Not quite a neighborhood bar, the Lunar Inn shows a newer side of Port Richmond

There’s a lot that’s inviting about Port Richmond’s Lunar Inn, most explicitly the sign etched on the door pronouncing “All are welcome.” But it’s probably the chatty cocktail menu on the letter board above the bar that’ll make you want to settle in for a few rounds at least: spritz pop, pickle martini, rosé negroni, hibiscus marg, coffee club, the list goes on.

The food and the mood kick in next. Look down the mahogany bar and you’ll see fellow patrons — many of them flying solo — tucking into burgers and fries but also vegan cheesesteaks and kale caesars. Have a drink, order some snacks, and soon you’ll be right at home, bopping along to whatever the bartender has got spinning on the turntable.

This would be a good bar anywhere. It might even get taken for granted in a more hipster-heavy neighborhood: There’s more than a little South Philly Tap Room vibe here.

But Lunar is somewhat against the grain compared to Port Richmond mainstays like Donna’s Bar and Byrne’s Tavern. That’s signaled as much by its natural wine selection as its explicit inclusivity. (”Trans people belong here!” reads one sign by the bar.)

“Some people will refer to us as ‘that woke bar,’” says Emily Kovach, a writer and editor who co-owns Lunar and the adjacent Tiny’s Bottle Shop with her partner and Philly service-industry vet, Ryan Ellis. The bar’s pride flag and Black Lives Matter sign have drawn comments. It’s part of why they hesitate to call Lunar a neighborhood bar.

“I think that was the goal,” Kovach says. “The pandemic and the cultural shifts of 2020 maybe drove a little bit more of a wedge in that.”

While you won’t find longtime locals inside Lunar lamenting bygone Port Richmond institutions like Krakus Market, Syrenka, and Szypula’s Bakery, it’s not because of the prices. PBR and Miller High Life cost $3 and $4, citywides go for $5. The cocktails — mostly classics with clever tweaks, like the Philly sour, a New York sour made with hopped simple syrup — average $11. Wine by the glass is closer to $14, the same price as Lunar’s Craig LaBan-approved burger.

The bar has evolved from when it first opened in spring 2019. Ellis and Kovach bought out two of their business partners during the throes of the pandemic and subsequently put a heavier emphasis on cocktails and wine. (Once pandemic restrictions lifted, “people were just ready to suck down some cocktails,” Kovach says.)

Parts of the food menu have remained relatively static, like the burger, fried chicken sandwich, and beet-pickled deviled eggs. But the kitchen, led by Gene Cameline and David Roque, has added more non-sandwich mains. To keep things fresh for repeat guests, they’re experimenting with upscale specials like smoked pork tenderloin with ajo blanco or seared flat-iron with hasselback potatoes and B1, a house-made beet-based steak sauce.

“This is sort of Lunar 2.0,” says Ellis.

This version of Lunar aligns with what Kovach and Ellis envisioned in 2017 when they first pitched to backers Cary Borish and Mike Parsell of A Frame Constructs, the same development firm that’s had a hand in Martha, Sally, and Somerset Splits.

Up to that point, the couple hadn’t spent much time in Port Richmond aside from some long-ago warehouse shows. “As West Philly people, going to Fishtown or the edge of Kensington at the time was kind of the farthest afield that our bicycles would take us,” Kovach says. But as they logged time there, they saw some overlap with West Philly, where they lived for close to a decade.

“There were new people moving into the neighborhood looking for cool and interesting things to do,” Ellis says.

A Frame gently steered them away from their original ‘70s-aesthetic intent toward a more timeless look as they rehabbed the corner bar, once called Someplace Else. They replaced block-glass windows, revealed a pressed-tin ceiling, and installed a hexagon tile floor and custom lighting.

Lunar is dark but warm, low-key, and comfortable, “like if you were chilling in your ‘70s rec room,” Ellis jokes. There are a few hints at that original concept: a small disco ball dangling above the DJ booth, a lava lamp tucked between bottles of booze, and a commitment to exclusively playing vinyl. Don’t be surprised if the music you hear is unShazamable.

As it approaches its four-year anniversary, Lunar is joined by other, more recent arrivals in Port Richmond. There’s contemporary Mexican restaurant/bar Nemi and its multicultural-cuisine sibling La Roma. Down Clearfield Street, KP’s Fine Meats sells everything from chip steak to Wagyu beef. On Richmond Street, there’s Launderette Records, Tshatshke Jewelry Studio, and Big Top Vintage. In March, the recently launched Richmond Street Flea reboots monthly gatherings of shops, artists, makers, plus bars and restaurants old and new from around the corridor; the last one hosted more than 50 vendors.

Lunar hosted a year-end mixer for the Flea in December. Kovach points to the market as sign of the growing energy localized in Port Richmond.

“You should get to have fun things in the neighborhood,” she told a regular recently. “Isn’t that why people live in cities?”

Lunar Inn is open Tuesday through Thursday 4 to 10 p.m., Friday 4 to midnight, Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 3124 Richmond St., 267-639-6842, lunarinn.com