South Street staple Grace Tavern will reopen next week

Grace Tavern, the post-Prohibition vintage bar just off 23rd and South Streets that closed in January, is coming back Monday under new owners.

Fergus Carey, who opened the Grace in 2004 with his then-partners from Monk’s Cafe, handed the keys to Stephen Carlino, Randal Mrazik, Ed Chrzanowski, and Brian Moyer of the Tavern Group, which also owns Tavern on Camac, UBar, 254, and Otto’s Taproom. Moyer, a longtime UBar employee, will be operating partner, handling day-to-day operations.

For decades, the tavern was known as Kelly’s, after the family that lived at 2229 Grays Ferry Ave., where Graduate Hospital, Grays Ferry, and Devil’s Pocket meet.

The partners swapped out furniture and replaced all of the beer lines. Longtime patrons had learned that the partners had wanted to sell the vintage Bevador refrigerator that was behind the bar. After complaints, the partners agreed to set it up in the dining room.

In a statement, Moyer said the partners were committed to keeping it a neighborhood bar. The group’s executive chef, David Sposato, has devised a focused menu featuring an egg sandwich served all day, a burger served on an English muffin, soup du jour, chili with grilled bread, and bar snacks such as olives and house-made chips and dip.

Mrazik said they would also revive Grace Tavern’s iconic blackened green beans, seasoned with a mixture of Hungarian paprika, kosher salt, white pepper, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, dried thyme, and dried oregano in a bowl. After you blanch and shock fresh green beans, dry them. Swirl butter and oil in a hot skillet, drop in the beans, sprinkle on the seasoning, and cook till it blackens.

The Grace will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, but will open at 4 p.m. during the first week.