Submitted by Mose Richards
MANAYUNK — 105 Grape Street will no longer be dark on New Year’s Eve, 2025; the historic bi-level venue is reopening under new management, with old ways.
The next iteration of the once-renowned Grape Street Pub will go by “The Grape”- paying homage to the longstanding history and colloquial name to Manayunk’s lone music venue.
The Grand Opening of The Grape will be Wednesday, December 31st, 2025, with music starting at 8 p.m with appearances by lineup locals Modern Munk, KOSER, The Funky T, and a closing DJ party with Subsellar.
The Grape will feature three nights of live music, a comedy night, and an open mic night. (Photo courtesy of The Grape)
The owners, Alec Mortarulo, Bobby Brockson, and Mose Richards, three ex-employees who worked at the late Grape Room under Brian “Scooter” Hassinger until it closed abruptly on March 16, 2024, are putting concerted effort into not changing the atmosphere of the dive bar, reusing the existing materials and keepsakes in the building to create something new out of something borrowed.
Returning to their weekly lineup of entertainment will be the longstanding Comedy Open Mic on Tuesday nights, with rotating hosts Sylis P, Scott Bigos, Jesse Draham, Fallon Kider, and George Mills.
The Grape will continue to be a friendly watering hole while attracting cutting edge musical and comedy entertainment. (Photo courtesy of The Grape)
Furthermore, Open Jams will return to the Grape on Wednesday nights, hosted by returnees Ryan Dougherty and Ethan Cain.
A new feature of this iteration of the Grape will be three nights of live music shows, from Thursday through Saturday, with each week ending with a Sunday night open mic, hosted by a rotation of locals Ethan Cain, Joe Lapree, Justin Kerecz, and one of the owners themselves, Mose of Manayunk.
The Grape will be closed on Mondays.
The former Grape Street Pub will go by its new moniker ‘The Grape’ but continue its laid back charm. (Photo courtesy of The Grape)
The Grape, formerly known as The Grape Room, Grape Street, and originally the Grape Street Pub, has been a Manayunk household name since the early 1990’s.
The unique pentagon-shaped stage has hosted the likes of Jeff Buckley (1994), DJ Jazzy Jeff (2001), and The Lumineers (2011) at the Grape Street location, but is more commonly recognized for being the first stage where local bands play a gig.
More information on The Grape can be found on their Instagram page @thegrapephl and website www.thegrapephl.com