K-Mart here!  Looking for a hot spot in Downtown Tampa? Well look no further than the ultra chic Howl At The Moon. Located alongside the Ybor Channel in the Channel District, this small scale piano bar knows how to throw a big scale party!

The bright green walls, dark brown accents and floor-to-ceiling fully stocked bar are reminiscent of a sports bar. The building is jam-packed with small tables that seat between 4 and 6 people but trust me, if you aren’t there by 10 p.m. you probably won’t be getting a seat.

I went with a small group of girls for a bachelorette party and we were seated near the front of the bar. We were surrounded by a crowd consisting of local college frat guys, a handful of couples on their date-night and a few groups of tourists in, I have to say it, socks and sandals. The evening began with a Bucket ‘O Booze (an 86 oz. bucket filled with your choice of mixed drink) and 5 straws. It ended much the same way.

Four piano players took turns on stage dueling it out on Yamaha Baby Grand pianos. All night long, piano bar classics like “American Pie” and “Piano Man” and even the not-so-much classics like “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and “Baby Got Back” were belted out. A little something for everyone, eh? 

Here, you can even be part of the act. Throughout the night the slightly more adventurous (and slightly more intoxicated) ventured on stage to sing and/or dance. Impromptu performers are given a complimentary “Follow Me To The Moon” bumper sticker attached to their… bumper. At one point (more specifically two Buckets ‘O Booze later), we sent our bride-to-be, and all of her bachelorette accessories, up on stage to perform “Itsy, Bitsy Spider”. It was indescribable.

 If that’s not your cup of tea, you can get your thoughts on-stage by bidding on the “Word of the Day” mirror. The highest bidder gets to choose (or invent) a phrase to be written on the mirror center stage behind the pianos. Needless to say, as the night goes on, the cost goes up and the phrases get… entertaining.

Time flew by (as it tends to when you’re having fun) and at 2 a.m. we decided to call it a night. As we were leaving, the bar was still going strong and another group ran to grab our vacant table. Make sure you grab some friends and head to Howl At The Moon for a Bucket ‘O Booze next time you want a night out on the town. You won’t be disappointed!