A Taste for the Clandestine: New York’s Secret Dining Scene

New York Secret Supper Clubs…Where?

New York City has always been known for its pizza parlors, bagel shops, requisite sidewalk-vendor hotdogs, and the 24-hour Chinese restaurant – all strategically-positioned amidst a puzzle of buildings for the typical New Yorker to purchase while walking to and from work or a night out in town.

But like a breath of fresh air, in the past few years, New York has embraced the other end of the grab-and-go eating spectrum – the secret dining scene – which continues to attract the simply curious and the serious food enthusiast alike.

Typically, New York secret supper clubs are run by amateur and professional chefs alike, who are into meeting and entertaining new people or who are testing culinary waters, if you will, before running their own restaurants. It can be stationed anywhere; from the sanctity of the chefs’ own homes where guests of 12 or less sit down, talk about good food and just relax or at abandoned art houses, garages and studios, that can hold more guests, and sometimes, more courses.

An Emergence of New York Secret Supper Clubs

Here, a variety of New York secret supper clubs have emerged and planted root in all five boroughs, offering a kaleidoscope of food choices and philosophies. From home-cooked to experimental cuisine, these secret dining spots widen the gastronomical diversity of the city.

These secret dine-ins mostly gain reputation by word of mouth, Facebook, tweeting, food blogs and online forums. One classic example is Brooklyn Fork and Spoon, a vegetarian eat club that attracts a number of guests via mailing list and blogs.

Some of these clandestine cookeries are making waves not just for their good food. Places like Brooklyn’s Good Iron offer their guests additional perks.  Periodically Good Iron offers movie viewing along with the RSVP dining experience. Other dining clubs like Ted and Amy’s Supper Club offer food classes like “Comfort Food: Mac & Cheese, and Turkey Chili” for beginners and “Mozzarella and Focaccia”, for the more advanced cooks.

So how much does it cost to get into a secret society? It may range from $25 to less than a couple of hundred, depending on the number and type of courses served and the whole atmosphere of the secret dining experience. While most dining clubs are held at apartments and lofts with a laid-back homey feel, some are held at larger locations, with professional waiters, and even bartenders waiting to give guests a different kind of eating experience.

And because New York secret supper clubs are in fact a secret, finding one, or getting invited to one, are usually the first few challenges. But after the first few hurdles, good food and new friends await those who will venture on the secret food society path. Like all things amazing, you have to start somewhere.

And don’t worry, we promise that your local take-out guy won’t mind. Start by visiting the nearest secret food club and your taste buds will thank you for it. And that, my friend, is no secret.