After one full year, the people of St. Pete have spoken: Lost & Found is a hit. The vintage cocktail lounge in Grand Central has eclipsed 12 months in the neighborhood and has only grown in popularity since first opening with dance nights, throwback digs, delicious cocktails, and all the Coors Banquet you could want.
To celebrate, Lost & Found is hosting a one-year anniversary party this Friday, January 19, starting at 7:30 pm. The “Boogie Nights” party will be an appropriate celebration for the retro bar, and it will include free celebratory champagne, live music by Chris Walker Band and DJ Danny Vintage, and specialty $8 Dirk Diggler cocktails – tequila, orange curacao, Aperol, lemon, blood orange, and prosecco
Lost & Found brings the ’70s to St. Pete
Hunger Thirst Group, one of St. Pete’s biggest hospitality enterprises, opened its newest concept last year, and perhaps its most unique one, as well. Lost & Found St. Pete, a vintage cocktail bar & lounge, is located at 2420 Central Avenue in the Grand Central District.
The retro neighborhood bar is unlike any other in St. Pete, combining grandma’s basement with a vintage cocktail bar, with splashes of disco and cheap beer added to the mix. Owner Stephen Schrutt has been planning this concept since early 2020, and has sourced an incredible amount of vintage furniture, decorations and signage that take guests back to the ’70s and ’80s.
Local craft beers pair with bottles of Miller High Life and Coors Banquet to offer suds for any beer drinker, while the thoughtfully curated cocktail list takes center stage with modern takes on retro drinks such as the Singapore Sling, the Pornstar Martini, and the intriguing Marlboro Man – mezcal, amaretto, borghetti, montenegro, and bitters.
The main bar inside is brand new, a long and gleaming spot to pull up a stool, and the backyard parking lot has been converted into an outdoor lounge that will be home to games, drinks, and food trucks, as well movie nights on the projector screen. In their initial announcement, Lost & Found said to expect strong drinks, good times, and a neighborhood vibe at Grand Central’s newest bar.
“A vintage cocktail lounge that takes you back to a time when the music was rocking, the drinks were strong and the fun was all night long,” the announcement said. “Lost & Found takes you back in time to a place that is filled with enjoying good music from the 70’s and 80’s and drinks with your friends while making memories.”
In lieu of opening a full kitchen, Schrutt said he is instead opting to have rotating food trucks as a way to support local businesses and offer customers variety from day to day. Lost & Found is open daily on weekdays at 5 pm and Saturday and Sundays at noon.
In addition to the retro decor, Lost & Found has plenty of throwback tunes. There’s a jukebox in one room, and a full DJ booth in another loaded up with old records (including several borrowed from the collection of Schrutt’s father). Alongside it, a stage is set up for live music on the weekends, complete with a disco ball overheard for those ready to get their groove on.
“I’m excited for this, it’s the kind of place that will be a great addition to the Grand Central District,” Schrutt said. “Lost & Found will be a vintage cocktail lounge, a bar and place that takes us back to a simpler time. It’s very approachable, with classic beers and drinks. It will feel like it’s your neighborhood cocktail lounge—that back-in-the-day spot where you might show up for just a drink but stay for a few more. It’s a feel-good spot, like jumping back in time.”
Follow Lost & Found on Instagram here. Hunger Thirst Group also operates No Vacancy, Good Fortune, Dirty Laundry, The Avenue, and Park & Rec.
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