The Havana Banana Group (Bill Curry and the people behind Cafe Nola and Copabanana) have bought the Society Hill Hotel at 301 Chestnut Street, one of two projects they have planned for the Old City neighborhood. This “special plan,” according to a masked representative from Havana Banana, will be a sort of high-end Copabanana, and they will try as much as possible to “compliment the hotel and the Old City neighborhood.”

The new restaurant, The Monkey Bar & Restaurant, will have a 1940s Havana-style design and (yah) outdoor seating. The hotel will keep the Society Hill Hotel name but will be outfitted with upgrades to bring it up to date as a “boutique hotel.” This spot has no relation to the late Monkey Bar of Rittenhouse.