C. Grace Cocktail Bar charms its customers with twinkling lights and a cozy location before they even pass through its ornate front door, but the real magic begins when they cross the threshold. With live jazz bands and a 1920s speakeasy ambiance, customers at C. Grace will feel as though they have been transported back in time.
This has been the bar’s mission since its opening in 2011. Customers walk through the door and past a plush seating area with couches and armchairs to reach the bar. Low lighting and lively music has encompassed them, and they turn their heads in awe to take in the bar’s warm decorations and nostalgic vibe. These elements, combined with friendly staff and stiff drinks, work together to bring the patrons back to the roaring twenties.
Many of these patrons range in age from their mid-twenties to late thirties, but it is not unusual for college students to pass through as well. Perhaps it is the mature atmosphere of the venue or the sophisticated feeling of ordering a “Hemingway’s Daiquiri,” but younger patrons are attracted by this cocktail bar.
Sophie Bean, a third-year studying political science, is one example. Bean celebrated her 21st birthday at C. Grace back in November.
“What I experienced there was a magical evening that took me back to a Roaring ‘20s style speakeasy with delicious drinks and jamming music,” Bean said. “I will definitely be back.”
The bar’s hours run from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. for most of the week, but most patrons seem to start rolling in after 9 p.m. Many of these appear to be couples because blaring trumpets in the front room force conversation to be shared only between two people that are leaning toward each other. This intimacy makes C. Grace a great place to go for a date.
This is not to say that groups of friends do not come into the bar, though, because they do. However, they often must settle into the bar’s back room where it is quieter and more difficult to hear the jazz bands play. Although loud and rough on easy conversation, this really is one of the venue’s biggest draws.
“I really enjoy the drinks and jazz music,” said Carmen Davis, a third-year studying textile and chemical engineering. “C. Grace has a great atmosphere and vibe.”
The bartenders are responsible for a lot of this great vibe. They are quick to throw out suggestions to younger patrons that are perhaps inexperienced at ordering cocktails, and they are highly adaptable to special requests. Their cocktails are small but strong, and they come with a friendly smile.
The musicians that further contribute to the bar’s atmosphere are talented and lively, often eliciting enthusiastic applause from the audience and emphasizing the overall sensation of time-traveling to a grander decade. Tucked back as they are on a stage framed by red velvet curtains, their location and vigor are almost reminiscent of scenes from “La La Land.”
By the time patrons walk out of C. Grace, their heads might feel a bit fuzzy and their ears might be ringing. This is perhaps, though, the mark of a truly enjoyable experience. What better way is there to end a night where great drinks and great music were the main goal?
For those that want to experience C. Grace’s Glenwood Avenue location for themselves, the bar’s website has details including an entertainment schedule and cocktail menu.
Located off of Glenwood Avenue, C. Grace is a cocktail bar which sets itself apart from other bars by hosting live jazz performances.
