WASHINGTON — A legendary local piano bar is being forced to move, but it may have found a new home.
Mr. Smith’s Piano Bar has been a fixture on M Street in Georgetown for almost 50 years, but manager Juan Andino says come September the rent will skyrocket.
“It’s almost triple. Almost triple what we used to pay.”
So Andino, who’s been managing the place for 13 years, says Mr. Smith’s will close its current location by the end of August.
He’s looking at moving, and taking over the Chadwicks location on K Street.
“I would like to confirm now, but unfortunately nothing is signed yet. Nothing is set in stone. So until we sign the paperwork, I can’t confirm anything,” he says.
If the deal goes through, he says Chadwicks staff would remain, and the menu would eventually be changed to reflect what Mr. Smith’s serves now.
He says the bar and restaurant’s comfy garden patio would have to be left behind, but the piano wouldn’t be.
“The concept is going to be the same as Mr. Smith’s. We’ll bring our piano that we have here and a couple of our piano players as well,” says Andino.
“This is a unique space. There’s a lot of memories here, a lot of people that met here back when they were in college and got married.”
What are Andino’s favorite piano sing-along songs?
“After hearing it probably a thousand times, I still like ‘Piano Man’.”
Asked to name his #2, Andino chose “Sweet Caroline.”
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