Four players.
Three styles.
Every NYC mahjong table by night and by style, Mahjong Palace, Green Tile Social Club, Sparrow's Nest, Riichi Nomi. Beginner lessons, open play, weekly sessions.
Mahjong Palace runs a 90-minute beginner class every weekend in both American and Riichi. Pick a style first.
Tables need four players, so solo arrivals get pulled into the next available game within minutes.
Email us. Beginner-friendly weekly nights are exactly what readers want.
How a NYC mahjong night actually works
The scene cross-cuts demographics in a way few other games do, AAPI cultural spaces, Gen Z social clubs, and 50+ female players (the historical American mahjong base) all show up at the same tables. Mahjong Palace (founded September 2024) is the biggest standalone room. Green Tile Social Club runs out of Standard East Village with an AAPI-forward members program. Sparrow's Nest and Riichi Nomi NYC anchor the Japanese-style scene; Riichi Nomi is the largest US Riichi club.
Café and bar series fill out the calendar. Chop Suey Club at Ace Hotel runs themed mahjong nights. OK Let's Mahjong tours pop-up locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Fourth Wall in Williamsburg hosts a weekly American mahjong drop-in. Superfly on the UWS runs Sunday afternoon open play with two starter tables for first-timers.
Pick a style first, then a venue. American uses jokers and an annual NMJL card; Riichi uses a counter and a richer scoring matrix; Hong Kong style is the closest to the historical base game. Most clubs teach one style at a time, so a Riichi night will not seat you for an American game and vice versa. Beginners are welcome at every club listed, but always say which style you want to learn.
- Typical entry
- $0 – $25 / night
- Group size
- 4 / table · 12 – 40 / night
- Game length
- 45 – 90 min (single hanchan)
- Beginner welcome
- ~95% of nights
- Styles in NYC
- American · Riichi · Hong Kong
Best NYC neighborhoods for mahjong
East Village, Manhattan
Green Tile Social Club at the Standard East Village. AAPI-forward, members program, polished room.
Lower East Side, Manhattan
Mahjong Palace. Standalone room, multi-style, runs daily classes and open play.
NoMad / Flatiron, Manhattan
Chop Suey Club at Ace Hotel runs themed nights and pop-up tournaments.
Upper West Side, Manhattan
Superfly UWS. Sunday afternoon open play with two beginner tables run by a teacher.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Fourth Wall. Weekly American mahjong drop-in, BYOB, friendly to first-timers.
Bushwick & Greenpoint, Brooklyn
OK Let's Mahjong rotates pop-up locations across Brooklyn most weeks. Check their Instagram for the address.
Mahjong glossary
- American mahjong
- Card-driven variant using jokers and an annually published NMJL hand sheet. The dominant US club style; most NYC tables outside the AAPI scene are American.
- Riichi
- Japanese style. Counter-based scoring, no jokers, declared 'riichi' bet on a closed-hand tenpai. Strategic and math-forward.
- Hong Kong style
- The closest modern variant to the historical Chinese base game. No jokers, simpler scoring than Riichi, common at AAPI cultural events.
- NMJL
- National Mah Jongg League. Publishes the annual American mahjong hand card every March. You need the current year's card to play American.
- Sparrows
- Slang for mahjong players, the game's name in Cantonese (麻雀) literally means sparrow. Used in club names like Sparrow's Nest.
- East wind / round
- Mahjong is played in rounds named after the four winds. East round is first; the 'east' player position rotates each hand.
Frequently asked
I have never played. Where should I start?+
Mahjong Palace runs a 90-minute beginner class every weekend in both American and Riichi style. Superfly UWS Sunday open play has two dedicated learner tables. Green Tile Social Club teaches American at every Wednesday night session.
Which style should I learn first?+
American mahjong is the most accessible if you want to find a game anywhere in the US, the NMJL card and joker rules are uniform from Florida to NYC. Riichi is more strategically rich and the right pick if you have any chess or poker background. Hong Kong style is best learned at an AAPI-led cultural event where the table is patient with a beginner.
Do I need to bring my own set?+
No. Every NYC club listed provides sets, racks, dice, and counters. Bringing your own is welcome at the Brooklyn pop-ups but never required.
How much does a night cost?+
Bar and café nights are typically free with a one-drink minimum. Mahjong Palace and Green Tile Social Club charge $15 to $25 per session; classes run $35 to $50.
Can I show up alone?+
Yes, mahjong needs four players per table, so solo arrivals get pulled into the next available game within minutes. The cultural-event tables (Chop Suey Club themed nights) are the most explicitly solo-welcoming.
Are there men at NYC mahjong nights?+
Yes, more every week. The historical American mahjong base in the US is 50+ women, but Riichi Nomi, Mahjong Palace, and Green Tile are mixed-gender and Gen Z-heavy. The scene shifted noticeably between 2024 and 2026.
How long is a typical session?+
A single hanchan (full Riichi round) runs 45 to 90 minutes. American mahjong hands are shorter, you can usually fit three or four games into a two-hour drop-in.
Is there a tournament scene?+
Riichi Nomi runs the largest tournament series in the US, including a quarterly NYC qualifier. American mahjong tournaments cluster around NMJL events and at Mahjong Palace. We list public-facing tournaments on this page when they run.
Related guides
Three styles, one city, one waitlist. If you teach or host a mahjong night in NYC, write us at [email protected].