The secret bar in the busiest place - The Campbell in Grand Central Terminal
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The Secret Bar in The Busiest Place

November 6, 2024 /

If you’re anything like me, it’s hard to pass up a good mystery. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about Jimmy Hoffa going missing in Detroit or crop circles on the Salisbury plain in the UK. And I love sharing the knowledge about these mysteries with ANYONE who will listen. So let me share with YOU the secret bar in the busiest place – The Campbell at Grand Central Terminal.

The Knowing

You may wonder how we came to know about this awesomely wonderful super-secret bar. Well, not only are we avid travelers, we like to read about travel. And we like to talk about travel. Also I would say, we dream about travel. And we like to plan places to visit over drinks while we’re out, likely traveling. So we came across the Campbell in one of our many emailed newsletters.

Image of a woman sitting on an outdoor chair, wearing a sundress and reading something on her phone.
This is me – reading about travel while on vacation

The History

Image of a menu showing the history of Campbell's apartment.

It used to be the apartment of the financier John Campbell, who used it to host private parties.

Finding the secret entrance

The secret bar in the busiest place - The Campbell. Image of a woman standing in front of wooden doors. Above the doors there is a sign that reads "The Campbell Apartment".

You can CLEARLY see the sign for Campbell’s Apartment above the door but don’t believe it. If you take the steps that are directly ahead, you’ll end up on 42nd street. We must have walked in and out of Grand Central four times before someone pointed to the door way.

The secret bar in the busiest place - The Campbell. Image of a staircase leading with golden hand rails. A dark room can be seen at the landing.
In the space between the station and the street, look to the left and you’ll see these stairs. No need to ask to see the blind pig.

Know Before You Go

The secret bar in the busiest place - The Campbell. Image of a bar with small tables and a large bar rail. The space is full of people.
  1. You’ll need to make a reservation since it’s not very big.
  2. It’s kind of swanky, so you’ll want to dress up a little.
  3. Their cocktails were YUMMY!
Image of a cocktail glass, full of whiskey, in front of a menu that says "The Campbell". There is a votive candle to the left.
An old fashioned
mage of a tall glass filled with yellow liquid, ice and a cherry. There is a bowl of mixed olives to the right. A votive candle holder sits behind the olives.
An amaretto sour & olives

So now that you know the secret, feel free to drop this knowledge on your friends!

If you’re planning a trip soon to New York, check out our highlight reel for our favorite places to eat and drink while you’re there.

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