The Three Monkeys Cafe

It's Where We Drink

by Will Dean

Not many bars in the Great Northeast have much to do with antiques—the area is typically dominated by neon. But walk into the Three Monkeys Cafe, across from the Torresdale Train Station, and you'll find an exception in the form of a gorgeous restored mahogany bar.

Rescued from Felix's Café, a Kensington taproom on Jasper and Lehigh, the bar was hand-carved sometime between 1890 and 1910. "[It's] the centerpiece that drives the business," says co-owner Gavin Wolfe.

The back of the bar features a tiled roof in the style of an old English manor house. Marble was used to cover the impressive carvings on the front, but when it was removed during the three-month restoration process, the owners decided that what was underneath eclipsed the sculptor's cover-up.

Now, delicate sunbursts and classical columns catch the eye, although they're often impossible to admire through the sea of legs. Black and white photos from Philly's past adorn the walls, and the whole place has a refined, classy feel that's normally reserved for digs further south. (Just 15 months ago, the space itself was an antiques shop.)

"We wanted to bring an Old City kind of bar to this neighborhood," says Wolfe. "You can't get that feel in many places around here."