The drinks are good as well as the ambience. However, the owner was unprofessional and unethical .We came as a group of 5 and spent $10 each for entry, $170 on the bill and gave a $15 tip. The owner came up to us, sat herself on our table and said “in our culture we usually give at least a 20% tip”. While we understood her concern, we asked what a proper tip amount would be and she mentioned at least $35 to $40. We said that we are not affording to tip such a large amount in addition to our entry fee+ bill and the owner went on to say that since we spent $170 on drinks, giving a hefty tip should be within our budget.Forcing a group of customers (who are young working professionals) to give a heavier tip, telling us to leave while we were trying to finish our drink because we did not tip enough, judging what we spent and asking us to conform to the tipping culture was extremely unprofessional and rude. It’s a sad plight to have the owner come up to youngsters and ask them to tip more instead of paying her employees a sufficient wage.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Paul E.
Pretty good spot. Instead of being a wide open bar like most places it is made up of a couple different rooms. The bar is open to the public if you are willing to pay a cover or if you buy a yearly membership. I believe it was $5 cover or $25 membership. The beer selection is both surprisingly both good and affordable.
Michaela C.
Cute ambiance for brown students and their friends. Small speakeasy you need your Brown Grad Student ID to get in for free and with it you can bring I believe 6 friends for free.
Simone D.
Super nice staff! They always make great conversation and the vibes are never bad at the GCB!
Constance Girard
More than a Bar, an
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vicki C.
Great "speak easy" atmosphere as there are no signs outside. Super chill ~ we both loved the vibe + Bill the bartender. Had a cheese board, 2 warsteiner hefeweizens & a green tea shot. Great art on the walls, dark ambiance, what's NOT to love!
Jay
Don't come here. You'll ruin it for the rest of us. ?
Lucan Mameri
I went for the first time (Friday night), and the blonde girl at the entrance (asking for ID) was very rude. The people who were with me there made the same comment about her.
Joy Z.
I went there the night of my 21st birthday with some friends. The bouncer was quite nice and let me in for free since it was my birthday. Since it was my first time legally in a bar in the US, I went up to the bartender and asked for a drink. The bartender ignored me and later yelled at me "you don't talk to me, I come to you!". I then waited for a long time before getting my drink. I also apologized profusely to the bartender and tipped him 50% since I didn't know what the etiquette was in GCB and thought I did something very wrong. Now I've been to many bars and clubs and I realized the bartender was just extremely rude, aggressive, and miserable.
Best bar in town! Unfortunately it is not open to the public, but if you know a student from brown, you should try to get in. Great prices, great vibes, and awesome early 2000s playlist!
Yuki I.
Came back to Brown for my 5th year reunion, and what better way to re-experience college life than to visit the good ole GCB! We visited around 8pm on a Saturday, and there was a line of about 15 people in the stairwell. We waited about 20 minutes to get in, with $5 entry fee per person. And it was well worth it all because - honestly, you just gotta experience it! It is a typical dive bar with affordable drinks, but it's not shitty drinks either! We got a green tea shot to get our night started - Jameson whiskey, peach schnapps, sour mix, sprite. Very refreshing and goes down pretty easily, can't even taste the alcohol but it's definitely there! Such a chill place to wind down and catch up with buddies! Maybe play a game of pool while you're at it!
Mike Lefebvre
5 bucks for non member/brown students. Amazing speakeasy atmosphere
John G.
Much nicer place than I expected, though it gets crowded on weekends. $5 cover for non-members or $35 to join for the year. Fair prices. Great selection of beers and surprisingly well-rounded assortment of liquors with knowledgeable bartenders and a casual atmosphere. Clearly frequented by the college students which makes the atmosphere more communal and laid-back.
Santiago Hermo
So nice to see my picture and people not wearing masks..
The drinks are good as well as the ambience. However, the owner was unprofessional and unethical .We came as a group of 5 and spent $10 each for entry, $170 on the bill and gave a $15 tip. The owner came up to us, sat herself on our table and said “in our culture we usually give at least a 20% tip”. While we understood her concern, we asked what a proper tip amount would be and she mentioned at least $35 to $40. We said that we are not affording to tip such a large amount in addition to our entry fee+ bill and the owner went on to say that since we spent $170 on drinks, giving a hefty tip should be within our budget.Forcing a group of customers (who are young working professionals) to give a heavier tip, telling us to leave while we were trying to finish our drink because we did not tip enough, judging what we spent and asking us to conform to the tipping culture was extremely unprofessional and rude. It’s a sad plight to have the owner come up to youngsters and ask them to tip more instead of paying her employees a sufficient wage.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Pretty good spot. Instead of being a wide open bar like most places it is made up of a couple different rooms. The bar is open to the public if you are willing to pay a cover or if you buy a yearly membership. I believe it was $5 cover or $25 membership. The beer selection is both surprisingly both good and affordable.
Cute ambiance for brown students and their friends. Small speakeasy you need your Brown Grad Student ID to get in for free and with it you can bring I believe 6 friends for free.
Super nice staff! They always make great conversation and the vibes are never bad at the GCB!
More than a Bar, an
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great "speak easy" atmosphere as there are no signs outside. Super chill ~ we both loved the vibe + Bill the bartender. Had a cheese board, 2 warsteiner hefeweizens & a green tea shot. Great art on the walls, dark ambiance, what's NOT to love!
Don't come here. You'll ruin it for the rest of us. ?
I went for the first time (Friday night), and the blonde girl at the entrance (asking for ID) was very rude. The people who were with me there made the same comment about her.
I went there the night of my 21st birthday with some friends. The bouncer was quite nice and let me in for free since it was my birthday. Since it was my first time legally in a bar in the US, I went up to the bartender and asked for a drink. The bartender ignored me and later yelled at me "you don't talk to me, I come to you!". I then waited for a long time before getting my drink. I also apologized profusely to the bartender and tipped him 50% since I didn't know what the etiquette was in GCB and thought I did something very wrong. Now I've been to many bars and clubs and I realized the bartender was just extremely rude, aggressive, and miserable.
Cozy and reasonable!
Restaurantji Recommends
Best bar in town! Unfortunately it is not open to the public, but if you know a student from brown, you should try to get in. Great prices, great vibes, and awesome early 2000s playlist!
Came back to Brown for my 5th year reunion, and what better way to re-experience college life than to visit the good ole GCB! We visited around 8pm on a Saturday, and there was a line of about 15 people in the stairwell. We waited about 20 minutes to get in, with $5 entry fee per person. And it was well worth it all because - honestly, you just gotta experience it! It is a typical dive bar with affordable drinks, but it's not shitty drinks either! We got a green tea shot to get our night started - Jameson whiskey, peach schnapps, sour mix, sprite. Very refreshing and goes down pretty easily, can't even taste the alcohol but it's definitely there! Such a chill place to wind down and catch up with buddies! Maybe play a game of pool while you're at it!
5 bucks for non member/brown students. Amazing speakeasy atmosphere
Much nicer place than I expected, though it gets crowded on weekends. $5 cover for non-members or $35 to join for the year. Fair prices. Great selection of beers and surprisingly well-rounded assortment of liquors with knowledgeable bartenders and a casual atmosphere. Clearly frequented by the college students which makes the atmosphere more communal and laid-back.
So nice to see my picture and people not wearing masks..