42nd Street is a classic that has been around for a long time. I love a restaurant that can retain the feel of what it might have been like back in the early days of it's success but still feel updated, vibrant and charming. This restaurant reminded me of the old neighborhood steakhouses in NYC, with the "real" old photographs from yesteryear and the recreation or maintenance of elements that were probably there when this place opened.
We arrived for a 5pm reservation on a Saturday and it was already starting to pick up. Seated promptly in one of the booths against the back wall I was surprised to see how quickly the Oyster Bar and then the dining area fill up at such an early hour - not that it was completely full because you could certainly still get a table. There were for some reason several birthday celebrations going on while we were there. I don't know if they just schedule them all for that time frame or it was just a coincidence, regardless it never got too loud for us.
Our waiter, Darren, was awesome! Anytime the staff at a restaurant is able and willing to go beyond what is normal gets rave reviews from me. In addition to being personable and knowledgeable - when my girlfriend asked if they had blue cheese olives for her martini, Darren replied "We don't but I can make you some." Seems small and simple but I can't tell you how many times we just hear - "No."
The food was great. We had the Baked Oyster sampler to start. They all were delicious but my favorite was the Pimento Cheese Oysters. The ceasar salad was average - not sure why some places decide to alter a classic dish like a ceasar salad by adding things that are not traditionally - in this case tomatoes and black olives. We split our entree - Petite Filet Bacon Wrapped & Blackened Bacon Wrapped Scallops. Asked for the filet not to be wrapped in bacon and it was an awesome filet - slightly under done for medium - but very tasty. The scallops were cooked perfectly but I think I would have preferred them without the bacon as well. The one negative of our dinner were the vegetables which were undercook - almost still raw.
All in all 42nd Street Oyster Bar is a great restaurant and I would definitely recommend it. Great location, great staff and great food.
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.