Parlor

The food is great, and so is the service. The menu can get repetitive. Marcus, the director of guest services is awesome. He always greets us cheerfully by name.

The place is nice very laid back. The drinks are very reasonable price for the area. I would come back but I would have to be part of there club or run into a day when they let regular customers in. Which is why I give it three stars but there food from the online pictures look great. If your in the area and can check the place out go ahead and hope you enjoy.

Let me start off by saying that I am a former member of Parlor.
When I first got my invitation to join I was tickled pink! An invitation to an elite private club? How cool is that! The networking opportunities seemed limitless. After paying the very high fee for joining I took my first steps into what I thought was an elite society.
The food at Parlor is very good — as good as any restaurant. The drinks are also very good and reasonably strong. The service is super friendly and attentive.
The portion size of the food is fairly small and the tempo of the meal is very fast. You can be in and out in an hour. That is where Parlor lost me as a member. The location is literally in the middle of nowhere (yes there is a middle of nowhere in Manhattan). Very hard to get there by mass transit, taking a cab is almost a requirement.
Due to the fast tempo of the meal and the restaurant’s location, this is not an evening out. It is a meal before an event. If our reservation was at 7:00 pm, we were done by 8:00 then we would have to take a cab home or to another place to spend the rest of the evening.
For us, it wasn’t worth the price of admission.

Parlor is Fabulous. I can try to make an elaborate review with juicy details, but that would just kill the fun. I will say this however; the staff is superb and very accommodating! From the membership director (s), the gals at the front desk, bartenders, hosts, and everyone in-​between are laser-​focused on the membership experience. #poshAF

Have to say it’s a really incredible experience to dine here, especially with you boss and colleagues… Interesting inner decoration and everything, the food is fresh. Like the salad and dessert. Main course is really small portion, if you wanna be full, gotta ask for a lot of bread.

My girlfriend invited a few of us for dinner and drinks and I was excited to finally check this place out because I had heard good things. It’s a members only or invitation only spot and unless you know about it, it’s easy to miss as there are so markings on the simple black door entrance. From the reception to every waiter, the staff is friendly and attentive. The décor is beautiful — very chic vibe.
On to the food:
We started with a strawberry shrimp gazpacho that was so very refreshing. Definitely got me excited for the main course which for me was the seared duck. It was delicious!!! My girlfriends all enjoyed their entrees as well. The dinner menu changes every night which only adds to how special this place feels. It’s a fine dining experience such that you are satisfied without feeling stuffed. I also really enjoyed the cocktails.
Good company, good food, great drinks and beautiful ambiance! What more could a girl want! Loved this place

What do I look for when I spend an evening out? It’s quite simple really.
Great service– check. We received a warm welcome and service from beginning to end, just the right amount of attention without being overbearing.
Food– really delightful. Admittedly the portions are smaller here, but at the end of a 3 course dinner you leave satisfied not stuffed. My girlfriends and I had the mushroom risotto, the seared duck and the grouper. My fave would have to be the duck and the strawberry gazpacho with shrimp that was served as a starter.
Drinks– my friends enjoyed their selection of cocktails and I enjoyed that they made the effort to create non-​alcoholic drink options for me– going beyond simply mixing one juice with another.
Ambiance– space is beautiful, it feels sexy and mature and I like that. All in all– a great night. I wondered why people would sign up for the private club experience and now I get it.

This restaurant is absolutely amazing! My entrée (wild mushroom risotto) was delicious. I enjoyed the sexy-​chic ambiance and furnishings (art work, very comfortable, stylish leather chairs and fireplaces). If you’re not looking closely you could miss it as the doors aren’t clearly marked. The staff was on point — from the front of the house manager to the bartender to the waitress and servers. I would recommend this spot to anyone looking for a romantic date night spot.

Great place for business and gatherings with friends. Delicious dishes for a selective palate.
Service was excellent, except when they forgot the spoon for a friend’s gazpacho.
Small menu– 3 options for a main. One appetizer and one dessert. The dessert left me wanting more, but it was a great meal. Not for a day when your starving. Perfect meal for a quiet romantic date!
I’d recommend a visit, and see about a membership!

Amazing — but you have to go with a member but don’t be hungry. The food was small
I could have had 2 dinners and the dessert was small too.

I’m currently going through the process of becoming a member and I regret my decision.
I initially was invited to dinner for business meeting by another member. I had a great time as a guest and was intrigued how food just came out, there was no menu and service was upscale. I asked how to become a member and my colleague nominated me. I filled out the online application which took a month to receive and was invited for an interview and dinner for my fiancé and myself.
We selected a time and date and came dressed up with plans to sit and converse about the club over a nice meal. To our surprise we were brought to one corner of a lounge area and had an awkward interview about what our hobbies and interests were and why we wanted to be members of the club. The rules and regulations of the club were supposedly stated. We asked about dinner and were told that the club was full. So much for that. I guess I’ll have to host myself.
One week later I host a dinner for my fiancé and 2 colleagues only to find ourselves still hungry after a 3 course meal and 250 dollars into a bar tab with $ 18 dollar cocktails (no prices on the menu). It was not explained to us that drinks are our responsibility at any point in time. Nor was it mentioned a 5 dollar seating fee and mandatory 10 dollar gratuity or 20% whichever is greater. Talk about sticker shock to a place where I was hoping to dine without having to worry about a bill.
Later I returned questioning the charges and I was presented a contract saying they have the right to increase membership dues and charge your card at any time. There’s no way I was going to sign this. However the manager came over and said this was ridiculous and in his 20 years of restaurant experience, has never seen this. I think even a new manager with only 1 year worth of experience, should know what the contract and rules of his restaurant state…
Alas I’m a sucker, It’s been 3 weeks and my fiancé still does not have her log-​in information after requesting it on 2 separate occasions from 2 different people and being reassured that it would be taken care of. I paid for 2 memberships, but only one of us had to sign our life away. One month has already gone by since they charged my credit card, and at $ 3k per year, a good portion of my dues should be returned to me. At this point, I’m considering filing a complaint with some higher authority. It’s no wonder they are not upfront about the costs, because if they were, I doubt many people would join.
I really wish Parlor was all it was made out to be, but the lack of integrity, honesty, and not being upfront about certain things makes me very guarded. I gave it a second chance and everyone is super nice. But it’s one thing to put on a smile a say you’ll do something, and another thing to actually perform and follow through.

Parlor is terrible. Being a «member» is an exercise in futility. You have to reserve reservations weeks in advance.
They are always closed for private events that members are never invited to.
It’s a sexy place, but the pricing structure encourages you to amortize your use by coming for dinner as often as you can.
If the thing is never open, you will be incredibly angry every time they try to increase their margin by not offering dinner and rather «close» for a private event that is paying a nice fee.
Outside of the coolness of saying you’re a member of parlor, (That exclusivity is fading as more people have now joined) you are much better served by picking a really cool place you want to hang out at and being a regular.
Total membership is ~3000 when include the drink minimum requirements.
Assuming you go twice a month, you could easily use that money to become a regular at a cool restaurant /​lounge like ACME and have a much better experience.
That being said, when you actually are able to go, it is a cool time. Hence the two stars. However, it doesn’t outweigh the above– not even close.
Won’t renew next year.
Hope this is helpful for anyone considering membership.

Sexy. Professional. Stylish. I like. As I walked by, I got memories of the former NV (was located across the street in the corner property.) That alone had me in a good mood. This little gem definitely does the area justice. Keep up the good work!

Parlor is a chic venue with a solid ambiance. The drinks and food are top notch and the crowd is even better!
–NKP

Got invited for dinner and had a great meal. This place is setup nicely and has great music throughout the restaurant playing. The service was outstanding and dinner was delicious. If you get the opportunity you’ll want to check this place out

I came here for dinner on Saturday, ¹¹⁄₁₅. Parlor is a members-​only dinner club, similar to Soho House but without the extra amenities like hotel/​roof/​pool. My friend was approached for membership, where they court you with a free dinner — you only pay for drinks and a $ 10 «membership preview fee» per person.
We arrived a bit early, and after checking in at the door (unmarked, on the street, next to a parking lot), walked past a foyer and a DJ to the bar. My friend (a guy) ordered the pumpkin pie martini, and I ordered their version of a manhattan — and the bartender put the wrong drinks in front of us. :) Can’t make any assumptions, dude!
Dinner was delicious — five courses of fantastic, really. We had a couscous salad to start, with toasted pumpkin seeds so good I tried to get a bag to go. For dinner you could choose deer or fish (pike I think). For dessert, we had espresso ice cream. The wine list only has a few bottles of red, and they were out of the Malbec, so we had to pick another option.
I’m not sure if you can come here for dinner without being a member… if you can, I’d suggest it because the food was enjoyable.
Three stars though because dinner was so incredibly rushed. We were asked multiple times during each course if we were «still enjoying,» and as soon as we were done, the plates left and the next course was plopped down. At the end of dinner we still had wine left, and were told that they needed the table for the next party. I watched the table next to us get turned over, and they literally just flipped the table cloth over (with an extra fold to cover up a spot). If I were to pay the membership fee, I would be incensed to have my dinner rushed like this.

Came here earlier this week for dinner. Let me just say… this place is SEXY! It’s been a few years but wow! Love love love the décor. Really sexy paintings, awesome lightening, cool lounge/​hang out room.
Service: Our waitress was fantastic, very knowledgable about the food, prompt and really cute. My water never got even 2 sips before it was being refilled –awesome! The manager even came over to check on us and our experience.
Drinks: I’m not sure who they hired to pour the drinks but they are a magician –these were two of the best made cocktails I’ve ever had. (and I’ve tried a few). I had a champagne with some type of magic! My friend had a bourbon –that was awesome!
Food: I felt like we might be on the top chef –started with a small amuse-​bouche of some tomato cake magic.
Next we had: A chilled watermelon soup with big shrimp. The soup itself was awesome, my only desire would it be it had a bit of spice in it or a kick to it.
Mains: Pork –OMG I’m dreaming about this. It was perfectly cooked and delicious. I had the Swordfish –outstanding! Huge piece of swordfish, perfectly cooked, very nice sauce on the plate.
Dessert: some type of lemon cake with sherbet –ohhhh yum!!!
This place is awesome, I would definitely recommend checking it out.

We were invited to try out the club and while we are considering joining, this review is just for the food we’ve had for dinner.
We started off with a strawberry gazpacho with shrimps and avocado. This first course was amazing! It was very refreshing, very tasty and flavorful and the plate looked gorgeous! It came with 3 shrimps, which I find to be a fair serving for the given plate, they were very fresh, clearly cooked on the premises and never frozen. I loved it. The creaminess, the richness, and still very subtle! I couldn’t taste any strawberries in it tho, I didn’t mind, the soup was amazing.
For the second course, I had the halibut with broccoli and asparagus and my husband had the chicken with some sort of purée and vegetables. Both plates were very delicious, but oh SO SMALL. Seriously, the portions were ridiculously small, ridiculous, almost a joke small. That said, my 2 inch square of fish was amazing, perfectly cooked, gently seasoned, the 4 asparagus heads I was given were perfectly grilled, and the two baby broccoli florets kept the crunch I love so much. My husband’s plate had a similar plot: amazing 2 inch square of chicken, fantastic tablespoon of purée and delicate mouthful of veggies.
Finally, the dessert! It’s called the trio of desserts, we had a sliver of tiramisu, a spoonful of crème brûlée, one strawberry and one blackberry. Each dessert was very delicious and delicate, the strawberry was perfectly cut in the middle and one knows that takes a special hand.
All that said, the food was amazing, but it felt more like a sampler meal that an actual meal. Maybe we are used to having huge plates, but I have a solid appetite and these were no decent sizes at all, so it doesn’t matter if members get to eat for free with their guests, if they have to go back out and get a slice of pizza or froyo afterwards, it’s not too cool either. We went out afterwards and got froyo…
So I will love to go back, maybe even be a member but take this meal as a light meal or big snack. It isn’t filling in size, but I guess if you are taking your time and just enjoying, it’s cool, but if you rely on this as a real dinner, make sure you have your fill from a late lunch.

I went to an event here & found the staff super nice, the place very clean, the drinks a nice size, & the stream of hor duerves consistent & warm.
The place is pretty tiny, not sure if there’s other floors, we were on the 1^st floor. You enter & check-​in at the counter, there’s the 1^st small room with an interesting glass/​large candle center piece decoration & 4 club chairs in the corners, the 2^nd room is a small bar, the last room is the largest with benches & pillows along the perimeter. The décor is mostly black, clean & simple. I appreciate the wooden shelves all along the perimeter of the rooms to put your drink or food there. I’d say the 1^st two rooms can fit 10 – 15 people max, the last room maybe 30 – 40 the most. I thought the place would be larger. Maybe that’s why it’s exclusively by membership.
I was pleasantly surprised by the food: hearty chick skewers, cabbage veg spring rolls & duck sauce, green spinach vermicelli dumplings, generously portioned guacamole sliders with fresh tomato on brioche buns.
The School Alumni event I went to was laid-​back & everyone had a positive energy. The space isn’t conducive to a larger amount of people, it got easily cramped. But thank you Parlor for hosting the event. I stayed a few hours more than I expected, I would return.

Oh my what a joke this whole experience was. I do wish it really was a high end club and not a perverse joke, staffed by unfriendly and uptight twenty-​somethings, playing at running a «private» club.
They must of spent like $ 100,000 painting the place black and buying some small wing chairs, and they they did not have anything left over for the one bathroom. I have met pizza joints in Mid-​Town with better bathrooms.
Oh and they have some black and white posters with nipples mounted behind glass frames.
They charge «members» $ 1,500 a year to eat very basic — tasteless food — but it’s free, except said members MUST spend $ 250 per quarter on overpriced beverages — Diet Coke $ 7.00.
So these fools sent me an Invitation for a «free» dinner, and then had me fill out a membership application, I must have «passed», because then I was granted a choice of reservations. Was told it was «UpScale Casual», but unfortunately didn’t have time to rush out and buy a $ 1,000 sweater, so I may have appeared more downscale or as I like to think Normcore.
Originally scheduled for Friday night, but at the last minute my girlfriend bailed on me, her intuition telling her this would be a waste. (Hate it when she is right). So rescheduled for Monday at 8:30pm. I may have stretched the truth about a taxi crash. But, so far so good.
Brought a young starving artist friend instead of the GF.
When we entered through the «secret» black door, under the giant white 286 sign, we were greeted by two very young geeky tongue-​tied girls. When it was established that we did have a reservation, we were told to wait for the director of membership in probably the most uncomfortable room ever designed in a club or restaurant, more fitting as the «waiting to be tortured room» on Game of Thrones.
Finally this tall girl, whose high heels seem several sizes too big for her, and looks and acts like she just blew in from Montana, greets us. While the «funeral waiting room» was quiet, she was conspiratorially whispering, I could barely understand her. But it seemed we were to be offered a reduced version of the Members’ Menu for that night and must now follow her and wait by the tiny bar for our hostess.
Dropped at the bar area, we were the only one’s there, after about five minutes a young girl shows herself, clearly confused in general, she asks if we are the invited guests, after telling her we are them, she left. A few minutes later she reappears and shows us to our table.
Fortunately the place settings were correctly set.
Different wait staff seemed to come and go, finally it is noted that, «no one has taken your water order yet?». Ah the chance to spend fifty dollars for a bottle of water is here! But we demur and choose the tap water, good choice as clearly they have a powerful filtration system here, the water is yummy.
We passed on the fifteen dollar glass of wine, we passed on all the hard stuff. Diet Coke seemed safe. Umm, they brought fountain diet coke, must have cost them twenty-​five cents.
The place seemed very staid and very conservative and very boring. You could feel everyone talking and thinking about their money. Seemed to be mostly banker and trader types, nobody seemed very relaxed. Everyone in business suits, clearly eager to get home and sleep, so they can rise early in the morning and stare at screens all day and beat the world. Parlor solves many problems, mainly, most of these people can not get past a velvet rope.
Except one table over, there was an older well dressed guy in his sixties, entertaining two young twenty-​somethings. They were hanging on every word, till he told them he was getting divorced. «No, why would you do that», both girls seemed to say simultaneously; that really seemed to put a crimp in the evening for
our old guy.
The vegetarian fare for the night, and I suppose every night, was Wild Mushroom Risotto followed by «market vegetables». Four asparagus, two big chunks of mushroom, one six inch long carrot sliced length-​wise. I could live here — NOT!
Oh and then we got a tiny tiny desert sampler. One spoon of Crème Brulee and an inch square piece of cake. No coffee — I guess that might have interfered with the early bed-​time.
By now it was Ten PM and the place had emptied out and was dead. I didn’t get the feeling a DJ was going to come in and set-​up shop, so it was time to bid farewell to the club.
Rudely, no one offered me the promised «Membership Interview», maybe they knew better than I that we were not a good match, Parlor and me.
Sad, I had been looking froward to espousing on how we are all in the one percent now, and art can save the world, at our late night secret cultural discussions, my new member friends and I.