Best BJJ Gyms in NYC According to Reddit

New York City has more BJJ academies than most cities will ever develop. This ranking tracks what r/bjj users actually said: which gyms they named when visitors asked where to train, which they questioned, and where the competition-level training actually happens. Reddit mention counts come from bjjgym.com’s ongoing scrape; directory ratings reflect competition data and community tags.

Quick Rankings

*Renzo Wall Street and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu NY share Reddit mention data with the main Renzo Gracie network. Their counts reflect brand-level recognition rather than location-specific discussion.

Renzo Gracie Academy

Midtown - 224 W 30th St

The most-cited gym when r/bjj users are asked where to train in New York. Threads consistently point to the 30th Street location, with John Danaher as the recurring draw.

“If you’re in NY, then I would definitely recommend training at the Renzo Gracie Academy. It would be a chance to train under some of the best coaches in the world and spar with some world class competitors. They will build you from the ground up with an incredible foundation.”

r/bjj, 2022

“Renzo is there a lot, but he doesn’t teach that often. Still, if you meet him, he’ll make you feel like a long lost best friend and you’ll be smiling for hours. I say it depends on what you’re looking to learn. If Danaher fascinates you, go to Renzo’s.”

r/bjj, 2016 (2016 - coaching roster has changed significantly since)

Those 2016 Danaher references need context. A 2024 r/bjj comment noted that “Danaher et all and b team originally trained out of Renzo Gracie New York and now half train at Renzo Gracie Austin.” (r/bjj, 2024) Verify the current teaching schedule before booking a trip around specific instructors.

One thread in January 2024 surfaced a controversy. A user wrote that “there was a Renzo affiliate owner wearing a Renzo shirt leading the charge at one of the rallies” at a political event and offered to DM anyone interested in “fascist free jiu jitsu in New York.” (r/bjj, 2024) The comment referred to an affiliate location, not the 30th Street academy.

The network has several NYC locations: Wall Street (Financial District, 22 New St, rated 74, no-gi focused, tagged clean with showers), Upper West Side (246 Columbus Ave, rated 66, drop-in available), and Queens (Steinway St, rated 46).

renzogracieacademy.com - drop-in yes, gi, rating 52 - full profile

Unity Jiu Jitsu School

West Village - 144 W 14th St (basement entrance)

Unity comes up when the conversation shifts from where to train to where the best training actually is.

“I have wrestled my entire life and now have trained jiu jitsu for the last 6 years at Unity in New York which is one of the best schools in the world.”

r/AskCanada, 2025

A 2024 r/bjj thread asking for bucket-list gyms worldwide listed “Unity Jiu jitsu - New York City” alongside Mjolnir MMA (Iceland), Carpe Diem (Tokyo), Art of Jiu Jitsu (California), and B-Team (Austin). (r/bjj, 2024)

Our data scores Unity +4 positive and -1 negative. The negative count originates from a thread about predatory behavior in BJJ academies broadly. That comment cited FightSport specifically, not Unity.

unityjiujitsu.com - drop-in yes, gi and no-gi, rating 64 - full profile

Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu Academy

Chelsea - 250 W 26th St, 3rd Floor

People plan New York trips specifically to train here.

“Im trying to get as good as I can… I moved to New York City and I went to Marcelo’s. Got destroyed by the black belts and brown belts and knew this is where I wanted to be. Reminded me of how it felt first starting jiu jitsu.”

r/bjj, 2024

A 2016 comment that still gets cited by visiting grapplers: “If you want to go to Marcelo’s for Marcelo, email in advance, they will tell you when he is teaching. They get asked all the time.” (r/bjj, 2016) (2016 - confirm the current teaching schedule before visiting)

The community celebrated publicly when Marcelo confirmed being one year cancer-free in May 2024, posting event details at 250 W 26th St.

Our directory rating of 20 reflects limited competition data in our system, not community standing. The gym appears consistently alongside Renzo’s in every “where to train in NYC” thread.

marcelogarciajj.com - drop-in yes, rating 20 - full profile

High-Rated Gyms With Limited Reddit Coverage

These gyms have strong directory ratings. Our Reddit data for them was minimal or off-topic in the current dataset.

Gentle Art Studio - Lotus Club (Astoria, Queens - 28-02 Astoria Blvd): Rating 85, the highest in the NYC directory. Tagged: high level, beginner friendly, kids classes, women’s classes, good instructors. Gi and no-gi. Full profile

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu NY (Bronx - 3229 E Tremont Ave): Rating 84. Tagged: high level, affordable, beginner friendly, kids classes, good instructors. Drop-in yes, gi and no-gi. Full profile

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu of Washington Heights: Rating 82. Tagged: high level, affordable, beginner friendly, good instructors, drop-in. Also tagged: unfriendly and disorganized. Mixed community feedback. Gi and no-gi. Full profile

Studio 1908 by Miyao Brothers (Lower East Side - 460 Grand St): Rating 75. No-gi focused. Drop-in yes. Full profile

10th Planet NYC (Midtown - 35 W 43rd St): Rating 78. No-gi only. Tagged: high level, affordable, beginner friendly, open mat, good instructors. Full profile

NYC Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy (Midtown West - 780 8th Ave): Rating 78. Drop-in yes, gi and no-gi. Community tags are split: tagged both “affordable” and “expensive,” and both “good instructors” and “poor instructors.” Full profile

Paxibellum BJJ (Flatiron - 4 W 18th St): Rating 71. One r/bjj user recommended it by name for someone asking about training near Union Square: “Paxibellum by union square.” (r/bjj, 2022) (2022 - verify current details) Tagged: high level, nogi, women’s classes, beginner friendly, open mat, drop-in. Full profile

Best for You

Visiting for a few days: Renzo Gracie Academy and Marcelo Garcia are four blocks apart in Chelsea and appear together in every drop-in thread. Email Marcelo’s in advance to check when he teaches. Both accept drop-ins.

Serious competitor training: Unity Jiu Jitsu School is the only NYC gym that appears on international bucket-list threads alongside AoJ and B-Team. Renzo Gracie is the second name in those conversations.

Beginners outside Manhattan: Gentle Art Studio (Astoria, Queens) has the highest directory rating in the city and every beginner-friendly tag. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu NY (Bronx) is rated 84 and explicitly tagged affordable with kids classes.

No-gi only: 10th Planet NYC (Midtown) is the branded no-gi option, rated 78 with an open mat tag. Paxibellum (Flatiron) has no-gi focus, women’s classes, and drop-in.

Financial District workers: Renzo Gracie Wall Street (22 New St) is rated 74 and tagged clean with showers. Membership required - no drop-in per the directory.

Browse the full New York City gym directory for every listed gym with filters by neighborhood, gi/no-gi, and drop-in availability.

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Data covers Reddit threads from r/bjj and related subreddits matched to approximately 50 NYC gyms in the bjjgym.com directory; sentiment scores and mention counts update as new threads are scraped.