Drai's Supper Club

Verdict

If you have been to Drai's Supper Club before, the honest question on a return visit is whether the experience has kept pace with what West 14th Street now offers. The Meatpacking District has sharpened considerably as a dining destination, and Drai's occupies a specific niche: a supper club format that pairs dining with an atmosphere tilted toward performance and occasion. That combination works for some diners and fails others, so knowing which camp you fall into before booking is the real decision here.

The Space

The address at 244 W 14th St places Drai's in the heart of the Meatpacking District, a neighbourhood where the room you are sitting in carries as much weight as what arrives on the plate. Supper clubs live or die by spatial logic: the ratio of intimacy to spectacle, the distance between tables, the acoustics when the room fills. For a special occasion or a celebration where the environment is part of the point, a venue designed around that theatrical dimension can justify itself. For a quiet dinner focused on food above everything else, it will not. Set your expectations accordingly before you arrive.

Service and Value

The supper club format historically asks guests to pay for more than a meal: you are paying for choreography, for a room that treats your evening as an event. Whether the service at Drai's earns that premium depends on execution on any given night. Supper clubs in this price tier across New York City vary sharply in whether front-of-house staff match the theatrical ambition of the room or merely dress the part. When service lands well here, the format justifies itself for birthdays, anniversaries, or client dinners where impression-making matters. When it falls short, the gap between the atmosphere and the plate becomes more obvious. Based on the supper club category generally, midweek visits tend to yield more attentive service than Friday or Saturday when covers are high and pace suffers.

Leading Time to Visit

Thursday evening is the practical sweet spot for Drai's and venues like it in the Meatpacking District. The room has energy without the weekend crush, service is steadier, and securing the right table is easier. Weekend evenings push the room toward nightlife rather than dining, which changes the experience considerably. If the dining component matters as much as the atmosphere to your party, arrive early in the evening on a weekday. Late-night on Friday or Saturday, Drai's will feel more like a club than a supper club, which may or may not be what you are after.

Who Should Book

Book Drai's if you are planning a celebration dinner, a milestone birthday, or an occasion where the room and the event-like quality of the evening are central to the plan. It is a weaker choice for solo dining or for two people who want to talk through a long tasting menu in a quiet room. Groups of four to eight are the natural fit for a supper club layout, where the energy of your own table carries the experience. Solo diners and couples seeking intimacy will find more satisfying options across the city. See our full New York City restaurants guide, bars guide, and hotels guide for broader planning. For destination-level dining experiences in other cities, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Smyth in Chicago, and Providence in Los Angeles each offer an event-format dinner worth comparing.

Practical Details

Reservations: Easy to book; not a venue where weeks-out planning is typically required, though weekend evenings fill faster. Dress: Smart casual to dressed up; the supper club format rewards dressing for the occasion. Budget: Price range not confirmed in our data — check directly with the venue before committing to a special occasion spend. Getting there: 244 W 14th St, Meatpacking District; well-served by subway and walkable from the High Line. Group size: Leading for parties of four or more. Timing: Thursday evenings offer the leading balance of atmosphere and service quality.