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 .
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Valerie|Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Valerie|Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Weekly NY Japion
Great Northern Food Hall
Flickr/Jazzguy
Urbanspace
Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Davio’s Manhattan
Fields Good Chicken
The Campbell