Porco Lounge and Tiki Room (2527 W. 25th St., 216-802-9222), which has been closed since March 2020, will finally reopen, says owner Stefan Was. The decision to not reopen during the pandemic was based on the opinion that it would be impossible to provide guests with the same atmosphere and level of excellence while maintaining a safe environment for the staff.
But now, adds Was, the plan is to reopen around the middle of May.
“Our guiding light has always been the numbers,” says Was. “Cases are down and vaccinations are up. We’re looking forward to the good weather and taking advantage of that.”
Was admits that the past 14 months were difficult, made manageable only by the fact that he owns the property. Still, he explains, there was and is much to do to keep it in shape and ready it for opening day.
“We are lucky enough to own our facility, but there are still a lot of things to do to keep a place afloat,” he says. “And even with all that maintenance, you can’t just flip a switch and turn a place back on.”
He and his staff – most of whom will return, he adds – have been busy restocking the bar, preparing product and dusting every surface. When it does reopen, Porco might appear the same, but there will be some key differences. For one, reservations will be strongly recommended because the number of seats has been reduced so as to maintain a safe environment.
That said, Was is thrilled to be able to once again invite people back into his beautiful bar.
“The outpouring of people calling and asking when we will be reopening has been reassuring,” he says. “When we first opened, we didn’t know if we would be as successful as we were, so that in and of itself makes it a lot easier to open.”
This article appears in Apr 7-20, 2021.
