Philadelphia, PA – The Greek community filled City Bar and Grill this past Saturday night, marking the end of a quiet summer and the start of the fall social season with the first big Bouzoukia night.
Seizmos, one of the area’s hottest Greek bands, joined by vocalist Rena Tsapelas and clarinetist Chris Haliyiannis, kept the crowd dancing for nearly three hours with a mix of classic and contemporary Greek hits. The party hit full stride just after midnight, with Tsapelas energizing the audience before teaming up with Seizmos frontman and guitarist Evan Karapanagiotides for an impromptu duet that had the crowd on its feet.
Over the past year, City Bar and Grill has emerged as the go-to spot for Greek nightlife in Philadelphia, offering one of the few regular Saturday Bouzoukia nights in the metropolitan area. Owners Vasili and Kiki Kitsios opened the venue less than a year ago with a vision. “We want people to have a place to celebrate our music and culture — a place we can call our own and feel Greek,” said Vasili Kitsios.
In addition to Greek nights on Saturdays, City Bar and Grill also hosts Arabic Night on Fridays and Monday Night NFL football with a buffet.