Friars Club

It’s like going back in time. Or, if you’re a member, freezing time in your heyday. There are direct phone lines to all the tables, which must have been super fancy in an era before cell phones. The portraits on the wall are an eclectic mix that’s kind of sad. The building is great, but the dining room itself feels like someplace in Sheepshead Bay. I was surprised to see the menu has prices listed and you get a check to pay at the table.
The food was good, simple classics. The service was very attentive, if not so great. One of the people at the table asked for decaf and I had regular. The server poured both coffees from the same pot and then claimed one was decaf. He later took our dessert order while I was in the washroom. I pee really quickly, so there was no need. But the washroom had hilarious photos of Trump and Hefner, so it was okay.
The people watching was a great disappointment, unless you were watching us.
They do have really nice woodwork.

LOVE THIS CLUB. The comedy history just oozes off the walls. (In the BEST way anything can ooze off a wall) AMAAAAZING energy. Awesome historic pics of so many comedy legends line the walls. Gorgeous wood paneling, stunning fixtures. Pure class. A gem.
A film I starred in premiered in their annual comedy festival and the Friars Club Comedy Festival was truly special — spectacular. These people got it together!

My boyfriend’s a friar so this is how I encountered this place. Very historic place, cozy, intimate and a lot of activities usually going on. Lunch was great and the service superb.

4.5 stars. Went for a UF event with Jesse Palmer as the guest speaker. There were passed horderves (crab cakes, lollipop lamb chops, tempura shrimp and caprese). All the food was great and the drinks were not lacking on liquor. You could feel all the history in the club.

It’s a private club, but if you know someone to get you in, you should jump on the opportunity. I had a double cut veal chop and I was in heaven. The service was impeccable and the drinks were made to perfection. Thank you for a great evening

Had a dinner with Lisa Lampanelli here and service was perhaps the best I have ever seen across the board. From the people near the front reception and all throughout dinner they certainly know how to treat their entertainer members well along with their guests.
The food was very good too. Though the menu seemed pretty basic I still remember the lobster and avocado entrée I had that night so there were a least a few things that stood out strong.
Membership is divided amongst celebrities and regular folk. From what we are told the member events are really what it is all about and if we lived closer I would be asking to be sponsored for a membership to this place!

Talk about classy!
I attended the Friars Club for Unilocaler Ben Y.‘s grandfather’s 80^th birthday celebration. As an actor, his grandfather receives all the perks of being a member of the Friars Club, including the perk of being able to rent out the entire second floor.
Let’s talk about the aura of the place to start. It’s a gorgeous building with the steepest staircase I have ever had the honor of walking up. Rich, dark wood is everywhere as well as photographs of all the famous people who frequent the place. Gorgeous.
The party started with a cocktail hour in a dark room with high tables and a bar (on the second floor). The bartender was super friendly and asked me to tell him how my Long Island Iced Tea was after he made it. I guess it wasn’t a popular drink order other than from myself (big fan).
One of the many delicious hors d’oeuvres was coconut shrimp, and after I finished eating it I had no idea what to do with the tail. I saw one of the waiters walking by with an empty plate of hors d’oeuvres scrapes and disposed napkins, so I coyly dropped the tail on the plate as he walked by me. I was given a look that made it seem like I did something absolutely despicable. I guess the classy thing to do would have been to digest the shrimp tail because I could not foresee any other way to get rid of it.
Back to the hors d’oeuvres: they were incredibly delicious. From potato latkes to mini hot dogs and grilled dijon chicken strips to tuna with some vegetable that I could not name, the hors d’oeuvres were small bits of heaven stabbed with a toothpick.
The party moved into the dining room on the second floor, which I had the pleasure of decorating with 80^th-​birthday-​themed items. The tables were quite tight due to the amount of people attending, but it was very enjoyable. Everyone was schmoozing and drinking and schmoozing and drinking some more, so by the time dinner was served, people were nearly off their chairs, smiling with contentment, caring about nothing in the world other than when they’d get their next drink.
We were first served amazing cheese filled ravioli with marinara sauce, along with bread. For the main course we had the option of salmon or filet mignon and I went with the latter. The steak was extremely rare and I only had about three bites of it. It was served with delicious vegetables. My lack of eating was due to my abundance in drinking. Dessert was a slice chocolate cake and a slice of cheesecake.
There was a live band and the waiters and waitresses were really great. The whole night was wonderful.
Friars Club, you really, really knocked it out of the park.

This place is the twilight zone on a good day. I love the twilight zone and I looooove good days.

I attended a party at the Friars Club yesterday. The food was awesome, the service was awesome. Thats about it.

Great charm and history. Took me to a different era. What a treat!

My family does Passover here every year and the service is incredible! The food is pretty good and the ambiance is awesome.

I love it here, very old school… The Frank Sinatra Bar… great steam room, great old school drinks. A very nice place if you can get in here.
I used to belong to the Beverly Hills Chapter until the old president ruined it, and moved over to the NYC

Really cool place, very old school vibe but…
the reason for the 4 stars is because it could use a littler interior revamping and the wine I got served was pretty bad (maybe you need to be more specific on the kind of merlot you are ordering)
The entertainment was great though and if you ever get invited to watch any type of show def. go check it out.

Last night I attended an event at the Friars Club, of all the clubs in NYC I have been to (Harvard, Union, Yale etc.) this was the most enjoyable and impressive. Being a huge comedy fan I think tipped the scales a little but seeing the «Billy Crystal room» and the Frank Sinatra dining room” made me smile like a cheshire cat.
The location on 55^th St is perfect, the entrance is small and yet impressive with a grand wooden stair case on the right and the aforementioned bar to the left and dining room straight ahead.
The room I was in was stunningly paneled in dark oak and gold leaf, much like an ancient English castle. The walls were covered in black & white photographs from past events with faces form the past and present, the royalty of world comedy, the rich & the famous.
Our barman was superb, the wine was excellent (a light French chardonnay and a delicate French Cote de Rhone). The food was finger food and was well above the norm for this kind of event, crispy fried chicken on a stick with dipping sauce, large coconut shrimp with another dip and pigs in a blanket! There were a couple of others too but I didn’t taste them.
Overall a great place and if you’re thinking of an event space and you like comedy… it’s great.
There is no public bar or dining.