Jekyll & Hyde Club in New York City: Better for Teens and Pre-Teens

A few years back, I went to the Jekyll & Hyde Club with my friend, Lealand. It was relatively new then, and we were served by some sort of vampire character. The skull on the wall chatted with us, which was quite surprising. This was a huge operation to spy on patrons and involve them in the story of the Jekyll & Hyde Club. The food was mediocre, but we had a fabulous time.

Since my best friend Mechelle was joining me in NY for the Thanksgiving holiday, I figured that a trip into Manhattan would be a great idea. I told her about the different places that we could eat, including Jekyll & Hyde. I told her all about the fun experience that Lealand and I had interacting with the skull and the server. Since Mechelle is into acting and fun stuff like this, that’s where we decided to go.

Upon going into the City, Mechelle and I met up with my sister, Julie, and we began walking towards Broadway. All of us were pretty darned hungry, and it was a 24 block walk to Jekyll & Hyde. It was frickin’ FREEZING outside, and we thought about going to a closer restaurant, such as Connelly’s Pub. Once we hit the sunshine, though, we decided to keep walking to Jekyll & Hyde

After our 15 minute walk (which seemed like forever because the sun disappeared and we were in the cold), we wound up on the corner of the Avenue of the Americas (AKA 6th Avenue) and 57th Street. The Jekyll & Hyde Club is located right there. You’ll recognize it by the skulls and eerie decorations on the outside of the building. There should also be some character standing outside, waiting to greet you.

Once inside (there wasn’t a line on the Wednesday afternoon we went), you are led into a dark hallway by the character actor that greeted you. We were fortunate enough to meet the funny Dr. Hacketoff. The actor then greets you, tells you about the club, and gives you a “test” to see if you’re worthy of entering. (We were subjected to the ceiling appearing to crush us.) I’m sure this would be very amusing for kids, but the three of us patiently waited it out to step inside. For some reason, it just wasn’t as awesome as I remembered it.

The three of us were seated immediately entering the restaurant. There are four different levels: The Grand Salon (where we were), The Library, The Laboratory and The Armory. Even though there was a fireplace right next to our table, it wasn’t lit and we were absolutely FREEZING. We told our server, and apparently the only heater that was working was on the second floor. The three of us kept our jackets on the entire time we were there.

The lighting of the restaurant is kept quite dark to keep an atmosphere of eeriness. It may take a moment for your eyes to adjust, so be aware of that. The tables are relatively close together, basically enough room for just one person to walk between them at a time. The three of us had to wait for a server to finish delivering food to a table before we could get to our own table.

There is a great deal of “memorabilia” on the walls– pictures with eyes that move, masks that talk, skulls that join your conversation, a werewolf that sings, etc. — and patrons are encouraged to look at them, even interact with them. There are several television screens that play Nosferatu over and over again, only interrupting it when there is entertainment going on inside the Club.

So, what is the entertainment? First and foremost, there are live characters that walk around the restaurant. Dr. Hacketoff (a different one than he who greeted us) walks around the restaurant and chats with different patrons, especially the kids. He does a little skit about bringing re-animating the dead, which is sort of funny. There is always Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which is a poorly done skit about good vs. evil. The patrons find out that Mr. Hyde is running free through the restaurant. A character walks around each floor, warning patrons of Mr. Hyde. The Werewolf sings, Zeus has an “autograph signing session”, the Skeleton does a shtick with an organ, and other characters walk around every so often. My favorite entertainment is Fang The Gargoyle, who does an absolutely hysterical rendition of Kum By Yah.

Now on to the food. I couldn’t believe how pricey it was! $12.50 for a basic burger and potato chips. You have to add $1.50 if you want french fries. And the food wasn’t even that good! I ordered a “Mummy Burger” – a burger with Swiss cheese and sauteed onions and mushrooms – and nearly choked on the onions. They were so stringy and hard to chew. Even though I ordered my burger to be cooked medium, it arrived in hockey puck form. Quite disappointing, to say the least. Mechelle had something that was supposed to be passed off as a pizza, and Julie had the “Monster Burger.” We were all disappointed.

After three hot cocoas (which were quite good), the entrees mentioned above, and sharing a dessert, the tab was a whopping $65 and some change. The food was definitely not worth the price we paid. It was horrible disappointing, and I felt like an idiot for telling Mechelle what a great place it was.

The Jekyll & Hyde Club has definitely changed over the past few years, and not for the better. You are no longer served by characters, which was a fun and charming touch. Instead, you are served by people who just seem like they don’t want to be there. The restaurant was freezing, and the entertainment was mediocre. The kids that were running around, however, really seemed to enjoy it. For those of you that have kids, perhaps Jekyll & Hyde Club is a good stop. But, for those of you that are 18 without children, go down the street to either the Hard Rock Cafe or Planet Hollywood.

Reference:

• www.jekyllandhyde.com