Oyster Bar
Encyclopedia
The Oyster Bar, officially the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, is a restaurant
located on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal
in New York City
. It opened along with the terminal itself in 1913 and has been in business ever since, although it closed briefly for renovations following a 1997 fire
. As its name suggests, it specializes in seafood
. It has become over the years one of the landmarks of the New York culinary scene, visited by the famous and obscure alike.
Its architecture
features the vaulted, Guastavino tile
ed ceilings common in the era of its construction. The arch
way in front of the restaurant is also famous for an acoustical
quirk making it a whispering gallery
by which someone standing in one corner can hear someone standing in the other corner perfectly no matter how softly they speak.
Jerome Brody sold the Oyster Bar to employees in 1999, and died in 2001.
Two Japanese branches have opened in Tokyo
. The first, the GCOBR Shinagawa, is located on the 4th floor of Atre Shinagawa in the Shinagawa Station
. The second, GCOBR Marunouchi. is located in Marunouchi MY PLAZA near Tokyo Station
.
The bar can be seen as the back drop for actors in the current opening introductions for Saturday Night Live
.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
located on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It opened along with the terminal itself in 1913 and has been in business ever since, although it closed briefly for renovations following a 1997 fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
. As its name suggests, it specializes in seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
. It has become over the years one of the landmarks of the New York culinary scene, visited by the famous and obscure alike.
Its architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
features the vaulted, Guastavino tile
Guastavino tile
Guastavino tile is the "Tile Arch System" patented in the US in 1885 by Valencian architect and builder Rafael Guastavino...
ed ceilings common in the era of its construction. The arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
way in front of the restaurant is also famous for an acoustical
Architectural acoustics
Architectural acoustics is the science of noise control within buildings. The first application of architectural acoustics was in the design of opera houses and then concert halls. More widely, noise suppression is critical in the design of multi-unit dwellings and business premises that generate...
quirk making it a whispering gallery
Whispering gallery
A whispering gallery is a gallery beneath a dome, vault, or enclosed in a circular or elliptical area in which whispers can be heard clearly in other parts of the building....
by which someone standing in one corner can hear someone standing in the other corner perfectly no matter how softly they speak.
Jerome Brody sold the Oyster Bar to employees in 1999, and died in 2001.
Two Japanese branches have opened in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The first, the GCOBR Shinagawa, is located on the 4th floor of Atre Shinagawa in the Shinagawa Station
Shinagawa Station
is the first major station south ofTokyo Station and is a major interchange for trains operated by JR East, JR Central, and Keikyu. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen and other trains to the Miura Peninsula, Izu Peninsula and the Tōkai region pass through here...
. The second, GCOBR Marunouchi. is located in Marunouchi MY PLAZA near Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station
is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
.
The bar can be seen as the back drop for actors in the current opening introductions for Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.