Montauk Club

This club is poorly managed and disorganized. They look towards membership to support the club but they lack communication, appreciation, or reciprocity towards their members. Clearly biased in their membership profile, You'd be better off traveling an hour into the city and paying higher membership dues just to avoid this ordeal entirely. The petty nature of the board whose focus is solely on themselves is appalling.

I had my wedding at the Montauk Club in July. It was absolutely wonderful! Throughout the planning process both the Manager, Rido, and his assistant, Sarah, were very responsive and easy to work with. We had the ceremony upstairs followed by cocktails in the same space. The reception was held in the first floor dinning room. The food, of which there was an abundance, was all delicious. The service ran smoothly — the servers and bartenders did a fabulous job. The ambiance was perfect for the feeling we wanted — very old New York and romantic with a lot of character. I would absolutely recommend the Montauk Club for a wedding!

Amazingly great space. You definitely feel the history here. Loved the fries, goat cheese/​smoked salmon omelette and the veggie burger. Would love to go back when the weather is nice.

I’ve been a member here for a year now and I love it. The staff is super nice and helpful and the space-​oh god, the space! It’s massive and usually not overcrowded. I like coming here because it’s quiet, the food is pretty tasty, they don’t give you side-​eye when you order a second bottle of wine, the chairs are über comfy, and I have NEVER EVER felt rushed out of the place– which is kind of rare for NYC. Lots of long, great conversations with friends with no need to rush out of there to clear up the table. They have a lot of member events throughout the month and change the menu weekly. It’s definitely worth it to join.

Ursprünglich ein «Gentlemen´s Club» öffnet der Montauk Club heute auch gerne seine Pforten für Hochzeiten, ein Dinner oder einen schlichten Drink nach der Arbeit.
Aufsehen erregend ist dieses Gebäude wegen seiner venezianischen Architektur. Wenn also jemand «Vergleiche» ziehen möchte, in den Fuss-​Spuren des Mr. Rockefeller seinen Port trinken möchte, dann ist er hier gut aufgehoben!

We totally lucked out when we decided to have our wedding reception at the Montauk Club. Sanya was at most times very responsive, helpful and supportive of our ideas. I got a little bit worried a couple of days before our wedding in October 2013 when I started reading reviews that I hadn’t seen before. We live in California so we hadn’t been able to communicate with Sanya by other means than email. It turned out all of those reviews seem really unfounded and outdated. From the moment our deliveries started arriving the afternoon before the wedding until we picked up our stuff the day after the wedding, everything worked out beyond our expectations. The atmosphere was just right, the details were all taken care of, the food and drinks were fantastic, and the staff were all so amazing and happy for us. Best night of our lives. Thank you, Montauk!

I came here for a really lovely wedding. This space has so much character and is in a beautiful part of Brooklyn.
Having the wedding ceremony with the backdrop of beautiful windows was really lovely. The staff were really professional and quick to move chairs around and booze and feed us between the ceremony and the dinner.
This is a very unique spot in NYC to have a large event and is definitely worth checking out!

I love being a member of The Montauk Club, and I love that it is low key and not «clubby.» I have dinner there a couple times each month. Last night my salmon was delicious, and the cocktail of the week was The Cardinal… yummy and appropriate. It is a fabulous old building… and the fact that it has not been renovated is a plus in my book. It is best for people looking for a relaxed, homey environment instead of a bar or restaurant. Just perfect.

Though you need to be a member of the club to eat here, you can easily find someone who is a member and tag-​along with them.
The interior is a rather worn turn-​of-​the-​century country club style with rich wood paneling, large pocket doors, not-​quite-​vintage artwork, and detailed mosaic floors on the first level. The paint is peeling, the rugs are nearly threadbare, and the beams in the ceilings are sagging: it’s in dire need of a restoration.
The food service ranges from excellent to mediocre. The burger is great, but most everything else is either served cold (when it should be warm to hot) or burned to a crisp. At brunch, I had french toast, a friend had a frittata, and another had an omelet: the toast and frittata were like crackers thanks to the overcooking and the omelet was served white-​hot (though, remarkably, not burnt). The mimosas and bloody marys are complimentary, but also served in the smallest glasses you’ve ever seen (yes, smaller than juice glasses). Though I can’t vouch for every time, service was very slow due, largely, to the sole waiter on duty.

I love the ambiance in here! The food is great and the staff is great too.

I’ve now been a member of the Montauk Club for nearly three years and it’s time to update my review. Five stars all the way.
If you are the type of person who loves beautiful architecture, especially if it is historical and yet worn from continuous use as a living structure, you will love the Montauk Club. I’ve talked to so many members who joined simply because they loved the building itself, and once they joined they stayed members because they fell in love with the food, the staff, the atmosphere, and the other members.
The Montauk Club was and remains a throwback. You must have a sense of nostalgia for the past — even if you are too young actually to remember it – to enjoy this place. You must be a person who likes private clubs, and not all do. But if you are one of those people, you will fall in love with this oasis away from the 21^st Century.
I note that some of the reviews have criticized the food, which was a fair critique a year or so back. Since that time, a new chef has come on board and the food has really improved. The menu changes every week, with the exception of the exceptional burger, and I have to say that it’s hard to find a steak as good as the one here at this price point. The generous and delicious Sunday brunch is a terrific way to start the week. The food, in a word, is excellent now.
Billing issues have also been resolved since the club finally adopted a computerized point of service system.

Went to a wedding at the Montauk Club last week and what a bad experience. The staff kept interrupting the ceremony by walking in the room. We also needed to move some flowers around because one of the guest was highly allergic and we got an attitude about that. Also they made the bride pay full price to get the piano tuned which she wanted them to meet her half way since they were going to use the piano for other events. They said no. So she walks in the friday before the wedding to go over the last details of the wedding and to her surprise they were holding a dinner and they had someone come in and play the piano she just paid full price to tune. This next part literally is the icing on the cake… they threw out her wedding cake. She specifically asked to not throw away the cake because she was mailing out to family and friends that could not make it. So she had to cut into the top tier of her cake because this place had no consideration for her. THE CAKE COST MORE THAN HER DRESS.
DON’T GET MARRIED THERE. ITS A FANCY PLACE WITH A GHETTO STAFF.

The wedding is done but not forgotten, and the folks at Montauk Club helped us pull off an unforgettable evening. We had our ceremony and reception here and I could not have imagined a more beautiful event and more fun dance party.
They rolled with all my whims over details (one vegan entrée please! pre-​ceremony champagne cocktails please! could we meet just one more time please?) We went with buffet and full open bar, seared tuna, sirloin, roast potatoes and asparagus. As the nervous/​excited bride I could barely taste the food but our guests assured us it was delicious and they were not expecting such quality from wedding food. Yes, there was enough for everyone.
They don’t serve dessert, which worked out great because our friends got us the wedding cupcakes as a gift. And you need to provide your own champagne/​prosecco or whatever bubbly you prefer. There are no surprise fees here that are typical of so many wedding venues.
This, also means, though, that if you want to cut your cake you better remember to bring a knife to do it and if you want pre-​ceremony cocktails poured you probably need to ask some friends to help do that, too.
Thanks to our kickass DJ and spirited guests, the dance floor was so hopping at one point that it was shaking from people jumping up and down to Journey or whatever it was. No matter, the floor was fine.
A note here: our wedding was in April, an overcast but not rainy day, and with more than 50 people shaking it, the dance floor got very warm. We asked to open some windows, which they did, but I was still very happy that our wedding was not in the middle of the summer.
I didn’t have a professional wedding planner, just some great friends, we did our own flowers and in general tried to say as close to a budget wedding as possible. The Montauk club is so pretty inside that a few (ok, 200) candles and simple flowers in glass jars were all we needed for decoration.
The club’s manager was great to work with — but not as quick to respond to emails as I am used to. Probably best to schedule meetings instead and go over everything rather than go back and forth on email.
All in all, I highly recommend this as a wedding venue for low-​maintenance, chill couples who want a beautiful vintage space in Brooklyn on a moderate budget. For rich bridezilla types who need everything done professionally, probably not the best option.
(I do wish the club was open to the public, though. We canceled our membership after a year but I would love to go back occasionally.)

Very very sad to update my review, and it’s a good lesson not to review things too quickly…
A year has passed, and I am no longer a member of the Montauk club, for various reasons, which I think need to be detailed.
1) The Food. It’s not good. And worse than being bad, the chef appears to be completely against any changes to his menu. One time I asked for no asparagus in my salad, and the waitress said that he wouldn’t do it, that it had to have it in it, the chef only served things «as is.» This also prevented me from ever getting the burger, which pretty much ALWAYS had bacon on it.
2) Hours of Operation. When I signed up, they said the club is open until 11 pm each night. This is simply not true. On at least 3 occasions I arrived around 10:15 to find the door locked. And even more annoying, I learned that if i knocked, eventually someone would open the door, and there WERE people upstairs, but they were just clearly trying to close the place down.
3) Lack of Life. Just like they try to close the place early, it deters people from coming in, and often it was just me and the friends that i invited. It’s really hard to make new friends at the club because people never come.
This place has SO MUCH POTENTIAL, but it hurts itself at every turn. It’s beautiful to be sure but beauty is not enough. Maybe I’ll give it another chance in a few years.

This space is absolutely beautiful. It’s not some tacky, paisley lined gold lame’d «wedding hall» out in the suburbs. We chose it for it’s innate beauty — both inside and out. After we settled on the Montauk Club, we went about choosing the church and vendors. It was the only place I could envision having a reception that wouldn’t feel like some overly consumerized event. When I bought my dress, I thought, «it’ll look perfect against those stained glass windows and dark wood accents.» I don’t believe in wedding themes (because afterall, this isn’t some grown-​up second attempt at prom) but our wedding is taking on the style of the Club and I couldn’t be happier.
Sanya was very easy to work with when booking the space and even though we went back and forth for a few weeks (some anxiety about making a final decision and putting a deposit down), never once pressured us or gave us any grief — no hard sell. She was married there and even offered some suggestions on how her wedding could have gone better (seating choices, etc). Kind of like «had I known then what I know now…» thing, which I appreciated.
The Club loses a point because of how they handled the scaffolding issues. There was a clear breakdown of communication and we were disappointed in how we were treated (nothing was really communicated until after the fact). So I went on the offensive. I emailed Sanya, asking all of the questions we had. Telling her how disappointed we were. Explaining how I expected her team would treat me moving forward. Simply put, we were pissed but after all of the venues we’d looked at, I still wanted to make our reception happen at the Montauk Club. Sanya never once got frustrated with me. She was never defensive. She apologized. She explained why the breakdown occurred. And we were able to get all of the answers we needed in order to move forward with planning our reception, feeling much more confident.
The big day is in three months (eish!) but I’ll be sure to update my review once the wedding happens. Overall, I’d recommend the Montauk Club but I would also tell brides that being a little more on the offensive will likely get better results… it’s a social club AND a wedding venue with a small staff (that really gets to know you).
Added bonus? We also get to use the space for drinking outdoors now that spring/​summer has finally arrived :)

Unfortunately, the food service at the Montauk Club ruined an otherwise
beautiful, magical wedding. All components of our wedding came together beautifully, until the guests went to the buffet. Our arrangements with the manager of the club had been for two
meats– loin of pork and rack of lamb– and we had told her we wanted our guests to receive both meats. She assured us they would, that there
would be plenty of food. When our guests approached the buffet, they were told, «no you may not have both. One or the other meat. If we
gave both, we would run out». The guests were then given one small
portion of one meat and small portions of sides. The plates looked
skimpy and meager as they left the buffet.
This was a great embarrassment to us. It was also the complete
opposite of what we had agreed to with the manager of Montauk for our wedding reception.
She totally reneged on arrangements for our reception buffet.
Subsequent meeting and e-​mails with the manager have proven
futile as we have been given the runaround and a host of new «reasons»
why guests received only one meat and small servings at that.
The Montauk Club is a beautiful site filled with character and charm.
The staff needs fine-​tuned and a consultant should be brought in to
show them how things are properly done. Then this may well be
a venue with true panache and desirable to brides. As it is now,
brides beware.

Was considering this as a wedding venue at one point. Had a couple of email correspondences with the manager, then nothing. A couple of pleasant voice mail messages also left unanswered.
What IS the deal with this place?
Apparently they get a lot of bookings, but who knows where that money goes?
Crumbling stairs, dingy rugs, stained sofas, dying plants. Geesh. A little upkeep and some better staffing are in desperate need here.

We just became members so we could get married there next summer. We had dinner there for the first time tonight, and everything was fantastic, from the service to the food to the relaxed atmosphere. Really, really enjoyed it.
We’ve also had a great experience so far with the club manager. She has been totally available and knowledgeable. Working with someone like that has relieved a LOT of stress for me.

I think Joi B has valid points about New Year’s Eve, though the review would be better served as a review for the specific event. Personally I was there and had an AMAZING time and had no problem getting champagne all night for an amazingly low price at either of the two bars. The ambiance at the club is wonderful and it gets 4 stars for its main function which is as a bar and eating club. The main draw for me is the fact that you get to treat it like its your own living room — the pace is INTENTIONALLY slow, think country club speed. Members don’t go there to get drinks lightning fast, they go to socialize. The Montauk Club could never be held to the standards of a manhattan night club, nor should it. It is what it is — a glorious 100 year old mansion filled with eccentric Park Slopers who greet you by name. Many who join also appreciate what it can be, and its potential to live up to the grandeur of its formative years is there, you just need to squint a little bit and invite a few friends for a drink at the bar and say hi to those sitting next to you.

This is really a two and a half star review. C’mon Unilocal,there is a WORLD of difference between «Meh. I’ve experienced better,» and «A-​OK.» I suggest removing the «A» and then everything would be fine. Or, «A-​tad bit better than mediocre,» although that doesn’t have such a nice ring to it.
I digress!
I really REALLY want to like this place more than I do. My MAIN problem isn’t anything other than the bar service which I feel is severely lacking. They need to hire what I and many other hard drinkin’ New Yorkers like to call «competant bartenders.» That means, a bartender that actually SEEMS like they give a shit, you know, MOVE kind of quickly when it’s New Year’s Eve and the bar is 5-​people deep, due to the event (Dances of Vice, which warrants a SOLID FIVE STARS) selling out 250 tickets. WHY, pray tell, would you only put TWO bartenders on, if you knew the event was sold out and HELLO, IT’S NEW YEAR’S EVE!!! Put on your best bartenders not some slack, sloppy looking dude who knew only two speeds, slow and slower!
Other than that, and the fact that the upstairs lounge has NO music to speak of (I’m not asking for blasting music out of a PA, but some kind of background music so I’m not listening to hundreds of people yapping the night away), the Montauk Club is grand – beautifully appointed and I like the old school «private club» vibe of it. I feel like a fucking Fitzgerald in there, yo!
On NYE, they served hors d’oevres, which was a nice touch. We even hung out in the kitchen with some of the really nice staff. The ambience is overall perfect for retro events like Dances of Vice, which is the only reason I have to go there as I am not a member.
Although being a member DOES sound kinda cool.
IF they fix the bar situation! OH! And no, I do NOT want my 10 dollar martini served in a plastic cup. Actually, I have had past bartenders refuse to serve them UP. I will NOT drink a martini on the rocks, so this is an insult to my good taste.

I had my wedding here– quite the quality place. Beautiful, delicious food, beautiful– did I mention what a nice looking building it is? Wrapped up in grotesques (gargoyle’s spit water!) & bas-​relief, ancient hardwood, stained glass, whatever. There has been a lot of shake-​up here lately, with staff coming & going, & my wedding was in the middle of it, but despite the upheavals, everything came off without a catch.

A friend of mine is the executive chef at The Montauk Club and a few of my friends bought memberships to celebrate. We had dinner at the club last Friday night and I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout. For a club whose previous claim to fame was a menu filled with mozzarella sticks and frozen tacos, my friend has certainly turned things around. We had a table of 5 and we tried to order everything. For appetizers we got a green salad, beet salad, wild mushrooms, and apple soup, our friend sent out a pickled radish small plate with candied orange peels which was really crunchy and delicious. For our main courses, we had a range of shrimp in a carrot reduction, pork belly, salmon cooked wonderfully, and a chicken poulard. All were great and satisfying. We were surprised with one more small plate of salmon belly in squid with two reductions, one lemon and one herb and an eggs terrine with fresh wild mushrooms.
If you’re a Park Slope-​ian, I’d suggest trying to scoop up a membership to this fancy supper club. It’s a beautiful building and now has the promise of excellent food all the time!