Photo courtesy: Napoleon F. Kingcade
By Napoleon F. Kingcade
When it comes to being bigger and better, Lion Sports Bar, located at 1021 Arch Street in Chinatown section of Philadelphia, has claimed that title in less than 16 weeks after an impressive grand opening on March 13.
Formerly the Ding Feng Tang Restaurant & Bar, Lion Sports Bar has revamped itself into a state-of-the-art sports bar. The first thing customers see as they enter the bar, which stretches the length of a football field, is the impressive Philly memorabilia on the left decorating the walls.
As patrons settle down for the ultimate sports bar experience — watching the latest international soccer game for example — Lion Sports Bar has them covered. The huge TV screens show every play, goal and shot attempt in the game while loyal sports fans can relax in a spacious atmosphere and catch all the action while enjoying a drink.
Lion Sports Bar is a game-changer — a sports fan mecca that features 35 large TV screens stationed wall-to-wall within three gigantic rooms.
While watching the games, customers are treated to daily food specials and discount drinks. The venue has also positioned itself as a friendly-family sports hangout.
Lion Sports Bar owners /partners
Jack Chen (R) and Mark Prinzinger.
Photo courtesy: Napoleon F. Kingcade
Kicking off the celebration of Lion Sports Bar were business partners Mark Prinzinger (owner of Happy Hour Philly) and Jack Chen (owner of Bai Wei and LA Mousse restaurant) Together, hey decided to jump into the sports bar business for the first time in their lives. To get things rolling, they offered to give away $100,000 in cash to anyone who could pick a perfect bracket in this year’s March Madness. A person would have to pick the winner of each of the 67 games in the NCAA basketball tournament to win the cash prize.
Although no one won the contest, thousands of new customers have flocked to Lion Sports Bar to watch the games. And due to the promotion, the place has stayed jam-packed with customers, especially on the weekends when sports fans are expected to watch their favorite teams.
Photo courtesy: Napoleon F. Kingcade
“As part-owners, we are lovers of different kinds of sports and having a sports bar here in this Chinatown community is fantastic and truly a blessing,” Jack Chen, who was born in China but raised in America, said. “This is such a great honor to do business together with a sports bar.
We have known each other for only a few months. But we work together as a team, and we are like a family to each other. We call each other brothers and sisters. We all love sports, and that’s why we are all here together working as a team and a family.”
As a successful businessman, Chen is the owner of eight restaurants throughout the city. During his partnership with Lion Sports Bar, he is expected to share his business skills with his new employees.
Lion Sports Bar draws hundreds of customers.
Photo courtesy: Napoleon F. Kingcade
“At Lion Sports Bar, I have a great team working with me,” Chen said. “We have a lot of support from our customers. We are all like family.
We are very fortunate that we have a great team of workers. Everyone works together and [help] each other. It takes a lot of work to run a successful sports bar. In the coming months, we will be adding more exciting treats to our food menu. We are looking forward to serving more customers in the month of August.”
Chen’s business partner, Mark Prinzinger, enjoys the excitement that has developed at Lion Sports Bar. He is delighted in becoming a business partner at the new establishment.
“This was once a Chinese restaurant that wasn’t doing too well here,” Prinzinger said, who was born in South Korea. “I was asked by the owners to come aboard as a business partner. I was hired to bring some people with me. It just got be the best opportunity for me. This is best way it could have happened. Philadelphia is by far the best sports city in the world. It made complete common sense to start a sports bar here.
“It was a no-brainer. It was never a second thought about the idea.” Prinzinger also said business has really picked up since the airing of March Madness.
“Today, we are busy every day of the week,” Prinzinger said. “We have sports fans coming here every single weekend. We have the best chicken wings in the city, and we serve cheeseburgers and French fries. We also have a Chinese menu available. Our number seller is nachos with General Tso’s Chicken.”
Jonathan Todd
Photo courtesy: Napoleon F. Kingcade
Jonathan Todd, the director of social impact, a sports agency that promotes the FIFA World Cup Games in soccer, said Lion Sports Bar is a perfect spot to watch soccer games in Chinatown.
“This place is an accessible venue for soccer fans to watch the international games,” Todd said. “That’s why we chose Lion Sports Bar as one of four watch parties in the city. While we were here, we gave away four pairs of tickets to the FIFA World Cup Games that’s set to be played next year in Philadelphia. We also have to attend watch parties in Hunting Park and University City.”
As FIFA World Cup Soccer comes to Philadelphia in 2026, Lion Bar Sports Bar will be scheduled to show all the games on 35 TV screens and is expected to be the number one spot in Chinatown for sports fans.
During July, Lion Sports Bar is open 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, they are open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Happy Hour is every day from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and late Happy Hour runs on Thursday to Sunday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more information, call: 215-629-2888 or visit: https://lionsportsbar.com/[email protected]@lionsportsbar.com
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