The Grand Central District will soon be home to St. Petersburg’s latest speakeasy, The Saint. Initially slated for an August opening at 49 24th St. N., the forthcoming hangout was unable to launch due to COVID-19 restrictions on bars. (with that being said, do your part in wearing your mask and washing your hands so we can welcome back Tampa Bay’s bars with open arms—and wallets).
Anyway, The Saint is located on the ground floor of the historic Mari-Jean Hotel and is decked out in religious, and not-so religious, memorabilia like crosses, a Saint Peter mural by Chad Mize, candles galore, and framed photos of nuns doing less-than-nun-like things. The lights throughout the concept are red, keeping all sins under wraps, allowing guests to flow through fur and brick accents walls. Not sure how secret this place will be after Instagram gets loaded with photos.
According to its social media, “The Saint invites you in to confess life’s darkest sins, enjoy fine cocktails and even finer company. Allow one of our Resident Mischief-Makers serve you one our 7 Deadly Sins and be whisked away.”
The speakeasy has been teasing its signature cocktails on Facebook, including one martini that invites guests to catch a flavored smoke bubble. Things are guaranteed to get interesting upon opening.
In recent events, The Saint posted on August 27 that the bar acquired its food license, which means the opening date might be sooner than expected. Fingers crossed.
When it comes to hours, expect evening “masses” Wed.-Sat. beginning at 5 p.m. and at noon on Sun. Closing times are to be determined and may be based on demand.
Won’t be much longer until The Saint makes its debut. In the meantime, find out which sins you’re comfortable sharing with your bartender and can’t be used as blackmail later.
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