The Meatpacking District has undergone many transformations over the years. A Manhattan neighborhood that was once a literal district of slaughterhouses in the early 20th century, by the 1970s, the vast majority of the actual meatpackers had left. Gay bars and LGBTQ+ nightclubs (including, famously, the Mineshaft) popped up in the former storage and factory buildings, and the area became synonymous with sex work.
Florent Morellet opened Florent, a 24-hour diner, in 1985. The drag shows, revelry and judgement-free atmosphere made it a community fixture for decades. (Morellet, who was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, would famously post his updated T-cell count on the restaurant’s blackboard.) And its closure, in 2008, due to soaring rent hikes, punctuated the rapid gentrification that raised rents and drove so much of the lurid nightlife out.
Around this time, vacant spaces were converted into studios and designer shops such as Jeffrey, Christian Louboutin and Diane von Furstenberg—a pioneer in shifting the identity of the area from carnal and kinky to cultural. Samantha Jones, the sexually liberated PR maven of Sex and the City, moved to the upcoming district on the small screen in 2000. Who can forget the iconic episode when she tries to gain access to the rooftop pool at the then newly opened Soho House New York (what was, at the time, the most exclusive and fabulous private club in the city)?
It mirrored the real-life early aughts club boom, when Cielo, PM, Tenjune and Bungalow 8 (technically Chelsea, but the same scene) were after-dark fixtures for celebrities and fashionistas. Gansevoort Meatpacking opened in 2004, followed by The Standard, High Line in 2009.
But places that bask in the glow of relevance rarely maintain the spotlight for long. And in that way, not even the most beloved neighborhoods in New York City are immune to fading. The fall of club culture signaled the end of Meatpacking’s reign as a trendy after-dark destination. And so the question became: what was the district without late-night escapades? Did it have any cool capital without its club circuit? The neighborhood desperately needed a new identity and infusion of cool capital.
The last decade has been marked by attempts to re-establish its reputation as a hotspot, but not in the dancing-on-tables way it was before. Instead, it pivoted from nightclubs to designer shopping and restaurants to feed the platinum card-wielding crowd. While some may deem it overpriced and too commercial, don’t discount this downtown district as having aged past its limelight-grabbing phase.
Now, more mature and settled, the cobbled core of Meatpacking again buzzes. And there are plenty of new entrants to the scene to keep its cool credentials afloat (especially for those who don’t mind the rising price tag), as well as a push towards walkability and community that’s already increasing foot traffic. West 14th Street Promenade—two pedestrianized blocks complete with decking and seating—debuted in June. Fast Company recently hailed Meatpacking as the most walkable district in New York City. The Meatpacking BID is launching a limited-run happy hour series, Vibes on LW12, on Thursday evenings throughout August.
Fashion took its first steps into Meatpacking in the late 1990s. Jeffrey, the exclusive designer emporium founded by Jeffrey Kalinsky, was a vanguard, often credited with bringing designers downtown before it was in vogue. Christian Louboutin inaugurated a store at 59 Horatio Street in 2005, adding a men’s shop on Washington Ave in 2012. Marni and Sephora arrived in 2011. A decade later, Hermès, Gucci, Loro Piana and Rolex followed suit. More recently, Saint Laurent opened a two-level flagship in December 2024. The area is also home to high-street labels like Diane von Furstenberg (who set up shop in 2007), Sandro, Maje, All Saints and Rag & Bone. Petrossian Caviar opened a Meatpacking outpost last year. Tesla, Lucid Motors and Rivian debuted showrooms in the area in 2017, 2021 and 2023, respectively. Baccarat currently operates a pop-up while it puts the glimmering finishing touches on its permanent brick-and-mortar. Cadar fine jewelry is opening in spring 2026.
In Meatpacking, when people aren’t shopping, they’re dining. Perhaps the most notable thing about the culinary scene in Meatpacking is that it’s home to a clutch of excellent French restaurants. Does one small district need that many buzzy places to sip Sancerre and eat pomme frites? Apparently so.
When restaurateur Keith McNally opened the original Pastis in 1999, it brought attention and high-profile clientele (the Olsen twins and Lenny Kravitz were often spotted dining) to what was then a gritty, industrial area, putting in motion the wheels of transformation from destitute to desirable. A January 2000 Vanity Fair profile said, “Even the streetwalkers in New York’s Meatpacking District are buzzing about the latest addition to the neighborhood.” The language didn’t hold up so well, but the sentiment remains—Pastis was an important cog in making Meatpacking cool.
After 15 years of splashy success, with construction looming and rent skyrocketing, the restaurant closed in 2014. RH took its place on the now slick sidewalk. The shutdown wasn’t forever, though—for the 2019 reboot just a few blocks away on Gansevoort Street, Stephen Starr (of Buddakan and Le Coucou fame) took the reins, retaining the legacy spirit and soul of its predecessor (McNally is still involved as a consultant.) When I called at 7 p.m. on a recent Tuesday to inquire about a last-minute table for one, I was told the restaurant was fully committed until 9:30 p.m. (which coincidentally would have been prime time to dine in Meatpacking’s nightlife heyday). While it’s usually possible to snag a Resy slot a day or two ahead, given its popularity and the district’s increased foot traffic, showing up unannounced probably means rolling the dice on a bar seat.
In 2024, Gansevoort Meatpacking jumped on the French cuisine bandwagon, flipping its sports bar into Le Coin, a Parisian-inspired bistro with pink and green striped walls, photographs curated by Leica Gallery L.A. director Paris Chong, and a menu of oysters, tartare and moules frites.
In the absence of music-blaring, dance-til-dawn clubs, a new guard of restaurants with a more revelrous side are popping up, echoing the early aughts club-restaurant fad—but less flashy, more fashionable. Occupying the old Spice Market space at 403 West 13th Street, Chez Margaux is a private European-style club—the perks of membership emerge after dark. Discreetly concealed behind red velvet drapes and heavy wood doors with lion knockers, it’s all about exclusivity and discretion. Celebs, including Taylor Swift, Zoë Kravitz and Gigi Hadid, are known to swing by for a meal at the Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant (French, of course), nibble on toro at the sushi lounge and frequent the caviar salon that turns into a nightclub.
In June, Drai’s Supper Club, a glam dinner-only venue in the space once home to Nell’s, Up & Down and The Darby, debuted, bringing even more upscale French food set to the tune of live jazz. Sirrah, a maximalist haven for French prix fixe fare, opened in July. There’s a vibey bar for pre-dinner drinks. The dramatic dining room takes cues from old-school supper clubs, but with the sort of theatrical flair that’s already striking a chord with the modern Instagram set. The concept is simple: a three-course menu for $75. Unlimited fries are a clever play for the social media era.
Of course, there’s more than steak frites to munch on in Meatpacking. Jonathan Waxman recently added Bar Tizio, a wine bar with seasonal bites, just a few doors down from Barbuto. The Gansevoort rooftop is home to Saishin, an omakase concept, and an all-day European-inspired eatery, Coffee + Cocktails, sits on the ground floor. During a recent stay at Gansevoort Meatpacking (my first time back in the area since pre-Covid), my room overlooked the RH Rooftop Restaurant, offering a glimpse of the well-dressed patrons tucked into greenery-framed booths, enjoying brunch and midday glasses of wine or dinner under the night sky.
The Standard Grill has long been a neighborhood staple for American fare. I walked past on a Wednesday at 11:45 a.m., and the sidewalk tables were already starting to fill up. The enduring scene-y spots like Catch and STK Steakhouse still hook diners. Miami-based Aubi & Ramsa, the 21+ liquor-infused ice cream brand, now scoops adults-only treats in Meatpacking, providing a more mellow nightcap alternative.
Many of the nightclubs have closed (Bungalow 8 hung up its headphones in 2009, PM shut down in 2010, Tenjune shuttered in 2014 and Provocateur bid adieu in 2017), but those visiting Meatpacking in search of nightlife will still find it at Le Bain, the enduring high-energy den of hedonism atop The Standard, High Line, for DJ sets and dancing under disco balls. The rooftop cocktail bar at Gansvoort Meatpacking reflects the more elevated after-dark excitement in the district. At Chez Margaux, A-listers regularly hit the dance floor until late (but mere mortals will never know, as its members only).
On the art and culture front, the Whitney Museum of American Art is still the toast of the town. In 2014, the institution, which had been a pillar of Madison Avenue since the 1960s, relocated downtown into a striking, asymmetrical building designed by architect Renzo Piano. The move was a huge moment in cultural provenance for Meatpacking; First Lady Michela Obama attended the spring 2015 ribbon-cutting ceremony. Today, the masterpiece of modern architecture houses a collection of conversation-shaping works by over 4,000 artists, including Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alexander Calder and Faith Ringgold. Other notable galleries include Fort Gansevoort, Blank Space and White Columns, New York City’s oldest alternative non-profit art space.
The High Line, opened in phases between 2009 and 2019, remains one of the most vibrant industrial projects in the Big Apple. The 1.45-mile-long elevated linear greenway on a former New York Central Railroad spur is studded with wildflowers and punctuated by art like Mika Rottenberg’s 10-foot-tall, pink Foot Fountain sculpture with a working sprinkler. For even more nature and architecture, cross the West Side Highway to Little Island.
Gansevoort Meatpacking—the first luxury hotel to open in Meatpacking—has evolved with the neighborhood. In 2021, it debuted a $40 -million top-to-bottom renovation that traded its nightlife swagger for a more grown-up vibe that caters to both business and leisure travelers. Capitalizing on the private club boom that’s sweeping the city, Gansevoort introduced its membership club, Seven24 Collective, last year. Soho House New York might not be the only game in town anymore, but loyalists still love it. These days, it carries on as a membership club and hotel for Soho Friends ($130 annual dues that buy access to bedrooms and overnight benefits around the world). This past spring, the boutique boîte unveiled an interior refresh (improved pool tables, an updated layout and new furniture) as well as table-side martini service out of a vintage bar cart on the main club floor.
Sure, some of the old nightclubs and warehouses remain empty. It’s perhaps a reflection of the shifting consumer climate. Though given the current retail landscape, it’s not a stretch to predict these spaces will soon be occupied by high-priced denim brands and bespoke perfumeries that attract the same clientele as sybarites in the market for $200 t-shirts and tins of caviar to scoop on top of bagels. New restaurants and private clubs are moving in to capitalize on the cachet that’s left and infuse fresh energy into the high-rent neighborhood. If Meatpacking has proven anything, it’s that this district—unlike the carcasses that once hung from its rafters of the old meat packers—doesn’t die, it just regenerates.
