diff --git a/pandas/compat/__init__.py b/pandas/compat/__init__.py
index 10e1464739203..a2531ebd43c82 100644
--- a/pandas/compat/__init__.py
+++ b/pandas/compat/__init__.py
@@ -180,6 +180,8 @@ class to receive bound method
 
     def u(s):
         return s
+    def u_safe(s):
+        return s
 else:
     string_types = basestring,
     integer_types = (int, long)
@@ -190,6 +192,12 @@ def u(s):
     def u(s):
         return unicode(s, "unicode_escape")
 
+    def u_safe(s):
+        try:
+            return unicode(s, "unicode_escape")
+        except:
+            return s
+
 
 string_and_binary_types = string_types + (binary_type,)
 
diff --git a/pandas/io/pytables.py b/pandas/io/pytables.py
index b79408a1bf8d2..5c1dd408f696c 100644
--- a/pandas/io/pytables.py
+++ b/pandas/io/pytables.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 import pandas.core.common as com
 from pandas.tools.merge import concat
 from pandas import compat
-from pandas.compat import u, PY3, range, lrange
+from pandas.compat import u_safe as u, PY3, range, lrange
 from pandas.io.common import PerformanceWarning
 from pandas.core.config import get_option
 from pandas.computation.pytables import Expr, maybe_expression