Lower Level at Grand Central Station
212-490-6650
http://www.oysterbarny.com/
Lunch at the Oyster Bar, a NY classic since 1913, is arguably one of the most authentic eating experiences in the Big Apple. For the best time, be sure and visit on a regular business day during the noon to 2 pm lunch period.
The typical New Yorker who comes here will never bother with a reservation, but just walks in and sits at one of the horseshoe-shaped counters or at the higher barstools along the wall facing the busy oyster shuckers. It’s here you can watch the oyster stew cook doing his thing, but it gets repetitive after a couple of bowls. We prefer to sit at the middle horseshoe counter so we take in all the action in and around the open kitchen—a show of organized mayhem where they have a “kitchen MC” who uses a microphone to bark out the orders for the team of cooks. With the small army of waiters and waitresses coming and going it looks like Grand Central Terminal at rush hour.
At this time of day the acoustics of the place with its renowned vaulted ceilings can be deafening, but that just adds to the ambience. We always start our meal with a bowl of clam chowder. The tomato-based Manhattan or the creamy white New England are both excellent. Then it is a question of how hungry you happen to be. A main fish course, or perhaps something from the sandwich menu, or sometimes we just have raw oysters like the local Bluepoint variety. The classic oyster stew or the zesty pan roast, are fine one-dish meals. Another favorite is the fried oyster sandwich called the Po’ Boy. The ladies who work these counters know how to get the lone diners in and out in a matter of minutes, but if you are with someone and want to leisurely finish your white wine, that is okay too.
When paying the tab, be sure and take note of the cashier who stands in a tiny booth right near the door. He’s been a fixture of the place for as long as we remember, and is a quintessential New York character who helps to make the Oyster Bar such a classic.
212-490-6650
http://www.oysterbarny.com/
Lunch at the Oyster Bar, a NY classic since 1913, is arguably one of the most authentic eating experiences in the Big Apple. For the best time, be sure and visit on a regular business day during the noon to 2 pm lunch period.
The typical New Yorker who comes here will never bother with a reservation, but just walks in and sits at one of the horseshoe-shaped counters or at the higher barstools along the wall facing the busy oyster shuckers. It’s here you can watch the oyster stew cook doing his thing, but it gets repetitive after a couple of bowls. We prefer to sit at the middle horseshoe counter so we take in all the action in and around the open kitchen—a show of organized mayhem where they have a “kitchen MC” who uses a microphone to bark out the orders for the team of cooks. With the small army of waiters and waitresses coming and going it looks like Grand Central Terminal at rush hour.
At this time of day the acoustics of the place with its renowned vaulted ceilings can be deafening, but that just adds to the ambience. We always start our meal with a bowl of clam chowder. The tomato-based Manhattan or the creamy white New England are both excellent. Then it is a question of how hungry you happen to be. A main fish course, or perhaps something from the sandwich menu, or sometimes we just have raw oysters like the local Bluepoint variety. The classic oyster stew or the zesty pan roast, are fine one-dish meals. Another favorite is the fried oyster sandwich called the Po’ Boy. The ladies who work these counters know how to get the lone diners in and out in a matter of minutes, but if you are with someone and want to leisurely finish your white wine, that is okay too.
When paying the tab, be sure and take note of the cashier who stands in a tiny booth right near the door. He’s been a fixture of the place for as long as we remember, and is a quintessential New York character who helps to make the Oyster Bar such a classic.
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