Gay sports bar Tabu has been sold, and it will become ‘more of a restaurant’

Tabu, a popular Center City sports bar and drag-show venue, has been sold, and the new owners want to steer it more toward a restaurant, though still aimed at LGBTQ+ patrons.

For now, the business is branded simply as 254, after its address on South 12th Street in Washington Square West, and it is operating as a sports bar with a cabaret and dance club in the three-story, two-storefront-wide building.

The buyer, Stephen Carlino, said he and longtime business partner Randal Mrazik were in no rush to give 254 a permanent name. U-Bar, for example, operated for a year under its previous name, Uncle’s, after they bought it. They also own Tavern on Camac and Otto’s.

“We want to get in there and operate and see what works and what we think doesn’t work,“ Carlino said. ”We definitely want to do more than just fried foods.”

Tabu opened at 12th and Walnut Streets in 2010 and in 2018 moved two blocks away into 254 S. 12th St. The building previously was the site of a club called Icandy, which was ensnared in controversy after its owner was caught on video using a racial slur.

Though popular for its drag and burlesque shows, Tabu also seemed to draw negative attention.

In 2022, a bouncer escorting a patron from the bar was charged with murder after the man was knocked unconscious.

Last December, Tabu advertised burlesque dancer Leila Delicious, a Palestinian performer, as a featured act. Shortly before showtime, Tabu canceled the performance, and the club’s social-media accounts were flooded with criticism. Tabu apologized to Leila Delicious. Amid the backlash, several drag queens dropped out of a future show.

Tabu’s owners approached Carlino, who decided to operate it with Mrazik. “I wanted it to remain a bar in the LGBTQ+ community,“ Carlino said. ”I didn’t want it to just become another big nightclub.”

Jeff Sotland, one of Tabu’s founders, confirmed the sale but declined to elaborate.