague had the fries that he said might as well have been cardboard.
Note they charge $ 4 for refills, from the fountain, including soda water! Insanity.
With so much good competition in the area for lunch, including right downstairs at P.J. Clarke’s, I probably won’t go back. My go-​to client lunch spot in midtown remains Vitae.

I dined at Sidecar this past Friday for the first time (though I’ve been to PJ Clarke’s) and had a good experience, but I just didn’t think the food was that great given the premium steakhouse prices.
My initial reaction walking in was that I love the addition to PJ Clarke’s and the ambiance is quite nice. It’s more elegant and far quieter than the charming but sometimes overwhelming downstairs, but still relatively casual. The service was good and our waiter was friendly. He recommended I go with the black sea bass special since I was observing Lent and couldn’t eat meat (a real disappointment, and a point worth noting because I’m assuming the steak dishes are the real stars).
We started with the fried calamari appetizer which my party seemed to have liked. I arrived late to dinner so it was cold when I tried it but that’s not the restaurant’s fault. The sea bass was served on a bed of cauliflower risotto. The fish was tender but it was bland, and the texture of the risotto was inconsistent and therefore a bit off-​putting, though the risotto nice flavor. I also tried a few of the sides. The creamed spinach was really tasty and definitely the favorite at the table, but the fried onion strings were fairly standard and the french fries were soggy and disappointing,
All in all, we had a really nice experience at Sidecar but I just don’t feel like the food that I ate lived up to the steep price tag that accompanied it. Perhaps I would feel differently if I ordered steak, so I may have to go back and give Sidecar another chance.

Great spot! Waitstaff very professional and attentive. Food is spot on! Small menu but nice choices.

This place is awesome!!!
First we stopped in downstairs for a drink at pj clarks which was great. Nice selection of tap beers. And the bartender was very friendly. Next we headed upstairs to the restaurant which is accessible by a really cool side entrance where you are buzzed in kind of like a speakeasy. So cool and we were greeted really well seated right away. The atmosphere is amazing. The brick walls and wood/​tim ceiling is so cool to look at. We ordered the tuna tartare tacos and the Parmesan tater tots to start. So good!!! Then had the ny strip and the bacon wrapped scallops special. My strip steak was cooked to perfection. A totally even medium rare and it was spectacular. I also had the mashed potatoes and creamed spinach which was wonderful. The bacon wrapped scallops were perfect. Also cooked to perfection came with a potato salad that was to die!!! We will definitely be back to try the raw bar.

This is a solid 3 stars with lots of potential to be 4 stars. Décor is nice and food is slightly above average. Needs improvement in the service department. Waiters need to be trained better and then and only then this place will become a 4 star establishment.

I came here for a work dinner. The food was good– really not much to complain about, but that’s because I didn’t have to pay for it.
The crab cakes were good but definitely not $ 40 good!

This is an absolutely perfect location for a smaller wedding. The décor is classy romantic and modern. The food is high quality. I got shrimp cocktail for an appetizer. Now shrimp cocktail can really vary From place to place. This was the best shrimp cocktail I had in a long time. Huge jumbo perfectly cooked shrimp. Next I had steak and our table was to share a bunch of sides (this is how they do weddings). The idea of sharing didn’t sound good to me, but when the food came out and we actually did share, it actually didn’t matter because it remained of very high quality. The Mac and cheese was memorable. Everything was very good. I just wish I had known about this place sooner cause I probably would’ve had my wedding there.

Fantastic service, really good food, excellent ambience, and apparently you need to be a club member to enter this place. I understand it’s a growing trend in the city, and while I can’t say I approve too much of the practice, in the case of the Sidecar it did seem to make a difference. None of the ear deafening background chatter. The crowd seems more refined, no loud frat boys and girls (Hey I don’t hate you guys, but please do try to speak softer at bars/​restaurants).

This place is amazing. It’s a members only restaurant. Not sure who in our group was a member, but I sure am glad they are. I ordered the crab cake appetizer and the barrel-​cut filet. Both were delicious. The crab cake was full of flavor and complemented well by the sauce. The restaurant offers several sauce selections for the steak; I chose the red wine bordelaise. Good choice. I could have had the sauce alone and been satisfied. As it was, the steak was well-​seasoned, and perfectly cooked. I had a great scotch (Oban 14 yr) to accompany my meal. They also have a good selection of cocktails and wine.
We ordered several desserts for the table. My favorite was the cobbler. The bread pudding isn’t that great. I didn’t try the ice cream/​brownie combo, but it got mixed reviews from the rest of the table. Seeing as almost none was left, I’m going to guess the impressions were skewed in the positive direction.
The service started off slowly (about half an hour to get drinks), but improved as the meal went on. The staff was friendly, but could have been more attentive. I know a few of us had to make several attempts to refresh our drinks, etc. However, we were a large party, so I know it’s a bit harder to meet everyone’s needs.

With so many staff on hand you would think they were ready to feed and serve an army.
When good ol PJ’s down below didn’t take reservations they referred us to the above Sidecar.
This jawn is totally a place you go to when the parents are in town. It has that comfy, classic, steakhouse feel and the menu offering are something that all parties can enjoy.
Service was top notch. As it should be since there was more staff on hand than customers. Seriously.
Our table started with the Blue Crab Cakes and what a treat they were. Totally the perfect way to kick off this meal. If oysters are your thing, they have a gorgeous raw bar that is right out in the dining area. I suggest stopping by and take a gander as it was quite the sight.
I went back and forth between getting a steak but finally decided on the BBQ Braised Beef Short Ribs. I couldn’t pass up the crispy mac and cheese, and fried jalapeños. To top it off, all this was served over collard greens. This dish was perfect. The BBQ sauce was just right. The short ribs were fork tender. I savored every last bite of the crispy mac and cheese squares. The collard greens were seasoned great. The only thing that would have made this dish better was a handful more of the fried jalapeños.
The blueberry new york cheesecake was divine. If this is what «New York» style cheesecake is, I have been missing out all my life.
Totally a gem of a spot for a mellow din with the fam.

Came here with a group of 6 others after PJ Clarke’s downstairs decided they didn’t want to wait to seat us anymore (citing a canceled reservation at Sidecar). Ended up being a blessing in disguise because Sidecar was a very pleasant dining experience throughout. Wonderful waitress (Jessica), great atmosphere, lots of room between tables, and a menu where everything sounded delicious. There were some overlaps with PJ Clarke’s menu, but also some divergences.
Ended up getting the braised short rib with crispy mac & cheese. The mac & cheese came in chicken nugget sized breaded balls, which caught us off guard, but the short rib was a tender, delicious chunk of meat that made up for it.
All the servers were great; never had an empty glass. Not the greatest beer selection on tap, but you’ll probably find something acceptable to sip on.
Also, there’s no limit to how many credit cards they can split the bill on. Amazing!
Also also, try the tater tots!