PJ Charlton

The owner Phil is wonderful. Kind and cares about his restaurant.
Great neighborhood restaurant.

A real hole in the wall. Love this place. Great atmosphere, great food, a place made for people who know where to go. Freshest Italian food you’ll find. My mother always said, the better the food, the less you should mess with it. And this place rights that belief. Simple simple foods done beautifully. Fresh mozzarella, fresh prosciutto. Nothing better. Definately a must for anyone looking for a good, authentic Italian experience.

My husband and I live out of state. It’s not surprising most reviews about this place are bad. We went to this place last month with another couple, friends that live close by. Portions are small and the menu is WAY OVER-​PRICED! There are so many other better options in this area! The owner (with horrible breath, btw), loved to brag he’s been there 30+ years but, THE PLACE WAS EMPTY AT 6 P.M. ON A FRIDAY NIGHT!!! Nobody at the bar, nobody in the restaurant and no atmosphere whatsoever! (Gee, I wonder why). AND, I could have sworn I saw a mouse run across the floor. Everything about this place is awful, including the décor!!!

Visited here for the first time. I work nearby and as other reviews have mentioned it is off the beaten path. It’s good old school Italian. Fresh specials that were really good.
The bread/​olives at the table were a nice touch. Charging for each iced tea refill is a bit on the cheap/​tacky side. I hate when places do this for soda and iced teas.
Good food, a tad on the pricey side for the neighborhood (Westville, The Ear, et al are nearby).

This place is the definition of tucked away. I’m not surprised that it does not have a ton of reviews, given the location… probably not the funnest spot to head to at night when there’s more robust areas!
I work right nearby to the location so I find myself coming for lunch here during the work day. It’s fairly quiet in the afternoon hours and this makes it a good location to sit down and make conversation with your party. The service has been great in my few times coming here so far– they greet well and are very accommodating. Absolutely no complaints. I tend to stick to the pasta dishes when I come here… so far, so good! You will find the types of dishes that are typically served in Italian restaurants. I tend to stick to the chicken parm or the chicken alfredo — both are pretty tasty and are done just right.
Décor is nice and they have plenty of seating available. Again, if you come here for lunch or simply for dinner during the week, given the location, I don’t find that there would be issues with them being able to accommodate you.

Had lunch there with nine other business associates because it was conveniently located to our office. Very disappointed. Only good part of lunch was the bread basket. Had the shrimp soup to start and it was bland and the shrimp were like rubber. Ordered a chicken and sausage special and the chicken was dry and overlooked. Biggest problem with the place is their tomato sauce.

Just had lunch here for the first time today as my company has just moved into the area. For companies on Hudson Street, this is a great location. Real old world New York with great service and great stories. The lunch crowd wasn’t super noisy so it’s perfect for a business lunch. They seem really accommodating and the food was good too. I was in and out in way under and hour which was great, but it also seems like you can linger as long as you want to.
I had the butternut squash soup and chicken parm. Both were very good and I’m very picky. They also start the meal with bread and olives which always helps to win me over.
It’s the kind of place that will greet you by name by your second visit. Very happy to have found this place.

The chicken parmesan was very good but they gave me fettucine instead of spaghetti. You may think pasta is pasta but I don’t like the feel of fettucine anymore than I would want shells or bow tie pasta. I asked if they have spaghetti and they said no but they could go to the store and get it. Huh? I had no time to wait for this. Who ever heard of an Italian restaurant that doesn’t stock spaghetti? I seriously would go back because I loved the chicken, cheese, sauce but they have to have spaghetti so maybe I’ll call and ask first.

This place is a gem! The best Italian food in the city. My boyfriend and I come here about 3 times a month… we live right around the corner. Amazing service and food. High quality ingredients in a romantic setting. The owner Phil, who grew up in the city is such a pleasure and nice guy to talk to if you get the chance.
Favorites:
Chicken Soup (sans noodles) — the BEST in the city!!! Hearty veggies, and will also do the trick if ever sick
Calamari, lightly breaded to perfection
Eggplant Parm, the first time I’ve ever had this and was very pleased. Nice texture and flavor *signature dish of theirs
Pasta Primavera, this isn’t on the menu but it’s my go-​to and delicious! Again, so many hearty veggies; mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini and yellow squash.
Penne Chicken Alfredo — my boyfriend’s must when we go to any Italian restaurant. He can’t compare anything to this. I also love it to dip my bread in (that’s my small tolerance to alfredo sauce in general).
They also provide a basket with italian and foccaccia breads. It’s so fresh and served with olive oil.
We’ve never been here for lunch, but I have a feeling it gets quite a crowd with all of the agencies in the area. They have a nice bar with TV’s too. They are closed on Saturdays/​Sundays, but it’s the perfect Friday night spot if you’re in the area.

On the upside, the atmosphere is very nice, with a cozy, romantic feel. The location is a bit out of the way, but so much that it’s really all that bad. The service was very fast and attentive (although we were some of the only people in there). As other reviewers mentioned, the owner is often around and very attentive and friendly.
On the downside, the food is decent but boring. There’s not really anything on the menu that you wouldn’t find at an Applebees. The bread they served us at the table was quite stale and hard. Unfortunately, the lackluster food performance isn’t reflected in the prices. For $ 30 – 40 a head, there are much better options in the neighborhood.

While I visited New York earlier this year, I came across the restaurant, PJ Charlton. The staff were warm and welcoming, the owner always took the time to greet you and the food was very delicious for the price!

I went to PJ’s for a work lunch function. We had a large party, so it was understandable that service would be a little slower than normal. However, not only was it hard to get our server’s attention to place orders and get more water, they had to double and triple check some people’s orders because they had forgotten to write it down. After placing our orders, we also has a long wait for our appetizers, then another long wait for our entrees. It ended up being a 2 hour lunch, which is kinda ridiculous, especially since we all had to go back to work right away.
I ordered the Mozzarella in Carrozza appetizer and Sea Scallop Scampi. It was my first time having carrozza, so I didn’t have any expectations. The presentation was a little weird. It literally looked like a toaster strudel, but instead of icing, they melted a cup of butter and poured it on top. It tasted okay, although the breading was a little heavy on the cheese and the lemon sauce was pretty sour. I love mozzarella, but not a fan of this dish.
The entrees were also mediocre. My dish only had 5 scallops, which was disappointing. Also, the sauce, like the appetizer, was extremely sour. I have a high tolerance for sour, but I was puckering multiple times as I struggled to get through the pasta. The scallops were big but nothing to rave about. Overall, not a great dish. And for the price, the portion was pretty small.
Not impressed with the food, flavors, or service. Definitely won’t be back, despite the proximity to my office.
Pros: adds variety to the area
Cons: slow service, bad flavor combinations
Dishes to try: Not sure
Dishes to skip: Sea Scallop Scampi, Mozzarella in Carrozza

This place is near my office and usually went in for lunch or happy hours. I have to say that I never branched out and got anything different because the chicken parm was always the best!!! Although I have been with other people, and their meals look really good! Prices are reasonable and drinks are too. The owner is really nice and he knows his customers… he goes around to the tables to make sure everything is top notch. Great place, great food, great atmosphere!

PJ Charlton is quite the hidden gem. And when I say hidden, I’m referring to the fact that it’s literally situated across the street from UPS loading docks and outdoor parking garages. Ah, that lovely no-man’s-land known as the South Village.
However, I stand by my appointed gem status for this old-​school Italian joint. Sure, PJ Charlton, by name, may sound like your friendly, neighborhood Irish pub, but in actuality, this Greenwich St. establishment happens to serve up some of the best Eggplant Parmigiana this town has got to offer. And I understand — this is not exactly a statement to be taken lightly in New York City. Layer upon layer of delicious eggplant form a giant block of an entrée covered in marinara sauce and then blanketed with home-​made mozzarella. It’s as simple as it sounds, but the taste is second to none. And truth be told, I’m not even that crazy about our purple-​skinned, ovoid fruit friend, but here it’s prepared fork-​able, fleshy, and in perfect harmony with its fellow ingredients. Listed as «truly a house specialty» on their menu, well — PJ ain’t messin’ around.
Their Mozzarella in Carrozza is a great appetizer, as well, accented nicely by a white wine caper sauce. I can also attest to their fish specials, hand-​selected fillets that arrive from market-​to-​kitchen-​to-​table daily. One black cod entrée in particular had me wishing my dish would never end. Yes, I get food anxiety like that. A lot.
While the décor at PJ Charlton is as simple as their offerings (however, without such satisfying result), it has an almost shore-​side atmosphere that is somehow still endearing in its own right. Meanwhile, the service can be a little hit or miss. I’ve seen members in my party essentially be berated for requesting milk in their coffee, because that’s «not how it’s served in Venice». And, on the flip-​side, I’ve had waitresses here who treated us like dear friends.
As it were, what a dear friend this place has been to this, well, semi-​desolate part of the city. In operation since 1981? Who knew? Throw a little background Sinatra into the mix and, I mean, who wouldn’t want to be pals with PJ Charlton?

We went to this restaurant with a $ 25 gift certificate that was offered the restaurant from
. It clearly stated we had to purchase a minimum of $ 45 of food. We planned what we’d order to come up to that minumum. The waitress took our order and then, surprisingly asked us if we’d be paying by a certificate. (That’s surprising because usually wait staff is given these certificates when paying the check.) We showed her the certificate. She informed us that the minimum food order for this was $ 50. We showed her where it stated $ 45. She informed us that
has their policy and her manager has his and we’d have to spend $ 50 to use the certificate. We showed it to her again that it said $ 45. Now, it’s not the $ 5 that matters, it’s the principle. We bought her restaurant’s coupon and they weren’t honoring it. We left after ordering soft drinks only. We didn’t touch them and she wanted us to pay for them. The whole experience was laughable except for the fact that we were literally the only patrons in the whole place which says it all! The next day
appologized and made good on it but we won’t be back to this place ever again.

I’m not the type of person to write a review on any restaurant, but sometimes you have one of those experiences that you can’t let go unknown.
I have nothing but amazing things to say about the food, atmosphere, and service at this restaurant. I’ve spent many lunch hours here for great food and drinks to escape the crazy work day. Unfortunately for the restaurant, this place is usually dead, and on some occasions, I was the sole customer. But I liked this since I could really relax without loud and obnoxious patrons. I made friends with all of the staff, and would choose this restaurant over all others knowing I’d have great food and great company.
When two of the servers decided to move on from the restaurant to other jobs, I was extremely sad to see them leave since I looked forward to chatting with them every day.
Yesterday I went in for my usual salad and drink, and as I signed my credit card statement, the owner sat down and told me I’m not allowed back in the restaurant. Apparently, he thinks I «corrupted» his servers by accepting occasional drink buybacks. I’ve never been so confused and hurt by someone I barely know. When I asked «why?» I didn’t receive more than the answer «because you corrupted them». I don’t understand how anyone could blame their customers for accepting a drink «on us» when they are consistent customers who have done nothing but support the establishment. I’ve never been so disappointed and disrespected in my life. Any «buybacks» I received I paid for above and beyond in tips (which I’m sure he reaped the benefits of). On top of all of this, he had the nerve to «threaten» my job. In my state of confusion, I mentioned that I will be talking with my coworkers about this and that it may influence whether or not they choose to eat there. He retaliated with «if you still have your job… I know people over there».
Bottom line, the food here is incredible and the bartenders (if they still work there) are great, but the management is apparently not what it seems. Watch out getting too friendly with the staff, the management might get jealous.

overpriced, so-​so italian food in a creepy neighborhood at night…
.gona stop buying stupid
coupons that force me to eat at crappy restaurants!

Everytime my co-​workers and I head to PJ Charlton’s, we make bets on how empty the place is going to be. On a Friday night, this place is lucky to have 5 patrons and it is due to the god-​awful location of this place. It is practically hidden on Greenwich street, right across a vast UPS facility. It is a shame really, because the food isn’t that bad. Forgettable yes, but good enough. I sometimes head here if it’s a fri night and I need a quiet, last minute place to have dinner without having to deal with waiting or the hassle of parking.

Went here for dinner with my boyfriend. Food was okay, kind of pricey. Nothing special, spent $ 60 on 2 soups a salad and an entrée (scallops…4 jumbo scallops and some spinach). Nothing great, had a coupon otherwise wouldn’t be worth the money.