Grady's Tavern - A Wonderful Surprise

Most people in life look for some type of happy place that allows them to relax. This can be almost anything from your more usual......biking, hiking, fishing or skiing....to your little extreme activities.....like paintball, sky diving, roller coaster riders. To each their own......I look at all these activities as a potential true passions or just a place they like to visit to take a break from life.

One of my true passions is the search for the Perfect Pub/Bar/Tavern.


What is the Perferct Pub?


My definition is........ Good Food, Great Fresh Selectiong of Beers, Excellent Service and a Place of Character which includes the Bartender, Wait Staff and other Patrons. An Establishment that understands the importants of their clients having access to most sporting events and booking a good musical act that can attract some new visitors. An establishment that wants you to return and does what they can to earn your business and make you happy.

It seems like this list is pretty standard but you will be amazed how many places struggle with the above list. If your a Pub Crawler like myself....you probably understand what I mean. There are some other local bars that have very generous bar space but you need to flag down the bartender in order to get another round, the food is on the borderline of even being called food and unless you go with the more common brand names of beer you may be venturing into Skunkville. Sad : (

So let me introduce you to Grady's Tavern. I've attached their web site if you would like more information and their photo gallery. I would first like to describe Grady's Tavern as "Old School" . Let me give you the 25 cent tour...... you walk thru the main door and you see a small bar in the center of the floor with 8/9 bar chairs on the rights side and about 3/4 on the other side of the bar . There are 3/4 tables on both sides of the bar, 2 video games, 2 dart boards, a modern day juke box mounted on the wall, 4 small TVs mount in the corners and 2 larger TVs located on both sides of the bar. Looking around the bar you clearly see the decor on the walls fits the name of the bar perfectly plus a strong support for the Red Sox and Patriots.



What you learn in less than 5 minutes......

Grady = Irish

Red Sox/Patriot Fan = Boston Sports Fan



OK....nothing is really impressive so far.....your drinking in a small Irish Tavern you get a sense the owner is Boston Sports fans.....



Let me start with what is best about this tavern.....and it starts with the owner Peter Grady. Peter isn't one of these owner types that has a sense of self importance and hangs out at his place watching. Peter is the help!!!! A majority of the nights Peter is the Chef and puts together some of the best pub food dishes. So what is his secret......he cares ....and everything is hand made from scratch!!!! Deep down inside he wants his patrons to enjoy their meal.....and works to put together generous portions and quality food. Don't just order from the menu......the daily specials are fabulous. Peter doesn't live in the Kitchen unseen....he is normally working closely with the bartender to deliver the food and will help refill your beer. Depending on how busy things are he trys to say hello to familar faces, strikes up conversations and tells stories about anything or everything. One of the biggest surpises is he may even buy a round of beers or introduce you to what a beer shooter is. If you don't know what a beer shooter is then you will just have to stop down and find out. They have a fresh selection of bottled and draft beer. Don't overlook what's on draft.....you may find something new and interesting.



All the bartenders do a great job behind the bar and each of them have character. Character is a hard thing to describe but they are very much really people.....not fake. One thing that you will learn quickly is some of the bartenders are Grady's kids. Sitting from my bar stool and listen to the conversations......everyone functions like a family....even non family members. Its rare NOT to see one of the other bartenders stop down for a beer before heading out to meet up with friends. I find it comforting to see the off shift employees indulging in food and beer when they could be somewhere else.


On weekend nights you can catch some great musical acts.....most of the music is Rock 'n Roll or Blues. Since I'm a Salesman I love the product they offer to the public....the whole thing....and I look forward to my next meal and beer at Grady's Tavern.

Please take some time to stop down and visit this special place.



http://www.grady-tavern-manchester-ct.com




Cheers!!!!



I also wanted to give a shout out to LauRIE, Melissa, Chuck and Thomas who were great company at the bar and supported the idea of me creating this blog.