Went here on a weekday night for some beers when some bands were playing. Pretty sweet atmosphere downstairs. Not too crowded. Upstairs (they have a pool table) was empty, so that was nice to get away for a second and play some pool. The bartender was really cool, she let my buddy charge his phone inside the bar area (we were in charge of reminding him to get it before he left!)
The only weird part was at around 11? it switched from nerdy white kids on stage playing green day and pop rock to a group of guys rapping and jumping around the stage. It's all good, but the change in atmosphere was drastic, so be ready for it.
I visited this place about an hour before closing time on a Saturday night. Somehow we got in without a cover (probably because it was pretty near closing time). We had already had enough to drink, so we didn't order anything. From the prices posted on the wall, it looked reasonable and had some worthwhile brews.
However, we walked into the Grape Room because we heard what was clearly very live music emanating onto the street. The band there was rocking the (miniscule) stage and we caught the last two songs before the set ended (not including the encore). The crowd was rather small and older than the college people that usually frequent Manayunk. Seemed to me a great place to avoid that craziness that can ensue when in Manayunk on the weekends.
To put it shortly, GREAT music and hipster feel. We'll be stopping by this place next time we're in Manayunk to catch unknown bands playing some great rock sets.
Codes of Clover played here, and they ROCKED the place. I wish I was in Manayunk more often, I would frequent this quality establishment. I may or may not have gotten sick in the back alley from doing shots of Gin with a Vietnam veteran. They were out of "regular" booze because some hustler kept buying shots for the whole place. It was weird, but if you want "normal" go to Applebys.
Review Source:This place just rubs me a wrong way for some odd reason. I think has to do with my collection of prejudices that I have about music and money. Maybe I just don't feel the need to pay the cover when there is so many live music events going on around me all the time. It could also be the fact that their is only like 5 beers on tap, I hate drinking out of bottles. Not really that lively either besides the band that's playing, everyone one else just stands around the stage and listens. Enough with the negatives though, the one marvelous thing about this place is the acoustics. For the shape of the place, the music sounds almost flawless. I'd only come here if I knew someone playing that night like last night, if not, there are better places to go to and hear live music.
Review Source:I spent this past weekend at the Grape Room for a "private" event, and while I have lots of good things to say about the place, the word private is in quotes on purpose.
First and foremost, the sound in this place is MUCH better than it seems like it would be. For a small, oddly shaped room, they've done something right. Everything from the singer/songwriter with a guitar upstairs to the full band downstairs sounded fantastic except for one little corner by the door. Which is not an easy feat - I've been in concert halls that had worse sound. The bar staff is professional, although not always super quick, and the drink prices are right. They don't have food, but they have no problem with you bringing your own. The bathrooms are kept clean. They have a good beer selection. They seem to be super friendly to independent and local music, which is always a good thing.
However, my gripe is with the whole private event thing. Normally, you go to a private event at a bar and you expect that the bar is closed except for that event. Not so at the Grape Room. Apparently its a great place to be a regular, because no matter what's going on, and no matter how much anyone else paid to get in for said private event, if you're a regular, you're getting in for nothing more than the normal cover.
(And yes, I discussed all of this with the owner. He got a little defensive about letting in his regulars, and he seemed to understand my point of view. But I don't see it changing. And yes, I will be voicing this gripe with the folks on the event side as well. So if/when the owner sees this, it won't be the first time he's hearing it.)
Great place to go listen to music, have a few drinks, and have a good time. Â If not for the minor irritation of our private event ending up not so private, this would have been a five star review - there are FAR too few bars around that will cater to musicians the way this one seems to - open mic nights, local bands, nationally touring independent acts, and let's be honest - the fact that they were willing to host the event that they hosted this weekend says a lot about their attitude and their view on music. But that one little thing just bothered me enough that I felt the need to post about it and knock a star off the review.
In the words of the great Dee Snider....."I wanna rock, ROCK!" Â
The Grape Room is THE rock/music club in the heart of Manayunk. Â Located right off of Main Street (in what used to be 105 Social) The Grape Room provides a place for musicians and their fans to come together and have an evening of excellent music, great beer, stage diving and moshing....well maybe not the later two items but who knows!?
Meg and Zil own and operate The Cracked Bell Catering Co. which runs out of the kitchen and  provides all of the delicious noshies and entrees  on the menu.  They also cater all of the private parties that are booked  at the Grape.  The food is sooooooo yummy and  they provide plenty of vegan/ vegetarian options.
Find Scooter, he is the owner and is totally cool to chill with.....whether you find him sitting at the bar or carrying in equipment for the band set up he is always around and up for some conversation....super nice, super rock savvy, and all around good people.
A great place to check out live and local music. Â Who knows you might just see the next big up and coming rock band on the stage!
The field in my profile that notes: "Find me in: Manayunk" is completely accurate most of the time: I spend most weekend nights (and a few ill-advised weekday nights) experiencing the panoply of offerings in the 'Yunk. So you can take my word for it when I tell you that The Grape Room is one of the coolest places to hang out in the area.
In essence, the Grape is a rock club and bar, similar to what the Khyber used to be. It's a very low-key atmosphere, but boasts a great selection of local craft brews, and a simple but delicious food menu.
You can always see awesome musical acts here, playing originals and very few covers (if any). I love that they support local musicians in an era when many venues rely on iPods for their musical ambiance.
Also, Scooter, the owner, is one of the nicest people I have ever met. I'm having my 30th bday party in the awesome second floor space, and he's been amazing to work with. He gave me a full tour and was totally flexible about everything we wanted to do with the party.
So definitely come out and support local music, local breweries, and an amazing local entrepreneur.
What a nostalgic way to spend an evening with great friends! Though I had never been to the Grape Room before, my visit here invoked the same warm fuzzies that I would get seeing friends play at dive bars in NYC...there's just something so special about seeing a local band that really has a passion for their music. The bar is cozy, definitely an intimate listening venue, the sound was relatively good, but what really made my night was the fact that the band playing had not just one, but two saxophonists and a trumpet player in addition to your lead guitar, base, vocals, and drums. Perhaps that fact swayed my thought on the sound of the bar as I didn't stay to hear many bands before heading back to Center City. Â Plenty of beers on tap and by the bottle, I was a little sad that they were out of hopdevil, but made do with a slyfox. Would definitely stop by again to support the local music scene.
Review Source:I've been to the Grape Room a few times- you can't really beat live music with no cover (unless you are there to specifically support a band- then it's $5), reasonably priced drinks, and room to move around, which can be rare in Manayunk on a weekend night. Â The bands that play here are from all genres, so you never really know what you've going to get when you show up. Â The guys at the door always draw a smiley face on your hand when you enter- one of my favorite parts :)
Review Source:It was like the third night the place was open when I went so they had some kinks to work out but it was fun. The bands were good, alright prices on alcohol, but a killer location right off of Main in Manayunk. Will probably go back assuming I know one of the bands playing. Only weird thing was people kept walking through the bar to go to an apartment upstairs for a party. Made the party look better than the bar.
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