Taste Taco Bar to open beneath the iconic Larry Fine mural on South Street

Kevin Dolce, who owns the popular Taste Cheesesteak Bar near Logan Square, has bought the long-shuttered Jon’s Bar & Grille at Third and South Streets, and plans to open it in the spring as Taste Taco Bar.

Dolce said Taste Taco Bar, specializing in tequilas, would work on a similar menu model as the cheesesteak bar, which opened in September 2023 in the Sterling at 1809 JFK Blvd. That is, it will serve a wide variety of tacos, including jerk chicken, oxtail, and birria. Like the cheesesteak bar, it will be a full-service restaurant and will offer takeout.

Next door, Matthew Paneth and Nikki Lopez are renovating the landmark Dobbs into a bar called Nikki Lopez that is due to open in early February. A block away is Jim’s South Street Steaks, which expanded earlier this year.

Jon’s went on the market even before its 37-year run ended in 2018. First offered at $2.5 million, it most recently was listed at $1.85 million. The sale has not yet been recorded in city records.

Between Bridget Foy’s at Second Street and Jim’s at Fourth, Jon’s was a popular destination during the street’s heyday, especially for its patio, topped by a balcony.

Dolce said he intends to step up the exterior with lighting, wooden seating, fencing, and grass and bushes. “Even when you’re driving past it, you won’t really be able to see who’s dining in, just for privacy reasons,” Dolce said. “We get a lot of celebrities at Taste, so we want people to feel safe and comfortable when they’re dining outside.”

Jon’s liked to boast that its site was the birthplace of Larry Fine (1902-75), the bushy-haired comedian of Three Stooges fame. In 1999, after a tongue-in-cheek campaign waged by Philadelphia Weekly, the Mural Arts Program commissioned a Fine mural on the facade.

Artist David McShane depicted Fine in a checked jacket and tie in front of a yellow-and-black bull’s eye. In 2005, McShane repainted the mural, which shows Fine playing a violin. (In fact, Fine — born Louis Feinberg — was a talented violinist.)

Dolce said he intends to keep the mural, which has suffered from the elements.

Besides Taste Taco Bar, Dolce and partners are developing two nightlife concepts on Delaware Avenue — Enigma Sky and Finish Your Champagne — and a location of Taste Cheesesteak Bar in Charlotte, N.C., under the name Hi-Def Hospitality.