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Philadelphia · Venue

Chris' Jazz Cafe

A compact Center City jazz supper club where dinner service and close-range sets share the same room.

Upcoming shows
23
Capacity
180
Address
1421 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone
(215) 568-3131
Next show
Wed, 18 Nov 2026
Official siteDirections
Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia

About Chris' Jazz Cafe

Chris’ Jazz Cafe is a 180-capacity Philadelphia jazz supper club whose owner and chef, Mark DeNinno, runs both halves of the proposition: dinner service and close-range concerts. Its distinguishing fact is continuity: the club identifies itself as Philadelphia’s longest continuously operating jazz club. Inside, a dedicated stage and baby grand piano give the room a listening-room focus within a seated restaurant setting, suited to a full set with food and drinks at the table.

A little pub becomes a jazz room

Chris’ identifies 1989 as its founding year; The Philadelphia Inquirer traces the immediate origin to restaurateur Christ “Chris” Dhimitri’s 1990 conversion of the Little Pub into a jazz bar. Dhimitri ran it as a piano bar for its first decade. A trio of regulars later purchased the business, and DeNinno arrived as a consultant in 2001 before taking majority ownership in 2002. His renovation knocked through walls, added a stage and bought a baby grand, shifting a café with music in the corner into a purpose-built jazz room.

The pandemic brought the sharpest modern interruption. Chris’ closed on March 15, 2020; city grants then helped finance a TV-studio conversion with cameras and recording equipment. In July 2020, DeNinno launched livestreams with a Pat Martino benefit played at 25 percent capacity, extending the club’s reach while its in-person audience remained limited.

Tables, bar stools, and two screens

Jazz drives the booking, with live performances five nights a week and a mix of local, national, and international players. Each set is sold through dinner-and-show reservations or, for selected performances, general-admission seating. Premier tables sit directly in front of the stage; standard tables offer clear views, with a small number of partial-view positions. High-top and bar seating forms the cocktail area, where two monitors carry a live stage feed. Full food and bar service continues during performances, giving the room a polished supper-club rhythm.

Sources

  1. Chris’ Jazz Cafe — About — Chris’ Jazz Cafe
  2. The Spot: Chris' Jazz Cafe — The Philadelphia Inquirer
  3. Chris' Jazz Cafe celebrates serving up tasty music for 25 years — The Philadelphia Inquirer
  4. Philly’s jazz community improvising to deal with COVID-19 — The Philadelphia Inquirer
  5. Can Jazz Survive Without Its Clubs? — Jazz Philadelphia
  6. Chris’ Jazz Cafe — FAQs — Chris’ Jazz Cafe

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