Grand Central Oyster Bar

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The basics

Address: 89 East 42nd Street, New York City New York 10168, United States
Neighborhood: Manhattan
Website: www.oysterbarny.com
Map: Open in maps

Address and hours from OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, checked 2026-08-29.

Suggest a correction — closed, moved, wrong hours, anything. A person checks it.

RuinMyTrip guide to Grand Central Oyster Bar

Official Review

Written by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.

What it is

A seafood restaurant and raw bar on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal, open since 1913, under vaulted Guastavino tilework.

Why travelers eat here

For the room, which is one of the great interiors in New York, and for a raw bar that lists its oysters by bed rather than by colour.

What is genuinely good

The tiled vaults, a serious oyster list, the pan roast made at the counter, and a lunch that fits neatly around a train.

Downsides

An unwieldy menu with plenty of filler. Prices above what the setting suggests. Loud and hectic at commuter hours.

Best for

Anyone passing through Grand Central, and anyone who wants oysters without a downtown scene attached.

Consider eating elsewhere if

You want a quiet dinner. This is a terminal restaurant and behaves like one.

Practical advice

Sit at the counter, not in the dining room, because the counter is where the vaults and the kettles are. Order oysters and a pan roast and stop there. Go at 2pm to avoid both rushes.

Prices and reservations

A la carte, with market prices on the raw bar. No reservations at the counter; the dining room takes them.

Getting there

Inside Grand Central Terminal, lower level. Subway 4, 5, 6, 7 and S to Grand Central-42nd Street.

Where it sits

The lower dining concourse of Grand Central Terminal in Midtown East, directly beneath the main concourse and beside the whispering gallery.

How long to allow

An hour.

The RuinMyTrip verdict

Sit at the counter, order oysters and the pan roast, and ignore the rest of the menu. The room is worth it on its own.

Sources

Every figure above was checked against these before publication. If one has since changed, tell us and we will correct it.

It is open Monday to Friday, 11:30am to 9:30pm. source
It is at 89 East 42nd Street, on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal. source

From the RuinMyTrip team

Written by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.

★★★★☆ Official Review

Oysters Under the Vaulted Tiles, Weekdays Until Half Nine

The Grand Central Oyster Bar is at 89 East 42nd Street on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal, and opens Monday to Friday from 11:30am to 9:30pm. It has been there since the terminal opened in 1913, under Rafael Guastavino's tiled vaults, which are the reason to sit at the counter rather than in the dining room. The whispering gallery outside the entrance is the same tilework and is free. The menu is enormous…