July 07, 2026
Molly McVety/PhillyVoice
Reid Benditt, above, owns Claude’s Comedy Club & Bar, which opened in South Philadelphia last weekend.
Claude's Comedy Club & Bar wants to be more than a place for Philly's funny people. With a menu of pickle plates, Tastykake flights and grilled cheese, the basement bar seeks to offer a bit of a South Philly diner experience "with a hint of 'Twin Peaks,'" owner Reid Benditt said.
Claude's, located at 1123 S. Broad St. between Washington and Ellsworth streets, opened its 100-person showroom and 50-seat bar Thursday and has a diverse lineup of daily comedy acts planned through the end of the year. For Benditt, a longtime Passyunk Square resident, the space also represents progress for the neighborhood's entertainment scene.
"There was always a void in South Philly," he said. "Having lived in this neighborhood for 13 years, there has just been a serious lack of bars, let alone comedy venues. So, I fell in love with the space."
Tucked between a United Check Cashing location and an upcoming "Emoji Store," Claude's has an unassuming exterior that beckons its customers down a flight of stairs with a neon sign of a microphone and a beverage.
The walls of the cozy cellar space are adorned with movie posters of raunchy 1980s comedies, close-up shots of Gritty and custom T-shirts that are for sale.
Benditt said the former consignment shop's low ceilings and cement floors acted as a perfect blank canvas to create a space for comics. Dozens of small tables are set up around the showroom floor and the walls are lined with booths and pews that previously belonged to both a synagogue and Catholic church in Monmouth County.
"They're non-denominational pews, so everybody's welcome here," he quipped. "I've done enough bar shows to know what doesn't work. So it was nice to have a sandbox to play in and build this thing from scratch."
Benditt said the site was intentionally designed to be "half the size" of Helium Comedy Club, the popular venue in Center City, to provide a more intimate experience.
"We just want to occupy a nice, small space," he said. "There's a ton of great talent and some of them move off to New York, L.A. or Austin. Hopefully we'll get them back. But the ones that have stuck around, they have a home now."
The entrance of Claude's, located on the basement floor of 1123 S. Broad St.
Claude's features a 100-person showroom and 50-seat bar.
Claude's will host comedy shows seven days a week.
Prior to securing the space in November 2024, Benditt hosted a radio show on WXPN and worked for hospitality companies Four Corners, now known as FCM Hospitality that helped open Union Transfer, and AEG Presents, which owns Franklin Music Hall. While in between jobs, Benditt signed up for sketch comedy classes at Philly Improv Theater in Old City, which he credits with sparking his idea to open his own club.
After he was laid off at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Benditt began publishing the satirical newspaper, the Philadelphia Jabroni, with some sketch comedy colleagues. Feeling inspired by his newfound community, he took a free business class at Temple University and began to seek out the perfect space for his own venue.
"I didn't know how to start a small business, so they helped big time," he said. "It was a long time coming between that class and opening our doors."
Claude's, which is named after Benditt's mother, will host comedy programming seven days a week, capped off with hourlong sets on Sundays from local voices in a series dubbed "Sunday Gravy." Tickets to its showcases and open mic nights are for sale on its website.
"When it comes down to the show, it's great when people can just laugh ... hopefully it'll be that simple," Benditt said. "That's what's nice about seeing a live show. It just simplifies things."
