1 Oak
(212) 242-1111
453 W 17th St
(at Between 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue)
New York,
NY
10011
40.7445
-74.0054
What People Are Saying About 1 Oak
The Editor
Melanie Berliet
Citysearch
Thank owners Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano for contributing to the chic New York nightlife scene that's contingent on places being impossible to get into. Or, hate them for it. But if you want to party at this ostrich leather-lined lounge, your best bet is to act and dress the part. That means approaching the bouncer amiably, in trendy clothing fit for an evening out. Once inside, you'll find black and white checkered flooring on which to dance, and the typical banquets on which to sit--if your group's inclined to drop a grand or so on table service, that is. In exchange for your compliance with the unwritten code of club conduct, you're guaranteed a decent DJ spinning hip-hop and popular rock, as well as the chance to sip $18 cocktails all night amongst pretty people.
Hits: The tables are fewer and more spread out than at its peers, which means there's more room for dancing, or just frolicking about.
Misses: The only bathrooms are located downstairs, creating an ominous obstacle for the inebriated.
User Reviews
tequilasue1
March 08, 2009
Friday night, no one waiting to get in and a poor man's Johnny Depp says we need a reservation for a table and a reservation to get in...2 guys 2 girls well dressed and ready to drop major money. I would bet my life that there were maybe 20 people in the place. So lame...no wonder why there was no one waiting to get in. If you want to have a place where only your friends go...get a bigger apartment Richie...not a club that no one wants to stand in line for, and where they prevent you from coming in and spending major money. Let's see if this place survives the recession with that business model. Every other place within 2 blocks had a line of 50 people or more...now we know why. This place has seen it's day...and now it's done.
read full review
brunette1
February 27, 2009
If you (naturally) look and dress the part, and have friends who also get in, then you'll have a good time. I usually have a decent time. The bartenders are better and more efficient than their cocktail waitresses though.. But then again, I'm just being bias since I'm convinced all cocktail waitresses are slightly trashy and useless.. (I think someone mentioned below that celebrities don't come here.. Though I've seen w/ my own eyes, jayz, diddy, lindsay lohan, vin diesel, cast of gossip girls etc just to name a few off the top of my head)...
read full review
killbethy
February 20, 2009
1OAK (an acronym from 1 Of A Kind) hardly lives up to its name, and unless you are walking right in, it's not a velvet rope worth waiting at. I've walked outside many a night and have seen a truckload of people waiting to get past Bin, the perpetually drunk doorman, to get inside even though the club is dead empty. Inside, you will probably only find what most people are amused with, the carved wood walls. Other than that, the decor is lacking, the floor looks like it's from a rundown pizza parlor, and half of the tables are on the side of the club where all people do is enter and exit. Cocktails are overpriced and nothing special; bottle service is the same as anywhere. Most of the crowd is ridiculously underage (high schoolers). When push comes to shove, you can't guarantee that you will have a fun night at 1 Oak, or that it would be any more fun than going to your local pub and spending a fraction of the cost. Unless you want to get groovy with the 18 year olds clinging to the club promoters at the tables by the DJ booth, skip this place. The only time I recommend going is when you know a good DJ will be spinning and you have already secured yourself a table and can get there at a reasonable hour.... also, go with a large group (this is not a date spot!), people inside don't tend to mingle unless they are trying to steal the bottles off your table. (However, getting a table in advance at 1 Oak does not guarantee you will get in, and even if you do, getting your table is up to the fates). Essentially, if 1OAK was so wonderful, Richie Akiva wouldn't be spending his time at Rose Bar every night instead of his own club.
read full review