Is Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant Still Open? (New York, NY)
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 5 New York, New York
Current status
As of October 2026, Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant is listed open on oysterbarny.com, reviewed by our team on September 15, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
What the source shows: The restaurant's own website shows a working reservation and ordering system, current hours, and the address 89 East 42nd Street — Grand Central Terminal's lower level. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 5, Episode 7
- Address 89 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017
- Website oysterbarny.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
"The Best Thing I Ever Ate" featured Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant for its oyster stew and pan roast, made to order in steam-heated swivel pots. The restaurant occupies the lower level of Grand Central Terminal beneath the building's Guastavino-tiled vaulted ceilings and opened on February 2, 1913, three weeks after the terminal itself. According to the restaurant's website, checked 2026-09-08, it continues to take reservations and lists hours of Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., with the kitchen closing at 10 p.m. The site describes an employee stock ownership structure, noting non-union staff gained 49 percent ownership in 1999 and reached full ownership by 2012. No closure, sale, or relocation has been reported for the restaurant since its television appearance.
The episode
Also in Season 5
Season 5: 61 of 104 still open · 7 renamed, moved or under new owners
-
Ep 6Bueno Y Sano
Open - Open
-
Ep 7City Tavern
Closed -
Ep 7Galatoire's
Open -
Ep 7La Scala
Open -
Ep 7Ray's Place
Open -
Ep 7Tadich Grill
Open - Open
Nearest restaurants
-
Food Paradise
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open -
Food Paradise
Closed -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Closed -
Food Paradise
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- oysterbarny.com https://www.oysterbarny.com/
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record btiea-0447 · checked by Cal Marchetti.