Just what the Dr. ORDERED. The quality of food is evident on the palate. Hospitality on point as well...treated like a 👑
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
JL Miguel
The food and cocktails are very good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ellen M
Really great food. Miguel was our server and he was great. They have a great wine list and fun mixed drinks
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Warren Satchell
Review for Clay Restaurant – Harlem, NYC
Clay is hands down one of Harlem’s gems — and honestly, one of the best spots in all of NYC. The burger here? Seriously one of the most delicious in the city — perfectly cooked every single time. The house-made bun and those tangy pickled onions are the icing on the proverbial cake. And don’t sleep on the hand-cut fries — crisp, golden, and made with real care.
What really sets Clay apart is their attention to detail — everything from the plating to the flavors feels thoughtful and intentional. Add to that a level of consistency that’s rare these days, and you’ve got a restaurant that delivers every time.
If you haven’t been yet, make it a priority. Clay isn’t just good — it’s memorable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cheri Reese
Clay offers some of the most flavorful and deeply satisfying food in the city. Don’t miss it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Tinaglia
By far the best restaurant in Harlem (maybe all of uptown). The service is great, the food is delicious, bar program is dialed in (fantastic cocktails + interesting wine list). I’ve gone here for birthdays, date nights, and days when I need a big cheer up and I am so glad this place exists. Try the pasta—it’s all house made and is phenomenal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
h lee
Food is a bit over salted but not bad when paired with wine
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Juan King
You won't question the bill when the food tastes this good. Employees here also provided exceptional service. The kitchen team excels at Clay. This restaurant offers appropriate rates for its location. This spot has everything you could want.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Dave Belt
Clay is a gem of a restaurant in this area, warm and professional service and a diverse menu with excellent entrees, appetizers and sides. Excellent beer menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Larry Nissman
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.
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.
Just what the Dr. ORDERED.
The quality of food is evident on the palate. Hospitality on point as well...treated like a 👑
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food and cocktails are very good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really great food. Miguel was our server and he was great. They have a great wine list and fun mixed drinks
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Review for Clay Restaurant – Harlem, NYC
Clay is hands down one of Harlem’s gems — and honestly, one of the best spots in all of NYC. The burger here? Seriously one of the most delicious in the city — perfectly cooked every single time. The house-made bun and those tangy pickled onions are the icing on the proverbial cake. And don’t sleep on the hand-cut fries — crisp, golden, and made with real care.
What really sets Clay apart is their attention to detail — everything from the plating to the flavors feels thoughtful and intentional. Add to that a level of consistency that’s rare these days, and you’ve got a restaurant that delivers every time.
If you haven’t been yet, make it a priority. Clay isn’t just good — it’s memorable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Clay offers some of the most flavorful and deeply satisfying food in the city. Don’t miss it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
By far the best restaurant in Harlem (maybe all of uptown). The service is great, the food is delicious, bar program is dialed in (fantastic cocktails + interesting wine list). I’ve gone here for birthdays, date nights, and days when I need a big cheer up and I am so glad this place exists. Try the pasta—it’s all house made and is phenomenal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is a bit over salted but not bad when paired with wine
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
You won't question the bill when the food tastes this good. Employees here also provided exceptional service. The kitchen team excels at Clay. This restaurant offers appropriate rates for its location. This spot has everything you could want.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Clay is a gem of a restaurant in this area, warm and professional service and a diverse menu with excellent entrees, appetizers and sides. Excellent beer menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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
Restaurantji Recommends
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
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