There was a touch of grey among the clouds when we ducked into The Grateful Fed from the quiet side street on which the bar resides in South Baltimore. Although it looked like rain, the drops never materialized, and when we left, the sky was filled with sunshine.
Were we daydreaming? Hard to say, especially after a fun-filled evening that featured stiff drinks and solid food set to a non-stop soundtrack. Owners Sam Sunderland and John Leonard love improvisational rock, and in particular, the guitar licks and poetic lyrics of the Grateful Dead.
Sunderland, 32, spent lots of time on the road following Dead & Company, the band’s most current iteration. When they opened this small, corner rowhome bar with a punny name in August 2024, they wanted to create a space where people could come for conversation, a cosmic escape, and good cocktails.
“I like the creativity that comes with the Grateful Dead’s music,” Sunderland says. “Viewing that in a cocktail or sandwich space seemed kind of cool to me. It lends itself to exploring different flavors. The main thing was making a comfortable space people can’t wait to get back to. That’s what the summer tour is to me.”
That vibe was conveyed from the second we walked in, saw the framed Dead posters on the wall, and heard a live version of the Allman Brothers Band’s instrumental “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” on the sound system.
“I’m playing the entire concert,” our bartender declared. Immediately, we could tell that there’s something a little out there here.
The Grateful Fed isn’t satisfied to create a particular aesthetic and call it a day. Lots of thought has clearly gone into the menu. Alongside classic cocktails like a negroni and gimlet sit hybrids like a Screwball espresso martini, mezcal paloma, and watermelon jalapeño margarita.
The signature drink, called a Future Ball, is a relic from SoBo Market, which previously occupied the space. Two rocks glasses appear before you—one is basically an Old-Fashioned with a large spherical ice cube infused with sugar, syrups, an orange peel, and a cherry. When you polish that off, pour the contents of the other, neat whiskey and sweet vermouth, over the starting-to-melt-but-still-largely-intact cube and voila! A second drink, essentially a Manhattan, is created.
If that’s too far out for you, there’s a nice selection of craft beers, seltzers, and a few wines and mocktails available.
Uncommon appetizers dot the menu. Roasted jalapeños stuffed with a mix of cheeses. Cubed grapefruit-infused guac topped with Tajiín. Best of all were the Puff, Puff Pastries (get it?), which are flaky and filled with short rib or veggies. With apologies to the soups, tacos (including birria), and flatbreads on the menu, sandwiches are the star here. Sunderland is an enthusiast.
“I always joke with my wife that the saddest part of a sandwich is the first bite of the second half because you know it’s gone after that,” he says.
Standouts (in flavor and moniker) include Uncle John’s Ham, Reuben & Cherise, and Werewolves of London (broil, that is). Of course, there’s also a grilled cheese, a concert parking lot staple.
Along with a few communal tables in the back and the main bar, there is outside seating along the side alley.
Regardless of what kind of music you listen to or lifestyle you lead, The Grateful Fed brings a welcome chill environment to a neighborhood that is often partying at full speed. We’ve found that trips here are, as it says on the sign out front, always a hoot.