“The Penguin” is a dueling piano bar that is located at 517 West Main Street. The basic premise is you request a song by giving one of the piano players a tip with a slip of paper. Whichever piano player is getting the most tip money is the piano player that takes the lead.
It goes without saying that something like “The Penguin” is needed in Downtown Lexington. Granted, it isn’t going to show off local talent or bring some great indie groups into town and it probably won’t do much to actually push the arts scene forward. However, what it will do is provide something new that will likely get some people Downtown.
We’ve given “The Penguin” two chances and what we’ve learned is that it’s mandatory to get there early and get a table. Our first experience was just wandering in around 11pm (there is a $5 cover) and the place was standing room only. We could barely see the stage and it felt like an inferno. In that experience, we surmised the only thing “The Penguin” could be good for was a “see and be seen” kind of place.
We gave “The Penguin” another go a few weeks later and ended up being much happier. We got there around 8pm and got a table near the stage. When you have a table, you have a waitress which can be helpful if you don’t want to slog through the crowd to get to the bar when the place fills up. However, completely by chance, we went upstairs when we first arrived and chatted with the bartender. That ended up being pretty beneficial. She didn’t get as many customers throughout the night and it ended up being worth the trip upstairs to get quick service and a friendly chat.
As far as the actual dueling pianos, you have to give it to the guys, they are really talented. They seem to know just about every song ever written. They do a pretty good job of involving the crowd and keeping people entertained. In all honesty, these guys are working hard. The only criticism that can be made is that their humor skews pretty juvenile. We’ll admit that sounds pretty snotty, but if you can imagine the potty humor and sex jokes of a middle school boys’ locker room, that’s the humor that permeates both times we’ve been. It just felt a little stale and like they were trying a little too hard.
Overall, “The Penguin” can be a fun experience and it’s certainly a good addition of something different to add to Lexington’s nightlife. But, it probably wouldn’t be an every weekend hang out spot and you certainly want to get there early to get a table. Now, if you are looking to get all dressed up and go find someone to swap phone numbers with, “The Penguin” could certainly prove to be a productive night out.
“The Penguin” is bringing something new to the Downtown scene and it is probably going to get some people Downtown that may not go there otherwise. Also, you could certainly spend an entire night out there. However, drinks aren’t as cheap as you can find them other places Downtown and you have to put up with the juvenile humor of the performers that gets old pretty fast.
