Had a bacon cheeseburger at the bar here last night. It was delicious, as was the beer. The bartender was friendly too - if I lived in the area, I'd probably come in regularly. read more

I never had a bad meal at Sidecar! It is a lunch time staple for me when I want a quick and delicious meal! I love the burger, the crab cakes, all the salads and the mac and cheese! The atmosphere is not too conservative and the service is always great! read more

Went to Sidecar for a birthday dinner last night. Mixed experience. Service was absolutely top notch. From the hostess, to the bartender, to our waitress, everyone was 1st class, no doubt. But food wise, for steak house, I was pretty disappointed. My bone-in ribeye, ordered med rare, was medium at best, and really wasn't all that flavorful (which tends to happen when they overcook it). The grilled asparagus, another steakhouse staple, was also pretty mediocre. My wife's filet came drenched in some weird red sauce, when she ordered it without any of the 4 sauces - maybe that's on the server, but I'm guessing it's on the kitchen. On the plus side, the shoshito peppers were fantastic, and the wine list was a great combo of nice expensive wines and affordable ones. Maybe just an off night in the kitchen, which is a shame, because the front of house people were great. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

My favorite place to go for a wedge salad, burger and martinis! Everything is delicious and the service is always great. I rarely go downstairs, Sidecar just has a much better vibe. Can be tricky to get in, but definitely worth it. read more

My boyfriend and I had our first date at PJ Clarkes downstairs so we figured for our 1 year anniversary we would go to the supposedly fancier Sidecar, and boy were we wrong. The only good thing about this place was that we didn't have to wait for our table. I enjoy oysters but don't know a lot about ordering them, so I asked our waitress and she was ZERO help, and I ended up not ordering them. Their loss I suppose. There were 10 minute stretches of time in which there was no water, or ordered beverages filled on our table which was beyond frustrating. It was our anniversary and we had nothing to toast each other with. I ordered the petite filet mignon, and boy was it petite. It was also rare when I ordered it medium. I also asked for fries on the side and at $28 for the entree I didn't expect 2 bites of bloody steak dumped on top of about 20 thin matchstick fries, and all on an extra large plate. That was it for presentation. The sad thing was their was a guy who's job was dedicated to making sure the food is plated well. Someone fire him. Especially because when I told our waitress I was unhappy with my measly meal she failed to see our empty glasses for the 3rd time and went and told the manager I was unhappy. I watched the "plating/ presentation guy" take his ungloved hand and stick them into someone's freshly ready fries and place a pile of fries on a saucer dish for the manager to serve me. What a crock this place is. It should just be an upstairs to PJ Clarkes and not try so hard to be fancy. Don't go to this overpriced sham. read more

Come here for the ambiance: I had my first dinner here recently but I have been here for cocktail parties seven other times. The Sidecar can be reserved for private parties and does shut down for them so I recommend calling ahead to make sure it is available. It is not particularly cheap but I will say what I like best about it is that it is quiet being situated on the second floor and the right amount of lighting complements the mood and decor well. It is not like a lot of other steakhouses that are more boisterous which can be a little taxing over a long day; this is much more intimate. Capacity for the restaurant setup is about 60-90 so it is not overcrowded. This place is much better for enjoying yourself and your company, rather than people-watching. The manager, Thea, has been at the helm since it reopened in 2003 and has a firm control so expect consistent, quality service from the staff. The steak was easily an 8 out of 10, if not higher, and PJ Clarke's/Sidecar sliders are rightfully famous. The portions are fair and all of the seafood/appetizers were tasty. There is a small bar in the center where oysters are waiting in ice waiting to be shucked while enjoying a cocktail. They also have a wine list that is large enough that you will find something you will like. read more

Sidecar is a traditional, classic American restaurant serving members and their guests only. I had the privilege of accompanying a member for dinner here and as an advocate and fan of PJ Clarke's, Sidecar proved worthy of even higher praises. The interior is classic NYC decor, the service was excellent and the food was delicious. I had the skirt steak and frites, which were excellent. Looking forward to the next opportunity. read more

I have only been here twice but I love this place. First of all the staff is wonderful - as friendly as it gets. The atmosphere is so warm and invitiing - you don't feel crowded or rushed but it does feel like a special occasion. Last but certailnly not least the food is delicious. Had the steak frites for dinner last night and it was great. Add a little pumpkin pie for dessert and it was the perfect meal. read more

Brought my visiting brother and a business colleague of his here for dinner, having never actually been myself. Not a chance I usually take, as I like to be sure any guests of mine are in store for a great meal. Luckily, Sidecar turned out to be fantastic. Really warm, comfortable casual elegant atmosphere tucked above PJ Clarke's of all places, with service that is EXTREMELY pleasant without being too overattentive. We started with an oyster platter of East & West Coast selections that were all very tasty and very fresh, followed by a generous, wonderful tomato onion salad and an equally wonderful, though obviously not a generous lobster salad. Our entrees of sea scallops and ribeye (though disappointingly not bone-in) were exceptional as were the sides of sauteed wild mushrooms and summer squash. Key lime pie, brownie sundae and, best of all, the individual baked apple pie were all delicious and decadent conclusions to a really great meal. Sidecar is one of those places that fits just about any occasion (friends, date, business, etc.), especially if you're limited to midtown. read more

Food was OK, but I found it comical that they charged me $4 for each refill of Coke FROM THE FOUNTAIN. If you are going to have this absurd policy, tell the customer before they give you the refill. read more

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. read more

why i was able to make a last minute reservation on a friday night is beyond me, we thouroughly enjoyed it. located upstairs and run by the folks at p.j. clarke's, the sidecar is a bit more upscale, lots of wood but without the stuffiness you might expect at a midtown joint like this. if you're looking for a place with good steaks and chops (and a nice, spacious atmosphere) without the disgusting portions of a ny steakhouse, give this place a shot. had the ribeye and a wedge of iceberg with stilton, both were delicious. skip the flourless chocolate cake, unless you're the sadist type that likes giving peanut butter to dogs. read more

So much fun and out of the way. Steakhouse-y without the noise, convivial and delicious food -- steaks, salads, fries, and more with interesting sauces, perfect Martinis, AND the greatest waitperson of all - Ann. She gets it and is fun, sweet and totally knowledgeable -- she will steer you in the right direction. We had a total blast. read more

Went here for dinner last night with a friend, I was running late, of course, he sends me a text as I'm leaving my apt a solid 25 mins from being there that says I'm here, you have to ring the doorbell, oops forgot to tell him that detail. Anyway, finally arrive, meet him at the bar, get a goose and soda, garnished with a lemon, ick that's my biggest pet peeve, I always say grey goose and soda with a lime, she ignored and gave me a lemon, oh well, I'll get over it. The interior of the place is nice, I arrived around 7:30, he had gotten there around 7:15 and said the place was pretty much empty, we finished our drinks and by the time we sat about 10 mins later the place was PACKED. Clearly a midtown i-banker crowd, I should have known I got the reco from a midtown i-banker ha ha. We started with the crab cake, which was good, lots of crab, not the usual breadcrumbs with one piece of crab. For our entrees I got the scallops with quinoa, he got the sea bass, mine was delicious, I tried his and it was great too, we also got the rosemary hashbrowns as a side which were really tasty. I'm rarely in the neighborhood, but if I am I will definitely go back! read more

Overall, a very pleasant Valentine's Day experience. As a side note, this restaurant is not members-only, however, you must be buzzed in through a side door and a reservation is therefore highly recommended if not mandatory. Once you are in, the staff is very pleasant, unlike many of the new so-called speakeasies popping up in the City. Sidecar gets points for its exposed brick and pleasant decor. A proper steakhouse that both sexes should feel equally at ease in. Our reservation was not only honored but we were seated at a nicely situated 4-top even though only two of us were dining. The restaurant was also offering most of its regular menu in addition to a $60 four course special unlike many area restaurants which were only offering set menus. As for the drinks, the Michters Manhattan was perhaps the best I ever had and justified the $17 price tag. The Old Fashioned was good but the Manhattan was superb. There was a very nice Cabernet special by the glass (6 or 9 oz pours, a nice feature) but when the check arrived, the price appeared outlandish even for New York City steakhouse holiday prices. With respect to the food, we had one set menu and ordered the balance from the regular menu. As for the appetizers, the Parmesan tater tots and jumbo shrimp cocktail from the regular menu were both excellent. If you are going to pay NYC prices, live a little and get the good stuff. The seared tuna and salad with goat cheese (and other items) from the set menu were both prepared well. The steak frites for $27 was tasty and well-priced for a NYC steakhouse of this quality. The petite filet and shrimp from the set menu were good and the steak was of a decent size (I was expecting something very small). The dessert from the set menu was very tasty but on the smallish side. Given NYC steakhouse reputations for generous desserts and the cost of ingredients relative the other items, I think a little bit bigger piece (especially on Valentine's Day) would have been nice. (That said, this dessert was intended for one, not to share and was probably sufficient for most). The service was good. It took a while to place our order but after that things went well. The waitresses appear to rely heavily on other wait staff (of which there are many). There was no rush to move the table and limited up-selling save for the wine which was in part prompted by our inquiries. All staff seemed to be very pleasant and ladies were provided with a long-stem rose at the end of the evening by the hostess which I thought was a nice touch. Overall, I enjoyed my night. I imagine this place would be phenomenal on an expense-account dinner given the raw bar and cocktail options. read more

We were there this weekend for an event and it was wonderful. The food was delicious and the service was excellent, all in a beautiful location. Fantastic all around. read more

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. read more

I threw a Christmas party here for my company and it was PERFECT. The staff was super attentive and couldn't have been nicer, the atmosphere is so great and the food was amazing (yes, they have the famous PJ Clarke's burgers up here, but as Sliders!) I highly recommend for a classy, but not stuffy, private event, especially in Winter, because the place is just so beautiful with all of the seasonal decorations. read more