An In-Progress List of Hidden Bars, Restaurants, and Shops in New York City Subway Stations

Manhattan

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59th St-Columbus Circle (A/B/C/D/1): This station is home to Turnstyle Underground Market, a food hall with 39 restaurants and shops to visit. Enter on 8th Ave at either 57th or 58th St, and no need to swipe.

5th Ave-53rd St (E/M): There’s a gift shop near the stairs that lead out to 53rd St. 

51st St (6): The entrance to Terence Cardinal Cooke, a branch of the New York Public Library is here, although temporarily closed and repurposed as an IDNYC enrollment office. (Sign up if you haven’t already!)

50th St (1): Location of the speakeasy bar, Nothing Really Matters. Find the entrance at 50th St and Broadway before hitting the turnstile.

42nd St-Grand Central Terminal (4/5/6): This station is well-known for its dining concourse with food stalls and the famous Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, as well as the Grand Central Market (a European-style gourmet market located between the 4/5/6 trains and the Graybar Building), and pop-up fairs in Vanderbilt Hall with unique vendors. The station also has a Warby Parker, the Campbell Bar, and the Vanderbilt Tennis Club.

42nd St-Times Square (N/Q/R/W/S/1/2/3/7): Worth noting is the Record Mart, a vinyl record store that claimed the title as the oldest record store in Manhattan. It sadly closed in 2020.

34th St Penn Station (between 1/2/3/A/C/E): Moynihan Train Hall, which connects the subway to the LIRR and the Amtrak, offers a food hall with restaurants, a Starbucks, Magnolia Bakery, newsstands, and more.

34th St Herald Square (B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W): The northwest entrance has an underground door to a Burger King that also connects to Macy’s.

28th St (R/W): Look for a door beside the stairs marked “La Noxe,” a speakeasy cocktail bar with tapas. Book through Resy.

Fulton Street (2/3/4/5/A/C/E/J/N/R/W/Z): This station connects to Fulton Center, a retail space beneath a massive, dome-shaped skylight. There’s a wine cellar, a newsstand, a Shake Shack, Wasabi Sushi, Dunkin’, Krispy Kreme, Voyager Expresso, and more. In the long hallway past the turnstiles, there are sometimes pop-up stands selling unique gifts like Lovepop cards. This also connects to the Oculus and Brookfield Place. 

Cortlandt St (1/R/W): This station provides direct access to the Oculus (Westfield World Trade Center mall) and to Brookfield Place via the tunnel. There’s a large directory of stores and restaurants to visit here. 

Queens

Astoria-Ditmars (N/W): Visit Silver Age Comics for new and used issues. An internet café for computer use and gaming is across the hall.

Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue (7/E/F/M/R): Backwoods, a women’s clothing and accessories store, sells affordable, $10 clothing items and an assortment of jewelry and scarves.

Brooklyn

Clark Street (2/3): A hallway with a coffee shop called Drip Coffee Makers, a shoe repair store, a newsstand, and entrance to Han’s Market, which sells flowers and groceries, are located here.

Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center (2/3/4/5/B/Q/D/N/R): There’s a newsstand with beverages at the base of the stairs to the 4 and 5 platform.

The Bronx

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Coming soon!

Staten Island

St. George Ferry Terminal: Besides connecting to the Staten Island Railway, there’s also a few shops for a quick bite, an Au Bon Pain, and an entrance into the outdoor Empire Outlets, which has 33 stores and restaurants.