Piano Bar Closing

**eldondre** · 09-22-2009, 10:25 PM

Today's announcement that the Piano Bar @ 20th and Arch has closed is tempered with the idea that Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar (2006 Chestnut St.) is expected to open within a month.

This project has been in the works since late last year.

That's Jolly as in Jolly Weldon, who formerly ran the Prime Rib with his brother, Garth, and later ran a series of short-lived Center City taprooms, including Jolly's in the Latham.

The new operation will include many employees from the 20th and Arch bar. Food will come from chef Brendan Smith of the nearby Smiths.

And get this: Weldon tells me that all his front-of-the-house staff (waiters, bartenders) will be musically trained for impromptu sing-alongs. It'll be open five nights a week.

Following is the goodbye email from the Piano Bar @ 20th and Arch

The Insider - philly.com

**phillyaggie** · 09-24-2009, 11:31 PM

yay for a dueling piano bar place.

hopefully they'll allow for raucus sing-alongs, song requests, lots of booze, etc...?

i always have fun at places like these...

Photo Gallery - Pete's Dueling Piano Bar: Austin, Addison, Fort Worth, and Houston, Texas. Las Vegas coming soon!

Pat O'Briens

**DocAwesome** · 09-25-2009, 12:23 AM

Wow, that's a shame, but I guess I'm not too surprised. Their prices were up there, as I guess would be expected for a Piano bar. All in all it was a really nice place though.

**PhillyKev** · 09-25-2009, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by DocAwesome

Wow, that's a shame, but I guess I'm not too surprised. Their prices were up there, as I guess would be expected for a Piano bar. All in all it was a really nice place though.

Really? I stopped in on 3 separate occassions hoping to find a fun place. Each time there was no one playing piano, and no one there except a couple of lonely drunks at the bar and a bored bartender.

**DocAwesome** · 09-25-2009, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by PhillyKev

Really? I stopped in on 3 separate occassions hoping to find a fun place. Each time there was no one playing piano, and no one there except a couple of lonely drunks at the bar and a bored bartender.

I've only been there twice (see price issue), but both times it was maybe half full and the piano player was taking requests from what seemed like regulars.

**mrsjdeiii** · 09-25-2009, 11:46 AM

I was suprised to see it closed because they had just started doing lunch there.

It would be so nice to get a good restaurant in there.

**Brooke** · 09-25-2009, 10:40 PM

I spent one of the lamest hours of my life at that place. I never wish businesses ill but I gotta tell you, I feel like this is a good thing. It was seriously painful.

**arlee** · 09-25-2009, 10:45 PM

Jolly's at the Latham was honestly the WORST meal I ever had in my life. And that includes the practically raw chicken fingers at a Denny's in VA.

**ACG** · 09-26-2009, 01:52 AM

oh I use to love going to a dueling piano bar when I was working in Sarasota. We'd finish the show and head straight over there & have a blast (didn't hurt half our group was musical theatre people).

**wilreynolds** · 09-26-2009, 10:31 AM

There's a dueling piano place in Northern Liberties called Second Street Annies, I went once, and was not impressed, definitely do NOT go there for food, I hope they are figuring things out though, and getting better piano players.

**randall** · 09-27-2009, 12:45 AM

The best/funniest guy in the city was Steve Odabashian (sp??) He used to play at Cascamorto and then he was at Helium for most of this year. Hilarious and amazing pianist. Never the same thing twice, although, my friends and I would find ourselves asking for a lot of the same offbeat stuff (Kelly Clarkson, Sunglasses at night, A-ha, or whatever else we could think of....the stranger, the better).

Hope he surfaces at Jolly's. Been a few months since I saw him play last (at Slainte).

**ChasingFoxes** · 09-28-2009, 10:47 AM

Not at all the same concept, but if you're into deuling piano shows as I am, Mike & Amy Pickering are fantastic and play at the Devon and other various venues. Those two are a hoot!

If any Devon employees are reading this---I want free subscriptions for life, or, at least, credit as a publicity agent :-)

**phillyaggie** · 09-28-2009, 11:42 AM

I'm still waiting for my checks to pour in for all the "phree" philly publicity I do...

**phillyaggie** · 03-30-2011, 04:25 PM

Well, the Jolly's location on Chestnut must have done really well because they are running out of space in that small storefront.

So now they're moving to larger digs, and more prominent too, at the Academy House...

Jolly’s New Dueling Piano Bar Complete With Outdoor Seating | NakedPhilly

It's going to have vegetarian options in food as well, so am hoping the food is actually good. And the atmosphere is more entertaining...

**philly57** · 03-31-2011, 09:13 AM

They're quite the businessmen, leaving a desolate corner (20th and Arch) to a more trafficked area (Chestnut St) and now to a bigger space. I would come here more often if it wasn't so crowded and the line to get in was so long. Hopefully the new space will relieve both issues. I'm in my 30's now...too old to be waiting in line to get into a bar.