Bars and restaurants bow to Phillies fever and add TVs for the World Series

The Good King Tavern in Queen Village is casually upscale, with a French bistro menu. There’s a flat-screen TV that sits in the front window, so inconspicuous, you’d hardly know it was there. On the rare occasions it is switched on during a sports event, it’s on mute. That is a subtle cue to those in the bar stools. There is to be no din — no cheers or jeers — to mar dinner.

“I mean we’ve never been a sports bar,” said Chloe Grigri, who owns the Good King with her father, Bernard. “It’s basically just there for these situations.”

“These situations,” as in the World Series, when upscale bar owners balance their mild vibe against wild sports fans. Alcohol and sports simply don’t always mix.

“Hospitality and civic pride are woven together here,” said Dawn Sena, who with her husband, Luca, owns Ristorante Panorama in Old City, known for its luxe surroundings and one of the city’s best selection of wines by the glass. “We are a place for people to unite over shared experiences.” So happens that Panorama restarted its Tuesday hours this week for the first time since March 2020, and the Senasdragged in a big-screen TV to serve Phillies fans.

Adam Volk, who opened Redcrest Kitchen last weekend in Queen Village, hadn’t intended to install TVs behind the bar, though there was room for them. But in a move to appeal to his new neighbors, he will have them for the Series.

With Phillies fever sweeping staff, Sor Ynez in Kensington added a TV by the bar; it is visible from much of the dining room. Manatawny Still Works has added a TV to its Ardmore and South Philadelphia tasting rooms, as well as to its Pottstown distillery.

Sometimes, a bar can control only so much. Asked if TVs would be on at Bloomsday in Society Hill, chef/co-owner Kelsey Bush said: “If you count everyone watching on their phones, then yes.”