Yes it's iconic. Yes it's a must do Manhattan thing. But the food was good, but nothing particularly special. It's not inexpensive, so you are paying for the landmark.
Enriqua
Ristorante storico, in cui sono passate molte generazioni di clienti, viaggiatori e non. Vari ambienti: molto amati i banconi, ma apprezzabile anche l'atmosfera del grande salone. Buona scelta di prodotti del mare, crudi e cotti. Questa volta abbiamo apprezzato le ostriche e le calpestante fritte, mentre un po' deludente è stata la zuppa di vongole. Buona anche la scelta di birre. Prezzi medi (per il centro della città).
Food was poor and the serve was worse Many working just standing and talking with each other . Our waiter never was around Would not recommend or eat here again It's a shame as the place was cool
MichaelG
Great seafood and great service. The room is noisy with restaurant only half full when we were there, but this did not diminish the quality of our experience. The wait staff is knowledgeable about the selections to help guide you through all the different oysters and catch of the day. Highly recommend!
The historic importance of the Grand Central Oyster Bar cannot be underestimated. In contrast to the 100 plus years of being in the heart of Grand Central the oysters and other seafood offerings are fresh every day.
AdminJ
The restaurant is one of the attraction in New York, so it´s really loud and crowded. The seafood is just OK and everything is underseasoned. The price is on the expensive range. We ordered one starter to share and two main courses. The total bill is about 150 dollar which we agree that the quality of the food and the experience don´t match the price. Plus, we wrote a note asking for a good table for our anniversary, but they decide to put us at the corner of the room with the bad view and super cramp. If I need to decribe the experience in one word, that word must be DISAPPOINTMENT.
Loved Ty the bartender! Excellent backstory on the seafood roast and great conversation and recommendations. I had just landed in NYC and went straight there-he just made my visit! Excellent service and delicious meal.
akc72st
Friday night at 8: Everything we ordered was sold out but there was no advance warning (in menu or from waiter). What we eventually settled on was sub-par. Service was also poor; we sympathize with our very harried waiter but leaving us waiting for even an appetizer for over 30 minutes is unacceptable. This was an overall very disappointing meal and evening.
HCBJR
An icon in NYC . Always worth the effort. Great service and super seafood in a beautiful niche within the architectural marvel which is Grand Central. I advise starting with an oyster shooter!
MichaelP
Terrific food. Fried oysters and lemon sole were some of the best we've had. Prices were high, but not unexpected for a famous Manhattan restaurant. Good to see that the Oyster Bar isn't just living off their famous name. They're still serving great food.
Very loud and tables are really small. Person next to us had a dog out of its carrier. (Not a service dog). So disgusting. Food was amazing and delicious. We had a nice time but the ambiance was nothing to write home about!
CatherineS
I am very much aware that places such as GC Oyster Bar is TOURIST CENTRAL and as a NY transplant who has been living in NYC for 13 years, I have always been fond of seeing this city through the eyes of a tourist. With that said, I never had high expectations when it came to certain tourist traps. This is one of those places! It was Valentine's Day Eve and after spending a few hours at Summit One Vanderbilt, my boyfriend and I were ready for dinner. We had a reservation to this place so the older gentleman host gave us a very sour face when we told him we were late. He asked for the name under the reservation while he took his sweet time looking for a table for us because he said he had deleted our rezzy. No big deal - it was our fault we were late so whatevs. When the lady cohost showed us where our table was, I immediately noticed they put us in a very high traffic area where our seats will get bumped by passing servers and other patrons. Then the highlight of our night comes when the waiter who took our order was very impatient and rude to my bf when he tried to communicate with him in Spanish. I would rather not say what he told us but wow were we blown away by his racist remark. He told us he is Argentinian. Anyways, moral of the story here for all New Yorkers and tourists alike is that don't be late to your reservation because you will be treated like trash in this restaurant. Maybe an off night or maybe we were just unlucky. The food was okay but I wouldn't go back here because the staff here seemed tired of what they're doing and were very rude. We really felt we were not welcome. Sob sob. We are moving on!
EdwardH
Rushed service. Get you in and get you out as fast as they can. Less than 90mins for 3 courses. Food was poor, maybe we made the wrong choices but seemed to be a lot of flavours too dishes that didn't actually go together. We chose from the specials on menu.
Dana
my salad was clearly taken out of a refridgerator and i only ate 4 of my 6 cllams they were borderline. My colleague said clam chowder was tasteless. This is NY icon clearly you can do better and should - the menu needs an upgrade as well.
KenS
Service was excellent. Attentive. Oysters were delicious. Broiled scallops came in a soup eventhough we didn't order the soup. Couldn't get bread to go with the soup. Scallops were just ok. Key lime pie was just ok. Overall I'd give 2 1/2 stars but service and oysters selection bump it up to three stars. Suggestion... just go for the oysters w beer or a bottle or champagne and you might give them four stars.
Yes it's iconic. Yes it's a must do Manhattan thing. But the food was good, but nothing particularly special. It's not inexpensive, so you are paying for the landmark.
Ristorante storico, in cui sono passate molte generazioni di clienti, viaggiatori e non. Vari ambienti: molto amati i banconi, ma apprezzabile anche l'atmosfera del grande salone. Buona scelta di prodotti del mare, crudi e cotti. Questa volta abbiamo apprezzato le ostriche e le calpestante fritte, mentre un po' deludente è stata la zuppa di vongole. Buona anche la scelta di birre. Prezzi medi (per il centro della città).
Food was poor and the serve was worse Many working just standing and talking with each other . Our waiter never was around Would not recommend or eat here again It's a shame as the place was cool
Great seafood and great service. The room is noisy with restaurant only half full when we were there, but this did not diminish the quality of our experience. The wait staff is knowledgeable about the selections to help guide you through all the different oysters and catch of the day. Highly recommend!
The historic importance of the Grand Central Oyster Bar cannot be underestimated. In contrast to the 100 plus years of being in the heart of Grand Central the oysters and other seafood offerings are fresh every day.
The restaurant is one of the attraction in New York, so it´s really loud and crowded. The seafood is just OK and everything is underseasoned. The price is on the expensive range. We ordered one starter to share and two main courses. The total bill is about 150 dollar which we agree that the quality of the food and the experience don´t match the price. Plus, we wrote a note asking for a good table for our anniversary, but they decide to put us at the corner of the room with the bad view and super cramp. If I need to decribe the experience in one word, that word must be DISAPPOINTMENT.
Loved Ty the bartender! Excellent backstory on the seafood roast and great conversation and recommendations. I had just landed in NYC and went straight there-he just made my visit! Excellent service and delicious meal.
Friday night at 8: Everything we ordered was sold out but there was no advance warning (in menu or from waiter). What we eventually settled on was sub-par. Service was also poor; we sympathize with our very harried waiter but leaving us waiting for even an appetizer for over 30 minutes is unacceptable. This was an overall very disappointing meal and evening.
An icon in NYC . Always worth the effort. Great service and super seafood in a beautiful niche within the architectural marvel which is Grand Central. I advise starting with an oyster shooter!
Terrific food. Fried oysters and lemon sole were some of the best we've had. Prices were high, but not unexpected for a famous Manhattan restaurant. Good to see that the Oyster Bar isn't just living off their famous name. They're still serving great food.
Restaurantji Recommends
Very loud and tables are really small. Person next to us had a dog out of its carrier. (Not a service dog). So disgusting. Food was amazing and delicious. We had a nice time but the ambiance was nothing to write home about!
I am very much aware that places such as GC Oyster Bar is TOURIST CENTRAL and as a NY transplant who has been living in NYC for 13 years, I have always been fond of seeing this city through the eyes of a tourist. With that said, I never had high expectations when it came to certain tourist traps. This is one of those places! It was Valentine's Day Eve and after spending a few hours at Summit One Vanderbilt, my boyfriend and I were ready for dinner. We had a reservation to this place so the older gentleman host gave us a very sour face when we told him we were late. He asked for the name under the reservation while he took his sweet time looking for a table for us because he said he had deleted our rezzy. No big deal - it was our fault we were late so whatevs. When the lady cohost showed us where our table was, I immediately noticed they put us in a very high traffic area where our seats will get bumped by passing servers and other patrons. Then the highlight of our night comes when the waiter who took our order was very impatient and rude to my bf when he tried to communicate with him in Spanish. I would rather not say what he told us but wow were we blown away by his racist remark. He told us he is Argentinian. Anyways, moral of the story here for all New Yorkers and tourists alike is that don't be late to your reservation because you will be treated like trash in this restaurant. Maybe an off night or maybe we were just unlucky. The food was okay but I wouldn't go back here because the staff here seemed tired of what they're doing and were very rude. We really felt we were not welcome. Sob sob. We are moving on!
Rushed service. Get you in and get you out as fast as they can. Less than 90mins for 3 courses. Food was poor, maybe we made the wrong choices but seemed to be a lot of flavours too dishes that didn't actually go together. We chose from the specials on menu.
my salad was clearly taken out of a refridgerator and i only ate 4 of my 6 cllams they were borderline. My colleague said clam chowder was tasteless. This is NY icon clearly you can do better and should - the menu needs an upgrade as well.
Service was excellent. Attentive. Oysters were delicious. Broiled scallops came in a soup eventhough we didn't order the soup. Couldn't get bread to go with the soup. Scallops were just ok. Key lime pie was just ok. Overall I'd give 2 1/2 stars but service and oysters selection bump it up to three stars. Suggestion... just go for the oysters w beer or a bottle or champagne and you might give them four stars.