Howl at the Moon abruptly closes — and an NYC-based venue is looking to move in by fall

After more than a decade in Center City, live music bar and nightclub Howl at the Moon closed abruptly Monday night. By Tuesday morning, a liquor license from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was pending for NYC-based live music venue and bar Cellar Dog.

Howl at the Moon and Down nightclub, at 258 S. 15th St., announced its closing on Instagram. A reason for the closure was not given. The Philadelphia location was one of more than 10 across the country, including locations in Pittsburgh and Boston.

“We want to thank all of the many thousands of people who patronized us week after week along with our loyal staff throughout the years,” the announcement read.

The news prompted an outcry from regulars in comments on the post. They lamented the loss of their favorite party spot, remembered the late nights, and recounted meeting lifelong friends or spouses.

“Howl was an easy place to meet up with coworkers, to take a group of friends, to start the night out, or to end up after a long night of bar hopping,” said Chris Olley, a Center City resident who has frequented Howl since 2015. “You’d get a bachelorette party, a 21st birthday, the parents of the 21st birthday, two different free happy hour groups, regular walk-ins paying the cover, people venturing upstairs from the Down nightclub, and people coming in and out throughout the night. It was always a positive atmosphere with great music and the whole place dancing.

“I’ve been there too many times to count and have made some of my best and worst decisions there,” he continued. “I threw an absolute banger of a birthday party there last year. I got the call offering me my current job there in 2019 and didn’t pay for any of my own drinks that night after that.”

Cellar Dog, a live music venue and bar outfitted with billiards tables, ping pong, and board games in Lower Manhattan, has a pending liquor license for the location, according to the PLCB. The bar’s ownership expects to open later this fall.

This will be Cellar Dog’s second location and the first outside of New York. Arthur Backal, owner of Backal Hospitality Group, which oversees multiple establishments including Cellar Dog, said Philadelphia was always the next step for the bar’s expansion.

“We have a very unique offering because some people can come and just listen to amazing music or enjoy all these different activities, from billiards and shuffleboard to board games,” Backal said.

Cellar Dog will feature live jazz music and other performances, billiards, ping pong tables, shuffle boards, and various board games.

“We’re not looking to just expand anywhere, we’re looking at Philly and feel it’s good,” Backal said.

Opening right around the corner from Cellar Dog will be high-tech darts parlor Flight Club, which, with Five Iron Golf, SPIN Philadelphia, Lucky Strike bowling, and Barcade, is part of the “social competition” trend concentrated in Center City.