King Hippo's Tap Room Comes with a Deli and Entertainment

King Hippo want to become your neighborhood urban lounge in the Arts District and you might be able to take some of their booze home with you.

As previously revealed, two locally known mixology experts are already signed up for the project. Lyle Cervenka, former bartender at the Velveteen Rabbit, and Bryant Jane, managing partner at Radio City Pizzeria and their Retroscena cocktail bar, are both listed as managers on the project. While officially an urban lounge, King Hippo's is also calling itself a "tap room," with a plan that allows guests to buy "packaged spirits and liquor" to consume off-site.

The layout features an entrance on the left of the 11,000-square-foot building, the former home of vintage clothing store The Attic. The building has been vacant since a dramatic 2010 NV Energy transformer explosion next door caused fires and a gas leak on the block.

Guests at King's Hippos can choose to sit under an awning at one of the 14 outdoor seats, or step inside of the 27-seat lounge that includes five stools at the window, peering out onto Main Street.

On the right side of the lounge, a "deli" counter has been added to the current floor plan, a couple of steps from the nine-seat main bar. Customers can also head out to the rear, 776-square-foot patio with room enough for 22 seats. A 50-square-foot space has been penciled in as a staging area for future live events.

The building's ground floor will be shared by the 2,649-square-foot, urban lounge dubbed Huntsman. Former Comme Ca chef Brian Howard's name is attached on all paperwork to the "American Heritage" themed, food serving tavern as it makes its way through the City Planning Commission process.

King Hippo's bare bones Facebook page promises it is "coming soon."