Summary: High price, pre-occupied staff, and cold hospitality means I won't be coming back.
My friend and I went to grab a drink, a post-tattoo recovery at 4pm on a weekday. The place had one other patron, and two on staff that I could see. My gimlet was great, fresh squeezed lime juice, Â and she ordered a double whisky coke. Her drink was 9, and mine 8. Shouldn't there be some happy hour deal on wells? We tipped 20%. Anyways--not as soon as we sit down she spilled her drink all over herself. We didn't get any eye contact and I had to rush to ask for assistance. The worst part is that the drink was not replaced. I've seen many a drink spilled early, and this is the first time there was no inclination of the thought.
And shouldn't there be a happy hour at 4 on a weekday?
So this bar was fun while I was there - I'm not going to deny that. However, my friend and I ended up getting roofied. I am smart when I go out. I was with a group of over 10 people (including my boyfriend), and I sat in the middle of the table we were at. There is no way that someone "slipped" something in any of my drinks. It was New Years Eve and the last thing I had was the free champagne. About 20 minutes later, I remember nothing. Luckily I was with my boyfriend, and he was able to get me home and to bed. My friend went home alone though, and she was very fortunate to have a stranger help her get a cab because she couldn't walk home by herself.
The next day I called the bar to let them know what had happened. I didn't have any expectations from them, but they still irritated me... the bartender that I talked to seemed very irritated that I was calling to report this. I was told in a snarky tone "I'm sorry that happened, but we aren't responsible for watching your drinks." I told him that I understood that and just wanted to let them know since it happened to more than one of us and appeared to just be random. He said "I guess if you want I can put it in our incident log." He didn't ask for any information about me, so I know I won't ever be followed up with regarding this. I feel like the least he could've done was been sincerely apologetic and asked if I was alright. Needless to say, I won't be going back there.
Walked into this place mid day, just my boyfriend and I. Â We were cruising around downtown for the day and wanted to stop and get something to eat and a beer. Â This is what happened. Â We walked in. Â There were maybe 3 or 4 people who looked like they worked there, standing behind the bar, talking to about 2 or 3 customers. Â No one was in the restaurant area. Â Everyone stopped talking, turned and stared at us. Â Not one person said hello or even half smiled. Â Just dead stares. Â Awkward. Â But whatever. Â So we sit down, while the people who work there continue talking. Â We are sitting there for 5 minutes, waiting to be acknowledged. Â Nothing. Â They didn't even look our way after we got there and they are standing 5 feet away at the bar. Â So we decide, okay, obviously they don't want us here. Â We stand and leave. Â No one attempts to stop us. Â One of the weirdest, and rudest situations I have ever been in, in an establishment. Â Beyond terrible customer service.
Review Source:This place has far and away the worst service I have ever had. I like to think I'm pretty understanding of issues with service, since I work in a bar myself. People get busy, and they can be short. Food takes a long time to come out, and the bartender can't get to you right away. These things happen, but the staff at the Grand for some reason that thinks this gives them license to be rude to their customers.
I went there on Thursday, June 21 around 10:30 pm to get a pitcher with a friend. The bar was a little busier than I have seen it in the past, so I understood the staff may require a little slack. The dark haired male barback who was working that evening came by to bus a couple of glasses off our table, so I thanked him, and asked if they still had a food menu at that hour. He replied, as if to deter me; "Yeah, it's a really limited menu, and all it is, is some fried food." ...okay? May I still see it? At that point, as if I were asking him for a kidney, he rolled his eyes, muttered something under his breath and walked away.
At this point I waited patiently for a menu, but I soon realized it wasn't coming. Fair enough. They are busy, and don't want to set the precedent for table service. I understand that, and it's nothing personal, so I decided to go up to the bar for a couple more beers, and that menu. I stood at the bar for a couple minutes, waiting for... hold on, they are busy! Is he...texting?! There is a whole bar full of things that need to be done, and the barback is texting in front of all the customers at the bar!
So, I wait patiently for him to finish what must be an important text, and ask him for two beers and a menu. He points to four items, and says, "the menu is really limited. This section is all that I can really do." Great! Four fried food options. That is exactly was I was hoping for/expecting! I respond "I'll have the chicken strips, please." At this point the barback actually rolled his eyes. He pulls out a pad, and pointedly asks me, "okay fine, so where are you sitting?" Sensing his irritation with my completely reasonable request for something on the available menu which is simple to cook, I ask, "Is this too much trouble? Should I not order this?" He responds, in a tone not as to reassure me, but as an obligatory expression of his reluctant requirement to actually work, "No, it's fine. Where are you sitting?"
Okay, message received. No food for me. Just the beers. And I'll just go ahead and never come back.
I also understand that every place has a bad night or two, but I've been here several times, and this is not the first negative experience I've had here. If you value service at all, or even expect to actually be able to order, I recommend going elsewhere.
I love The Grand. Â The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, people are nice and the staff are quick and friendly. Â I HIGHLY recommend visiting on Wednesday night for their $5 burger & beer deal. Â It starts at 6p and for $5 you get a (surprisingly good) burger, fries and pint of beer. Â It gets pretty busy so the food can take a while, but it's worth the wait.
Review Source:I started coming here ten years ago. Â I liked it because it was laid back, reasonably priced and unpretentious. Â Now when I come back to Bellingham, this is the spot I continue to frequent. Â So many other bars have disappeared or transformed, that it is nice that this place is still around. Â It's a good place to hang out with friends. Â It is nice that it is tucked slightly away from the hectic downtown bar scene that seems to continually try to reinvent itself.
Review Source:Was in town for the weekend and wanted to watch the hockey game. The dude at Avalon recommended this place for beer & food.
It's not a sports bar, so there weren't 100 tv's all over the place... but we were also trying to avoid the calamity that often comes with sports bars (especially w/ a Little League tournament in town). Â The bartender was more than happy to switch the channel to the game, which made us more than happy :)
They have a decent selection of beers on tap, no matter what your style is. Since we were there for happy hour, it was even better! Â Service was not an issue, as some other reviewer(s) may have commented on.
We also ordered some food (think basic burger fare/bar food). The salmon burger & onion rings I had were fantastic. The onion rings were absolutely perfect... almost thought about ordering another batch. My girlish figure was probably glad I stuck to one order :)
The back area of the bar has couple pool tables, pinball, and Big Game Hunter. Definitely extra points for having a pinball machine!
Overall, if you're looking for a pretty chill spot to grab some food, some beer and good company, this is a solid contender.
I've never eaten here, but spent many a drunken night at the bar. I've also only been when it's busy, so I've never experienced the blank stares the other two reviewers have.
They've always been friendly at the bar, and anyplace that has 1.75$ Rainer tall cans is an awesome place to me! They have a couple of pool tables and dark boards in back, and alot of open seating in the front. All in all its a good place to just get a beer and hang out with friends.
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