Bar Black photo
Audio By Carbonatix
What’s better than one beloved Miami dive coming back from the dead? How about two?
That’s what’s happening starting Friday night when a new watering hole will operate for a limited amount of time under the Wynwood property formerly known as Gramps located at 176 NW 24th St. The pop-up will be managed by Pres Rodriguez and Raul Sanchez, who once upon a time operated a no-name hipster dive from 2010 to 2011 that was known as Bar or Bar Black and featured many local bands in its small stage, including Jacuzzi Boys and world known producers such as Busy P and Major Lazer. What will this new Frankenstein-ing of two beloved spots be called? As of now, it’s simply Bar at Gramps.
“We’re bringing back the same vibe and aesthetics we had at Bar,” Rodriguez told New Times on a conference call with his business partner Raul Sanchez. “No fancy cocktails. Nothing on tap. We’re stripping it down to a dive bar that features art by local artists and is open Thursday through Saturday night.” The venue will also feature music from locals and out-towners.
Bar Black photo
How Long Will Bar at Gramps be Open?
A lot is still in flux. Bar at Gramps will definitely be open for a month, though it might be two months or even longer if it takes off. They know that on Friday, opening night, they’ll open at 7 p.m. and close at 3 a.m., but they might also eventually open for an earlier evening happy hour.
Bar Black photo. Screenshot via Yelp.
Bar at Gramps will initially use only the front bar and patio space. They’re hopeful to also eventually use the back theater known as Shirley’s which is now being used as an unofficial storage unit.
Not Quite Gramps 2.0
Rodriguez warns that it’s going to look different than the Gramps you remember. “They removed the tables with all the collages on them and the video games are all gone. We’ll have it as we did at the bar, where our interior seating was picnic benches. We’ll also bring in a pool table,” Sanchez said.
It seems like a lot of work to furnish a space that might only be open for a month. Rodriguez says that’s nothing. When they ran Bar their whole schtick was to completely redecorate the space every two months. “We’d close down at 5 am and just turn it into a completely different space. People would come back a few days later and ask if it was a different bar.”
Bar Black photo
Throwback Tunes Set the Vibe
The music playing will take people back to the Bar glory years of 2010. “We were known for an eclectic mix of people playing hip-hop, electro, and indie rock. Maybe we’ll bring back dubstep like we had in 2010. We’ll have different people with different ideas play different music. though we definitely want an indie sleaze night,” Rodriguez said.
In other taking-it-back-to-2010 vibes, Bar at Gramps doesn’t have a website or Instagram account, but Sanchez said if you want to keep updated, they’ll send out info on the former Gramps Instagram account @Grampswynwood.
