Manhattan’s singles have not stopped looking for each other. They have just moved indoors, upstairs and behind a membership desk. Here is where they actually meet, club by club, and what kind of first date each room is built for.

Where Manhattan singles meet at a glance

Club Neighborhood The crowd Best for
Kith Ivy West Village, 120 Leroy Street Fit, fashion-literate, early risers Padel first, dinner second
Chez Margaux Meatpacking District Food people who stay late Dinner that turns into dancing
Maxime’s Madison Avenue at East 69th Street Grown-ups who like to talk A long, quiet dinner
Zero Bond NoHo Media, tech and downtown nightlife A late drink with no photos
The Twenty Two Union Square, 16 East 16th Street Creative, international, London-leaning A garden drink and a nightclub downstairs
Soho House New York Meatpacking District Creative industries, all ages A rooftop drink in summer

The working title for this story was “where rich men meet women.” Then we looked at the rooms. The newest clubs in Manhattan are not built for men in pursuit and women on display. They are built for people of every gender who are tired of swiping and would rather run into someone over a padel racket or a plate of crudo. So that is what this guide covers: where Manhattan’s singles, all of them, actually meet.

Every club has a personality, and the personality decides the date. A room built for dancing produces a different first night than a room built for conversation. Choosing the right one is half of a good evening. The other half is still up to you.

Where do single people meet in Manhattan’s private clubs?

Single people in Manhattan’s private clubs tend to meet at the newer, more social clubs rather than the old dining clubs. Kith Ivy, Chez Margaux, Maxime’s, Zero Bond, The Twenty Two and Soho House each draw a different crowd, and each suits a different kind of first date, from a padel match to a long dinner.

The common thread is the shared space. A bar, a terrace or a court gives strangers a reason to talk without the pressure of a match. It is the old-fashioned way of meeting someone, which in Manhattan now comes with an initiation fee.

Kith Ivy: the first date with a racket

Kith Ivy, the sports and wellness club from Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, sits on the ninth floor of 120 Leroy Street in the West Village, with three professional padel courts under climate-controlled tents, a restaurant, a gym, a spa and the first Erewhon shop outside Los Angeles, according to 6sqft. Membership was reported at a $36,000 initiation fee and $7,000 a year.

It is the best room in the city for people who would rather do something than sit across a table. Padel is played in pairs, so it is social by design, and a doubles match tells you more about a person in 40 minutes than three dinners. Watch how someone handles losing a point. That is the whole relationship in miniature.

Chez Margaux: dinner that turns into a dance floor

Chez Margaux, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s club in the Meatpacking District, pairs a French dining room with a caviar bar that turns into a small nightclub, Gaux Gaux, later in the evening, according to Jean-Georges. That two-act structure makes it a natural second-date room: dinner gives you the conversation, and the music tells you whether there should be a third date.

The crowd skews toward people who care about food and stay out late, a combination that tends to produce good company. If someone suggests leaving before the music starts, take note.

Maxime’s: the room for people who want to be heard

Robin Birley’s Maxime’s on Madison Avenue at East 69th Street is the opposite of a nightclub: a calm, etiquette-first room where dress codes matter and conversation is the main event. It suits singles who are past the stage of shouting over music and would rather find out what someone actually thinks.

This is where a first date feels like a grown-up dinner party for two. It also rewards preparation. Dress the part, put the phone away and ask better questions than “So what do you do?” Everyone here already knows the answer is “something impressive.”

Zero Bond, The Twenty Two and Soho House: the downtown circuit

Zero Bond in NoHo, founded by Scott Sartiano in 2020, bans photography, according to his biography. That one rule makes it a favorite for people with public lives: what happens on a date stays between the two people on it. The Twenty Two, which opened its New York house at 16 East 16th Street in 2025, offers a members’ lounge, a raw bar, a garden, a gym and a nightclub, and overnight hotel guests can use the members’ spaces, according to Afar. Soho House remains the summer default thanks to its Meatpacking rooftop.

These are the rooms with the most mingling and the fewest rules about who talks to whom, which makes them the best bets for meeting someone new rather than taking someone you already know. For how they compare on price and difficulty, see our ranking of the best private clubs in NYC.

Which NYC private club is best for a first date?

The best NYC private club for a first date depends on what you want to learn. For energy and chemistry, choose an activity, such as padel at Kith Ivy. Choose Maxime’s for conversation. For a night that can build, choose Chez Margaux, and for privacy, choose Zero Bond. Match the room to the question you are trying to answer.

One rule applies everywhere: your date is your guest, and you are responsible for them. That is worth remembering before you invite someone you met an hour ago. Our hub on dating in NYC private clubs covers the unwritten rules.

The best room is the one you return to

The singles who meet someone in these clubs rarely do it on their first visit. They do it on their twentieth, after the bartender knows their name and the regulars have stopped being strangers. Clubs reward repetition. The person you keep seeing at the Tuesday padel game eventually becomes the person you ask to dinner.

So pick one room that suits you, not the one that impresses your friends, and keep showing up. Romance in Manhattan has always been a numbers game. The clubs just improved the odds. For the full story, read our guide to the velvet rope wars.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Kith Ivy cost?
Kith Ivy charges a $36,000 initiation fee plus $7,000 in annual dues, according to Time Out New York. The members-only padel club at 120 Leroy Street in the West Village, created by Kith founder Ronnie Fieg, also has a hammam, a spa, a Café Mogador restaurant and an Erewhon tonic bar.

Where is Chez Margaux and how much is membership?
Chez Margaux is at 403 West 13th Street in the Meatpacking District, in the former Spice Market space. When applications opened, members 21 to 31 were quoted $1,000 to join and $1,800 a year, with higher fees for members 32 and over, according to Time Out New York.

Where is Maxime’s in New York?
Maxime’s, Robin Birley’s dining club, is at 828 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, in a two-story space of about 12,000 square feet that Birley leased for 20 years, according to The Real Deal. Birley is best known for London’s 5HS club.

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