Satin Dolls NJ: The Sopranos' Bada Bing Club Real-Life Drama Explained (2024)

Satin Dolls, NJ is the location of the fictional nightclub "Bada Bing!" in the HBO series, The Sopranos. The Sopranos, the legendary mob show and considered one of the best TV shows of all time, followed Tony Soprano and both his real family and his mafia family in New Jersey. Created by David Chase in 1999, the series lasted for six seasons and featured Golden Globe and Emmy-winning performances from actors like Lorraine Braco, Edie Falco, and many, many more cast members. The language, locations, and style of The Sopranos influence culture to this day, with words, sayings, and even hand gestures a part of everyday conversations.

One example is the famous Bada Bing! nightclub from The Sopranos. This club, owned by Silvio, primarily serves the Soprano family. Business deals are done there, wives are cheated on there, and many horrific murders and injuries happen within the club. "He disrespected the Bing!" is something many unfortunate cronies have been accused of throughout the show. Though the Bada Bing! is not a real place, there is an actual nightclub where the show was filmed and though it may not have the characters from The Sopranos, Satin Dolls, NJ has plenty of drama all its own.

Satin Dolls NJ Closed In 2017 & Reopened In 2018

Located in Lodi, New Jersey, Satin Dolls more or less looks like the Bada Bing! from the outside except with the name changed. However, inside, the similarities are somehow even more overt. In true life imitating art fashion, Satin Dolls was accused in 2017 of lewd activity, solicitation of prostitution, and failure to account for income (via IndieWire), activities that were commonplace at the Bada Bing! in The Sopranos. The club temporarily shut down.

One of the owners, Anthony Cardinalle, had been under investigation for six years and admitted links to the Genovese crime family and pled guilty to a racketeering conspiracy in 2013 and was forbidden from having a liquor license. Bartenders were seen carrying in boxes and the sign outside still read, "Gentlemen's Club" implying there would still be exotic dancers, which was forbidden due to Cardinalle's convictions. But fortunately, for the owners at least, Satin Dolls, was allowed to reopen a few months later in 2018 after their liquor license was taken over by Satin Entertainment, LLC (via North Jersey).

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Satin Dolls NJ Was Named In A 2022 Lawsuit

After the charges from 2017, the owners of Satin Dolls probably hoped to stay out of the news. However, the nightclub made even bigger waves in October 2022 when it was named in a lawsuit of a much more grim variety than the 2017 accusations. The family of a Fair Lawn, NJ man, Marko Guberovic, 38, sued Satin Dolls, NJ after Guberovic was killed by a drunk driver in front of the club, via North Jersey. According to security camera footage, Guberovic was beaten by a group of five men who were previously in the club. They left Guberovic unconscious in the road where he was struck.

Guberovic's family claimed that the group of men were overserved in The Sopranos' stand-in club and will be suing the attackers as well as the drunk driver. David Wikstrom, the attorney for the Guberovic's estate said: "[Bars] have a responsibility to provide a good time, but you have to keep tabs on what people are drinking and serving." There have been no updates regarding the suit but social media for Satin Dolls, NJ, continues to post regularly. Guberovic's family and friends described him as having a big heart, and willing to help anyone who needed it.