WHILE well known and possibly not a candidate for a Forgotten NY entry, I did find a P.J. Clarke’s location not everyone may know about. Clarke’s, in its flagship location at 3rd Avenue and East 55th Street, was established by Ehret’s Brewery in 1890, with Patrick Joseph Clarke taking over in 1904, continuing until his death after World War II. The place still holds on to old-time trappings such as vintage porcelain urinals, mahogany woodwork, tin ceiling, and portraits of FDR, JFK and Abraham Lincoln. Customers jot down their orders on notepads provided by staff– a longtime Clarke’s tradition. Frank Sinatra, Jackie Onassis, and Nat King Cole were all regular patrons, and Buddy Holly proposed to his wife, Maria Elena, at Clarke’s on their first date in 1958. Dick Clark always made his way here after finishing his New Year’s Rockin’ Eve ABC broadcasts. And, Ray Milland staggered up 3rd Avenue in an alcoholic daze after cadging drinks at Clarke’s, which was called Nat’s Bar in The Lost Weekend. There are 7 other branches of P.J. Clarke’s in Manhattan, Chicago, Washington, Las Vegas, and São Paulo, Brazil, but this is the original.
This Clarke’s, at Columbus Avenue and West 63rd Street, is perhaps best known for its appearance in the final scene of Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall,” in which Alvie Singer and Annie Hall have lunch after some years apart. Oddly enough I have never been in either location, but did pass the original Clarke’s each day for a few weeks in 2016 and 2017, when I freelanced at the Bloomingdale’s production office early each year.
My complete 9th Avenue/Columbus Avenue walk can be seen on this FNY page.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop. As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
3/25/26