Though the name remains the same, you’ll be hard pressed to find any traces of the former old-man shot-and-beer joint that the new and very much improved Jerry’s Bar replaces when it opens tonight at 5 p.m. Two-plus years of renovations have resulted in the floors, walls, and ceilings all torn out and replaced, and the basement excavated. Owner Christie Proud and her husband Ryan Bernstein, an interior designer, have completely transformed the timeworn dive at the corner of West Laurel and New Market streets in Northern Liberties (right in the backyard of the Piazza) into a handsome, decidedly neighborhood bar — not a gastropub, not a beer bar — and bistro-y restaurant. Former Cafe Estelle chef-owner Marshall Green is on board to steer the kitchen.
The bright, bi-level space is appointed in dark woods, white subway tiles, marble bar tops, exposed brick and repurposed industrial accents and lighting fixtures. It features two bars, 12 taps, and enough seating for roughly a hundred guests.
Green’s menu covers all the bar and neighborhood restaurant basics with things like a Lafrieda burger, chicken wings (pickle-brined!), and mussels steamed in Allagash White. But he takes a more sophisticated turn with things like escargots, Bouillabaisse, and a housemade potato gnocchi that will change as different ingredients come in and out of season.
The bar’s 12 taps will pour a carefully thought out mix of popular beer styles from Belgians and local craft selections to big, West Coast brews. The wine list puts an emphasis on small producers, organic and biodynamic varietals. A small cocktail list has the classics covered, which are all, as Green put it, priced to move — $7 to $8. Check out the full menu below.
Jerry’s Bar, 129 West Laurel Street, (267) 273-1632
