“The place is in a neat building and it is so close to where we were,” said Bill Fredo, owner of the restaurant.

City Hall Grand Hotel is a boutique hotel housed in Williamsport’s former city hall built in the late 1800’s. After undergoing lengthy renovations, the structure combines old world construction with modern design.

One of the biggest changes to the restaurant is that they no longer brew their own beers and feature more than just Pennsylvania-made beer, wine and spirits.

“We are a full service restaurant and bar, ” said Heather Walker, general manager of Boom City.

Walker added that they still incorporate local beer, wine and spirits into their drink features and support local spirits producers Nomad Distilling Company and Fair Play Distillers.

The restaurant also added a larger outdoor space. Their last location only had a few tables on the sidewalk. Now they have a tiki bar located at the rear of the building, accommodating up to 60 guests. The roomy patio allows patrons to take in the architecture of the historic building, while offering full bar service and dining. Entertainment includes live music and bar games such as trivia on Mondays, music bingo every other Tuesday and Brews and Feuds every other Wednesday.

“Brews and Feuds is like playing Family Feud and you can play alone. [With music bingo] they play a song and if you have that on your bingo card, then you can daub it,” said Walker.

When weather doesn’t permit outside entertainment, games get moved indoors to the Tiger Lounge. The dimly lit speakeasy offers a relaxed atmosphere located steps away from the main restaurant.

Boom’s new dining area has three separate rooms, which provides space for private events, office parties and holiday parties. Walker noted that the restaurant is closed on Sunday so they can host private events.

Throughout the main dining area and hotel, murals provide a roadmap of Williamsport’s past with newspaper articles and photos chronicling historic events.

With all the new changes, one thing that remains the same — their Italian menu.

“Spaghetti, gnocchi and raviolis are all homemade along with our red sauce,” said Fredo. He added that their bread and peppers are also made in-house.

Their menu also includes appetizers, burgers that are never frozen, salads, soups, sandwiches and pizza. Entrees include steaks, chicken, fish and a prime pork ribeye.

Referring to the latter, Walker said, “It is so tender that you can cut it with a spoon. It’s the fillet mignon of pork chops.”

The restaurant staff has especially embraced their role of welcoming guests to City Hall Grand Hotel, which has played host to travelers from around the world.

“It’s fun to meet people from all over, who ask about Williamsport and they want to know the history of Williamsport. Time and time again, [guests arrive] and they are sick of driving and they just want a drink, food and good service,” said Walker.

Fredo said of all his restaurant guests, “Thank you to our regular customers who followed us and thank you to all our new customers, too.”