Pluses for me: close location. Fastest walking distance ever-- good if you've had one too many and need to stumble home. It would be hard to get lost Lol. Every time I've gone, the bartenders are so friendly and engaging; I never feel intimidated or uncomfortable here. Really feels like a small, close knit environment. However, it's not really a place to mingle and meet someone, especially if you're younger, and in your 20-30s. The people that frequent here are definitely of an older crowd, regulars, or locals, sometimes older couples and families. It's a small space, a small back dining area for food, and as per usual, the lighting is dark and dim. Sometimes it makes me drowsy! But that's just a weird little habit of mine maybe. Pricing is reasonable. They definitely don't try to make a buck off you here.
They have a juke box, and one night i went there was karaoke, which was really cool, except when they had two girls go up and horribly butcher a song.
As for the bar food itself, it's standard- burgers, fries, appetizers, even pasta dishes- no complaints.
This review is only for my experience at Friday night karaoke. Â I've heard good things about the food & wish I knew when they officially stop serving it since I'd have liked to get dessert (karaoke there starts at 11). Â The sound is VERY loud for karaoke; so loud, in fact that we were not able to get water or anything to drink since I don't think the bartender could have heard us even if she'd wanted to.
The song selection is unusual; it's the first time I've seen a song by Da Brat but there are a lot of songs they don't have that I have generally seen at other places. Â They also had a Bloodhound Gang song that wasn't "The Bad Touch" that my husband chose to sing (another song I'd not seen in a song book before going here).
The venue itself is very tiny & laid back. Â You don't have to be a really great singer or performer to sing here; I saw very little heckling. Â The DJ even sang some Dropkick Murphys, which made my husband very happy. Â There are apparently some songs you can sing that aren't listed in the book so make sure to ask the DJ about it.
The crowd is generally younger people, which is a huge plus for me since who wants creepy, lecherous old guys bothering you? Â I also got compliments on my hair from some ladies in the restroom & must have made myself some fans since I mentioned I'd be singing shortly. Â I did get a sense that they wouldn't allow young women to be harassed by creepy old guys if they did show up.
A big downside I see is that if you don't live in the neighborhood or would have to take the Q58 to get home from here, you could be in trouble since the Q58 apparently doesn't stop at the part of the route across the street from here from about 1:50 to 3:50 a.m. Â I don't know if that holds for the Ridgewood side but it is something to consider if you're coming from that area or parts away from Elmhurst.
Overall, I think I'd return.
I choose to give TrashStand 2 stars because they're food is pretty edible and the female bartender that  unfortunately doesn't work many nights a week provides good service. The bartender on weeknights with his used car salesman attire (seriously, who wears a  tie in a blue collar Irish bar) frankly sucks. He seems to favor certain clientele over others which is highly unprofessional and flat out unacceptable. There were some Giggling Northside yuppie rejects that kept putting in the extra $$$ to skip my friends songs which was annoying but as the jukebox is public domain we grinned and beared through they're teeny pop songs. Later on in the evening Mr. Used car salesman approaches us about how many songs we have left because the Northside rejects need to get back to they're 1 room studio apartment. I explained the situation about them skipping our music to Mr. Tacky tie and he continues to repeat himself telling me they're complaining about our songs because they want to go home as If we somehow owe them something. Tacky tie had the audacity to approach us in a manner as if we were doing something wrong, yet had no problem accepting my friends generous gratuity. This is the type of attitude that drives businesses into Chapter 11, NEVER AGAIN
Review Source:True Irish folk run this dark, traditional-looking pub. It's a place for beer and friends. They have menu specials and while they are not "great restaurant" quality, they satisfy your hunger. In the same vein, while I am sure the Shepherd's Pie I ordered was canned Dinty Moore's covered with mashed potato and baked, I still liked it in the company of my best friend.
We had Guinness and Coors and plenty of talk, which is what's supposed to go down in a place like this.
I'd surely come back.
I've been here three times on three different nights with varying experiences but all of them were enjoyable.
The decor is my favorite thing about this bar, there is so much to look at there is no way your going to see it all in one night. Stained glass windows, hanging Tiffany lamps, unlit cabinets built into the walls near the ceilings holding mysterious objects, a harp carved out of wood. My favorite detail has to be on the bar itself- they have these red padded "kneelers" for your arms to rest on. They're exactly like the kneelers you pray on in Catholic churches, I can't help but smile at that.
Internet jukebox, the bathrooms clean (and they have a second bathroom downstairs), flat screens to watch the game on. They have karaoke on Friday nights, but some nights they mercifully skip it (obviously not a karaoke fan).
There's an area with booths in the back, and adjacent to the bar is a much more plainly decorated restaurant area where they'll sometimes have private parties. They have a full menu but I wouldn't recommend getting food there, unless you're drunk and just in need for something to munch on. I'd especially avoid getting real food like steak or stuffed mushrooms, and even the onion rings. Fries are a safe bet but they're nothing special. They also let you order pizza after the kitchen closes (at 10 I think).
Buy backs do seem scarce, and service can be slow depending on whose serving you and how busy it is. The cute Irish girl who works there on Fridays is fast and attentive. All three bartenders I've met have been friendly. A glass of Tullamore Due is $6, the beer selection is very limited.
The crowd is varied as fuck. Weeknights seem slower with a working class, mostly male crowd. Saturday night the place was filled with people in their 20's-30's and I met some cool strangers. A gymnast team from Denmark was is town (it ended up being a lot less exiting than it sounds). Friday was all over the place, young couples, young Irish guys, older men drinking alone, a private party made up of mostly middle aged folks in the back and dance, rock, indie, and Irish music alternating on the jukebox.
Overall this place is nothing to travel out of your way for but totally lovable if your a local. I'll definitely be coming back here.
I've finally gotten around to the Grandstand after nearly 4 years of passing it everyday. Â Totally worth it. Â We went last Saturday afternoon, and it was a cool, dark comfort from the sunlight outside. Â The food was great, and the service was tops. Â The burgers were juicy and delicious, with a great taste. Â Since I'm a burger fanatic, this is key.
Review Source:Seriously, not bad at all. I literally lived 3 blocks away from Grandstand, raised and born in the area and last night was my first time here. I decided to drop by for my friend's birthday, she lived literally a block down from Grandstand too and it was my birthday as well. But anyhoo, I was very surprised with the inside of the joint. It's a whole lot better than Post-Time which is on the other side of Queens Blvd.
Lets get this review poppin!
Drinks - Our bartender Mike was pretty cool. Big fellow with a cool accent. Most of the people from our party drank Henny with Coke or Ginger Ale. We took a round of jager shots, some jager bombs, and tequila shots. I really like the set up of the bar. It's fully stocked and organized. What I don't like about the bar is their beer selection. Just domestic and some imported stuff that doesn't really appeal to my taste. The Guinness was a little warm. There's nothing really special on tap, I guess they wanna keep it very simple and traditional.
Service - Mike! The bar is pretty long and he was the only bartender so it can be a little difficult to grab his attention. Other than that, the service here is fine.
Ambiance - Pretty Awesome. It really captured an old school feel. The decor and everything about it just reminds me of Cheers. Everyone in the bar seemed pretty friendly and there's a pretty cool jukebox. There's plenty of flat screen TVs around the bar unlike Post-Time (still using CRTs...) There's also a dining area which is pretty sweet. Hope to try some Irish pub food over here some day. I could see why Grandstand has been here for so long.
Verdict - I say give it a try if your from the area. If you live far then it's not really worth the trip. It's a nice neighborhood local Irish pub. They have wing specials for NFL games and I believe they have a Karaoke Night as well. I was also told they had a bikini night last week. Bunch of white chicks and stuff so that must of been pretty sweet. Will I come back? Most likely. I wanna come back during NFL season and see what's it like here. If it's poppin, I'll let you guys know in a updated review. Until then, thanks for reading guys.
Visited on Friday August 13 - Karaoke Night
The bar is deceptive in size.  From the outside it appears immense, but proves quite narrow with 2 Pub tables on the right  and a long shallow bar on the left.  There are 2 19" TVs flanking a 36" behind the bar tuned to the YES network.  An additional 36" hangs by the door and was utilized for karaoke.  The back of the bar is setup more like a dining area with the restaurant in a separate area behind the bar.
The Guinness were $6 and piss warm, while the Domestics were $4 and well chilled. Â No Brooklyn Lager and after the Guinness I dared not try the Sam Adams on tap. I've had 2 Guinness and a Heineken and my wife has had 4 Miller Lites with nary a buy-back (yet).
As a Karaoke Loser, I was mortified by the small selection of outdated music until I discovered the separate Update Book. Â Ask for it if you can't find your song.
I cannot vouch for the food, but the piss warm Guinness was a deal breaker for this local pub. Â The karaoke gets an A for the quality of singers and a C+ for musical selection (though the DJ was very nice.)
All in all, I would return if I HAD to get some singing in on a Friday and had to sacrifice my Guinness. Â The DJ uses a CD system and is willing to use singers CD's, but has a wireless mic with sound suppression, so hold that mic away for the high parts.
***Update***
I'm on my 6th round and have yet to receive a buy-back. Â I've dropped my rating from two stars to one. Â That's just bad bartending.
Good ordinary Irish pub. Â I haven't tried their food but their beers and service was good. Â I would love to return and try out their things. Â Their place is big and they have their own dining place. Â I used to live around the block and I've always wanted to come in here. Â I finally did and glad. Â I miss Elmhurst.
Review Source:Nothing like working all day, and taking a quick walk around the corner to Grandstand. Â If you're with the guys, looking to chill out, kick back and grab a beer this is the spot to visit, bring some cash with you, i love to come here and pick 80's rock on the jukebox and sing along obnoxiously in the back, yeah if you're there, then you've heard me, hahaha. Â Always chill people to meet, there has not been one time that I've gone there and haven't met a cool person to share in the laughs and beer. Â Bartenders are cool also, after a while, you feel like you're part of a family, where everybody knows your name.
They also have great theme parties, and are open real late. Â Would've been 5 stars, if their wings were spectacular, but lets be honest, I'm a harsh food critic.
Grandstand is definetly not a destination place to go.. but if you are around the area.. then stop by. Bartender and staff are friendly.. and for food.. it can be very good-If you know what to order. First lets start with the drinks.. mixed drinks are nice and potent.. the bartender has a lot of notches on his belt in this department. However the Guiness here is served a more traditional way - towards room temperature (i prefer mine icy cold). For the food.. well obviously dont come here to order something like a rack of lamb.. or some flair food expecting to get a gourmet dinner.. its all about the pub grub. Wings are awesome.. they have their own style of sauce, very juicy! Shepards Pie- a classic meal in a casserole dish, always good and made fresh.. the burgers are also really good, made fresh and not frozen.. very juicy as well. Fish and chips are always on the mark.. a bit greasy but always flaky and moist. The prices here arent the cheapest for the locale.. but its about right comparing it to the quality. On the weekends its very rowdy there.. especially if theres a soccer game or a kareoke event. If i were to stop by, it would be on an weekday if i need a drink or some quick grub.
Review Source:I'm biased --- this is my local watering hole. During the week, it's usually pretty empty. But, whenever me and my friends aren't down to make the trip into the city for a night of drinks, we end up here. The drinks are cheap, and not at all watered down. Mike, the bartender, is totally awesome and usually ends the night with a round of free shots.
They also have a full menu. The fish and chips and the shepherd's pie are really good, and so is their calamari.
Friday night is karaoke night! Always entertaining to watch drunk people try to sing ...
and on Saturday nights, they have a DJ.
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