Sad, but it appears that The Pep is closed. (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pennlive.com%2Fmidstate%2Findex.ssf%2F2013%2F02%2Fpep_grill_harrisburg.html&s=389978a7f2cc9a13861e85bef999f00bb3de1762d7de5599e0a35d344a6bf636" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.pennlive.com/…</a>)  Most of the comments are from the barflys; but I knew the Pep as one of the last places downtown where I could get a good bowl of soup on a cold day. What the restaurant missed in ambience, it made up with good, reliable food and service. Restaurants downtown are becoming overwhelmingly corporate; glossy but expensive and soulless. A good neighborhood bar is hard to find.
Review Source:Really cute dive bar! Â I have been here a couple times to see a band and also as a last night drink in refuge from the madness that is called Second Street. Â My friend introduced me to one of their specialty drinks called a Flaming Dr. Pepper which was really good. Â The bartender lit up shots of root beer schnaps and dropped them into mugs of beer .... seriously good stuff! Â The crowd was very diverse at this late hour but everyone seemed to be having fun! Â
I have also passed by the Pep en route to the Front St festivals (eg Kipona, Musicfest, Artsfest) and on these occasions, they will sell food. Â The spinach pie and baklava were both very tasty! Â Heard the gyros were very good and plan to try that next.
A friend and I wanted to grab a few drinks after work one day and we decided to check out The Pep. Boy, are we glad we did! It's an unassuming little spot, but chock full of character (and characters) and quirky charm.
We went on a Wednesday evening and had a great time. This is definitely the place to go if you are looking for some "local color." Plus, the music is fantastic and the drinks are cheap--particularly at happy hour!
We had such a good time that we went back the following week--this time on a Friday (5/13/11). What a blast! This time we got to talking with the local regulars. What a fun group of characters. A couple of hours into the evening and we were all having some animated discussions, followed by singing around the bar, followed by dancing--they've got a killer jukebox with everything from Bobby Darin to Bob Dylan to the Bee Gees to ABBA to Springsteen and beyond.
Unfortunately, around 9:30pm the hipsters from Second Street started drifting in. Within half an hour they had taken over and the entire feel of the place changed. Its quirky charm was gone. The regular locals quickly left. My friend headed home. And the last remaining regular and I headed off for another spot.
But hey, that's The Pep. It is what it is. If you want to hang out with the usual Second Street masses, then go after 10pm on weekends.
My friend and I will definitely be going back here--we just prefer the early evening crowd.
I haven't tried the food, so I can't comment on it.
Pep grill had me screaming "I love Harrisburg" by the end of the night. Â Seriously, this is an amazing bar. Â It's the type of place that just won't change or try to be anything that it's not. Â It's the Pep. Â It know's its place in the world and it's happy there. Â I'm not coming here for the food, but more likely coming in for a shot and a beer and for that there aren't many better places around.
Review Source:i hold a special place in my heart for the pep. Â as far as dive's go, it's the best.
cheap drinks, good jukebox, smoking allowed (sorry non-smokers!), semi-crabby bartenders, and crazy old-timers as regulars. Â weekend crowd is eclectic (hipsters, college kids, homeless war vets, the mayor!?!) and the place can get a little packed on fridays and saturdays, Â but if you like people watching or say, have a penchant for making fun of people--like drunk ass frat boys slamming flaming dr. peppers--this place is definitely for you. Â and if you ARE one of those drunk ass frat boy slamming flaming dr. peppers....take that sh*t over to molly brannigan's!
Pep Grill / Spero's Gyro's is a nice place to grab a bite to eat. while donating blood at the central pennsylvania blood bank I stopped in for a bite. Ordered the Dutchman Gyro (w/ honey mustard sauce) w/ fries for 6.99, it was pretty dead, there were 3 other patrons along with the bartender. This was one of my first downtown dining experiences way back in the day.
Review Source:This place defines dive bar. You can tell it's been around longer than Mayor Reed's been in office, and that's saying a lot. Actually the Mayor has been known to hang out here rather regularly. Nothing special on the beer selection, the owner makes the usual pub grub as well as some greek stuff like gyros.
Review Source:
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