NYC's most exclusive, invite only nightclub

Hi guys, its Ridhima, founder @ The Scene. When I first came to NYC 11 years ago, in the peak of the city’s clubbing era – going out was fun, it was wild and it was always memorable. But fast forward to today and there’s evidently been a decline of New York City nightlife. As Gabriela Lawrence, the founder of Doce Mezcal appropriately says in this video “The OG days of clubbing – aka 1OAK, Up & Down, VIP Room, Rose Bar” are her “Roman Empire”, and honestly she hits home with all her points. 

But the most interesting part about the clubs she references as her OG favorites (which seemingly have this irreplaceable aura) is that almost all of them were founded by Richie Romero. What we need to realize is that although clubbing does not feel the same in the city, Richie has been holding an ace up his sleeve, and it has a name: Hearsay. 

When it comes to curating a room, curating an energy and curating a moment that will, without a doubt remain an iconic memory, no one does it better than Richie & his team. Hearsay, brought to you by Richie & Rob Toma, is NYC’s current best kept secret and for anyone that still argues that Paul’s is the hardest door in the city, has to quite literally wake up and walk into the current era and moment which is, Hearsay.

Hearsay is an invite only secret nightclub. Its subterranean location makes it feel speakeasy-esque. They don’t even give out the actual location (quite literally I do not even have the address of Hearsay for this blog – all I can tell you is that it’s in Meatpacking). When you speak to the circle of OG clubbers that still live in the city, they refer to Hearsay as “the only true club in NYC anymore”. The space and the music is vibey. It gives you this intimate and exclusive vibe. It’s small but not too small and the artists playing are always incredible.

We had a chance to talk to the GOAT himself and here’s what he had to say about his ideation behind his new baby, Hearsay “The idea was to create something similar to what real nightlife was in the city back in the day, when everything was just word of mouth..or “hearsay”. You literally did not know a place existed unless you physically walked past it and saw velvet curtains and a queue. We are talking pre social media, pre Google Maps. So we wanted to share a concept as authentic to the original New York City nightlife scene as possible and feel elated with how Hearsay has come around and been received”. 

Hearsay is a haven for free spirits, trendsetters, and anyone with an appreciation for good music and even better company. The crowd is diverse and the energy electric – but all of this is just my opinion. It’s for you to find out, whether all of this is true, or just *hearsay* – only if they’ll have you of course. Send in an email to [email protected] to find out 😉