Sugar Hill Jazz House Will Feature ‘Baby Got Que’ Restaurant Fare
Allentown, Pa. – A new restaurant and nightclub called the Sugar Hill Jazz Club will open this fall at the site of the former Robata’s restaurant on 9th Street in Allentown, offering a moderately-priced alternative to the popular higher-end dining destinations that have re-energized the Center City entertainment scene since the opening of the PPL Center a year ago.
Commercial Real Estate Broker/Developer and lifelong city resident Mark Smith, who has an agreement to purchase the restaurant and accompanying liquor license, said he hopes to have the Sugar Hill Jazz House open by October. The club will be managed by veteran restaurateur Robbie Stephens, former owner of Jellybean’s in South Allentown and The Orchard in Orefield, along with Jerome King and Mary Shearin of the popular barbeque offerings of Baby Got Que, which will move from its current location a block away at 9th and Jackson streets.
Robata of Tokyo, a longtime Japanese restaurant at 39 S. 9th Street, closed earlier this year when the owners retired. Smith said only minor improvements and modifications are required in the dining and kitchen areas of the building but that some of the Hibachi grills and other accoutrements from Robata could remain to create a unique atmosphere for Sugar Hill.
“There have been some really great, new restaurants and entertainment options that have opened in Center City since the debut of the PPL Center arena last summer, but this will provide a more affordable alternative to those destinations, along with great food and music,” said Smith. “We want to create a place where people of all socio-economic, cultural, and race can stop and enjoy some great music and food, but even more, we want to create a gathering space where friends can meet or get together just to enjoy a quiet drink or meal and talk about the events of the day. Jazz music is that type of American music that attracts people from all walks of life”.
Sugar Hill will feature professional performances on a regular basis but Smith said he also hopes to offer opportunities to students and school groups to perform and promote their programs.
Baby Got Que owners King and Shearin said they welcome the opportunity to work with Smith and Stephens as well as the chance to expand their own business. “We can do only take-out now and we have been looking for a location in the neighborhood that gives our customers the ability to stay and enjoy our food,” said Shearin.
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