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Remember when it was exciting that Grand Central Terminal got a Shake Shack because finally there'd be something you wanted to eat on the go there? Those days are long gone, because this fall, Osteria Centrale and Mercato Centrale will open in the terminal’s southwest corner, bringing a 250-seat Italian restaurant and a gourmet market to the landmark.
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Designed by The Rockwell Group, Osteria Centrale will occupy nearly 7,000 square feet and stay open daily from 11am to 2am. Its centerpiece is a 50-seat oblong bar, with mostly high-top seating and banquettes designed for everything from a quick spritz and snack to a full dinner. The restaurant is accessible from the Main Concourse near the staircase leading to 42nd Street.
The menu is built around Italian osteria staples, with cicchetti, salads, antipasti, a mozzarella bar, tramezzini, pasta, focaccia sandwiches and larger plates. Expect dishes including branzino al cartoccio with olives and capers ($35) and stufato di manzo with root vegetables and rosemary ($34). If you’re feeling indulgent, three-tiered towers of salumi and formaggi start at $25.
The $18 cocktails include the Positano Spritz with Aperol and sparkling wine, the Paloma Milano with tequila, Campari and grapefruit soda and the Centrale Espresso Martini, made with vodka, dark rum, Amaro Montenegro, espresso and a nitro infusion. There will also be wine, draft beer, spirits and zero-proof cocktails.
Next door, Mercato Centrale is aimed squarely at people who have places to be. Open daily from 7am to 11pm, the gourmet market will offer more than 500 products, including prepared sandwiches, salads, wraps, cured meats and cheeses, baked goods, snack boxes and yogurt parfaits. A quick self-checkout is designed for grabbing snacks for the ride.
Breakfast options include a porchetta breakfast wrap with farm eggs, Fontina, roasted tomatoes and spinach ($12.99), while lunch-friendly options include a tuna Italiano on schiacciata ($14.99) and an Italian chopped salad with provolone and capocollo ($16.99). And from 7am–11am, La Colombe coffee will cost just $1.
The project is another collaboration between the Vizz Group, the MTA and Grand Central Terminal. Vizz Group also operates Grand Brasserie, the 400-seat restaurant in Vanderbilt Hall, also designed by Rockwell Group.
Osteria Centrale and Mercato Centrale are expected to open this fall in Grand Central Terminal’s southwest corner. Visit centralenyc.com for updates. Or just cruise past and check on it the next time you're walking to your train.