New St. Pete bar and cigar lounge 31 Grand to open out of the former Punky’s space

St. Pete's Grand Central District is getting a new late-night destination, and it's opening out of an iconic Central Avenue space.

31 Grand—a new sports bar and cigar lounge—plans to soft open within the next few weeks, although an exact debut date has yet to be set in stone. The new downtown hotspot is located at 3063 Central Ave., home to the recently-closed Punky's.

The bar and restaurant unexpectedly closed in August 2022 after seven years of serving casual bar bites, hosting live music, and fostering a safe space for St. Pete's LGBTQ+ community.  Bella Rouse, 31 Grand's Assistant General Manager, tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that a decent amount of renovations have been done over the course of the last few months—although Punky's former customers might still recognize the floor plan.

Although Rouse can't disclose 31 Grand's food offerings just yet, she describes its menu as  "Southern-inspired casual that's not your average bar food." In addition to a variety of craft cocktails, beer and wine, St. Pete's newest bar will also sell a wide selection of cigars.

Its large patio is the ideal spot to puff on cigars and watch your favorite team, but it will also host live music throughout the week as well, similar to its predecessor.

A recent article from Patch states that the owners of 31 Grand also operate the downtown gentlemen's club Omnia Blue, located at 340 1st Ave N.

There aren't any social media pages for 31 Grand just yet, but it plans to open its doors for the first time within the next few weeks. Keep your eyes peeled on the neon blue-lit building at 3063 Central Ave. for any soft opening activity.

Although 31 Grand's hours aren't set in stone yet, Rouse tells CL that the new bar, restaurant and cigar lounge will tentatively be open from 11 a.m.-1 a.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m.-3 a.m. on weekends, after its upcoming soft opening.