Watering Hole

Tank Bar

by Will Dean

261 S. 21st St., 215-546-4232

Want instant swank in ye old saloonery? Install a really huge fish tank.

Tank Bar, located directly above chic-central Friday Saturday Sunday, is named after its 135-gallon fish habitat, which was built into the fancy copper bar more than 30 years ago.

Ringed by mirrors and intimate lighting, the massive tank is the bar's centerpiece. Fish are rotated out as they grow larger, and staff members let the customers name new arrivals. "It's actually kind of a legend," says bartender Seanon Falls. "If [the staff] names them, they always die."

The tank is currently home to only four fish, thanks to a recent episode of aquatic cannibalism. A hungry angelfish, who grew too big but had not yet been moved to his new 'hood, ate several of his peers. This was not the first time a resident had acted up. Disliking the scenery, a 3-foot-long eel once jumped out of the tank, landing on Falls' shoulder and giving customers quite the shock. Foiled, the eel stupidly tried again. He made it as far as the stairs before his slimy ass was plunked back in the tank.

Adventurous anguilliformes aside, Falls says the tank is to thank for the bar's swank factor. It's most popular with couples.

"I like that it's not a TV," says one regular. "It's not blaring sports, so I can just come here and relax."