The River Horse, a popular bar on Center Street in the Riverwest neighborhood, is reopening.
"We are looking to have it open Dec. 21," said Jay Stamates, who also owns Sabbatic at 700 S. 2nd St. in Walkers Point.
Stamates and a group of investors bought the business from former owner Scott Radke, who closed the bar in September after an 8-year-run.
Radke, who announced the bar's closing in a brief message on the River Horse's Facebook page, will stay involved with the business as a bartender, Stamates said.
Known for hosting everything from weekly video game tournaments to DJ'd dance parties, the River Horse will retain much of the character it's known for, Stamates said.
"We are just going to clean it up, tighten it up a little bit and take the volume down from an 11 to a 10," Stamates said.
The bar interior has already been re-painted with a huge new mural in the back room, and Stamates is adding a row of collapsible booths along one of the walls that will allow for more comfortable seating and flexibility when more space is needed.
A posting on the bar's Web site promises at least one change from the old bar, a clean men's room.
While Stamates had originally hoped to have the bar open by late November, the opening was pushed to late December while he secures liquor licensing, he said.
