[1] Decorated as a slightly shabby 19th-century English men's club, Nell's afforded its upscale patrons a place to eat, sit, socialize, and listen to live music.

At its peak of popularity in the late 1980s, with a capacity of only 250, Nell's was known for denying even the famous entry to the club.

It was the last nightclub Andy Warhol attended with Dionne Warwick just before his botched hospital visit in which he died.

[1] On June 4, 1987, artist Robert Mapplethorpe and actress Susan Sarandon hosted a dinner for AIDS charity amfAR at Nell's.

It was also there in 1993 that Tupac met a woman who accused him of sexual assault[4] Nell's was also a frequent haunt of fictional character Patrick Bateman, in the book American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

The space later held a private club NA opened by actor Chris Noth and his business partner Noel Ashman.