Grand Central Terminal beautifully meshes architectural splendor , commuter bedlam , and historic , divers restaurants – sodding for catching up after you pick up a passenger , knocking a few back with colleagues , or impressing a date fresh in from Connecticut . The end and environ area is ready with Danish pastry for breakfast , spicy bridge player - pulled noodles for lunch , and that necessary felicitous hr cocktail after you clock out – with some spots deserving traveling for even if you do n’t have a Metro - North train or subway system to catch anytime presently .

Best for impressing a date:Valerie

45 West 45th StreetThere are plenty of after - body of work happy minute muscae volitantes around Grand Central , but not so many razzle-dazzle - dazzle date destinations . Valerie has orotund - formatting Romance language in its grand , gold - hued ground floor dining elbow room , and a cozier legal profession for canoodling upstairs . you may sip beer , wine , and cocktails ( including a full-bodied gin and tonic selection ) , and nosh on kimchee Sriracha fondue , oysters , knock chicken , and short costa on whichever level of intimacy you ’re looking for .

Best for a comforting warm up:Bow Ramen

212 East forty-fifth StreetMidtown can be a cold property any metre of year . de-ice with a steamy bowl of stock and noodles at Bow Ramen . This teeny shop brings handsome flavors to its small , but expeditiously designed quad . Slurp a pork barrel belly shoyu , slice chicken mo shio , beef - base miso bowl , or an monastic order of vegetarian tan tan , rich with seaweed , bonce sprout , rocket salad , cherry Lycopersicon esculentum , and tofu .

Best for catching a casual game:MJ Smith’s Food & Spirits

9 East 45th StreetYes , it ’s another Irish Pub in a region rife with ‘ em , but this one isnew , unspoiled , and full of opportunity for you to become an early regular . Plus , they have a twosome of television screens on either end of the bar , so you’re able to in all likelihood catch a few minutes of the game without trust to a full - blown sports Nox . And you’re able to still enjoy sports - night food , like chicken wings , guac , and burgers , alongside Irish staples like shepherd ’s pie , and fish and chips .

Best for that quick bite before you hop on a train to Connecticut:Great Northern Food Hall

Grand Central , Vanderbilt Hall WestThe hall – curated by Nordic eats expert Claus Meyer – is loaded with unequalled stands . Definitely carbo - payload at Meyer ’s northern European - style solid food go-cart , Meyers Bageri , just ill-use away from the ticket machine . Among the tantalizing mint of Danish pastries , reach for thefrøsnappers , which are gleam , twisted , and semen - packed . There ’s also the Grain Bar trump out quinoa bowls and Danish Dogs serving hot gourmet frank inspired by Copenhagen ’s upscale street food – picture toppings like Danish remoulade and crispy shallots .

Best for that nostalgic happy hour with coworkers:Grand Central Oyster Bar

Grand Central , lower levelThis legendary stamping ground has been serving its seafood raw bar and accompanying cocktail since 1913 . The elegant , erectile restaurant does n’t have any windows , meaning any minute is happy hour if you ’re ready to handle yourself after a long day ( or cockcrow ) . So here ’s the pro tip : On Monday through Wednesday , from 4:30pm to 7 pm , stop in for $ 1.35 raw oysters , $ 6.25 beer , and $ 9 martini – along with other hot seafood snacks , like chowder , for under $ 10 .

Best for a quick lunch between meetings:UrbanSpace Vanderbilt

East 45th and Vanderbilt AvenueThis food hall swarms with commuter in the morning and packs a unbendable crew of finance - type during lunch period . The line move tight and the option are giving : There are sushi burritos from Hai Street Kitchen , Northern Chinese street crepes from Mr. Bing , and takeaway cups of ramen from Kuro - Obi by Ippudo . check that to check out the wood - fired pizza at Roberta ’s .

Best for that cheap and spicy noodle fix:Xi’an Famous Foods

24 West 45th StreetThis tiny outpost of the westerly Chinese hand - pulled noodle chain is close to Grand Central and is your good wager for quick , but still authentic , take-away . But be warned : Xi’an cautions patrons that the attic grow “ bloated , drippy , and oily ” when they sit too long . So take vantage of the little seating room area in the back of the narrow-minded restaurant to slurp your liang pi cold hide noodles or juicy cumin seed Charles Lamb noodles in broth . If it ’s just too crowded , hitUdon Westat 150 East 46th Street .

Best for elegant Japanese food with a casual vibe:Kokage

125 East 39th StreetThe sib to upscale vegan restaurant Kajitsu , this meat - friendly neighbor is a nice respite from Grand Central ’s mayhem . In accession to known entities like hot and cold soba noodles , carnivorous commuters can order comfort food for thought staples such as miso soup and fry tofu . For more luxurious options , suss out out the Opuntia tuna or wagyu beef donburi .

Best for “the name says it all”:Luke’s Lobster

207 East 43rd StreetOnce a diminutive seafood hutch in the East Village , Luke ’s lend Downtown authenticity to homogeneous Midtown . The positioning near Grand Central is appointed with an expansive outdoor dining area where you will enjoy the touch lobster , crabby person , and shrimp rolls as well as lobster - top salads , seafood chowders , and wine-coloured and beer .

Best for the same great burgers but without the hassle of Grand Central:Shake Shack

600 Third AvenueThe TKTS booth in Times Square . Looking for your ticket on the level of Katz ’s Deli . The line at the Shake Shack in the cellar of Grand Central . They all screamavoid whenever possible . So when you have guests who just arrived in town , skip the phone line at the Grand Central Shake Shack and slip them away to the Third Avenue location , where you may get your SmokeShacks , Shack Stacks and crinkle - cut Christopher Fry real tight – and look like you got off with something .

Best for a big plate of pasta that can please any diet:Davio’s

447 Lexington AvenueThe impertinent alimentary paste at Davio ’s is also available gluten - free – so when your new unclouded - eating friends rive in on the train from Beacon , New York , you ’ll get points for attending to their dietary restrictions . The beige interior decoration wo n’t be a staple of the night ’s societal culture medium , but the reddened sauce offering equal those found in Little Italy . The alimentary paste is served in fresh love apple sauce , tangled with clams in a generous portion of butter sauce , or shaped into agnolotti stuffed with braised veal .

Best for a homestyle chicken dinner or lunch:Fields Good Chicken

26 East fortieth StreetA three - moment paseo from the depths of Grand Central awaits grill , roasted , and pull chicken swear out in bowls or salads with your choice of toppings like guac , Francis Bacon ,   and tear up cheese . Juicy roast crybaby is also useable by the piece , served with a grasp of sauces and healthy - ish side like herbed quinoa and Mexican - style corn .

Best for a classy cocktail:The Campbell

15 Vanderbilt AvenueThis Jazz Age reversion recently deepen hands and underwent refurbishment , but its ambience emerged whole and more inclusive than ever . Hospitality giant Gerber Group dropped the dress codification and even installed signage at the formerly semi - private hideout . forbiddance cosplayers can still play speakeasy over Graeco-Roman cocktail like the $ 25 John Campbell ’s Martini , list for the railroad tycoon whose ornate office typeset a dizzyingly gamey prevention for Grand Central destinations .

sign on up herefor our daily NYC e-mail and be the first to get all the food / deglutition / fun New York has to offer .

valerie

Valerie|Cole Saladino/Thrillist

valerie nyc

Valerie|Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Weekly NY Japion

Weekly NY Japion

Great Northern Food Hall

Great Northern Food Hall

grand central oyster bar

Flickr/Jazzguy

Urbanspace

Urbanspace

xian famous foods

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

lukes lobster

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

shake shack

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Davies Manhattan

Davio’s Manhattan

Fields Good Chicken

Fields Good Chicken

The Campbell

The Campbell