21 Club Secret Room

In the 1930s.

21 club secret room. Perhaps the best known feature of 21 is the line of painted cast iron lawn jockey statues which adorns the balcony above the entrance. It worked they were never caught again. Take a look at the famed 21 club s secret wine cellar. Meticulously restored it s easy to see why it s considered one of the world s most coveted dining rooms.

Though there s certainly a lot to see on the main floor in some ways the highlight of 21 club is subterranean and hidden perhaps fitting for a for a place that operated in the prohibition era. 52nd st 21 club has never actually been a private club. Sportsman entrepreneur and long time patron jay van urk presented 21 with its first jockey in the early 1930s. Designed to be invisible and hidden behind a two tonne door built to match the brick foundation the hidden wine cellar at 21 was the best kept secret in new york during the prohibition era.

For many of us in modern generations it s hard to imagine places like the secret 21 club wine cellar being necessary and it s even more amazing they were never caught. 630 reviews of 21 club this former speakeasy is as much of a manhattan landmark as the empire state building. The walls and ceiling of the bar room are covered with antique toys and sports memorabilia donated by famous patrons. Standing guard on the balcony above the entrance to 21 is a group of ornamental jockeys donated by some of the best known stables in american thoroughbred racing.

Once completely secret our hidden wine cellar today sets an elegant scene for private lunches or dinners in signature 21 style. Opened in 1930 and named after its street address 21 w. The wine cellar is behind a 2 5 ton stone door that seems to have no natural access. The secret has been out for years that 21 club was a speakeasy in the days of prohibition but there are still plenty of lesser known morsels about nyc s bastion of the jazz age.

The bar room includes a restaurant a lounge and as the name implies a bar. If you re interested in secret rooms and history the 21 club secret wine cellar will give you a little of both. Thirty three statues of jockeys greet you at the entrance and inside you ll find items as diverse as artwork by frederic remington wayne gretzky s helmet and a replica of pt 109 donated by jfk himself. Feast on a sublime seven course tasting menu that s accompanied by a handpicked series of wines from our cellar boasting some 20 000 labels.