Johnny Brenda's

History

Johnny Brenda’s sits at Frankford and Girard on the Fishtown line, in a corner bar opened in 1967 by boxer John Imbrenda. Paul Kimport and William Reed, who also own Standard Tap, bought it and ran it as a neighborhood restaurant from 2003, then opened the music room upstairs on September 13, 2006. Opening night included the War on Drugs, Meg Baird, Jack Rose, and Bardo Pond. The Inquirer later credited the club with helping spark Fishtown’s revival, and it remains a small room for local and touring indie shows.