Big Charlie’s Saloon, a South Philly haven for Kansas City Chiefs fans at 11th and McKean Streets, announced on Instagram that it has permanently closed after the recent death of owner and Philadelphia native Paul Staico.
“While this was not how we ever imagined closing our doors, we know Big Charlie’s will never be the same without Paulie, and this is the path we must take,” according to a statement on the bar’s Instagram page.
Staico died suddenly on Nov. 30, three days after Big Charlie’s stayed open on Thanksgiving because the Chiefs were playing. He was 59.
“I wasn’t a Chiefs fan. I’m a Paul Staico fan,” City Councilmember Jimmy Harrity told The Inquirer earlier this month. “If I could name three players, that’s a lot. I was there cheering for him. Some are there to watch the game. But for the most part, they were there for Paul.”
The two-room bar, with its wood paneling, jukebox, vending machine of snacks and cigarettes, and countless Chiefs memorabilia scattered about, became a local media darling in 2023 when the Eagles played — and lost — to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. It was featured by NFL Films in 2003 and 2020 and in The New York Times and The Athletic on the same day in 2023. It got nearly the same treatment in February when the Eagles beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
And why was a South Philly bar dedicated to the Chiefs? Staico’s father, Charlie, the former owner of the place, made a bet that the Chiefs would beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV in 1970. When they did, Charlie bought his young son a brand new bike to celebrate. In 1986, an eternally grateful Paul Staico, the bar’s owner since 1983, bought a satellite dish so he could watch the Chiefs, his new favorite team, in every game from then on.
“We will continue to find ways to honor Paulie’s legacy and the community he built,” the Instagram post said. “This is not goodbye. This is simply see you later. …As always, go Chiefs.”
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