Before New York's legal cannabis lounges became part of the conversation, Astor Club was building something different on the Lower East Side. Part private lounge, part cultural clubhouse, it brought together cannabis, music, art and New York's underground community.
The Idea Takes Shape
The idea behind Astor Club took shape in 2019, when New York City was still operating in a gray area around cannabis consumption and private social spaces.
Astor's vision was straightforward: build a room, not a store. Rather than creating another retail operation, the goal was to establish a gathering place centered on the experience and community surrounding cannabis.
The concept was led by Ben, known through the handle @benneedsausername.
His background included cannabis advocacy and inspiration from Amsterdam's coffee shop culture, where cannabis consumption and social interaction existed within dedicated spaces.
Approximately six months later, Matt, who came from New York City's legacy cannabis delivery scene, joined the project.
The partnership brought together two different parts of the city's cannabis culture: advocacy and the underground delivery market.
Their combined experience helped shape Astor's identity as a private social destination rather than a conventional dispensary.
The Lower East Side Launch
In January 2020, Astor Club quietly opened on New York's Lower East Side.
Membership was private, access was invitation-led, and word of mouth helped bring people through the door.
The atmosphere was closer to a speakeasy than a storefront.
Instead of relying on traditional advertising or open retail traffic, the club developed through personal connections and a community of people who understood what it represented.
Its private structure became an important part of its identity during a period when New York's cannabis regulations had not yet fully caught up with the culture.
Not Retail, a Place to Hang
Astor Club approached cannabis consumption differently from the typical retail model.
The experience was not designed around buying something and immediately leaving.
Members could sit, consume cannabis, eat, talk and spend time together.
The concept reflected the idea of a cannabis third place, somewhere outside the home and workplace where people could socialize without the traditional bar environment.
That distinction helped separate Astor from businesses focused primarily on product transactions.
The room itself was the attraction.
A Room Built Around Culture
Astor Club connected cannabis with New York's underground music, fashion, art and social communities while creating a platform for recognizing flower through The Billy Awards.
Its private social model attracted attention within New York's cannabis community.
As New York moved toward legal cannabis lounges, Astor Club's early model offered an example of how a private social space could operate in the city.
The club's influence also extended into New York City's East Coast flavor conversation.
As sweeter, dessert-oriented cannabis genetics became increasingly popular, Astor Club maintained an appreciation for traditional East Coast flavor profiles.
The caption describes Astor Club as preserving a style of cannabis culture rooted in classic East Coast strains such as Sour Diesel, Chemdog and OG Kush — varieties associated with fuel, skunk and earthy flavors rather than dessert-like sweetness.
Astor Club During a Transitional Era
Astor Club operated during the gap between New York's underground cannabis culture and the development of a fully regulated market.
The caption positions Astor Club as part of a transitional period, when private clubs offered a way for people to consume cannabis socially before licensed lounges became a more established part of New York's cannabis landscape.
Its model emphasized privacy, community and shared experience at a time when cannabis remained limited by legal uncertainty.
That context helps explain why the club's format resonated with New Yorkers who wanted a dedicated place to gather rather than a traditional retail environment.
The Billy Awards
In 2024, Astor Club's founders launched The Billy Awards, creating a cannabis flower competition built around the taste and preferences of the club's community.
The caption describes The Billy Awards as a competition focused on flower quality and community taste, rather than commercial sponsorship or large-scale industry judging.
The name Billy was chosen to honor a close friend of the founders who died in 2022, a former customer who, according to the caption, loved smoking weed.
The 2025 edition of The Billy Awards was held at the Astor Club space on November 22, 2025, in collaboration with a partner or organization identified as FLY High Media.
The event also featured an opening set by DJ and producer Richie Beretta, who returned after performing in 2024.
Josh D. of OG Kush Story was scheduled to headline the 2026 event, according to the original caption.
2025 Billy Awards Winners
Overall Winner: Green House Cultivation (GH), Sour Diesel
OG Kush Category Winner: Green House Cultivation (GH), OG Kush
Chemdog Category Winner: Chemdog, Chem D 91
Sour Diesel Category Winner: Green House Cultivation (GH), Sour Diesel
Rookie of the Year: Preferred Gardens, D-Lish
The 2025 Billy Awards winners included Green House Cultivation (GH) as overall winner with Sour Diesel, reflecting the club's preference for classic East Coast flavor profiles.
The runner-up was Green House Cultivation's OG Kush, with Preferred Gardens' D-Lish named Rookie of the Year.
Why It Matters
Astor Club's approach stood apart from the standard cannabis retail model.
Unlike licensed dispensaries, Astor Club was not built around a storefront.
Its founders sought to create a space where people could gather, socialize and share cannabis in a setting shaped by culture rather than commerce.
That model became especially relevant as New York began exploring legal consumption lounges, offering a precedent for how private social spaces could function within the city's cannabis culture.
Legacy
Astor Club's legacy is tied to its role in New York's cannabis transition from underground culture to a regulated market.
It provided an example of how a private social space could operate in the city before licensed lounges became part of New York's cannabis landscape.
Through Astor Club and Billy's, the founders turned a private gathering space into a platform for community taste and East Coast flavor preservation.
The product was never just the weed. It was the room around it.
Sources
nuggnotes. "Astor Club & Billy's: A Taste of the NYC Underground." Instagram, 8 Apr. 2026, https://www.instagram.com/p/DW4YD05D89Y/.
The original nuggnotes post — primary source for the club's origins, founders, membership model and Billy Awards results.
"This Discreet Manhattan Cannabis Club Gets It Right." Cannabis Now, 2022, https://cannabisnow.com/this-discreet-manhattan-cannabis-club-gets-it-right/.
Corroborates the January 2020 Lower East Side launch, the members-only referral-based speakeasy model, and founders Ben, Josh and Matt.
"NYC's Coolest Cannabis Brands & Industry Insiders: Best-Kept Secrets." Honeysuckle Magazine, 6 Dec. 2022, https://honeysucklemag.com/new-york-city-cannabis-brands-industry-insiders-buddys-bodega-certz-astor-club-nyc/.
Profiles Astor Club as a members-only Lower East Side club and documents the national press attention around it.
Ju, Shirley. "Astor Club Opens in Los Angeles With The Alchemist Spinning." Honeysuckle Magazine, 14 Jan. 2024, https://honeysucklemag.com/astor-club-los-angeles-opening-the-alchemist/.
Documents the brand's January 2024 expansion to Los Angeles with the same invite-only model.
"Astor Club: New York & LA Lounges, Piff & Haze History, Thailand after 9/11." First Smoke of the Day, episode 93, Acast, 8 May 2023, https://shows.acast.com/first-smoke-of-the-day/episodes/the-astor-club-episode-93.
Founders Matt and Ben discuss the club in their own words as a meeting place for connoisseur smokers, brand owners and artists.
"Leafly Answers: The Best 420 Events Near Me." Leafly, updated 14 Apr. 2026, https://www.leafly.ca/news/industry/420-events-near-me.
Confirms The Billy Awards are presented by Astor Club, listing the April 2026 International Billy Awards in Brooklyn.
"New York Legalized Cannabis Lounges in 2021. So Where Are They?" stupidDOPE, 22 Sept. 2026, https://stupiddope.com/2026/09/new-york-legalized-cannabis-lounges-in-2021-so-where-are-they/.
Context: the MRTA authorized on-site consumption licenses in 2021, but none have been issued — why clubs like Astor operated in a legal gray area.
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