Craftsman Row Saloon’s Mardi Gras Pop-Up returns for another festive year

Craftsman Row Saloon, known for its colorful decorations and even more vibrant menu choices, has brought back its Mardi Gras Pop-Up Bar, and the festive addition to the Center City establishment will let the good times roll until Fat Tuesday.

The pop-up has become an annual tradition for the venue, and in its third year, there are some returning favorites and new fixtures in the form of food, cocktails and atmosphere. 

Owners George and Vasiliki Tsiouris have set out to take the city right to the Big Easy with a complete takeover of their bar. Between the shimmering gold, green and purple decorations, beads, feathers, masks and more, what patrons can also find are mini vignettes that shout out and pay homage to some of New Orleans’s most famous streets and destinations. 

“The countdown to Fat Tuesday is on and we are gearing up for more fun and something truly special. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back for this year’s edition. After our most successful year ever for our Christmas Pop-Up, we wanted to continue the fun with something truly special and extravagant,” says co-owner George Tsiouris in a statement. 

New Orleans-inspired menu items include the Big Easy Burger (mashed patties topped with old bay fries, American cheese, creole fried shrimp, remoulade and sautéed onions on a martin’s potato roll), the Masquerade Mac & Cheese (with a 4-cheese blend, cinnamon, brown and powdered sugar, toasted breadcrumbs and a hot sauce drizzle) and Who Dat Chicken (a king cake, fried chicken breast, honey butter, hot sauce and powdered sugar).

Philadelphians will also see the return of Dirty Rice (ground beef, shrimp, peppers and onions) and King Cake Fries (sweet potato fries with a brown butter glaze, cinnamon praline, green and purple sugar. And in true Craftsman Row Saloon fashion, the venue’s staple over-the-top milkshake option will include the King of Bourbon Street blend made with Bassetts vanilla ice cream, king cake crumble and garnish a festive garnish of white chocolate, cinnamon, caramel drizzle, beads, and festive sprinkles (with a boozy option also available).

At the bar, Big Easy cocktails will be served up, including the Voodoo 75 (made with gin, lavender, lemon and sparkling rose), the King Cake Espresso Martini (vodka, baileys, fireball, coffee and cinnamon), Louisiana Hot Honey Margarita (tequila, honey and hot sauce), the Jazz Julep (rum, strawberry and muddled mint) and more. 

Co-owner Vasiliki Tsiouris added, “You can be the King of Bourbon Street with our over-the-top milkshake with real King Cake. It was great to bring the spirit of Bourbon Street and The Big Easy first to the scene and we have added more this year, all geared to totally envelope the senses with the sights, sounds and tastes of Mardi Gras.”

Craftsman Row Saloon’s full menu—which spans Dorito-coated mozzarella sticks, award-winning burgers, fiery buffalo mac-n-cheese loaded fries and a donut fried chicken—will be on the menu. 

Also, making its return this month in time for the Mardi Gras Pop-Up is a new favorite that debuted last winter — the South Philly Muffuletta with genoa salami, capicola, ham, mortadella, provolone and olive salad on a Sarcones seeded bread, a release states. 

Craftsman Row Saloon’s Mardi Gras Pop-up Bar Experience opens Friday, Feb 3, and runs through Fat Tuesday, Feb. 21. Hours for this Mardi Gras season are Tuesday noon to 10 p.m., Wednesday noon to 11 p.m. (kitchen closes 10 p.m.), Thursday through Saturday noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday noon to 10 p.m. (kitchen closes 9 p.m.)

For more information on Craftsman Row Saloon (112 S. 8th Street), visit craftsmanrowsaloon.com.