The D’Allesandro brothers are doing it again. Ben and Nick D’Allesandro opened their popular St. Philip Street pizza joint D’Allesandro’s Pizza 16 years ago, followed by the dive bar Cutty’s across the street just five years later. Now the brothers are opening another bar, Sugey’s, at 638 King Street a few blocks from their St. Philip Street establishments.
Just past Barsa Tapas Lounge & Bar at Line and King streets, you’ll find Sugey’s in a small, white building tucked back from the street.
“I just really loved that space,” said Ben D’Allesandro. “If it wasn’t for that particular spot, I don’t know that I really would have had much of a desire to open a bar, but I just thought that that spot had a great curb appeal to it.”
The bar celebrated its soft opening with friends and family Saturday and officially opens to the public today at 5 p.m.
As for the name, it comes from a cute nickname between him and his wife, who’s name in his phone is “Sugey.” When brainstorming a name for the bar, someone from D’Allesandro’s Pizza recommended that name: Sugey’s.
“I was like, ‘Man, that is the perfect name,’” he said.
The new bar is managed by longtime Cutty’s bar manager Sarah Griffith, who returned from a short stint in Philadelphia in January.
“I’m very fortunate to have the bosses that I have,” Griffith said. “I’ve worked for them for almost a decade. They know the work that I do and what it’s like, and they’ve put an awful lot of trust in me, which is really flattering and really cool.”
Because of her experience working alongside the D’Allesandro brothers, she was given her full creative control over designing the new bar.
“They’re like, ‘We don’t know what you’re gonna do with this space, but do what thou wilt, and it will probably do pretty well,’” she said. “At its essence, it’s a metal bar. There’s a lot of different elements in this space and in the culture of this space that are more than just metal music. When you look around, in a way, it’s kind of autobiographical.”
When you walk inside, it’s like looking into the mind of Griffith, a fan of metal music, pulp fantasy and ’80s slasher films. The walls are lined with poster art of bands ranging from punk rock icon Black Flag to flagship metal bands Kiss and Metallica, science fiction pulp fantasy posters and neon Frank Frazetta art straight from the Frank Frazetta museum near Philadelphia. A projector plays classic ’80s VHS films on the left wall and a Godzilla-themed pinball machine is tucked in the corner near the entrance.
“Sarah has done an amazing job with the place,” Ben D’Allesandro said. “It’s oozing with flavors.”
The cocktail menu offered at Sugey’s is handcrafted by Griffith, featuring a twisted take on a Painkiller cocktail made with Pusser’s gunpowder proof rum, Cruzan blackstrap, coconut cream, pineapple, Thai iced tea Demerara simple syrup and lime.
The space has a small kitchen that can be used to make small plates, Griffith said, but like its sister location Cutty’s, Sugey’s plans to introduce weekly food residencies for snacking options.
Sugey’s is located at 638 King St. and open daily from 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
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