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P.J. Clarke's Reopens With New Look, New Menu After 7 Months of Renovations

By David Matthews | August 28, 2015 2:18pm | Updated on August 31, 2015 8:53am
 Here's a first look at the newly reopened P.J. Clarke's at State and Division.
P.J. Clarke's
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GOLD COAST — Neighborhood mainstay P.J. Clarke's is back in business after a seven-month makeover.

The bar/restaurant at 1204 N. State St. reopened Friday with new drinks (including 12 new beer taps and 28 Scotches), new food ($18 for a half-slab of ribs) and more tables and TV screens. 

The New York import first opened in the Gold Coast in 1986. Nick Lombardo, the restaurant's general manager, said P.J. Clarke's closed in January because of a sinking floor and "a lot of structural stuff, to be honest." The bar also has a new black-and-gold color scheme in place of white walls that were stained by decades of indoor smoking prior to the city's ban. 

"As we did [the floor] we decided other things needed to be changed," Lombardo said. 

There are plenty of changes, but P.J. Clarke's also kept some old favorites including its chicken pot pie ($24), meatloaf dinner ($26), and spaghetti and meatballs ($24). Lombardo said the restaurant plans to offer a brunch menu and a patio along State Street soon. 

The new P.J. Clarke's seats 150 inside, where there are now 14 TV screens, from five before the closing. Lombardo said more than 1,000 people asked him when the bar would reopen. 

"It's a better quality menu, for sure," Lombardo said when asked about what old patrons can expect from the new bar. "And people will actually be able to come here and watch a game."

P.J. Clarke's will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, and until 3 a.m. on Saturday. The kitchen will close at midnight for now, but Lombardo hopes to expand those hours, too. 

Scroll down for more photos of the renovated P.J. Clarke's. 

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