Thursday, October 24, 2013

Clarke's Standard Midtown East

I was puzzled by the really mixed reviews until I started studying them

Last reviewer here came to same conclusion I did: People who eat AT this place tended to really like it, while those who order food from here are the bigger sour apples.

Clarke's Standard

2.5 star rating
83 reviews Rating Details
Category: Burgers  [Edit]
636 Lexington Ave
(between 55th St & 54th St)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(202) 838-6000
Nearest Transit Station:
Lexington Ave./53 St. (E, M)
51 St. (4, 6, 6X)
5 Ave./53 St. (E, M)
Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 10 pm
Attire:
Casual
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Price Range:
$$
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
Yes
Takes Reservations:
No
Delivery:
Yes
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
No
Outdoor Seating:
No
Good For:
Lunch
Alcohol:
Beer & Wine Only
Drive-Thru:
No
Noise Level:
Average
Ambience:
Casual
Has TV:
No

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "Both the regular fries and the sweet potato fries were delicious." In 9 reviews
  • "...the Black and Bleu Burger and the Cheesy Tater tots, both super yummy." In 6 reviews
  • "I ordered the Brooklyn Au Poivre which is has Cracked Pepper Sauce..." In 7 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
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83 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 37 friends
    • 143 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    5/16/2013 3 check-ins here
    The place has a quick, old school diner setup with a long counter. Has about 7 long tables with high top stools; the restaurant itself is rather small. Intended for quick in and out lunch. Menu is fairly short, as they specialize in their burgers.

    I had a Cadillac Burger and Green Chiles Burger, and also had their regular french fries and sweet potato waffle fries. Overall, I liked both of the burgers I've had. While the patties were thick, about inch thick, burger itself was rather small, on the border of being a slider. The burgers were fresh and juicy. Both the regular fries and the sweet potato fries were delicious.

    The only negative is the price for the size of the burgers. Their burger with a side of fries will run for about $13. It will not leave you full if you are really hungry. I'd only eat here if I am only a little hungry.
  • Review from

    • 13 friends
    • 30 reviews
    Stamford, CT
    6/13/2013 1 check-in here
    Two parts to this review... Food and Service..  Both 2 stars.

    Let's start with Service:

    SEAMLESS ORDERERS BEWARE!

    Pointless to order via seamless in hopes to get your food and leave.  Because when you walk in and ask to pick up your food, the wait time is no different than if you just walked in and ordered food.

    Also, they forgot about my order after they gave me half my order.  If one of the guys did not realize that I had been standing there for 15 minutes with no food, I probably would not have gotten my food.

    Now, for Food.

    I had been warned by my coworker that the food was just not worth it... but I was too curious.  I needed to know WHY there was always a line out the door during lunch.  It couldn't be that boring, could it?

    Yes.. it was.

    I ordered a Cadillac Burger, chocolate milkshake, and sweet potato fries.  All three things that I really love!  Bacon cheeseburger, shake, and sweet potato fries!

    I did not finish my sweet potato fries.  They were over salted.

    The shake is exactly like a Wendy's Frosty.

    The burger is pub-style... and bland... and just... BLAND.  I think I have had better diner burgers.

    I sit here at work... full now... but not happy at all with my lunch... my oh-so-rare lunch opportunity.  ::cries::
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    5/16/2013
    Just stumbling into it after a work meeting around 8:30pm, me and my two friends enjoyed it! It reminds me of NY Burger & Co...

    Lots of sauces, not crazy types of burgers but ones with onions or bacon or different cheese. It looked small but it was extremely filling. Their cheese fries are like chili-cheese style, which is delicious! Price isn't too cheap but good enough for me.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    10/21/2013 1 check-in here
    This is a great substitute for when you want a PJ Clarkes burger without all the fuss, and with a lot more options. The burger was pretty good, the wait wasn't too bad, I'll likely be back!
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 3 reviews
    Cedar Hill, TX
    10/20/2013
    Ii must say I've been eating burgers for well over 40 years.  Ive had burgers from nearly all over the country.  So I stop at Clarke's Standard for lunch and ordered the combo special which is a cheese burger, fries and a drink. THIS WAS THE BEST cheeseburger that EVER passed my Lips!  It was cooked perfect and the seasoning and sauce they put on the burger was awesome!  Even the ketchup for the fries was tasty!  It is not regular Heinz, but thick and rich and has a little kick to it.  Seems a lot of post here have to do with delivery.  Cant speak to that, but there is a reason for their orders!  I was a first time walk in customer and the service was great, and it only took a few minutes to get my order.  I will be back!!!!   In fact, can't wait to chomp down on this FAB burger again!.  Visit the Lexington Ave location.  You will love these burgers!!!
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    Manhattan, NY
    10/13/2013
    DO not order from them. They are terrible I live 2 blocks from there too and it took over 1 hour and 30 mins for a hot dog and chili. I tried to call the place and they hung up on me 3 times. I asked to speak the manager and she didn't even apologize. They clearly don't care . So whoever hired these amateurs to run their place they didn't choose wisely. The kicker is the guy came he came with no change as they spilled my chili. Come on . NEVER ordering from this place again as this was twice I tried t
    he first one wasn't much better place sucks . Can't see it doing too well. Terrible service and food isn't even that good .
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 23 reviews
    New Canaan, CT
    10/11/2013
    Burgers are decent but on the small side and they skimp on the toppings. Buffalo chicken sandwich had almost no chicken in it (all fried breading). We have gotten delivery twice and both times they screwed up the order. Too many other good burger places around on top of their game to go here.

  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 13 reviews
    Boston, MA
    10/4/2013
    2 hours for delivery.  Multiple calls without resolution.  And they're 2 blocks away.  I can't imagine why anyone would even bother with this place.  Never again.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    Lido Beach, NY
    10/9/2013
    Clarke's is near my office and our lunch group was looking for a different take out- sick of soup & salads. Ordered a Burger cooked Medium with fries and a drink, pretty good deal for $9 in midtown. It was ready really quickly, went back to the office and bit in to it- it was completely raw, the meat was red and crumbling. I decided to call and tell them and surprisingly the customer service was great. They found my 15 minute old order, and offered to re-make the burger and deliver it to my office. In less than 15 minutes they delivered a new burger (cooked!) and fries. When it's cooked- pretty tasty burger!

  • Review from

    • 17 friends
    • 56 reviews
    MARLTON, NJ
    9/12/2013
    Greasy delicious burgers. Quick service. Can't go wrong for a quick meal in the city!
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    Manhattan, NY
    10/14/2013
    It took over 20 minutes from the time my order was processed to get my food for a 'to go' order and all I ordered was a veggie burger and fries.  The fries were bland with the salt sporadically choosing a frie here or there to adhere to.  The ketchup is unique - not good, just unique.  The veggie burger patty was tasty, but overly drippy and the bun overwhelmed the burger.  Not worth the wait!
  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 16 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    6/23/2013 1 check-in here
    After the Goodburger was gone, I had to try their burger.  I don't know who's idea to serve a burger on a brioche but I don't like it.  I do love brioche, but not for a burger.  Why are they trying to be fancy now? I want it on a regular plain bun not even on sesame bun.  Top of it their burger was too small for the bun....why don't they make the bun smaller then?  I did like the sauce though.  So I will give three stars.  Their shoestring fries....Awesome!
    One last thing, if you are short person like me you will have difficulty trying to reach for the condiments at the restaurant.  If you go there you will see what I am talking about.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 5 reviews
    Bronx, NY
    9/10/2013
    I've been a huge fan of American Burger Co. for years.  Today I tried a Clarke's Standard...good Gawd Almighty!  I have a new favorite.  While the Root Beer infused BBQ sauce was really good (and I don't even like Root Beer), this burger needs no sauce.  It was delicious.  I had the Cadillac with sweet potato fries.  I'm ready for my SECOND lunch of the day.  Goodbye Weight Watcher points...

    Aside from the great burger, the staff was so on point.  Such friendly service.  I really enjoyed my experience.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 6 reviews
    Norwalk, CT
    9/8/2013
    For cheap and fast burgers, this place was fantastic. A group of us were walking around, looking for food and picked the first place we found, this burger joint. I ordered the cadillac (bacon, cheddar, regular toppings and their sauce), my friend ordered the chicken sandwich + fries and another ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich. The food came out relatively fast, though the buffalo chicken sandwich took a little longer.

    The service was half the fun of the place. When you order, you put down your name and when your food is ready, they call it out. You yell out a loud "OVER HERE" or a meek wave (whatever floats your boat) and then the waitress brings you the food. The waitress on at the time had a great time reading out the names and made the time fly by quickly.

    The food was excellent. I ended up mooching off a few fries from a friend and they were pretty darn good. It's definitely going on my top list of quick food places to go in NYC.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 32 reviews
    New York, NY
    8/24/2013
    Had the black and blue burger. Asked for it medium. Got it well done. Burger was not very good. Fries were ok. i just was bot impressed. People were nice.

    I probably will not go back here - there are too many much better places around.
  • Review from

    Falls Church, VA
    8/8/2013 1 check-in here
    The bread was a bit tough and about twice the size of the actual hamburger patty. Flavors were nice but for the price you pay, you'd expect something more substantial. At the very least have the patty match the size of the bun. It's a hamburger sin to be able to take a large bite and have only bread and veggies to chew on.

  • 1 Previous Review: Show all »

    • 3/26/2013
      I placed the order and it came just a little over an hr...but it's okay because the food was still… Read more »
  • Review from

    • 12 friends
    • 34 reviews
    New York, NY
    5/10/2013
    So. I was surprised with all of the negative reviews on here, but I can definately see how they would be slow delivering food. I ordered take-away, and the wait was a taaaadddd bit longer than it should have been, and it wasn't even busy! oulala.

    the good:
    the burger was really good. the sauce made the burger. i also like the decor and tables.

    the bad:
    the price. it could have been cheaper. but it's midtown, whattu gonna do?

    the ugly:
    the wait is crazy, as is the line at lunch. go either early or in the odd 3 pm hour.

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