21 Club

Made lunch reservations for Restaurant Week but when we arrived we were told to have a seat and wait. I was wearing work attire but my friend wore plaid golf shorts and slingbacks. The host gives her a once over before telling us to wait, then comes back as we are waiting and tells us shorts are not acceptable. I understand if it were khaki shorts or another type but I didn't think golf shorts were inappropriate. SUCH a pretentious place!! I've been there before for dinner and the food was mediocre and unmemorable, definitely not worth the price. There are many better restaurants in the city that do allow shorts!! BTW, there is a Bloomberg computer in the waiting area, as if people direly needed to check stock quotes during lunch (while waiting for a seat!!). PRETENTIOUS!!

I was seated at the bar area (lunch time), which has little natural lights, a low ceiling with model trucks and planes all over. The service was fine. The crowd was elderly. The flavors in the food were not complex. The ingredients were fine, but I didnt sense any top notch culinary invention. The portions were large. Their bread basket and the butter were divine. I ordered a salmon tartare, a salmon fillet and a creme brulee.

The speakeasy atmosphere remains at 21 and is fun. The service is excellent. The food is not good. I have no problem paying a lot for a great meal, but that means good food so 21 is out. I've been here twice in the past few weeks, once for lunch and once for a private party, and I won't go back.

The atmosphere and service at the 21 Club are wonderful, but the food is only adequate and is horribly overpriced. This may have been a truly great spot when it was a speakeasy and it's still a place to see and be seen (but not to be treated differently), but it's not good value for the money.

I ate here a few night ago. Not sure about the positive reviews? The food was mediocre at best. It's definately not what it used to be. Don't was your time or money on this "has been."

My girlfriend and I had dinner here for Restaurant Week before a show. The food was terrific! The service impeccable! I have to return here. You have to wear a jacket and tie to dinner. A sommelier comes with the wine list, makes recommendations if necessary. we called ahead to order our wine but it was not in stock. He rrecommended an alternative whcih was superb! The crabcakes are a definite must! The prices are pretty steep but well worth it! Quality through and through. Definitely a repeat offender for me.

Had 5:30 ressies for a Saturday night before a show. This and the show were to be the highpoint of the trip, and it was (for the most part). Arrived at 5:45 (what was I thinking going anywhere near Rockefeller Ctr. during the holidays?) and was immediately seated upstairs. Beautiful place. Very much a "wow" factor. The service was above and beyond expectations. Shortly after we were seated my wife needed to "powder her nose", and our waiter escorted her to the ladies room downstairs. Very nice touch. There was one notable exception to the high level of service - we did not receive our drink order (a bottle of wine) until 45 minutes after we were seated. The first 10 minutes were on me for deciding what to order, but 35 minutes before we start pouring? The food was very good. Crab cakes to die for, but my steak tartar was good buy not great. Wife's steak was much better. Waiter earned some extra points by mellowing the mustard in my steak tartar with lemon juice. It was on the pricey side, but we knew that going in and got what we paid for. Overall it was a good experience, and I would tell a friend to check it out (but bring your wallet). For myself I am putting the 21 Club into the "been there, done that, and glad we did it" category.