A sign of a good restaurant is if you still think about it days later. In this case, I'm still thinking about the pork belly. Definitely one of the best pork dishes I've ever had. I also had the Gnocchi and my wife the mushroom burger. All was good. Nice, relaxed atmosphere. If drinks were priced reasonably, I'd probably give this 5 stars, but this just may be my quirk, but I am not a fan of $20 cocktails. Obviously, you don't have to drink, and the cost of the meal will be substantially less, but going out to a nice restaurant usually is complemented by a pre-dinner drink.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Adrian Brügger
Wonderful Harlem spot with great drinks, innovative food, and really attentive and professional service. It's a pity that they no longer have any outdoor seating, but that is the only bad thing that I can about Clay!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bertrand Deleuse
What a gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vance Lovett
This was our first time in. We have been wanting to try the happy hour here for a long time. We were greeted by a lovely host, and we let her know we were in for snacks and drinks. She led us to a corner table.
When it came time to order snacks, our server David asked us to put in our full order right away so they could course it (which we were not there for, but started considering). We told him that we were just going to do snacks for now, and he snapped up our menus and went straight over to the host, likely to alert that she’s not supposed to seat us in his section for happy hour.
We picked up on a cold/dismissive vibe from David for the rest of the evening, even after deciding to stay for a full dinner. This was our first date night out in a while, and it felt like we were not really welcome in David’s section, and that we were not spending enough money to be worth table touches.
Even though the food was great and the remainder of the staff was friendly and attentive, big smiles as we came and went, it felt like we were being pushed out and unwelcome by our server at a relatively empty restaurant. Unlikely to return soon.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Jay Christy
Having patronized most of the restaurants on the UWS I was looking for something new to experience; enter Clay. I settled on Clay after a quick google search and reading posted reviews. Because this dinner was to celebrate my anniversary I wanted someplace casual and a bit formal. Again, Clay fit the occasion with an elegant dining space, albeit on the smaller side, and gourmet inspired menu.
AER..after eating report, the restaurant met our expectations and I would recommend to anyone willing to travel off the beaten path.
We enjoyed drinks, old fashion for me and specialty cocktail for the misses. Appetizers were pork belly and chicken liver pate. The pork belly was a little over done but tasty…it is pork belly. The chicken liver pate was surprisingly good. I’m a huge fan of duck foie gras and had low expectations for the chicken liver pate but again, I was pleasantly surprised and the dish was delicious.
Dinner entrees were the Calamarata pasta and half roasted chicken. Both plates were delicious with the Calamarata scoring slightly higher on rarity and taste.
Book ahead as the space is small and fills up quickly.
We really had great experience! Food is amazing The vibe Service Definitely recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Megan Lemcke
This is our favorite neighborhood restaurant. Everything on the menu is delicious, but the perfect order is the higher plane cocktail, the beets, the burger (favorite burger in the city) and the panna cotta. The people working here are so welcoming. Great bar atmosphere. I can't recommend enough!!
The restaurant itself is gorgeous. The hostess was very nice. We were seated promptly. Our waiter was not friendly and was borderline rude. Never told us his name. Didn't smile. It felt like he was annoyed from the moment we sat down. We wanted to order our appetizers and then our meals and he told us no. Saying they don't allow that on Saturdays and we had to order everything at once and they would pace the dishes for us...we were there on a Friday. Every interaction with him was unpleasant. It killed the vibe of the whole meal.
Here's the thing. This place was too anticipated and also far out of our way for it to have given what it was giving at dinner. The menu is limited and only a few items were good that they're known for. Everything else was mediocre. Service was not bad at all. The server was attentive enough. The drinks were nothing remarkable really. I understand why when I suggested it my friend who lives in Harlem wasn't too hot on it. Probably saw how eager I was to go and didn't want to shoot it down. Now she tells me why she had reservations about Clay no pun intended. Anyway if I lived in the neighborhood I'd probably give it another chance but I'm not schlepping up and across town for it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Joshua Bederson
I would not recommend this place to a friend, and will not plan to return. My wife and I ate there last night with another couple. We ordered nuts and olives for the table, a bottle of wine, I had a cocktail, and we each had an appetizer and a main, and we shared two deserts. The bill was $150 per person all inclusive.
My main course was the $24 hamburger, and as I started to ask for red onion I was abruptly interrupted by the supercilious waiter: “all our burgers come with red onion on the side”. He was clearly impatient. The tone was angry.
My wife had to ask three times to identify the bottle of wine he recommended on the menu, and finally after he called him back to the table he took the menu out of her hand and impatiently said the name was different than what he had described, but he assured us it was good and the price was $105. He eventually returned to open the bottle and pour a taste for my wife. As he poured, she took the glass in hand but was in the middle of a sentence that she wanted to finish before sipping the wine. He immediately started verbally agitating for her to stop talking and taste it, rushing her to finish her sentence. This was truly. bizarre. She had to look up at him and tell him she would just be one second. He then poured the other three glasses but not hers, set the bottle down, and left. She had to reach across the table and pour her own.
When the meal came I saw that my burger was accompanied by a tiny cup with mushy wet picked red onions. I flagged down the waiter and asked if I could have a raw red onion instead. He dismissively said “we don’t have any red onions” and walked away.
I do want to add that the hostess of the restaurant was superb. She was engaged and perceptive, seemingly everywhere all the time, trying to making things better.
Despite her efforts and a good vibe in the restaurant, with good but definitely not great food, I felt this was an expensive and insulting experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Gemma Galdon Clavell
Visited twice. Loved it the 1st time, underwhelmed the 2nd. Avoid the basement, avoid the steak (so dry!).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Yolanda Shoshana
Love Clay. Great food and wonderful service the burger is so delicious. There is a great wine list for pairing everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Syed Ashrafulla
Lovely restaurant serving up perfect technique with flavors that ensure balance of power. I recommend the cheeses for sure, apparently it's a "toma celena" that I liked a lot. I also liked the radicchio salad I think, whichever one has good dressing.
For sure get the pastas, all of them have the noodle as the perfect second lead to the great sauces. If you want me to pick one, I would say the bucatini because I'm a sucker for a wiry noodle that keeps form.
From the mains, I remember the duck leg the most for its tenderness. The fish was executed perfectly as well, I just happen to remember the duck leg more.
Excellent spot, accommodating to kids as well. I know I'm leaving the best for last, but their wine list is bonkers good. Highly curated rather than being a book, with excellent understanding of what goes with the person, not just the dish.
A sign of a good restaurant is if you still think about it days later. In this case, I'm still thinking about the pork belly. Definitely one of the best pork dishes I've ever had. I also had the Gnocchi and my wife the mushroom burger. All was good. Nice, relaxed atmosphere. If drinks were priced reasonably, I'd probably give this 5 stars, but this just may be my quirk, but I am not a fan of $20 cocktails. Obviously, you don't have to drink, and the cost of the meal will be substantially less, but going out to a nice restaurant usually is complemented by a pre-dinner drink.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Wonderful Harlem spot with great drinks, innovative food, and really attentive and professional service. It's a pity that they no longer have any outdoor seating, but that is the only bad thing that I can about Clay!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
What a gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was our first time in. We have been wanting to try the happy hour here for a long time. We were greeted by a lovely host, and we let her know we were in for snacks and drinks. She led us to a corner table.
When it came time to order snacks, our server David asked us to put in our full order right away so they could course it (which we were not there for, but started considering). We told him that we were just going to do snacks for now, and he snapped up our menus and went straight over to the host, likely to alert that she’s not supposed to seat us in his section for happy hour.
We picked up on a cold/dismissive vibe from David for the rest of the evening, even after deciding to stay for a full dinner. This was our first date night out in a while, and it felt like we were not really welcome in David’s section, and that we were not spending enough money to be worth table touches.
Even though the food was great and the remainder of the staff was friendly and attentive, big smiles as we came and went, it felt like we were being pushed out and unwelcome by our server at a relatively empty restaurant. Unlikely to return soon.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Having patronized most of the restaurants on the UWS I was looking for something new to experience; enter Clay. I settled on Clay after a quick google search and reading posted reviews. Because this dinner was to celebrate my anniversary I wanted someplace casual and a bit formal. Again, Clay fit the occasion with an elegant dining space, albeit on the smaller side, and gourmet inspired menu.
AER..after eating report, the restaurant met our expectations and I would recommend to anyone willing to travel off the beaten path.
We enjoyed drinks, old fashion for me and specialty cocktail for the misses. Appetizers were pork belly and chicken liver pate. The pork belly was a little over done but tasty…it is pork belly. The chicken liver pate was surprisingly good. I’m a huge fan of duck foie gras and had low expectations for the chicken liver pate but again, I was pleasantly surprised and the dish was delicious.
Dinner entrees were the Calamarata pasta and half roasted chicken. Both plates were delicious with the Calamarata scoring slightly higher on rarity and taste.
Book ahead as the space is small and fills up quickly.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
My favourite restaurant in West Harlem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grass Fed Steak Tartare Pickled Shallot Celery Root Curedes, Mini Doughnuts Blood Orange Lovage, Chocolate Budino
We really had great experience!
Food is amazing
The vibe
Service
Definitely recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is our favorite neighborhood restaurant. Everything on the menu is delicious, but the perfect order is the higher plane cocktail, the beets, the burger (favorite burger in the city) and the panna cotta. The people working here are so welcoming. Great bar atmosphere. I can't recommend enough!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Panna Cotta, Beet Salad
Best bar. Wonderful atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Budino, Mini Doughnuts, Grass Fed Steak Tartare Pickled Shallot Celery Root Curedes
The restaurant itself is gorgeous. The hostess was very nice. We were seated promptly. Our waiter was not friendly and was borderline rude. Never told us his name. Didn't smile. It felt like he was annoyed from the moment we sat down. We wanted to order our appetizers and then our meals and he told us no. Saying they don't allow that on Saturdays and we had to order everything at once and they would pace the dishes for us...we were there on a Friday. Every interaction with him was unpleasant. It killed the vibe of the whole meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Here's the thing. This place was too anticipated and also far out of our way for it to have given what it was giving at dinner. The menu is limited and only a few items were good that they're known for. Everything else was mediocre. Service was not bad at all. The server was attentive enough. The drinks were nothing remarkable really. I understand why when I suggested it my friend who lives in Harlem wasn't too hot on it. Probably saw how eager I was to go and didn't want to shoot it down. Now she tells me why she had reservations about Clay no pun intended. Anyway if I lived in the neighborhood I'd probably give it another chance but I'm not schlepping up and across town for it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
I would not recommend this place to a friend, and will not plan to return. My wife and I ate there last night with another couple. We ordered nuts and olives for the table, a bottle of wine, I had a cocktail, and we each had an appetizer and a main, and we shared two deserts. The bill was $150 per person all inclusive.
My main course was the $24 hamburger, and as I started to ask for red onion I was abruptly interrupted by the supercilious waiter: “all our burgers come with red onion on the side”. He was clearly impatient. The tone was angry.
My wife had to ask three times to identify the bottle of wine he recommended on the menu, and finally after he called him back to the table he took the menu out of her hand and impatiently said the name was different than what he had described, but he assured us it was good and the price was $105. He eventually returned to open the bottle and pour a taste for my wife. As he poured, she took the glass in hand but was in the middle of a sentence that she wanted to finish before sipping the wine. He immediately started verbally agitating for her to stop talking and taste it, rushing her to finish her sentence. This was truly. bizarre. She had to look up at him and tell him she would just be one second. He then poured the other three glasses but not hers, set the bottle down, and left. She had to reach across the table and pour her own.
When the meal came I saw that my burger was accompanied by a tiny cup with mushy wet picked red onions. I flagged down the waiter and asked if I could have a raw red onion instead. He dismissively said “we don’t have any red onions” and walked away.
I do want to add that the hostess of the restaurant was superb. She was engaged and perceptive, seemingly everywhere all the time, trying to making things better.
Despite her efforts and a good vibe in the restaurant, with good but definitely not great food, I felt this was an expensive and insulting experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Visited twice. Loved it the 1st time, underwhelmed the 2nd. Avoid the basement, avoid the steak (so dry!).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Love Clay. Great food and wonderful service the burger is so delicious. There is a great wine list for pairing everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lovely restaurant serving up perfect technique with flavors that ensure balance of power. I recommend the cheeses for sure, apparently it's a "toma celena" that I liked a lot. I also liked the radicchio salad I think, whichever one has good dressing.
For sure get the pastas, all of them have the noodle as the perfect second lead to the great sauces. If you want me to pick one, I would say the bucatini because I'm a sucker for a wiry noodle that keeps form.
From the mains, I remember the duck leg the most for its tenderness. The fish was executed perfectly as well, I just happen to remember the duck leg more.
Excellent spot, accommodating to kids as well. I know I'm leaving the best for last, but their wine list is bonkers good. Highly curated rather than being a book, with excellent understanding of what goes with the person, not just the dish.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burrata
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