As a landmark inside a landmark, the Oyster Bar & Restuarant is a renowned New York City watering hole found in the depths of bustling Grand Central Terminal. As this venerable venue celebrates 100 years in business, it honors two of its longtime bartenders, twin backbones of a great drinking institution.
Over the course of 100 years, millions of weary New York City commuters have made their way through Grand Central Terminal heading to and from work. On many a night, the solace of a single cocktail served at Oyster Bar & Restaurant has been the saving grace for a salty worker on the way home, and just as many in need of a lunchtime pick-me-up. For more than three decades, those drinks have been served up by two gentlemen who take pride in their craft, but more so in their establishment. Few can say they have served behind the bar for 30-plus years, so we honor two who can.
Going from the equivalent of a second lieutenant in Greece’s army to bartender is one of the most unlikely career paths anyone can take. Unless, of course, you’re Alex Dimitropoulos.The Oyster Bar’s 65-year-old bartender, a fixture in the Saloon for the past 35 of the Grand Central Station landmark restaurant’s 100 years of existence, wouldn’t have it any other way. Though he commands his station with military precision, filling drink orders and commanding his assistants to accommodate the lunchtime throngs that ring his bar, Dimitropoulos displays a rather non-militaristic character as he doles out advice and friendship to an ever-growing client list.
“I tell people to try to be happy,” Dimitropoulos says. “Do everything in moderation. Basically, money doesn’t buy happiness.” His current status is quite a change from his earlier life. Before joining his parents here, Dimitropoulos served in the army of military dictator Georgios Papadopoulos from 1968 to his emigration in 1970. While rising to the rank of Silver Star (the rough equivalent of second lieutenant in the U.S.), he helped institute martial law and quelled the occasional citizen uprising. By 1970, however, he knew he’d had enough of Papadopoulos’ heavy-handed reign, and he came to America for a better life.
