Former restaurant and event venue in New York City
China Chalet
was a
Chinese restaurant
located in the
Financial District
of
New York City
. Opened in 1975, the restaurant operated as a luxury
dim sum
banquet hall catering to a business clientele. Beginning in the 2000s, China Chalet contemporaneously operated as a rental space for nightlife events, alternately serving as an event space, nightclub, and concert venue. China Chalet permanently closed in 2020.
History
[
edit
]
Exterior of 47 Broadway in December 2021, with China Chalet signage still visible
China Chalet opened in 1975 in the
Financial District
of
Manhattan
in
New York City
, located on
Broadway
near
Exchange Place
. The restaurant served
American Chinese cuisine
in a luxury
dim sum
banquet hall-style setting,
[2]
with a seating capacity of over 800 across three divided sections, and full bar service at two bars.
[3]
Its design was typical of Chinese banquet halls in commercial Manhattan that catered to businesspersons: "sumptuously carpeted, with swagged curtains at the windows, and waiters formally clad in vests and ties."
[4]
The restaurant maintained this style of service and design until its 2020 closure, and was one of the longest-operating Chinese banquet halls in the
Wall Street
area.
[5]
Beginning in the mid-2000s, China Chalet began to rent out its space for use as a concert venue and club for nighttime popup events, while continuing to operate as a restaurant during daytime hours.
[1]
New York
reported that the first such party, an after-party for an exhibition of works by photographer Glynnis McDaris, was held in 2005; McDaris and her partner Gemma Ingalls subsequently began to host regular parties at the restaurant.
[1]
These and similar events attracted an "artsy crowd" to China Chalet that starkly contrasted the restaurant's traditional daytime clientele;
[4]
by 2011,
The New York Times
reported that China Chalet had "been a favorite hideaway of the fashion and art crowd for about five years."
[6]
The low cost to rent the space led China Chalet to develop a reputation for hosting parties catering to a "broad spectrum of sexual identities, ethnicities and economic means".
[2]
China Chalet permanently closed in 2020. Though no reason for the closure was given, the economic downturn prompted by the
COVID-19 pandemic
was speculated as a probable cause by multiple outlets.
[4]
[5]
[7]
Two additional China Chalet locations operated, on the
Upper East Side
and in
Eltingville, Staten Island
, respectively. The Eltingville location opened in 2006 and closed in 2020,
[8]
while the Upper East Side location closed by 2021.
[9]
Reception and legacy
[
edit
]
"Girls with painted lips sniff bumps of cocaine off of their house keys, and fashion photographers climb onto tables, cameras in hand. Tattooed DJs rub elbows with published poets and design icons. It’s easy to forget that come morning, this place will transform back into a mediocre dim-sum joint, populated by a sleepy lunch crowd oblivious to the previous night’s escapades."
The New York Times
described parties at China Chalet "as if New York's art world had been transported to a
Holiday Inn
in the Midwest",
[6]
while
Women's Wear Daily
called it the "
Studio 54
of the Instagram era".
[2]
Writing for
Eater
, restaurant critic
Robert Sietsema
described China Chalet as "a specter of timeworn elegance" evoking the "waning era of the
three-martini lunch
."
[4]
Vice
noted that China Chalet's popularity as a party venue came at "an inflection point" for New York City nightlife, as "stalwarts like
Beatrice Inn
and
Bungalow 8
began to fade in 2009 amid the backdrop of the
financial crisis
" and "the city’s cool kids decamped to various new stomping grounds."
[5]
Multiple figures in New York politics and finance dined at China Chalet, including former mayor
Rudy Giuliani
and former NYPD police commissioner
William Bratton
.
[1]
Parties at China Chalet were held or attended by
Cardi B
,
[11]
Timothee Chalamet
,
[2]
Carol Lim
,
[1]
Mary-Kate
and
Ashley Olsen
,
[3]
Ari Marcopoulos
,
Aurel Schmidt
, and
Rita Ackermann
.
[6]
Fashion brands such as
Calvin Klein
and
Prada
held shows at China Chalet during
New York Fashion Week
, while
Vogue
regularly rented the space for photo shoots.
[3]
Notable artists to have performed at China Chalet include
King Krule
,
[1]
Danny Brown
,
[1]
Megan Thee Stallion
,
[12]
and
DJ Cassidy
.
[3]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Petrarca, Emilia (December 10, 2020).
"Farewell to China Chalet, the City's Hottest Dim Sum Disco"
.
New York
. Retrieved
December 22,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Sidell, Misty White (July 10, 2020).
"China Chalet, Fashion's Studio 54 of the Instagram Era, Closes Its Doors"
.
Women's Wear Daily
. Retrieved
December 22,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Capone, Meg (February 19, 2019).
"The Secret life of a NYC Chinese Restaurant"
.
Empire Star Tribune
. Retrieved
December 22,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Sietsema, Robert
(July 6, 2020).
"FiDi's Timeworn China Chalet, An Underground Party Spot for NYU Kids, Shutters for Good"
.
Eater
. Retrieved
November 16,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
Dao, Dan (August 26, 2020).
"RIP China Chalet, Manhattan's Greatest Queer Nightlife Utopia"
.
Vice
. Retrieved
December 22,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
Swerdloff, Alexis (June 29, 2011).
"Pop-Up Clubs, in Secret Spaces, Party by Night"
.
The New York Times
. Archived from
the original
on July 4, 2011
. Retrieved
November 15,
2021
.
- ^
Hagy, Paige (November 20, 2020).
"RIP China Chalet"
.
Empire State Tribune
. Retrieved
December 23,
2021
.
- ^
Silvestri, Pamela (July 27, 2020).
"China Chalet closes in Eltingville after a 14-year run"
.
Staten Island Advance
. Retrieved
November 16,
2021
.
- ^
Garber, Nick (November 11, 2020).
"New Upper East Side Restaurants: Chinese, Middle Eastern & More"
.
Patch
. Retrieved
November 16,
2021
.
- ^
Dumais, Eliza (December 20, 2017).
"How Dingy Chinese Restaurants Became Home to New York's Most Exclusive Parties"
.
Thrillist
. Retrieved
December 23,
2021
.
- ^
Guzman, Ivan (March 20, 2018).
"Glam is the Chinese restaurant rager where Timothee Chalamet and Cardi B hang out"
.
Interview Magazine
. Retrieved
December 23,
2021
.
- ^
Hodin, Rachel (July 8, 2019).
"Sandy Liang, Congee Village heiress"
.
The Face
. Retrieved
December 23,
2021
.
External links
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