Grand Tier Restaurant
“It's not a regular restaurant because you can ONLY eat there before an opera or split up your meals between two intermissions.”
“Next time I would go for pre-show dining and then have dessert at intermission (something to look forward to!).”
“I dined here last Friday before a fantastic performance of Anna Bolena.”
Grand Tier Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Absolutely perfect dining experience. The food, ambiance, view, service is excellent and I have to say I enjoy the restaurant more than the opera…
The menu is rather simple but is absolutely perfectly executed. I'm not a chef but I can appreciate the solid techniques behind the cooking from the chicken liver mousse, soup, branzino to even baked Alaska. There are not many restaurants I can continue to eat even when I'm full and this is one of them. In my book Grand Tier scores much higher than Lincoln Ristorante.
Sitting beneath the grandiose ceilings (I want to say vaulted for their loftiness) and the massive Windows one is captivated all the more by the Marc Chagall diptych of the Triumph and the Source of Music.
The muted acoustics and old modern elegance of the dining area is one of the best reasons to frequent the Grand Tier but the absolute proximity of the Opera is the practical reason to dine here amongst fellow opera goers.
The food is plated to perfection and if you have any complaint whatsoever you mention it and will be compensated graciously.
Enough vegetarian options to not have to request a special meal, you will delight in their selection.
We come here often enough to make the waiters recognize us and address us, and who doesnt love that?
I felt it was only fair to write a nice review about this restaurant, since I had such an excellent time. I saw Die Fledermaus with my friend at the Metropolitan the other day. A friend of mine had recommended The Grand Tier Restaurant, and after hearing about this, I simply had to try it out. What a great idea that was, to be able to sit down during intermissions, and have great food, impeccable service in such a convenient location, just steps away from our seats at the performance!
My friend and I had made arrangements in advance, and had everything planned out in such a way that during each intermission, champagne and some food was waiting for us, at the most romantic table located on the Grand Tier level of the Metropolitan Opera House, with a view of two breathtaking Chagall paintings and a wall of windows overlooking Lincoln Center's fountain. All that was missing from this enchanting scenery on this wonderful evening full of romance, phenomenal food and champagne was a ring and a proposal.
Too bad my friend is a girl, and unfortunately I am straight. : )
Now I will go on by addressing points other people made regarding 'geriatric' people visiting: I remember one table next to ours, that had one superbly dressed gentleman, probably in his sixties and two very well raised and well dressed children. Other than that, I was too busy enjoying my company and everything that our wonderful waiter Todd was serving us, to really be bothered by futile things such as the age range of other guests. My friend actually thought that the age range was pretty diverse. Just think of the average opera-lover, and you have a pretty good idea of who you will be surrounded by. Seriously: If you expect a restaurant that can only be visited by opera ticket holders to be filled with a bunch of 20- and 30- year olds, you need to get your brains checked out. I'm quite picky, so if I liked it here, so will you. Unless if you are like some other reviewers that always like to find the negatives in a positive situation, well in that case no one can ever please you.
The food:
"Gerber quality" and "for people with dentures" some whiner I mean reviewer stated somewhere else? Ahem. I beg to differ. We very much enjoyed the warm bread, that was nice and crusty. Trust me, that bread would definitely not have been easy on dentures. I enjoyed my smoked salmon appetizer and also liked the hearty crab cakes. The Yukon potatoe puree was alright. The chocolate souffle was a great dessert and I liked it more than the cheesecake.
I thought the quality of the food we were served overall was exquisite.
The service:
We could not have been treated better than this. We felt treated like royalty. Compliments to everyone!
I'll be back soon!
: )
Prior to a New York Philharmonic performance, I had dined at the Grand Tier. I had made a 5:30 pm dinner reservation for myself through Open Table one week prior. You can only gain access to this restaurant if you possess a performance ticket. I have been here several times before with a friend who is a Met Opera subscriber. We always get wonderful seating. Recently, I became a subscriber to the New York Philharmonic. Maybe this doesn't rate high enough, I don't know.
I arrived at 5:20pm for my dinner reservation. I was escorted promptly to a single table off to the side near an exit door. There were "many" single seatings available with window views. I told the maître d' I would prefer to sit by the window. He told me he would try to take care of this matter. He came back promptly and brought me over to a window seating with not much of a view, if any. Many of the window seatings have spectacular views of the Lincoln Center grounds. At that point, I did not feel like requesting another seating because I was very hungry. Anyway, the service was prompt and superb as always. A platter of delicious bread was brought to the table. I had a lovely glass of Calera Chardonnay ($19.00). The wine complemented the Scallop Special ($48.00) beautifully. The entrée was excellent. Delicate chunks of scallops were intermingled with cheese and spinach. I'm not a big eater but I thought the entree was more like an appetizer. LOL… Glad I filled up on the bread. LOL…
Lastly, I had a single espresso for dessert ($5.25). Personally, The restaurant should've at least given me a complementary espresso because of the seating issue. Many restaurants have offered me complementary courtesies when lesser issues have occurred.
My Rating: 3.75 Stars.
Other than the seating issue, I would've given the restaurant a higher score.
Glad my family and I decided to dine here before the opera. The actual space is beautiful! So glad we decided to eat here for my mothers birthday. The actual food was pretty decent. I had the lamb pappardelle and it was a bit too salty for me. My sister had the smoked salmon which she loved and my mom had the grilled salmon. Overall good experience. We also decided to have dessert during intermission. Overall a bit pricey but worth the experience.
Their reservation system is a word document. You call, then email, you choose from the very limited menu, then email it back. The document is not user friendly and confusing. Seeing the menu and that the two intermissions only lasted about 30 min each (doesn't say this anywhere on the document btw, they mention this on the call), it was best to do wine and cheese for the first then dessert for the last (a bit of sugar to keep us running for the final piece). It was a nice break compared to just standing around. The restaurant is two floors down from the top. When the lights come on, just walk over there ans check in. If you're there for the second, just walk back to the same table. Fewer people seem to do the 2nd intermission, so if you want a more romantic setting to do romantic things, the 2nd is prime time.
The Metropolitan Opera and the Grand Tier restaurant are probably some of the last bastions of civilized living in New York.
I love this place. Make a reservation for two hours prior to the start of your show. Sit and eat.
The food is very good. It isn't particularly creative, but it is tasty food, well executed and plated in a way fit for the beautiful settings. The service is excellent and friendly and the restaurant runs like a well oiled machine.
From the moment you give your name at the front desk you know that you are in a place which does what it does very well. From the timing to the food everything is executed with precision.
The reason I like to get here 2 hours before the show is because I like to go to the bar on the Grand Tier for a cocktail and to look out on Lincoln Center before hearing the sweet chimes of the xylophone letting you know to find your seats.
The best part of the experience to me is desert. You order it after dinner, along with coffee and cocktails and then at intermission return to your table where, as if by magic, your desert arrives for you to enjoy.
If you have never had the experience of dining at the opera, you really ought to.
This is just a whole other level of sophistication. However, I find that the stuffiness you might expect just isn't there. While it is sophisticated it is also just downright fun.
Oh, and people…this is the opera not a rock concert. Leave your jeans at home, put on a tie and be ladies and gentleman not guys and girls.
Going to the Grand Tier and expecting the same quality and service as say Patina in Los Angeles, a member of the same restaurant group, is like going to a Wolfgang Puck Cafe and expecting to be on par with Spago…it ain't going to happen. The difference between those two comparisons is at least at Wolfgang Puck Cafe you're not paying Spago prices. I'm still more than a little irked by my experience last night at Grand Tier and if it wasn't for the amazing 2005 Vina Ardanza Riserva I enjoyed, I would have given 1 star. We had a 6:00 reservation before seeing La Traviata and I arrived a bit early. I was one of the first tables seated in what was quite possibly the worst table in the place. After politely asking if I could move to one of the many two tops that were empty I was shown the second and third worst tables in the place. I asked why I couldn't get something better than looking at the Hostess stand and having everyone congregating around there butts in my face or amongst the potted planrts and and the table set up to sell memorabia I was told people have already requested certain tables, sorry but I'm calling BS on that one. I had a bad taste in my mouth already and the food and service did nothing to change that. Our waiter was not only non-existant but had no personality and said somewhere between 3-5 words the entire time. Oh, and we had to basically tackle him to get our check but in his defense, he probably thought we were workers taking a break at the break table. The food did not fair much better. I ordered the acorn squash with arugula, iberico ham and marcona almonds and I'll admit this was very good. I also ordered the parsnip soup with truffles and this was the only dish that was served at the proper temperature. My partner ordered the fish, I think it was sea bass? with beans and what came was a tiny nugget, and I say nugget because it was grossly overcooked on top of what looked like canned baked beans. I think they prepare all the entrees ahead of time because everything is cold and feels like it's been sitting around for awhile. I ordered a side of steamed spinach that arrived in a pool of water and was very cold. I flagged down our waiter, finally, and very nicely asked if I could get some that wasn't cold and he looked confusedly at me and said "It's cold?" uhm yes, very much so. He returns a few minutes later with a plate that was maybe 3 degrees warmer. I left my $12 mound of soggy leaves alone. My bfriend insisted on having dessert, I personally just wanted to get out of there, so he ordered the creme brulee which again, was served very cold and the refrigerated cup you get at my local bodega is way better. I was so dissappointed at this whole experinece and before tip the bill was over $200. DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR, SKIP THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS!!