"You’ll always get a table at Grand Brasserie, a French restaurant inside Grand Central. This 400-seat operation takes up 16,000 square feet of Vanderbilt Hall, where the soaring ceilings make it feel even bigger. And you can show up just about any time, because the restaurant is open a staggering 21 hours a day, from 5:30-2:30am. It’s a versatile spot, and, if not quite a dining destination in and of itself, a great complement to almost any Midtown East situation you might find yourself in. Given that Grand Brasserie is in a train station, operated by an entrepreneur with a background in airport food, and clumsily partitioned with fake plants apart from the rest of the cavernous terminal space, there’s a world in which this restaurant has no charm. But it’s quite a pleasant place to spend time, with a view of the gilded turquoise ceiling of the Main Concourse, and done up with elegant, vaguely Parisian decor that looks like it was sourced from a Balthazar yard sale. In the center, people sit at a massive bar stocked with enough booze to get every human being in Grand Central tipsy. (We counted 22 bottles of Aperol alone.) If that fake-plant partition felt more private, it could have been a great place for a 1960s executive to canoodle with their secretaries before heading back up to Ossining for the weekend. photo credit: Scott Frances Though the French food costs a pretty penny—hello, $12 fries—Grand Brasserie's menu is solid, and occasionally quite good. We love the steak frites and the eggs benedict, though you should skip the underseasoned trout almondine and the slightly mushy escargot. The best bang-for-your-buck move is to order their $35 lunchtime three-course prix fixe menu available before 3pm, especially considering you can add a glass of wine for $10. It’s a comforting thought, remembering that Grand Brasserie is almost always open. Come for a breakfast meeting, a drink before catching a train, a meet-up with a friend who’s only in town for 45 minutes, a late-night second dinner in Midtown, or simply whenever you need an excuse to linger in one of the most beautiful places in the city. Food Rundown photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Steak Frites It’s a little funny to eat steak frites with a filet—you could also choose a more affordable entrecôte or skirt steak—but lo and behold, it’s beautifully cooked. The extra-salty and crisp frites are excellent representatives of the McDonald’s genus. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Gratin De Macaroni We weren’t planning on ordering this until the smell of it wafted over from the next table, and then we were powerless to resist. It’s made with elbows—the superior noodle choice—and comté-heavy but well-balanced. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick French Dip The actual meat of the sandwich doesn’t make a super strong impression, but the incredibly crusty bread, melty gruyère, caramelized onions, and sharp horseradish cream are a treat on their own. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Eggs Benedict Like all egg dishes here, the benedict is served with your choice of a nicely dressed, peppery salad or soft, well-seasoned pommes rissolées. You can’t go wrong with either. Grand Brasserie’s hollandaise is aggressively lemony and a little sweet, but ultimately just right." - Molly Fitzpatrick
