The Cadillac costs $27 at P.J. Clarke's, and it arrives with double smoked bacon, American cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion and sea-salt fries. That is the order to make at the bar, where the room feels most like the 1884 saloon the restaurant still claims as its centre of gravity. The address is 915 Third Avenue in Midtown East, close to the E and F at Lexington Avenue/53rd Street and the 6 at 51st Street. Reservations are available through Resy, but bar seats remain first-come, first-served. Expect a lively crowd rather than a hushed meal. Tuesday through Saturday brings the latest closing time, midnight.
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Restaurants Near Me, NYC: P.J. Clarke's Cadillac Burger Since 1884
The Cadillac is the proper starting point. It is the bacon cheeseburger that anchors P.J. Clarke's identity: a fresh-ground beef patty with double smoked bacon, American cheese and the familiar lettuce, tomato and onion build. At $27, it comes with sea-salt fries, so the plate has the directness the setting calls for. The burger's name comes from a line attributed to Nat King Cole in 1958, when he reportedly called the bacon cheeseburger the “Cadillac of burgers”. That gives the order a little more history than most bar food, but it still works because the combination is plain and well judged.
For a cleaner comparison, the P.J.S. 1884 Cheeseburger is $24 with sea-salt fries, lettuce, tomato, onion and American cheese, without the bacon. The Trio of Mini Burgers is the more useful choice for a table deciding between styles: it includes the BBQ Blue, Cadillac and P.J.S. 1884 Cheeseburger. Skip the BBQ Blue when the aim is the classic P.J. Clarke's order. Its crispy onions, barbecue sauce and blue cheese take the burger in a different direction. East Coast oysters are $25 for six or $48 for 12, while the lobster roll is $35 and the country chicken pot pie is $27.
The Cadillac belongs at P.J. Clarke's lively bar
The room is described as lively, and current coverage also points to a lively bar crowd. That matters because the bar is not merely a place to wait for a table. It is the seating choice that best suits the restaurant's old saloon character, particularly with a burger, oysters or a drink. P.J. Clarke's own history directs regulars towards the bar for a cold drink, while current coverage identifies it as the best tier for pairing oysters or clams with a martini. The atmosphere is social and energetic, not designed around quiet conversation.
There is one firm practical distinction between the bar and the dining room. Reservations can be made through Resy, and walk-ins are welcome, but a reservation does not secure a bar stool. Every bar seat is first-come, first-served. That is the trade-off for aiming at the most atmospheric part of the restaurant. Arrive with the bar in mind rather than assuming a booking will solve the seating question. At peak times, a table may be easier to secure than the exact seat that makes the Cadillac feel right.
The 1884 saloon behind the Third Avenue facade
The Cadillac's own story is tied to that continuity. Nat King Cole's reported description in 1958 gave the bacon cheeseburger its enduring name, turning a straightforward house order into the restaurant's signature. The building's survival also gives the meal a sense of place that a newer Midtown burger counter cannot reproduce. This is not an argument for sentiment over food. It is a reason to order the burger at the bar, where the old room, the cold drink and the plate of fries make sense together.
When to go for the bar and the late service
P.J. Clarke's serves from 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and stays open until midnight on those days. Sunday and Monday service also begins at 11:30 a.m., but the listed closing time is 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday is therefore the late-hours window, useful when Midtown plans have drifted beyond dinner. There is no verified quiet period to recommend. The available description is simply lively, with current coverage specifically noting a lively bar crowd, so timing should be chosen for convenience rather than a promise of stillness.
For the classic visit, the bar's first-come policy is more important than the closing time. A reservation may help with a dining-room table, but it cannot hold a stool. Walk-ins are welcome, which keeps the restaurant practical for an unscheduled burger, though it also means the preferred seat depends on what is available when you arrive. The bar's role in the restaurant's own history makes that uncertainty part of the experience, but it is still worth planning around if the Cadillac is the reason for crossing Midtown.
Walking to 915 Third Avenue from Midtown transit
The restaurant is at 915 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022, in Midtown East. It is a short walk from the E and F at Lexington Avenue/53rd Street and from the 6 at 51st Street. That makes the visit straightforward from several Midtown directions, whether the plan is a lunch, an early plate of oysters or a later burger. The compact location also suits the restaurant's role as a dependable stop between other plans rather than a destination requiring a long journey across the city.
Paid garages are available in Midtown East, and the venue says street parking is available. There is no dedicated parking lot listed. Reservations are handled through Resy, while walk-ins remain welcome, so the practical choice is between securing a dining-room booking and arriving with patience for the bar. The address, the nearby stations and the clear hours make the logistics uncomplicated; the only variable that cannot be booked in advance is the bar stool.
P.J. Clarke's versus nearby Midtown East alternatives
Aquavit at 65 East 55th Street offers a very different proposition nearby: a two-Michelin-starred Scandinavian restaurant with a la carte bar dining and $80-$90 lunch menus. It is the more formal choice and the one to make when the meal itself is the occasion. P.J. Clarke's is less polished in that sense, but more direct, with a $27 burger, oysters at $25 for six and a bar whose first-come seating is central to the experience. The choice is between a destination for composed Scandinavian cooking and an old New York saloon built around a recognisable order.
Gallaghers Steakhouse at 228 West 52nd Street is closer in spirit when the bar matters, with cocktails, clams casino and steak specifically recommended there. Fresco by Scotto at 34 East 52nd Street is another nearby alternative, a family-run Italian American restaurant known for potato and zucchini chips, chopped salad and linguine vongole. Neither replaces P.J. Clarke's exact combination of historic setting and Cadillac burger. Choose Gallaghers for steakhouse bar dining, Fresco for Italian American dishes, or Aquavit for a more ambitious meal. Choose P.J. Clarke's when the burger and the room are inseparable.
- Address: 915 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022, in Midtown East.
- Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-midnight; Sunday-Monday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
- Reservations: Available through Resy; walk-ins welcome; bar seating is first-come, first-served.
- Getting there: Short walk from the E and F at Lexington Avenue/53rd Street and the 6 at 51st Street.
- Parking: Paid garages and street parking are available in Midtown East; no dedicated lot is listed.
- Price signals: The Cadillac is $27, the P.J.S. 1884 Cheeseburger is $24, and oysters are $25 for six.
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