Madison’s only piano bar, the Ivory Room, expanded into portions of the former Ian’s Pizza this summer. If you’ve ever been to the former incarnation, you know how tight the space was. Now, patrons have more elbow room as 1,000 square feet was added.

Even better, the single piano is now dueling pianos–like you find at Howl at the Moon or Pat O’Brien’s–on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Those are the only nights that have a $5 cover charge, though that’s waived if you show a dinner receipt from Capital Tap Haus or Buck & Badger, both of which share the same owner as Ivory Room.

I have to admit, I actually like the new Ivory Room, because it finally feels like a piano bar. Also, I’ve noticed the average age for patrons has gone down. Whereas the old Ivory Room was usually packed with people 40+, now it’s more 20s and 30s. A bartender told me it’s because of the later opening hours (8 p.m. vs. 4 p.m., for example).

Regarding the musicians, I was happy to see familiar faces in Josh Dupont and Michael Massey of Piano Fondue, as well as the husband-wife duo of Anthony and Leslie Cao, as regular performers. They do a great job of charging up the crowd.

One major strike is the fact that you have to pay $250 for any size group up to 20 to sit in the VIP area, which is on the same level as the pianos. So if  you and four friends want to sit up there, you’re looking at $50 each, all for having slightly closer access to the pianos and a dedicated server. Puh-leeze. This is Madison, not Chicago or New York.

Ivory Room is open Tuesday-Saturday, with Sundays and Mondays reserved for private parties.

Earlier this month, Paul’s Club–tree and all–moved a few yards up State Street to the former Jack’s Shoes. The  new space is much bigger; it’s still narrow but has more depth and couch space.

Besides the fact that the layout is the mirror opposite of its previous incarnation, with the bar on the left side as you walk in, I couldn’t help but notice how bright it was inside (bring your sunglasses to the bathroom). To me, this disappointing feature gave Paul’s Club less of a bar feel. I can only hope that management comes to its senses and returns the darkness version 1.0 had.

Also lost during the change was the coziness the couch areas previously had. It’s almost as if the seating areas were an afterthought. I think moving the seating areas closer together and adding some decor would be a helpful start.

Still, it’s the people who make the bar, and on a recent weekend night, even with school out for the summer, Paul’s Club was packed. With its prime location across from the Overture Center, it makes for a nice pre- and/or post-show watering hole.

Paul’s Club is open daily. The nearest parking ramp is on the same block; enter on Dayton Street.