Call this list what you will – most expensive clubs in NYC, toughest places to get into, best spots for celebrity sightings – whatever you want. In this city, they’re all one in the same. Whether you’re looking to ball out or trying to avoid blowing your entire paycheck on a few rounds of shots, you should be aware of the most expensive nightclubs in New York City. Knowing where these pricey places are stationed could help curb a potentially embarrassing situation when the bill comes around, or for the big spenders, help impress a first date. Whatever your motive, read on to see our picks for the most expensive nightclubs in NYC.
1 Oak
453 W 17th Street
New York, NY 10011
Before heading out to this wallet-wrenching boite, make sure you’ve got a few things on hand: a stellar looking crew, a connection waiting for you inside, and your AmEx card. If you make it past the doorman, be prepared to shell out a $10 or $15 cover charge – chump change compared to the dough you’ll cough up once the liquor starts flowing. Drinks at the bar come at an absurd price (two flutes of champagne and two shots of Patron would cost about $90), so a table, depending on the number of people in your group, could be a more economic option.
Rose Bar
2 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10010
This upscale niche in the Grammercy Park Hotel is known to be one of the toughest doors in the city, keeping the frat dudes out and those who can afford $20 cocktails in. You’d expect a place that literally vacuums the money out of your wallet to look ritzy, so as pricy as a night out at Rose Bar may be, the velvet drapery and fifteen-foot Warhol print almost make the price seem viable. You’ll probably catch sight of a celeb or two, some models who look too young to be drinking and tons of older European men to escort them. If a night out at Rose Bar surrounded by these beautiful people doesn’t make you feel like a million bucks, it will at least cost you that much.
Avenue
116 Tenth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
When compared to a place like Avenue, most other nightspots in NYC will just end up looking like streets. To clarify: if you don’t have the looks, the connections or the cash, don’t bother rolling up to Avenue on any night of the week (or its equally overpriced neighbor, 1 Oak). Cocktails run at about $20 a piece and splurging for bottle service will have you kicking yourself once you realize that a $25 bottle of Absolout that has gone up a couple hundred dollars since you’ve entered the club. However, there is an upside to all of this: you could make friends with some serious spenders inside and end up with a full night of drinking on the house.
Provocateur
18 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10014
Let’s face it, if you happen to slide past the velvet ropes, then you probably don’t care how much money it’s going to cost you – you’re just happy to have made it past the toughest door in the city. A few rounds of drinks will run up your tab and run down your bank account, but at least the bartenders know how to make them strong. Discussing exact prices is irrelevant when it comes to Provocatuer – if you’re partying at this place, you’ve definitely got the budget to blow a few thousand dollars and not think anything of it.
The Boom Boom Room
848 Washington Street
New York, NY 10014
Getting into the Boom Boom Room will get you a view from the top (and I’m talking about both the top of the Standard, and the social ladder). André Balzas’ chi chi room is one of the hottest places to see a ridiculous view of the city outside, as well as a ridiculous view of actors and heirs inside – the prime reason why the Boom Boom Room can get away with hiked-up drink prices. Like the other venues on this list, Boom Boom Room caters to the wealthy Manhattanites ready to shell-out, so money is no object here. The upside? After seeing $20 cigarettes sold at the bar, the price of a pack from the corner deli will seem like chump change.
