As an American Express Platinum card holder, I’ve had the opportunity to visit American Express Centurion lounges in several cities – Miami, Atlanta, and London just to name a few.  But I recently found a good excuse to spend a few days in New York City and decided I’d have dinner at the only non-airport Centurion venue – the Centurion located on the 55th floor of One Vanderbilt, Midtown Manhattan.

OK…technically speaking, the Centurion Restaurant in NYC isn’t the only non-airport Centurion facility.  There’s also the Centurion Haus, Singapore – a speakeasy lounge for Centurion cardholders hidden behind a shop in the Raffles Arcade.  But at the time that it opened (March 9th, 2023) it was American Express’s first non-airport, permanent Centurion venue.  Until this point, Centurion spaces were exclusively airport lounges or pop?ups at events.  New York marked a strategic shift into creating a standalone city-level luxury club.  That word “club” is an important distinction.  It’s not just a restaurant.  Or a bar.  It’s intended to be an exclusive experience for Platinum and Centurion (Black) card holders who are given priority for reservations.  It’s also a grand experiment for American Express in testing value perception:  American Express aimed to deepen loyalty among ultra-premium cardholders (Centurion and Platinum), and test whether offering permanent, urban club experiences would drive engagement and spending.

It’s notoriously difficult to get dinner reservations for the Centurion NYC so once my travel plans were finalized, I called the American Express Concierge service.  The Concierge handled everything and I got a 5:30pm dinner reservation in the Studio area of Centurion – more casual than the Studio area which features white tablecloth dining with tasting menus (3–5 courses), and wine pairings.

The evening of my reservation, I took the New York subway to Grand Central Station – located right across the street from One Vanderbilt.

The One Vanderbilt building was completed in 2020 so it’s a fairly new skyscraper in New York.  One Vanderbilt is a 1,401?ft (427?m) supertall skyscraper—Midtown Manhattan’s tallest office tower and the city’s fourth tallest building overall.

One Vanderbilt, SL Green Reality

Upon entering One Vanderbilt, visitors will see the Centurion Desk where they can go to check in:

Once the reservation and ID’s are confirmed, members are escorted to a private elevator which has only one destination – the 55th floor.

What you see when you exit the elevator on the 55th floor

I really didn’t know quite what to expect at the Centurion New York.  But the word that comes to mind is…classy.  Old-school classy.  Sophistication.  Very New York.  This isn’t your typical Centurion airport lounge. It’s a members-only club with a view.

Speaking of the view, it’s normally spectacular from any room inside the Centurion New York…except when there’s extreme cloud cover in New York that completely obscures the view outside the windows.  Which happened to be the case the evening of my visit.

I was extremely impressed with the dining experience.  Michelin stared chef Daniel Boulud was brought as the Culinary Director to be the culinary visionary behind Centurion New York.  Boulud is perhaps most famous for his The DB Burger (aka DBGB Original Burger) – it became a sensation when it debuted in the early 2000s—essentially elevating a comfort food into fine dining. Some call it the first true luxury burger. It’s the culinary equivalent of putting a Rolex on a cheeseburger.  I was told the DB Burger is one of the most popular items on the Centurion’s menu so of course I had to try it.  But first, I had to try the imperial wagyu top sirloin tartare appetizer, which was fantastic:

I have to admit that the DB Burger was perhaps the best hamburger I’ve ever tasted – and I’m not really a hamburger guy:

For desert I tried the chocolate cake with ice cream and a side of caramel mousse…which was devoured before I had a chance to snap a photo.

I’ve done some reviews of my experiences in American Express Centurion lounges, and to be honest they’ve been hit or miss.  They really haven’t provided a luxury experience.  But the Centurion New York was an entirely different experience.  For the first time, I felt like my American Express Platinum card provided me something that not everyone had access to – something unique.  I hope that I can make it back soon so I can get the complete experience (with that amazing 55th floor view).  If you can land a reservation, I highly recommend an evening at the Centurion New York.