Grace Tavern

Grace Tavern could easily be the best local pub in the area; it has almost all, of the ingredients. The location was already great, and backing up to Catherine triangle just makes it even better. The burgers and fries warrant top 5 area lists and they consistently get the temperature right.
Grace regularly rotates a great list of beers and they do their due diligence serving them correctly. Prices are fair by area standards and there is a distinct lack of adjective overuse on the menu. Finally the place itself has a great, intimate neighborhood feel. The music is usually good and it feels like a friendly local spot. It almost is.
There is unfortunately one fatal flaw… the service. At least half of the time I find myself wondering why the staff is being rude to me. When I mention Grace to friends, I get the same reaction — good place, rude staff. It’s not all of them, but it’s happened too often to overlook. A few terminations and some retraining would make this a must visit weekly spot.

To me, an uneducated but frequent beer drinker, it seemed a bit beer snobby.
The list was extensive, as expected, but the server wasn’t very helpful or attentive. There was a certain sense of pretentiousness in the vibe, which irked me.
The food we ordered was very good. But in the end, it felt overly snooty, which I believe should never be the case at a ‘tavern’.

Very sad. A great pub but with such an attitude you would think they were actually cool: (could be so much more.

The burgers and beer were the best part of the night. Wait no. The blackened green beans were the best part!!! Spicy and cooked to perfection — I will have to steal this recipe to make at home! Next time we’re in Philadelphia we will be back!

Such bad service!!! The service is not just bad, everyone who works there is down right mean.

Good beers and food but the service is terrible. After waiting an hour for our food they messed up my order. Not worth the wait for the food. Drink a beer and leave.

Just stopped for lunch the woman bartender extremely rude … not busy two men at the bar restaurant empty … three of us my husband myself and my daughter who is visiting from Florida we were taking her out to lunch… we felt as though we were bothering her and we were not welcome so we left. Now we are on the road and will give our business to a different establishment one that welcomes new faces who are looking to spend money !!! So we ended up at the American Sardine Bar where the bartender was welcoming… helpful with beer suggestion… the food was wonderful… we will certainly return to the AMERICAN SARDINE! ONLY RETURNING TO GRACE TAVERN IF THE RUDE BARTENDER IS NOT THERE… she told us been there for 11 years … not sure why !

this is what I’m talking about. this is the ‘America’ you see on fckn Dawson’s creek lol just aged myself but seriously. don’t call this a dive bar. it’s just a straight up, down and … clean bar with great craft beer, college and local folk and a soundtrack worthy of a remake of Greece. I’m actually sipping on a beer here while I write this. listening to conversations about the future, bartender and patrons on the same level and good ‘ol Pennsylvania. I almost want to ask for a Heineken or corona for the fun of it. seriously think the music would stop and id be kindly asked to leave.
it’s that cool.
In gonna have to try this place out on my next trip to the Upenn area. 5 stars for being as ‘real’ as it gets. Not a dive, not a hipster… just a bar on the intersection where everybody’s welcome and the tap is cold.

FYI– Same owners as Monks on 17^th and Pine!
Have to go here for their sausage sandwiches and fries. This place’s ambiance is unique. When the weathers nice make sure to grab a table outside (only 3 available)
Service is ok nothing extraordinary, but the food and beer choices make up for it! Will be back soon.

I love Grace Tavern for it’s dark coziness, neighborhood-​watering-​hole-​feel, and their food and drinks. I’m a regular burger-​consumer here b/​c their burgers rock, but also (mostly) b/​c I’m a die-​hard fry fanatic and their fries are so, so good. I’m not huge into beer, but they always have a great cider selection and Lindeman’ Framboise year-​round. If you sit anywhere but the bar, service is definitely touch-​and-​go. I get that they’re trying to maximize money by keeping the staff to a minimum (less staff + more tables = more tips) and I can’t say I blame them, but frequently details are overlooked (I always ask for water, but rarely get it on the first ask) b/​c the staff is stretched thin. My recommendation is to sit at the bar when you can and when you can’t, just sit back and relax. No need to sweat the small stuff, especially when those fries are involved.

Great Gastro-​Pub. Excellent Veggie Burgers (and meat burgers I hear). Good beer selection.

A typical neighborhood dive bar. No ambiance and slow service. But I must admit they do make a great burger. My bacon cheeseburger was a perfectly cooked to order burger with just the right amount of bacon and melted cheddar. A burger right up there with some of the best in the city. Worth stopping in for a burger and a drink if you happen to be in the neighborhood, but no need to go out of your way to go here.

The waitress that we had was very rude and was not kind or helpful at all. It was a shame because the food here is amazing and reasonably priced! Please get some new servers!

Four and our dog for dinner. I was disappointed they did not have frozen drinks, but was more than satisfied with their improvised Singapore Sling. The blackened green beans appetizer were crisp and deliciously spicy. The burgers were juicy and tasty. The lady bartender server was very friendly. Perfect way to end a hot summer day.

Bad service. Just bad bad service! There’s just one bartender during peak hours to serve people at the bar, the tables and outside! And he’s so slow, is rude, and doesn’t give you your drink until you walk up to the bar and stare him in the face.
They have a list of beautiful beers on tap, but its not worth the servers attitude. Not going there again. The 2 stars are only for the quality and range of the beers.

I love this place. The food is great, there is usually a great beer selection (always, if you like hoppy beers, but they usually have a few other good options on tap). The people are also very friendly. We’ve probably been here 50 times, and had orders screwed up 2 – 3 times, and they always make it right if you let them know (if it’s just another burger that looks good, I don’t waste their time).
A lot of people seem to object to the ID policy, but beer is their business, and they can’t afford to lose their license. I’ve also seen kids (that’s what they looked and acted like) leave in a huff, because there were three of them, and they wanted to sit at a table for four, even though there was an open table for three (within half an hour, every table was full anyway — not sure why three scrawny guys felt they needed to impose on the customers coming a few minutes later than them, but the waitress said they get hassled by kids like that all the time).
I like the atmosphere for dinner, inside or out. I never really hang out at bars (unless I’m waiting for a table), but it seems pretty cool for that too.
I’ve almost never had to wait for dinner, going a bit early for dinner, but if you have more than 2 people and it’s prime eating time, be ready for the possibility of a wait. The chicken fingers are a great snack, and I love the fries. The burgers are fantastic. Probably not the best place if you’re in a rush, though maybe it speeds up when the tables fill up.

Grace is a solid choice if you are not in the mood to cook or if you want to be bad for a meal. Casual place where locals go type of feel. And you can order take out! That being said, take out can be hit or miss depending on how busy they are. Beer selection is small but good with Chimay and allagash available. I flop between the grace burger and the grilled chicken sandwich (when I want to lie to myself that eating chicken isn’t as bad as the burger!). The blackened green beans are a must! The seasoning will get stuck on your teeth but it is so worth it. This reheats pretty well on a stove top too.

Food — solid 4 stars
Service — 0 – 1 star
I’m always torn when my friends want to hit up Grace Tavern. On the one hand, the food is delicious. The burgers are good, cooked right, with tasty toppings. The blackened green beans are also unique with a little kick and are worth a stop in of themselves. I’ve also tried the oyster po’boy which decent and pretty good outside of the bayou.
However, as you can probably guess, I just can’t deal with the service sometimes. After a long day at work, the last thing you want to put up with is condescension and attitude for the waitstaff, and it just gets to be tiring. Yup, there’s the ID Nazi, but in the end, that kind of makes sense because you do want a Tavern that’s following the rules. But you don’t want people who are always having a bad day being short with questions and drink refills. It just leaves a sour taste, and hopefully, Grace fixes this soon.
Get it, get out, enjoy the food.

Grace Tavern has been regarded as one of the best bars in Philadelphia for years, and deservedly so. I’ve visited several times over the past 6 years, and always been impressed.
The beer list is on the small side, but makes up for that by being well thought out and eclectic. The small, dark bar area is cozy and intimate. Standard pub fare here, which is well done. The blackened green beans are a particular stand out.
Above all, the prices here are excellent when compared with bars of this caliber. High marks on all fronts.

Overall — just ok. Went here the other nite and service was a little off. Didn’t get the most warm and welcoming feeling from
the staff. Had 2 different sausage sandwiches — Italian & spinach/​feta ! They were tasty and the fries and green beans are good too. Not a bad experience. But I probably wouldn’t rush back there for anything.