Valenty’s Lounge is tucked behind Pasadena Liquors & Fine Wines at 1100 Pasadena Ave S, South Pasadena, FL, and owned by the gregarious Jim Valenty, a former elementary school teacher, who took over the business from his father, John, in 1990. While many bars have inflated prices, Jim has deflated them. Bottled beers are two bucks. A glass of wine, three bucks. The cocktails are affordable, too, but still made with quality liquors. The interior replicates a similar design to a kiosk bar Jim’s father saw at the Pittsburg airport.

If you’re a sucker for a bar where you can escape the day’s responsibilities and disappear into an artificial night, this place is for you. While cozily dark, the cheer of the clientele and staff is exceptionally bright, a testament to the quality of this hidden gem. As for drinks, Valenty’s Lounge specializes in the whiskey old fashioned, prepared by veteran bartenders Julie and Joanna. Between drink orders, satiate your hunger with classic polish hotdogs and free, freshly popped popcorn.

Julie is mixing drinks today and musters up a blackberry old fashioned, using her own homemade syrup. “You don’t have to drink it all,” she says. But journalistic ethics dictates that I must. What’s more, I need to make one myself. It’s the birthday of a customer. His present? My clumsy attempt to replicate the drink. I bungle the muddling process, squirting syrup everywhere, then slide the sticky glass to the birthday boy, who says it tastes good. I accept his politeness but defer the next drink order to Julie.

With so many places changing in St. Pete, one that stays the same provides a welcomed nostalgia-trip. Valenty’s Lounge has kept its original design and furniture and piano since Jim’s father constructed it, though the exterior has a new feature. A mural by local artist Brian McAllister spans the wall, so if you see white herons painted in the dusk. Pull over and go inside.

Visit Valenty’s Facebook page.

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