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Grabbing a beer or an Old Fashioned at Tracks Raw Bar & Grill in Penn Station is a commuting rite of passage that will soon pertain to trips out of Grand Central Madison as well as the legendary bar is officially opening a second location on the East Side of town this upcoming fall, according to MTA officials.
According to the New York Post, who first reported the news, the bar won the lease through a competitive bid but exact details regarding the price of the retail space, which seems to include a kiosk as well, and when, exactly, the destination will open are yet to be released.
"Talk to a Long Islander and they will tell you about their fond memories during very happy hours at the old Tracks in Penn Station," Janno Lieber, MTA CEO and Chair, tells Time Out New York exclusively. "We're giving them back their favorite place to raise a glass before or after they get on a train."
The development is a big deal for many reasons. On the one hand, Tracks has become almost synonymous with commuter life, at least when it comes to Penn Station. Found by tracks 18 and 19, the the long and narrow watering hole first debuted in 2003, quickly defining trips in and out of the travel hub for many daily commuters. In 2019, the bar was forced to relocate across 31st Street to accommodate for the massive reconstruction project taking over Penn Station—a move that took away some of the "charm" that defined the space to begin with.
According to Lieber, given the success of the 31st Street location, there are no plans to return to the original Penn Station location.
"All their customers found their way to 31st Street," says Lieber. "I'm confident that the 40% of Long Island Railroad riders who go to Grand Central Madison are going to find their way to the very new Tracks—the second sequel."
Being able to eventually see the iconic signage inside another train station is going to, hopefully, tug at folks' heartstrings, providing a good dose of nostalgia.
The upcoming opening also speaks to the current state of culinary affairs at Grand Central Madison.
At the moment, despite what looks like ample real estate space, there are no food and drink destinations open at Grand Central Madison except for a few kiosks, a fact that forces commuters into the dining hall at Grand Central Terminal when looking for any sort of fare. The arrival of Tracks on the other side of the station, one managed by the MTA (Grand Central Terminal is under the Metro-North's purview), will likely change that.
We could not have thought of a more adequate first tenant ourselves.