21 West 52nd Street
New York City, N.Y., 10019
Tel. (212) 582-7200
Opening Hours: Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner Mon.-Sat.
www.21club.com
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive
“Jack & Charlie’s 21” was once a speakeasy, today it is one of the most celebrated destinations in New York City. The legendary Bar Room that includes a dining room and lounge, is the center point and spirit of the “21 Club” in addition, it has two other restaurants, and the new upstairs dining room, and the famous Prohibition-era Wine Cellar, which are all located in a four-story townhouse.
A little publicized fact is that my friend, the late, Ricky di Portanova, almost bought the “21 Club” the baron offered $13 million for a share in the famous club, which he intended as a birthday present for his wife. The deal was called off when it was announced that the baroness planned to open a boutique on the second floor above the dining room, a plan not in keeping with what the owners had in mind for the club.
Now it is owned by Orient-Express Hotels, Trains and Cruises, a company that has been busy gobbling up
hotels such as the: Hotel Cipriani, Venice; Hotel Splendido, Portofino; Villa San Michele, Florence;
Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro.
Every president with the exception of George W Bush has dined at 21 since the time of FDR.
The legendary Bar Room is and has been the watering hole of celebrities, captains of industry, and world
leaders. The food is not the bright star here, it is the memories and the famous bar that shines.
