Sitting on Lafayette Street, trendy hotspot Jean’s burst onto the New York dining scene in late 2023. Initially rumored to be open to only a select few, the institution has grown over the past year into one of the city’s most talked-about weekend hangouts, where guests can find an exclusive crowd, upscale dishes available until 2 am and whispers of the occasional secret celebrity DJ set.
Like any coveted New York restaurant, Jean’s is shrouded in mystery. The official website gives nothing away, offering only an inquiry form and the big red ‘Jean’s’ logo. Online forums are filled with lengthy discussions of different tactics for getting into the secret nightclub below. I go to Jean’s Instagram account but I am left feeling equally confused. Only four images stare back at me, including a carousel of photos of Erykah Badu on the decks captioned ‘Erykah Badu ate at Jean’s last night.’
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Jean’s isn’t quite a nightclub restaurant – the dining room is too reserved to be considered a full-on club. Rather, it’s a wonderfully multifaceted venue, each space coming together to create a less catchy restaurant-bar-lounge nightclub. The concept was brought to life by Ashwin Deshmukh, Bernardo Metsch and Max Chodorow (son of restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow) and offers diners 110 seats across the cafe, main dining room, bar and streetside. A word of warning for newcomers: the place you want to be seated is the dining room.
Once the main dishes are finished, the in-the-know crowd has their after-dinner routine down to a tee. After sharing the famous oversized cookie, it’s another round of cocktails; a series of shots; a long friendly chat with the Maître d’; and a slow, smug walk out of the dining room and downstairs to the elusive cocktail lounge. Those loitering at the upstairs bar are left watching on, with unmistakable envy.
Must order:
Related
For dessert, have the giant chocolate chip cookie, served with a side of milk
What to drink:
The Easy Peasy, made with Heaven sake, Ume plum liqueur, yuzu cordial, mint and seltzer
Best seat in the house:
A round center table in the main dining room
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Menu
What surprised me most about Jean’s was not the secret nightclub hidden behind the restroom doors (serious work must have gone into the restaurant’s soundproofing) or the astonishingly long line waiting outside the door. Instead – at the risk of making myself sound painfully uncool – it was the menu’s emphasis on farm-fresh produce.
We arrived hungry and I rushed to order a plate of crudites. Expecting a couple of carrots and a side of hummus, I was instead greeted with fanfare: marble-effect tahini dip, oversized radishes served on ice, bright green lettuce leaves. I remarked to the waiter that the produce was so fresh and full of flavor it tasted as if it had just been freshly picked. It turned out it had: Jean’s ingredients come fresh from Chodorow’s produce farm in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Meat and seafood are sourced locally and the serving staff are proud to educate guests on the restaurant’s emphasis on sustainability.
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While the menu offers quite a basic selection of classic American and European bistro cuisine, the quality produce shines in each dish. My guest credits the burger as one of the best he’s tried in the city, and even the Caesar salad – more a sculptural learning tower of Caesar – makes for a memorable dish. As dessert is served, phone flashlights across the room turn on to capture the giant TikTok-able cookie, served with a glass of milk on the side.
For cocktails, the beverage program is led by Kyle Sheridan, formerly of American Bar, ensuring guests are in good hands. The wine menu is thoughtful, inspired by producers who share the restaurant’s passion for sustainable agriculture.
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Interiors
To get to the main dining room, you first walk through the comparatively paired-down cafe and bar. Cafe interiors encourage a more relaxed atmosphere than the dining room, with hand-painted blue and white wood floors, inspired by Chodorow’s produce farm, and an open kitchen. As you walk into the bar, the lights dim and a solid marble bar surrounded by hand-painted gold leaf sits proudly as the centerpiece.
For the main event, velvet curtains unveil the main dining room. Hanging lights illuminate round tables, and as the night draws on, the main room becomes flooded in moody red light. White tablecloths and traditional bistro chairs pay homage to the classic menu, giving the space a classy, traditional edge. At the back of the space, a library wall and a rescued fireplace encourage diners to settle into the restaurant, offering a living room-like ambiance. Mirrored walls assist with the essential room-wide people-watching, allowing guests to see and, crucially, be seen.
And as for the elusive downstairs cocktail lounge, you’ll have to see for yourself.
Jean’s, 415 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003, jeans.nyc
