GATHER AT

THELMA on CLINTON
29A CLINTON STREET
(BETWEEN HOUSTON AND STANTON)
LES, NYC, NY 10002

INFO@THELMAonCLINTON.COM
TWITTER: @THELMAonCLINTON
TEL: 212 979 8471

ONLINE RESERVATIONS

OUR HOURS

DINNER

BRUNCH

DRINKS

Monday-Thursday: 5:30p-12a
Friday-Saturday: 5:30p-1a
Saturday: 11a-1a
Sunday: 11a-4p for brunch

PRIVATE PARTIES

Thelma on Clinton is the perfect venue for an intimate private party. We accommodate 44 people for a sit down dinner or 65 people for a cocktail party.

Please contact the restaurant for additional information and menus.

Chef Melissa O’Donnell looks forward to tailoring your party and menu to suit your particular needs.

I like seeing people happy – that’s one of the reasons I have an open kitchen.

TASTE

OUR FOOD

Thelma on Clinton is Chef Melissa O’Donnell’s latest New American restaurant. Named after her grandmother, the restaurant focuses on small plates and eclectic flavors. Chef O’Donnell’s approach to cuisine is simple and straightforward. New American in its diversity, her menu has classic French roots, all incorporating the freshest seasonal ingredients. Special attention to the art of handcrafted items means that all products are made in house including house-smoked duck breast, homemade fresh goats-cheese, classic dill pickles and homemade preserves. Above all, Thelma on Clinton draws from the cultural diversity of the Lower East Side without straying from a classic approach to cuisine.

The intimate 32 seat dining room features a central chef’s table where guests enjoy a diverse tasting menu, hand-selected by the chef herself. The rotating menu also includes nightly specials and family style dishes that will suit the culinary cravings of all kinds. And in the heart of the restaurant is the small open kitchen, where a creative use of small space amazingly turns out intricate dishes right before the guests’ eyes.

“In my heart of hearts I’m a minimalist,” she says. “I always have been. I don’t like to make things complicated. It’s one of the reasons I originally named Salt ‘Salt.‘”

DRINKS

THE FINE SELECTION

Thelma’s white marble bar evokes an inviting atmosphere for both dining and enjoying libations. Guests can sit and watch all the action that’s happening in the bustling open kitchen while sipping hand crafted specialty and classic cocktails. Thelma’s philosophy for the bar program mirrors that of the cuisine, focusing on simple, fresh and seasonal ingredients. With a rotating craft beer selection, artisanal wine list, and array of small-distillery liquors, there’s never a lack of unique selections to try.

Facing the bar is the cozy lounge, a lush low banquette where guests can relax, enjoy a drink, and watch the neighborhood pass by. By night it is an intimate and convivial place for groups to gather, while during the bright and airy weekend brunch the large French windows open up to Clinton Street to let the sunshine pour in.

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MELISSA O’DONNELL

Born and raised in New York City, Melissa O’Donnell has worked consistently in restaurants since 1991. She started in the front of the house as a hostess, waitress and bartender and quickly fell in love with the business. In 1994 she decided to attend The French Culinary Institute. After graduating with Honors she was asked to stay on as an Assistant Chef and teach all of the four curriculum levels. She was given the “Outstanding Graduate Award” in 2003.

Melissa gained all of her cooking experience in downtown Manhattan restaurants. Dan Barber hired her for her first Chef position at La Cigale in Nolita. Before opening her first restaurant in 2001, Melissa was the Chef at Le Zoo in The West Village.

Salt opened in the summer of 2002. It built its reputation as one of the first farm to table restaurants in New York City sourcing the best seasonal ingredients. Clean Plates featured Melissa O’Donnell as one of three chefs for it’s first issue. Moreover, the communal tables, open kitchen and friendly staff, created the convivial atmosphere that made it a neighborhood institution. New York Magazine and Time Out New York named Salt one of the top 100 places to eat in 2003. Melissa and Salt were also featured in “New York Cooks: 100 recipes from the City’s Best Chefs” which was published in 2010.

Salt Bar opened in the spring of 2003. As a pioneer on the Lower East Side, Melissa O’Donnell and Salt Bar introduced the neighborhood to upscale pub food. Adam Platt of New York Magazine and Time Out New York both named Salt Bar as one of the top 100 places to eat in New York in 2004.

Melissa maintained Salt and Salt Bar for 10 years. In addition, she has done catering for Donna Karan and The Urban Zen Foundation.

In the fall of 2013 Melissa decided to close Salt Bar after a decade and change it into Thelma on Clinton, a small plates restaurant with a menu that reflects the diversity of the Lower East Side.

In keeping with her desire to provide an environment where people feel at home, Thelma on Clinton has taken some of the best parts of Melissa’s previous restaurants. The open kitchen, communal table, lounge and white marble bar all work to create a warm neighborhood feel. Melissa looks forward to many years of cooking and sharing food and with the members of her community.

In my heart of hearts I’m a minimalist…I always have been. I don’t like to make things complicated.

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