Underground Retail: Restaurants and Such

Interesting article on the #1 50th St. Station: Timeout

What other restaurant or retail establishments are underground?

A hidden pizzeria just opened underground in a midtown train station

There’s a lot of good to see at this Manhattan subway stop.

Two years after opening the subterranean bar Nothing Really Matters, hospitality professional Adrien Gallo continues building his subway station empire, opening See No Evil Pizza last week on the concourse level of the downtown-bound 1 train station at 50th Street and Broadway—a space that once housed a Dunkin’. It joins his Tiny Dancer Coffee on the same concourse.
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At the 59th St-Columbus Circle station mezzanine (at the south end) there are a number of stores and places to eat.

It is called Turnstyle Underground Market - https://www.turn-style.com/

The food: https://www.turn-style.com/food/ The shops: https://www.turn-style.com/shops/

There is also The Fulton Center at Broadway & Fulton St in Lower Manhattan (4, 5 ,A, C, J, Z, 2, 3 lines). About 6 or store food based stores including Shake Shack (on the 2nd level), Wasabi (one level down).

It should be pointed out that all the stores, restaurants and such mentioned by Jeff and myself while in the subway are outside of the paid area of the subway (with the exception of the Fulton Center where there is a Dunkin' Donuts store 2 levels down near the stairs to the A, C trains).

I did a quick google on 'subway station restaurants and got this:
https://ny.eater.com/2023/10/3/23901404 ... ald-square

Back in the day there were lunch counters in many stations. Most notably was the counter on the shuttle at Grand Central Terminal, as seen in The French Connection.

Japan has many inside-paid-area restaurants, which lets you get a bento box ("ekiben") to eat on the train.

Outside, through... Chicago's L has a ton of stations with Dunkin Donuts just outside the paid area. MTA Maryland's subway had a news stand also outside at Charles Center's eastern entrance.

I had no idea about Turnstyle Underground Market or The Fulton Center. It's fascinating how these spots exist just below our feet in the hustle and bustle of the city. I checked out the links you provided, and man, the variety of food options is mind-blowing! From tacos to sushi, it seems like there's something for everyone. It's funny, I recently stumbled upon a similar concept in www.mklibrary.com, where I'm from. There's this guide to the best Sacramento restaurants on MK Library that I found super helpful when exploring the food scene there. If you're ever in the area, definitely give it a look!