Tavern on Camac Piano Bar Closing for Major Renovations

Photo courtesy of Ian Watson.

If you’ve been itching to sing some ditties around the piano at Tavern on Camac (TOC), you better slip on your snow boots and head there pronto. The bar will be closing after tomorrow night for extensive renovations and won’t re-open till the beginning of March.

TOC Director of Communications Randal Mrazik told me the piano bar hasn’t been updated in 30 or 35 years, and owner Steven Carlino is ready to give it a fresh coat of pizazz. He wants to make the piano the focal point and open up the room so the flow isn’t obscured by those awkward pillars that loom in the center. “The renovations are significant,” says Mrazik. “Removing those pillars means we have to re-steel the building, create a whole new support system.”

Mrazik says the bar will get a completely different layout, one that retains that “old-world-styled piano bar feel” but with fresher updates. Instead of having two bars, there will be a single horseshoe-shaped one on the side of the room where the piano currently sits. The piano will be moved across the way, where the main bar is, and elevated a bit for better sound. There will be modern finishes, such as a luxe all-mahogany bar and they’ll get rid of some of those cheesy mirrors that line the south-facing wall. The piano is also getting an overhaul of its own, he says. “It will be completely restored.” (“Hooray!” says Misha.)

So what about the Ascent Lounge and downstairs restaurant, you ask? They’re going to keep those areas open as much as they can. On Monday, when the demolition starts, the restaurant will close for two weeks. The Ascent Lounge will go black for a short period during the first-floor renovation, probably five to seven days toward the end of January.

Stay tuned to G Philly for updates, including photos of some of the progress. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

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