Grand Brasserie — Restaurant in New York

We’ve stopped into Grand Brasserie before just for a drink and have always admired how beautiful the space is—elegant, inviting, and thoughtfully designed. The drinks have always been consistently great, which made us excited to finally sit down for a meal. Unfortunately, the experience fell drastically short of expectations.

We arrived for a late Sunday lunch around 3pm, and while there were three of us and we were seated quickly at a lovely table, things went downhill from there. The restaurant was maybe 20% full, yet no one came to greet us, no one offered water, and there was absolutely no acknowledgment of our presence. What made it even more uncomfortable was that the server assigned to our section was actively walking past our table—without so much as a “hello” or “I’ll be with you shortly.” Just total disregard.

After sitting for 10 minutes with no greeting, no water, no check-in—nothing—we got up and left. On our way out, we spoke with the man at the front, who we later realized was the host who had seated us. While I hadn’t realized at first that he was the host, I expected that once we raised our concern, he would offer to get a manager or another staff member to help. Instead, he seemed confused and didn’t offer any kind of explanation or next step—even though he had just seated us in a section with no active service.

Eventually, the manager came out to speak with us. She was kind and did apologize, noting that they were “understaffed,” but that explanation didn’t account for the complete lack of basic hospitality or communication. If she knew they were short staffed, I would have expected her to be proactively supporting the team—greeting newly seated guests herself, helping communicate delays, and making sure no one was left unattended. With the restaurant as empty as it was, it was surprising that such a basic breakdown in service occurred without anyone noticing or stepping in.

We left disappointed and confused—especially given the upscale atmosphere and the consistently great drinks we've enjoyed in the past. Unfortunately, first impressions when dining matter, and this one made it hard to imagine returning for a meal again...

I have lived in Manhattan for 15 years — so when I say this was one of my best dining experiences, I really mean it.

My boyfriend, our dog, Otto, and I went to Grand Brasserie last night, on Christmas Eve. We had a lovely time; the martinis were fantastic and our appetizers were delicious. No one can beat the ambiance, not even Cipriani’s across the street.

Above all else, it was the wonderful staff that made all the difference.

We were sitting at the bar talking with a lovely couple from D.C. when a woman, another patron, approached our group. She stood there and stared at us. We were confused and asked if she needed something. She abruptly began yelling at us, saying we were talking too loudly (I promise we weren’t). She said she knew the owner and threatened to have us escorted out.

We diffused the situation, and she walked away. But it was Christmas Eve; it killed the vibe. Not to mention she continued to stare at us from the other end of the bar.

I went to a manager and explained. I said how wonderful of a time we were having, but that they should probably keep an eye on woman — who must’ve been sad or mad about something.

The manager was so lovely; he said no problem, he would address it. The head manager, Alex, then came over to apologize — so gracious of him to do — and he gave us a round on the house. Two of the bar tenders also came over, and we had great conversations with them too. One of them was a dad who was getting off the clock at 2:30 am and going home to make sure his children had their presents under the tree when the woke up in the morning.

They handled the situation with the utmost professionalism. They did not embarrass or humiliate the woman, but kindly checked on her and made sure that she left the restaurant in a dignified way.

Thank you again to Alex and his team. We cannot wait to...

We came to Grand Brasserie on a Sunday evening for an early dinner. We did get a bit lost attempting to find the restaurant within Grand Central Terminal, but that's because we entered the building from Vanderbilt Ave. If you enter from the 42nd street entrance, Grand Brasserie will be conveniently located on your left when you enter. Upon entering I was struck by how beautiful the restaurant is and how it both blends seamlessly into the rest of Grand Central, but somehow also seems separate and distinct. I loved the building decor which does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the restaurant vibes, but you can also tell that each detail like the booths, chairs, tables, glass ware, etc were specifically chosen to add to the historical, art deco style. 10/10 for decor and vibes. The quality of the food was outstanding. My husband and I are food snobs and we both were thrilled with absolutely everything we tried. Beet salad was beautiful in presentation and a delight to the palate. The creme brulee dessert was in the top 3 creme Brulés I have ever had the privilege of enjoying. The shoestring frites (fries) were perfectly crispy yet not overcooked or hard. The only reason I'm not giving this experience a 5 star rating is because the service was horrid. Abysmally slow and inattentive. I don't know if they were dealing with staffing issues the night I went, but there were too many points throughout our dinner where I was so frustrated by the glacial pace of service that I wanted to get up and scream (I didn't and instead sat there with an idiotic smile on my face hoping to attract more attentive service with honey rather than vinegar. Spoiler alert: It didn't work). Service aside, the food and ambiance are worth giving Grand Brasserie a try. Hopefully you'll have a much better service...