Grand Central Oyster Bar

Fresh food, great atmosphere and friendly vibes. Ideal for solo dining, and the martini came with a sidecar! Best Oysters Rockerfeller I've had.<br>They change the menu everyday based on the daily catch.<br><br>If you're a fan of Mad Men, here is where Don and Roger ate all of those oysters. Will come back next time I'm in NYC.

The Oyster Bar is worth a visit, the menu is so varied, with a massive choice of most seafood, as well as oysters. The staff were very friendly and the service was efficient. We did book in advance, as it was very busy.

I’m a huge oyster fan, so I had to check this spot out since it’s near my job and it definitely didn’t disappoint. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming, which made the experience even better. The oysters were fresh, juicy, and exactly what I was hoping for.<br><br>The only reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because the drinks didn’t quite live up to the food. They were a bit heavy on ice and lacked flavor, especially for the price point. It would also be great if they offered a happy hour oyster selection like many other places in the city.<br><br>Overall, I’d still come back and would recommend it. It’s also very family friendly, which is a nice bonus.

The oyster pan knocked my socks off! I did as reviews mentioned and sat at the high counter and watched them make it. It kind of reminded me of the old Woolworth diners, but finer. Beautiful architecture to enjoy especially dining solo.

Located on the sublevels of Grand Central Station, this restaurant is on the eastern most side of the Dining Concourse when you go downstairs. It is possible to take the stairs or a longer ramp from street level to get to the place. The ambience is dim, enough for your potential date to swoon but not too dark that you cannot see your food. The staff are very attentive and refill water regularly. I went during a less busy time so food came very fast. Pictured below are the Lobster Bisque and the Shellfish Platter with a half lobster. Was delicious, and was in and out of there at a comfortable time.

Such a simple guilty pleasure... raw oysters, a pan roast and a berr for lunch. Oysters are always fresh and many to chose from. I like to get 2 each of 6 different ones. The server's favorite turned put to be mine as well. Clam pan roast is so good, filling and soaked up into the oyster crackers nicely. I sit at the counter close to the oyster shockers and the stew/pan roast prep. It's all fun to watch.

For 50 years we've loved this place for the oysters and attentive service. Our party of 5 on Jan. 12 enjoyed baked scrod and ribeye cooked to perfection. The huge seafood salad and crab cakes were a hit. Only the octopus leg with risotto disappointed as the leg was overdone and risotto had the texture of minute rice. Stars of the night were Queens Cups and Virginica oysters, both from Prince Edward Island. We ordered several platters. Key Lime pie was creamy and not overly tart. Sad that they ran out of Bourbon Vanilla Creme Brulee, which is wonderful. Servers are excellent. Great selection of cocktails and scotch. We love the service and will return.

I have very wife spectrum of experience at this place. Sometimes really fantastic. Good vibe at Saloon bar. Martinis and oysters... sometimes not so... especially pickpocket roaming around and management not responsive.<br><br>This time at oyster bar side. Fantastic one. Oysters were good. Clams and chowder too. Martinis crisp with extra on the side. Service attentive.<br><br>Architectural marvel. Historic vibe wonderful. Let's keep up the consistency!

Honestly I have such a mixed time when I come here. Sometimes the food has bedn good - not great but good. The most recent time it was just about passable and the best dish I had last time (anchovy butter oysters) weren't good and didn't taste of anchovy. The atmosphere, interior and service is consistently good.

For a few years in the late 1970s, I worked literally three blocks from Grand Central Station. And I’ve spent many more years since then working in and visiting New York City. Yet somehow—almost inexplicably—I had never set foot in the Grand Central Oyster Bar.<br><br>Thankfully, that oversight was corrected in mid-December, when I found myself in the neighborhood looking for lunch and finally answered the call of this legendary spot.<br><br>Walking down into the Oyster Bar feels like stepping into another era of New York: the iconic tiled, vaulted ceilings, the gentle hum of conversation, and the sense that very little here has changed—and that’s exactly the point.<br><br>I took a seat at the long counter, which turned out to be the perfect vantage point. From there, I could watch the shuckers work with practiced ease and see a cook steadily turning out stews, "roasts", and chowders, all with the quiet efficiency that comes from doing something well for over a century.<br><br>There’s a reassuring confidence to the place, the kind that only comes from decades of consistency.<br><br>Lunch itself was excellent. I started with six Long Island Cherrystone clams and a half-dozen Malpeque oysters from Prince Edward Island—fresh, briny, and impeccably handled.<br><br>To finish, I ordered a bowl of red Manhattan clam chowder, my longtime favorite style, and one that many consider among the best anywhere. It was deeply flavorful, balanced, and exactly what I hoped it would be.<br><br>The Grand Central Oyster Bar isn’t about trends or reinvention. It’s about tradition, quality seafood, and a singular sense of place—something increasingly rare. I’m genuinely glad I finally made it, and I won’t be waiting decades before my next visit. Highly recommended that you stop in sometime yourself.

My wife and I came here planning an “East Coast to West Coast oyster journey.”<br>For the raw bar, we ordered Bluepoint → Peconic Gold → Wellfleet → Kumamoto → Shigoku, two of each, along with a roasted oyster combination and a classic Chablis, which felt like the right pairing.<br><br>About 30 minutes after being seated, the raw bar oysters finally arrived.<br><br>Unfortunately, several issues seriously affected our experience.<br><br>As you can see in the first photo, most of the oysters contained shell fragments.<br>Out of the five oysters I personally ate, four (all except the Bluepoint) had noticeable shell pieces. I had to stop eating and complained to a nearby server (not our assigned one).<br><br>What was most disappointing was the response.<br>I asked plainly whether this was my problem or the restaurant’s problem, and the server replied that shell fragments are not an issue because oysters naturally have shells. That response was shocking. I explained that I have visited many oyster bars, including very casual and inexpensive ones, and I have never been served oysters with shell fragments like this.<br><br>It got worse.<br>The Shigoku oyster my wife ate had not been properly purged and contained a sand pocket, forcing her to spit it out mid-bite.<br><br>The server did say they could bring replacements if we wanted, but by that point the mood was already ruined, and since this was not even our assigned server, we chose not to escalate further and continued eating.<br>Even then, another shell fragment appeared again in the Shigoku oysters.<br><br>Later, while we were eating the roasted oyster combination, our original server apologized and brought four replacement oysters. Those oysters had no shell fragments at all and were genuinely enjoyable, which made the earlier issues even more frustrating.<br><br>To be clear, our assigned server was polite and professional, so we still tipped 18% on a $126.78 bill. This review is not about tipping or service attitude, but about quality control and response.<br><br>What made this especially disappointing is that many visitors to New York are from out of town. This was our final dinner in NYC, and we had high expectations.<br><br>Oysters should not contain shell fragments—this is a basic standard. The lack of quality control, combined with the dismissive response when we raised a legitimate concern, was deeply disappointing.<br>Between the slow timing (possibly due to a holiday or event), wine arriving out of sync with the food, poorly purged Shigoku oysters, and the shell fragments, the experience fell far below what we expected.<br><br>When handling oysters, perfection is the baseline. Even when I buy oysters from a market and shuck them at home, I carefully check two or three times to make sure no shell pieces remain.<br>This restaurant has over 100 years of history, yet something as fundamental as this was overlooked. From the shucker, to plating, to delivery, there are at least three opportunities to catch this, and none were taken.<br><br>I understand this may not be a typical experience, but it was confusing, frustrating, and very disappointing, especially given the reputation of this place.

Really cool restaurant in Grand Central Station. Visiting NY and wanted done oysters and seafood. Oysters weren't bad, but the greatest. We had a wide selection hoping for some Britney plump Oysters, but they were average at best. Clam chowder wasn't bad. Have had seafood at plenty of restaurants along the coast. This place was average and more a novelty with being in Grand Central Station. We sat on restaurant seated site, then have a more laid back open dining area, and then a bar lounge area. Liked the setup, wish food was much better, really wanted to love it. But liked it at best.

The restaurant and the ceilings were cool. It did get quite busy at lunchtime so definitely have a reservation.<br>The clam chowder was good, a big heavy portion so splittable. The lump crab cocktail was delicious. The special Srtic char was very good

Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant<br><br>This place is a true New York classic. You can feel the history as soon as you walk in. The raw oysters here are incredible, so fresh and full of flavor. The Oysters Rockefeller are rich and delicious, and the New England clam chowder is everything you want it to be, creamy, comforting, and loaded with clams.<br><br>My server Mary was that girl. Fast, friendly, and really knows her stuff. She took the time to explain the different oysters and helped me pick exactly what I’d like best. You can tell she cares about giving you a great experience.<br><br>If you’re in Grand Central and craving amazing seafood, this is the spot.

Can’t believe I lived in New York for almost my whole life went never went here, I surely missed out. We have a lot of similar places in Vegas but for this one feels a little different in a good way. The location is great, the atmosphere is fantastic and the the staff were all extremely attentive.<br><br>I absolute loved my fried oyster po boy, and the squid risotto (which i forgot to photo) was just the right texture and that a dish you can mess up the texture in all sorts of ways 🤣.<br><br>I would go back if I were in New York especially for the lunch specials. It’s not the most amazing seafood place but it’s extremely solid with fresh ingredients, and the ambience really pushes it over the edge, I have to give it 5 stars.