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Number 20 of 20 in New York

Grand Central Oyster Bar

The Oyster Bar is as old as the station above it. It held its first dinner on 1 February 1913, the night before Grand Central opened, for the architects and a hundred guests.

What it is
Oyster bar
Opened
1913
Area
Inside Grand Central Terminal
Nearest museum
Empire State Building, 850 m

New York this week

    What Grand Central Oyster Bar is known for

    1. The vaults

      The rooms lie under low arches covered in cream tiles laid in a herringbone, the work of the Guastavino company. They make it one of the finest restaurant interiors in the city.

    2. The counters

      Sit on a stool at the white counters to watch the oysters opened, or at the stew bar, where a pan roast is made in front of you in a steam kettle.

    3. The Whispering Gallery

      The vaulted crossing just outside the door carries a whisper from one corner to the opposite one. Try it before you go in.

    What to know

    • Open since February 1913, on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal
    • Owned by its staff since 1999
    • Below SUMMIT One Vanderbilt and ten minutes' walk from the Empire State Building

    Where Grand Central Oyster Bar is

    Address

    Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd Street
    New York, NY 10017, United States

    Nearest station

    Grand Central-42nd Street (4, 5, 6, 7, S), in the same building

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.

    As old as the station

    The restaurant was run for decades by the company that had the station's newsstands and lunch counters. It closed for repairs after a fire in 1997 and reopened with its tiles restored. In 1999 its owner sold it to the people who worked there.

    Grand Central Oyster Bar: common questions

    Where is Grand Central Oyster Bar?
    At Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd Street, in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The nearest station is Grand Central-42nd Street (4, 5, 6, 7, S), in the same building.
    Which museums and sights are near Grand Central Oyster Bar?
    Empire State Building is 850 m away, The Museum of Modern Art is 1.0 km away, The High Line is 2.4 km away. Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.
    What is Grand Central Oyster Bar known for?
    The vaults, The counters, The Whispering Gallery. The seafood restaurant under the vaults of Grand Central Terminal, open since the station was in 1913, with a counter where oysters are opened by the dozen.
    When did Grand Central Oyster Bar open?
    In 1913. Open since February 1913, on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal.

    What visitors say about Grand Central Oyster Bar

    Rating from Google

    4.2

    4,668 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 7 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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