Dinners
Long tables
Restaurants across the city, seated by the founders.
AI-generated image
Founding membership open
A room full of people you’ll actually like.
A members’ club for Düsseldorf. Tell us about yourself, and we’ll put you in the room with people you’ll get on with.
Apply for founding membership
Free membership · About two minutes
DinnersBarsClub nightsBowlingGames nightsChessLong lunchesThe odd ball
What the club is
Great people.
Better nights.
Dinners, bars, club nights, bowling and chess. We read every application to get the room right, and the same table meets again.
There is no clubhouse. The city is the club.
The nights we plan to run
Anything, as long as the company is right.
Restaurants, bars, clubs, bowling lanes, games tables. The venue will change every time. The standard of company won’t.
Bars
Bar nights
A good bar, a reserved corner. Arrive alone.
Bowling
Strike Night
Teams mixed by the host. Bad bowlers welcome.
Games
Games nights
Cards, board games, a little competition.
Chess
Chess and Cards
Boards out in a quiet bar. Beginners too.
Club nights
Before Everyone Flies Home
Late, loud and phone-free.
Long lunches
Sundays
Slow food, no plans for the afternoon.
If members want one
The odd ball
Black tie optional, paid to the venue at cost.
How it works
Find your table.
The founders read every application and seat the right people together, the way a good host would. No algorithm, no personality score. Then the same faces come back.
One
You answer a few questions
Who you are, what you enjoy, and which evenings you’d actually come to. About two minutes.
Two
The founders read them
Every one, by hand. We’re looking for what a table would talk about.
Three
We set tables of eight
Something real in common, and enough difference to keep the conversation going.
Four
The same table meets again
Seeing people twice is how they become friends. Each season, tables mix a little.
Table one · Thursday
Seating plan
You
- Moved from Lisbon, works in fashion
- Back in Neuss after ten years away
- Halfway through a PhD at Heinrich Heine
- Six months into an agency job on the Kö
- Here from Osaka for two years
- Cooks far too much, wants people to feed
Runs along the Rhine on Sundays
Why Clara’s exists
The right table, and the same table again next month.
Nearly 1 in 4 Düsseldorf residents is not a German citizen. Plenty of us came for work or study, without a ready-made circle.
A note from the founders
We moved to Düsseldorf for work. The jobs were easy to find. Friends weren’t.
We tried the friend apps, which mostly ended in small talk. The open meetups, where you leave having met nobody. The dinners with strangers, where you meet lovely people exactly once.
Clara’s is the club we wanted and couldn’t find.
The founders
The questionnaire
Five questions, asked in the open.
Nothing hidden. These are the questions you answer when you apply, with the reason behind each one. The form also asks your first name, email, where you live, how long you’ve been here, whether you could come to the First Supper and, if you like, your Instagram.
- 1
Which age bracket are you in?
A bracket, never your date of birth.
Example answer
Early twentiesMid twenties (picked)Late twentiesThirty or overWhy we ask
Clara’s is built for people in their twenties, so a table sits at a similar stage of life.
- 2
Tell us a little about yourself.
Where you’re from, what brought you to Düsseldorf, and what you do with your days.
Example answer
Grew up near Manchester, moved here last spring for a job in design. I cook too much and want people to share it with.
Why we ask
This is how we spot people who would get on. A few honest sentences is plenty.
- 3
What do you enjoy outside work? (optional)
Pick as many as are true.
Example answer
Long dinners (picked)Live music (picked)DancingGalleriesSportGames and chess (picked)TravelCookingCinemaWhy we ask
Shared interests are the easiest way into a conversation, so we seat by them.
- 4
Which evenings, and how often? (evenings optional)
Choose the kinds of evening, then how many you’d come to.
Example answer
Dinners (picked)BarsClub nights (picked)Bowling (picked)Games nightsChessLong lunchesKarnevalThe odd ballWhy we ask
The most wanted evenings run first. Your answer is a vote on the first season.
- 5
What makes a good evening for you? (optional)
A line is plenty.
Example answer
A long dinner where nobody checks their phone, and a reason to see the same people again.
Why we ask
It keeps the list honest. This is a club for friends, not networking.
Apply for founding membership →
Only the founders read your answers. They are never shown to other members.
The proposed calendar
What we would like to put on this winter.
A proposal, not a promise. Nothing is booked yet. Applicants vote, and the most wanted evenings run first once the founding list reaches 150.
Clara’s
The Winter Card
Proposed evenings, November to March
November
Thu 26 Nov
The First Supper The founding night, if the founding list reaches 150 in time
Dinner at tables of eight. The host swaps seats once, at dessert.
Evening · Smart casual
€45 to €60
December
Fri 4 Dec
Glühwein and the Old Town Christmas markets
The Altstadt markets in small groups, then somewhere warm to sit down.
Early evening · Warm layers
€20 to €35
Thu 10 Dec
Ice and Alm Kö on Ice
Skating on the Kö, then dinner somewhere nearby.
Evening · Warm, casual
€35 to €50
Sat 12 Dec
Before Everyone Flies Home Club night
A reserved corner, a drink first, then the dance floor.
Late · Going out
€30 to €55
January
Sun 10 Jan
The January Long Lunch Rhine-side
A slow Sunday lunch near the river, with no plans for the afternoon.
Lunchtime · Relaxed
€35 to €50
Fri 15 Jan
Strike Night Bowling
Teams mixed by the host. Bad bowlers welcome.
Evening · Casual
€20 to €30
Thu 21 Jan
Izakaya Night Little Tokyo
Japanese small plates in Little Tokyo at tables of eight. Ramen to finish.
Evening · Casual
€30 to €45
Wed 27 Jan
Chess and Cards A quiet bar
Boards out in a quiet bar. Beginners too.
Evening · Casual
€15 to €25
February and March
Thu 4 Feb
Altweiber Karneval
Costumes on, the Rathaus at 11:11, then the Altstadt in groups of eight.
From late morning · Costume required
€25 to €60
Thu 11 Mar
Bring One Friend Drinks
Everyone brings one person they think would fit the circle.
Evening · Smart casual
€25 to €40
Later, if members want one
Date to vote on
A winter ball At cost
We would find a room, and you would pay the venue your share at cost. Clara’s takes nothing. Vote for it when you apply.
Later · Black tie optional
At cost
Who it’s for
For people in their twenties who’d rather be out than searching.
New here for work.
You moved for a job in consulting, advertising, fashion or tech. Colleagues are friendly, but they go home at six.
Staying on after your degree.
Your student friends are leaving the city. You want people for the next chapter, not the last one.
Back home, crowd scattered.
You grew up nearby, came back, and found your old friends married, moved away or busy.
Not sure if it’s you? Apply anyway. The founders read every answer, and would rather say no kindly than miss you.
Probably not for you if
You’re looking for a business contact or a language exchange. Or you can’t turn up when you’ve said yes.
Evenings run in English. German speakers are very welcome.
Club rules
The rules are short, and they matter.
- I
Always somewhere public.
Restaurants, bars and clubs. Never anyone’s home.
- II
A host from first minute to last.
Someone saying hello at the door, introducing you around, and stepping in if anything feels off.
- III
Friendship only.
Unwanted flirting, pitching or pressure means no further invitations.
- IV
Your details stay private.
Answers are never shown to other members. You decide who you swap numbers with.
- V
No photos without asking.
Phones stay in pockets. Nobody is photographed or posted without saying yes.
- VI
Say yes, then show up.
Seats are limited. Two missed evenings without notice and your seat goes to someone on the list.
The full code of conduct is linked at the foot of every page.
Where things stand
Honestly? The club doesn’t exist yet. You decide whether it should.
This page is a test of whether Düsseldorf wants a club like this. When the founding list reaches 150, the first tables are set and the founding members are chosen. They hear about every evening first and get first pick of seats.
- Members
- None yet
- Venues
- None booked until the list reaches 150
- Clubhouse
- None, by design
- Membership
- Free. You pay venues directly
- Run by
- The founders, in Düsseldorf
- Photographs
- Licensed and illustrative
Questions
The things people ask first.
Anything else, write to hello@claras.club. The founders answer every email.
Will I know anyone?
No, and neither will anyone else. That’s the point. Come alone: the host will be the one saying hello at the door, and you’ll have been introduced around within ten minutes.
Isn’t this a bit awkward?
Less awkward than standing at a bar on your own. The host’s whole job is making the first ten minutes easy.
Is this a dating thing?
No. Clara’s is for friendship only. Unwanted flirting, pitching or pressure means no further invitations.
Is it safe to come alone?
Every evening is somewhere public, never anyone’s home, with a host there from first minute to last. If anything feels off, tell the host or write to hello@claras.club.
What does it cost?
Membership is free. On the night you pay the venue for what you eat and drink, as you would with friends. Clara’s takes nothing.
Do I need to speak German?
No. Evenings run in English, and German speakers are very welcome.
Is there an age range?
It’s built for people in their twenties, so everyone at the table is at a similar stage of life. For now, the first tables are for people aged 21 and over.
Who runs it?
The founders, in Düsseldorf, who wanted this to exist. It’s a private, non-commercial club: not a company, not an app. The legal details are in the Impressum.
Can I bring a friend?
Come alone first. There’s a Bring One Friend evening in the proposed calendar.
What happens after I apply?
You get one email to confirm your address. The founders read applications as they come in. When the founding list reaches 150, they set the first tables and invite the founding members.
What if it never reaches 150?
Then no evenings go ahead, and applications are deleted, as the privacy notice explains.
What happens to my answers?
Only the founders read them. They are never shown to other members or sold, and you can ask for them to be deleted at any time.
Founding membership
Save yourself a seat.
Membership is free. No subscription, no ticket fee: you pay the venue, as you would with friends. The founders read every application, and the first tables are set when the founding list reaches 150.
Apply for founding membershipClara’sFounding membership
You’re number .
The founders will reach out to you personally.