The still-new Grand Central Madison terminal is a boon for commuters, but walking through it you can’t help but get the vibes of an airport that has been stripped of all amenities. Its vast spaces—it takes an almost ten-minute walk from entry point to the deep LIRR tracks–feel cold, empty and desolate. A retail wasteland.
Unlike the bustling main counterpart above, Grand Central Station, there are no restaurants, cafes, or shopping options. Just a mile of corridors in gleaming shades of gray and aqua and some art installations. Beautiful for the eye—admittedly—but not useful if you’re looking to buy food or drink.
But cheer up riders! A bar-restaurant is finally coming to Grand Central Madison — and it’s a familiar one to many Long Island Railroad riders.
“The MTA is excited that a new location of Tracks will be coming to Grand Central Madison before the end of 2024,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement to Gothamist. “If you talk to Long Islanders, they’ll tell you about the great times they had lifting a glass with friends and co-workers after a long day or following a Rangers or Knicks victory. Now they can create new memories at our beautiful East Side terminal.”
The restaurant will be the first commercial tenant at Grand Central Madison since the MTA opened the station in January 2023 after more than a decade of construction delays. Since then, the retail and restaurant spaces inside the station have remained empty.
Tracks Raw Bar and Grill, had a location near the LIRR concourse at Penn Station for nearly two decades before it was forced to relocate. The eatery’s expected opening date is set for fall 2024 on the concourse level between 47th and 48th streets, near where the ticket windows are, MTA officials said.
MTA officials said they have high hopes Tracks will be a hit in the station, which is set 150 feet beneath Grand Central Terminal. And well they should, as things stand now, riders who want to sit down for a meal or a drink have to do so in the main terminal and then hike down the endless corridors to the LIRR terminal.
The restaurant aims to “establish a new and dynamic gathering spot that contributes to the aesthetics of Grand Central Madison, helps to define the overall sense of place, and enlivens the customer experience,” the MTA wrote in lease documents set to be approved by the agency’s board this week.
The MTA plans to give the restaurant a 10-year lease, with rent for the first year sitting at $216,000 plus 12% of all its gross sales that exceed $2.5 million. The agreement also requires Tracks to build out the restaurant space at a cost of roughly $1 million.
