The Grand Social

9/12/2015

Great place for a Saturday hang out!

There is a craft market here every Saturday where vendors sell felt hats, jewelry, bags, accessories, etc. Why not booze while you shop?

Full bar and full of space! The main space is HUGE, and if you take he long corridor and walk up the stairs, there you will find another huge space for the smoking area. Fear not, it's closed in and has heaters, it's great for groups balancing the smokers and non smokers!

Along the same corridor you can see some cool wall art that looks handmade!

I think this place is for the chill at heart - no gimmick, just a low key place to get a drink on a Saturday afternoon....but at night, the place is packed and has the best music! If you're looking for a place north of the river that's still close enough to city centre, this is it!

#dublinshopslocal

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  So good! #dublinshopslocal

  So good! #dublinshopslocal

11/4/2017

I am a frequent visitor in the good 'ol town of Dublin, and the Grand Social was a new stop for me this trip. It definitely has a cool, "divey" feel, which I absolutely love. It was pretty quiet the night we were there, but it was a weeknight so I am sure it fills up quickly on the weekends.

The staff was great. We had a table near the front but needed to go to the bar to order any drinks/drop off our empties because there was just one guy behind the bar helping everyone. The drinks were generously poured and we loved being able to get pitchers (the first place I had found in awhile that allowed it).

Can't wait to come back on a weekend.

17/3/2015

• 5 check-ins

I find this place a gem in the city. There is an outside area with a few tables and chairs, ideal for some chat in sunny days while overlooking the old Ha'penny Bridge, a real landmark of Dublin. Inside, the place is informal and rocky with great paintings and grafitti on the walls. When going clubbing at night time, bouncers are open and not rude at all, welcoming people.
In the downstairs section, they either have a dj or some themed nights like a Brazilian one once a week for example.
The upstairs section is my favorite as it is where the gigs happen and the big dj's play. Usually the prices vary between 5 and 10euro so it is good but the best thing is that some nights the events are free and you might be positively surprised by the quality of the music. Last week I saw a russian dj that was absolutely awesome and no one could stop dancing til 3am. Class!

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  area downstairs

  area downstairs
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  painted walls

  painted walls
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  painted walls

  painted walls

22/4/2016

I'm a bad friend and just missed my friends gig....whoops...I'll get her the next time. What I found strange about this venue was there is very little signage to advertise the acts that are on and as we walked through to the venue there was a table quiz going on. Random mix of punters!

As I hung around after the gig, the place emptied very quickly and there was a strange vibe but it was generally chilled.

I'd like to try go here again when there's more of a buzz.

19/9/2014

• 2 check-ins

I love this place, especially as a late night venue! I was first here on a Goulash Disko night, and had an absolutely brilliant time, so look out for these and other events. Even on a regular Friday night it doesn't disappoint.

The crowd is easy going, not too hipster, not too drunk, just perfectly nice and cheerful. The doormen are pretty ok, never causing a fuss or barring people randomly.
That being said, on the Ballroom upstairs you do cross paths with one or too people a bit high, feeling the love and trying to dance with you/your hair (maybe it's my hair or my stature, but this has happened more than once), but nothing too weird or abusing. Also, all the guys trying to pull a girl in Dublin seem to be parked on their smoking area upstairs, so ladies/gents go prepared to let them down gently...

The place is quite big, but even when it's packed you'll probably be able to find a seat/table if you want to. Surprisingly, for a place relatively big, there's never a long queue to the toilets and they're usually in a ok condition. There's also a cloakroom upstairs, right before the smoking area.

During the day it's a good spot to hang out and have a drink, especially if it's a sunny day as they have a couple of tables outside as well as the beer garden. If it's a Saturday, check out their flea market!

The only downside? It closes around 3am like everywhere else, ending the party tooooo early :(

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  Cool vending machine: need some strings for your banjo? Or maybe just some earphones? Look no more!

  Cool vending machine: need some strings for your banjo? Or maybe just some earphones? Look no more!

11/11/2015

• 1 check-in

Love this place. It can feel like a bit of a labyrinth at times, but that's part of the charm. It's home to one of my favourite live venues and has a great smoking area too.

As with most pubs in Dublin these days, it's involved in a Cold War with various breweries and the drink line-up is bit of a hodge-podge as a result. The staff are well-versed at pointing out what the different beers are and making substitutions if they don't have what you're looking for on tap.

10/11/2014

• 5 check-ins

Ah, the Grand Social. People seem to either love it or hate it. I love it. And this is my review. Whether you want to browse some vintage gear and handmade jewellery on a Saturday, have a giggle at the join in Jazz night on a Monday or dance the night away to old and new indie tunes on a Saturday, the Grand Social has it all. Live music, BBQs, a huge smoking area and Cosmos that make you blind if you have too many- what more does a girl need? Cleaner toilets maybe. Yes, but that's it.

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  flea market every Saturday 12-6pm

  flea market every Saturday 12-6pm

8/11/2015

• 1 check-in

Yet another overpriced bar in Dublin. There is nothing special about it apart from their parties.

25/4/2015

Every Saturday from 12 to 18 the Grand Social has a vintage market and beer garden.
Art, design, vintage and drinks make this a great plan. You can even find a music dispenser machine! How cool is that?
The price range goes from moderate to expensive but you guarantee yourself some unique pieces and great day out.

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• See all photos from Elita C. for The Grand Social

14/5/2014

• 1 check-in
• ROTD 25/7/2014

I was there last night for the swing dance beginners class and i was excellent fun.  It was an event organised by Emily with a lot of other beginners and there was no need to have a partner as we got to dance with everyone there in rotation which helped put us all at our ease.
Downstairs is very dark and there were not a lot of patrons but i suppose as it was a Tuesday evening maybe that was why it was not so busy,

6/1/2015

• 2 check-ins

I like the grand social for a number of reasons. Firstly the beer garden is great, I'm not a smoker but in the summer a gig in this place turns very social, it's very cool. Secondly I think the décor is quite cool. They have an awesome vending machine for the musicians of this world and there's an extremely cool flea market on Saturdays.

Things I don't like about this place, it can be a little dirty (or I suppose it used to be, the ladies bathrooms in the venue have been done up so hopefully that means cleaner loos all round), the venue is quite cramped, they call it a 300 people venue, not if you want to dance... or go to the bar! Very small & very crowded. Also can get quiet hot as it's a roof room with just a very small air-vent. I do think the bar is over priced too. Managed to spend about €50 on 5 drinks the other night.

26/5/2015

• 3 check-ins

Free pub quiz on Thursdays!

I love a good pub quiz... This is nice and fun. Winning one of the sessions will gain you entry into the final later in the summer.

The questions are fun and challenging, and there's spot prizes and banter... goes down really well with a few pints!

24/10/2014

• 2 check-ins

• Listed in Markets & Vintage

Love it here ! Everything about it is great ! Nice friendly crowd .. always free in except for when there are bands playing ... Saturday night the best .. great for a dance .. and great venue for gigs. .. great smoking area...
Saturday day they have a flea market on also !! great vintage and handmade picks!!!!...... I also come here one Sunday and they had a Brazilian themed dance night!! they gave lessons and all !!! ... bit of a dive bar

31/8/2015

This place is like 5 venues in 1

So my review isn't actually a 5 star rating, it's five 1 star ratings

1. There's the front bit which is inexplicably an old man pub.

2. There's the side venue bit that sometimes has comedy, or at least used to. It's probably the worst dancefloor in Dublin and the DJ's always ALWAYS refuse to play Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper.

3. Then there's like the staircase area bit that stinks and there's people wearing sunglasses and yell profanities at you even though they don't know you.

4. There's the upstairs venue that's kind of like a sports hall. The good thing about here is that they have bands sometimes and organize poorly attended charity nights.

5. The outside bit that it's really easy to have a bad time in. You realize you've spent most of your night there you're money is pretty much all gone from the €6.50 pints of Heinieken and then you're all of a sudden in a taxi home thinking "Jesus that night sucked."

28/7/2015

Great club but a bit pricey, different rooms for different music.
Found the bouncers very rude the last time I was there, I'd lost my ID there the time I was there before and they wouldn't help me at all.

27/4/2016

Love this venue. I went to see techno dj and I will defo be back  Its a square, nicely laid out but mind the stairs

3/2/2015

Recommended purely on the basis of 'Groovement Soul' - Dublin's best funk & soul night that takes place in the Loft of The Grand Social on the last Saturday of every month. Been going to this residency in the GS for a few years now, and it never fails to deliver a whopper night. The crowd are bang-on - not too young, drunk or mashed -  just a relaxed bunch of fellow psychedelic soul adventurers getting our groove on to the best beats around.

As for The Grand Social itself, it's one of the better multi-purpose venues in Dublin. Other than 'Groovement Soul', they also put on a lot of indie, mod and house nights (in the latter category, the "Nightflight" lads are always worth checking out). The pints can be a bit pricey (€6.30 for O'Hara's, €6.50 for a Budvar), although they do some promotions on pitchers and bottles. Their outdoor /smoking area is terrific, with the kind of laidback vibe that even a non-smoker could easily enjoy the whole night in ... if the tunes inside weren't so consistently good.

30/4/2015

• 1 check-in

• Listed in afternoons, Late afternoons, pre-dinner and after dinners places

very nice place, we had some guiness, but there were also some other beers, red wine and I ate also a very tasty pizza.
the place is very big and on fri and sats close at 2.30 am. People here are very friendly, very casual dress code and easy going place.
may be a bit noisy but still very Irish :)

9/11/2015

• 1 check-in

There are some places in Dublin that are a must go and This is one of it. Great to drink a pint, two or as much as you want because the music and the people there are really cool. There is food as pizza or sandwiches, and a really nice terrace where they made special parties.

15/11/2014

• 2 check-ins

This place is interesting. There's a lot of going on. From latino dances to serious DJs coming from abroad.

What I don't like about here is the place itself. The interior. Especially upstairs. If it's a rainy day, the roof is leaking.

Staff is really friendly. Bouncers are great fellows. They are nice and helpful.

I'd say price for the pint is a bit too high.

I never would come here, only when someone good is performing.