Asian Nightclub Circle Says Goodbye After a Decade in Times Square

It’s the end of an era this weekend as wildly popular Times Square Korean nightclub Circle closes for good.

The multi-level club at 135 West 41st St., between Broadway and Sixth Avenue, first opened in 2008 and has since been a nightlife mainstay for Asians and Asian Americans in New York City. Lines extend down the block every weekend, but it remained fairly unknown outside the Asian and Asian American community. The venue closes after business on Sunday, February 18th.

Inside, several levels are packed with tables, where servers bring plates of cut fruits to people who order bottle service, while a dance floor in the middle is regularly filled to the brim after midnight. It was the place in NYC that Korean artists and DJs would sometimes come perform, too. Though the club largely stayed out of mainstream press, controversy hit in 2013 after people accused it of discrimination against non-Asian clientele.

Circle’s owners also run restaurants such as fast-casual chain Sweetcatch Poke, the St. Marks Place location of Mamoun’s, and NYC’s Kang Ho Dong Baekjong. Partner Bobby Kwak told Eater earlier this year that they plan to direct attention to the restaurant business instead of nightclubs.

Despite the closure, it looks like other entrepreneurs are already planning to fill the gap that Circle will likely leave for K-Town partygoers. In one Facebook post, Circle points to a new “megaclub” opening in the area called Mission Nightclub. This new place — which also advertises tables, pounding dance music, and Asian clientele — is expected to debut on March 3rd.