I recently had lunch with a friend at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal. The food’s good, if a little pricey but it is, after all a New York City Icon.

“The restaurant space was first opened as the Grand Central Terminal Restaurant. Although Grand Central Terminal opened on February 2, 1913, its opening was celebrated one day prior, February 1, with a dinner at the restaurant, arranged for Warren and Wetmore along with 100 guests. The restaurant was operated by The Union News Company. It closed briefly for renovations following a 1997 fire. Jerome Brody sold the Oyster Bar to employees in 1999 and died in 2001. Brody chose to sell to staff to preserve the union and employee satisfaction in his transition. As of 2017, all non-union, managerial staff are part of the Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP). The initial group of managers bought a near-majority of the company’s stock with a loan between 1999 and 2001. They purchased the remainder between 2004 and 2008. In 2016, the Zagat Survey gave it a food rating of 22/30, “Very Good To Excellent”. The Oyster Bar closed for a majority of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It briefly reopened for two weeks and closed again when its underground location failed to attract foot traffic. It then resumed its activities back to normal business from 2021 on.” (Wikipedia)

Its architecture features the vaulted, Guastavino tiled (named after Rafael Guastavino who created the system) ceilings common in the era of its construction. The archway in front of the restaurant is also famous for an acoustical quirk making it a whispering gallery by which someone standing in one corner can hear someone standing in the opposite corner perfectly no matter how softly they speak.

For more on the history of The Oyster bar, and some vintage pictures see: The History of the 98 Year-Old Grand Central Oyster Bar.

Taken with a Panasonic Lumix GX85 and Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7

Our lunch destination: The Park Avenue Tavern on Park Avenue and 39th Street. It describes itself as follows:

Park Avenue Tavern is the quintessential American bar and restaurant. Located steps away from Grand Central Station, Park Avenue Tavern centers around a combination of classic New York City elegance and over the top hospitality. Operated by IGC (In Good Company) Hospitality, the team behind other noteworthy NYC venues such as Refinery Rooftop, Parker & Quinn & The Wilson, Park Avenue Tavern proudly serves as the local favorite to the area’s vibrant business community as well as the Murray Hill and Park Avenue residents. The center island bar is the focal point to a vibrant dining and bar scene enhanced by the large windows providing expansive views of Park Avenue. The restaurant has 2 private dining or event spaces that can be reserved for corporate or social events including The Barrel Room which features self-pouring beer taps build into each of its 6 large leather booths. Park Avenue Tavern is open for lunch, brunch, & dinner, and serves a late-night dining menu until 1 am, from Tuesday through Saturday.

Taken with a Sony Nex 5n and Sony E 16mm f2.8