Tracks Bar is reopening in Penn Station
Renderings courtesy of Tracks/ Alpreda Architecture
As Penn Station continues its much-needed makeover, a beloved mainstay from its past is returning. Tracks Raw Bar & Grill will reopen at the Long Island Rail Road Concourse in Penn Station, five years after its iconic underground location closed to make way for a new entrance to the station. Expected to open by the end of the year, Tracks will occupy a 3,150-square-foot space that will recreate the restaurant’s original “train-themed” decor and celebrate the history of the Long Island Rail Road with vintage prints and murals.
Tracks opened in 2003 between the LIRR ticket windows and Tracks 18 and 19 at Penn Station. The bar was a popular spot (and surprisingly cozy for being a basement bar in one of the city’s most hated train stations) for commuters grabbing a drink or two before catching a train home.
Due to Penn Station’s renovation, Tracks, along with nine other businesses, had to relocate in 2019. The restaurant reopened on West 31st Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, across from Madison Square Garden. According to local news site Our Town, the West 31st Street location will remain but will be rebranded.
The new Tracks will blend “nostalgic charm and modern architecture,” bringing back the railroad design of the original restaurant, according to a press release. Classic menu items like wings, NY strip steak, and oysters will be offered, as well as the seasonal Lobster Fest and Soft Shell Crab menu.
The new location will provide direct access to the newly renovated Penn 1 and Penn 2 office towers within Vornado Realty’s mixed-use campus Penn District, which has brought over 70 new restaurants to the area. Construction is expected to kick off this fall and be completed before the end of the year.
“Tracks isn’t just about dining and drinks; it’s about community,” Tracks owner Bruce Caulfield said. “We can’t wait to welcome back old friends and new faces to share in the nostalgia and warmth that defines Tracks. We appreciate the team at Vornado who have made this transition so seamless, and look forward to continuing to be a part of this thriving neighborhood.”
As part of its redevelopment of the area around Penn Station, Vornado has added several new amenities, including the high-end Life Time gym, outdoor public spaces like Penn 1 West Plaza and Plaza 33, and dozens of new restaurants, including Roberta’s, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Los Tacos No. 1, The Rutherford, and more.
“Tracks is an iconic part of Penn Station and we are pleased to welcome them home. Their new location will match the high level of design and hospitality of the reimagined Penn Station corridor, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of commuters and travelers every day,” Ed Hogan, EVP of Retail Leasing at Vornado, said.
“We look forward to Tracks joining over 70 new restaurants in the Penn District, creating an unmatched, vibrant culinary destination at the gateway to Manhattan’s new West Side.”
And good news for Long Island Rail Road commuters who now travel into the city via Grand Central: Tracks is also opening at the east side train station. As 6sqft reported in March, the MTA announced the restaurant will be the first in the new Grand Central Madison terminal, and is expected to open this fall on the concourse level between 47th and 48th Streets.
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