Perfectly positioned in midtown Manhattan, 21 Club is in the centre of it all. A short walk from the Broadway theatre district, many of NYC’s leading hotels, and top sights, this iconic Orient-Express restaurant offers superb American cuisine, a Grand Award-winning wine list, and attentive service in a setting that is sophisticated yet fun.
Experience authentic New York at its finest when you dine in either of our two restaurants, the famous Bar Room or romantic Upstairs at 21 Club – a renowned spot for marriage proposals.
21 Club also offers ten private banquet rooms, including the legendary Prohibition-era wine cellar, ideal for family celebrations, wedding receptions and corporate events. Let us create memories that will last a lifetime.
21 Club Bar Room
The heart of 21 Club is its legendary Bar Room. The watering hole of celebrities, captains of industry, world leaders and dignitaries of every order, the Bar Room is also renowned for its “toy” collection of colourful sports memorabilia and corporate logo items presented as gifts to the restaurant.
Discover the favourite tables of some of our celebrity “regulars.”
Under the culinary direction of Chef John Greeley, the Bar Room’s menu features both classic and contemporary American cuisine accented by quality regional ingredients. A la carte and prix fixe menus are served.
Service is attentive but discreet. A Grand Award-winning wine list is available to complement any meal. The Bar Room may also be used for dine-around and large receptions in combination with the entire house to accommodate up to 800.
21 Club Cocktail Lounge
Perfect for cocktails before dinner and pre-theatre, ’21’s famous lounge offers an impressive menu of light gourmet snacks and signature cocktails, 21 wines by the glass, and a wide selection of single malt scotches, cognacs and ports.
Ideal for people watching and rubbing elbows with some of Gotham’s most famous faces, the lounge features a wood-burning fireplace, relaxed lighting, comfortable high-back wing chairs, plush couches and banquettes.
The lounge may be used for large receptions in combination with the entire ’21’ Club to accommodate up to 800 guests.
The upstairs at 21 Club is an elegant 32-seat restaurant located one flight up from our world-famous Bar Room. This room is also available for private events. (Please call 212.582.1400 for private event pricing and details).
You’ll find inspired cuisine in an exquisite salon-like setting framed by vivid murals of four New York landmarks set in the mid-1930s. Brooklyn-based artist Wynne Evans created the murals especially for Upstairs at ’21’.
This intimate room envelops diners in a warm glow as detailed, attentive service pairs with creative dishes and outstanding wine to create an enchanting and memorable evening to be savoured for years to come.
Upstairs has been welcomed by critics and diners alike, being voted Best New Restaurant in 2003 and acclaimed as one of the most romantic places to enjoy dinner in New York City.
Wines at 21 Club
For 80 years, 21 Club has been committed to providing guests with the world’s finest wines and spirits. The 21 Club Grand Award-winning wine list consists of nearly 1,300 selections and represents more than 30 viticultural regions spread over 15 countries from around the globe.
New to wine or looking to stay within a specific budget? With 21 wines by glass and over 125 bottles under $60, there is something for everyone.
In addition, an “Opportunities” section showcases a selection of fine wines that we have in excess stock available at unmatched prices. Incredible values can be found!
The history of the 21 Club
1871-72: Construction of the townhouse at 21 West 52nd Street gets underway. ’21’, as well as buildings 19 and 17, were part of a row of brownstones designed by the firm of Duggins and Crossman.
January 17, 1920: The Eighteenth Amendment goes into effect beginning the Prohibition Era.
1922: To earn night school tuition, cousins Jack Kriendler and Charlie Berns open their first speakeasy, The Red Head, in NYC’s Greenwich Village.
1923: Jack and Charlie open Club Fronton at 88 Washington Place. Among the Fronton’s notable patrons: NYC Mayor James J. Walker and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.
1926: Jack and Charlie move the business uptown to 42 West 49th Street because condemnation proceedings start to make way for a subway around Washington Place.
They name their new bistro The Puncheon, but (partly to confuse the federal tax men) it is also known as The Puncheon Grotto, Grotto, 42, 42 Club, Jack and Charlie’s, and Keyburn Club (its name when raided).
1928: Rockefeller Center is planned, and Jack and Charlie receive $11,000 from landowner Columbia University to vacate #42. They purchase a house on West 52nd Street, and spend the next year converting it into a speakeasy and restaurant.
December 31, 1929 – January 1, 1930: With the help of their patrons, Jack and Charlie unhinge the wrought iron gate that had been the portal to #42, and install it three blocks north at 21 West 52nd Street. They open Jack and Charlie’s ’21’ Club in the wee hours.