The Pub Crawler

Irish Pat’s is Open for Business

The new bar & grill is doing well so far, thanks to a cleaner image and good food.

Move over O’Boobigan’s, and make way for Irish Pat’s Bar & Grill. The new pub opened in the former home of O’Boobigan’s about a month ago, and so far business has been good, according to managing partner Rui Sousa.  “I haven’t had one person say the food isn’t terrific,” he said.  After doing some cosmetic cleaning up of the place, including patching holes, painting the interior and fixing the floor, Sousa says the restaurant is now “a clean, safe place to come and eat with the kids.”  Sousa, who is also a partner in a pair of popular St. Pete establishments, didn’t mess with the O’Boobigan’s formula; he just tweaked it and upgraded it a bit.  There is live music on the outdoor patio twice a month, happy hour daily from 4-7 p.m., free pool…

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The Pub Crawler

Irish Pat’s Grand Opening is This Weekend

The bar will replace O’Boobigan’s on the corner of Ulmerton Road and US 19.

A new Irish bar is replacing an old Irish bar on the corner of Ulmerton Road in Clearwater.  Irish Pat’s Bar & Grill, a new venture from the people who brought the Central Avenue Oyster Bar and Bishop Tavern to downtown St. Pete, is getting ready to host its grand opening this weekend.  Located in the former home of O’Boobigan’s Irish Bar & Grill, Irish Pat’s will be “a casual neighborhood Irish sports bar with great food,” according to managing partner Rui Sousa.  Sousa says the opening, which will unofficially begin on Friday but officially kick off Saturday morning at 11 a.m., will feature drink specials, food and games.  The bar will have 10 beers on tap, serve food such as reuben sandwiches, Shepherd’s pie, and bangers and mashed. It …

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New Lounge Opens This Weekend on U.S. 19

Zo Lounge, an upscale nightclub, is having its grand opening Friday night.

After two months of construction and a soft opening last weekend that drew a crowd of more than 450 people, Zo Lounge, an upscale nightclub on U.S. 19 in Clearwater, will officially open for business tonight. Boasting a chic interior filled with dark woods, glossy marble countertops, splashy colors and state-of-the-art electronics, the club aims to provide something managers believe is sorely lacking in this area. "This is an elite social nightclub that Pinellas County has never had before," manager Jennifer McDonnell said. "Stepping in here overrides the senses —the atmosphere, the music, the drinks. It's going to be like New Year's Eve every night of the week." The club will feature a different theme every night. Monday is service …

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The Pub Crawler

Norton’s Eastside Has a New Look But a Familiar Feel

The third edition of this popular area sports bar recently opened on McMullen Booth Road.

From the outside, Norton’s Eastside looks like it could be an insurance company office or a bank, thanks to its mirrored glass exterior and nondescript, boxy shape. But open the door to the new sports bar and grill, which is located in the Oakbrook Plaza off McMullen Booth and Enterprise Roads and you might be surprised at what you find inside. The interior is spacious and tastefully decorated with lacquered wood tables and a number of new flat screen TVs, and the right-hand side is dominated by the kind of long, expansive bar that can be a dream for patrons to sit at but a nightmare for bartenders to navigate. The whole place emits a comfortable, classy vibe that is at once new yet familiar; new because it’s a brand new facility, and …

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The Pub Crawler

Boardwalk Grill Brings the Shore to Island Estates

New Jersey native and veteran restaurateur Stuart Saltzman hopes to elevate the sports bar experience in Clearwater Beach.

When Stuart Saltzman moved to Clearwater from New Jersey in 2002, he thought he was out of the bar business for good.  After operating a successful sports bar in the Garden State for 20 years, one that was plastered with memorabilia and served award-winning wings, the 50-year-old decided to retire to Florida and put the hassles of owning a bar behind him. But after living in the area for a few years, Saltzman had to change his mind. “I had no intention of getting back in the business until I saw the quality of the places down here — bad food, bad service, bad décor,” Saltzman said. “That’s when I started looking for a place on the beach.” The Island Estates resident checked out a few places on Clearwater Beach, but none had the right fit …

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Beer Goggles' Closing Leaves Void in Music Scene

The popular central Pinellas punk bar has unexpectedly closed its doors.

  Mary Kougl had worked at Beer Goggles, the Ulmerton Road watering hole populated by alternative bands and their counterculture-loving fans, since it opened in February. She had graduated from bartender to manager to partial owner in the past nine months, and she and her boyfriend, Dave Simko, worked hard to bring popular music acts to the club, helping turn the place from a smoky daytime dive bar into a nighttime music hot spot. So when Kougl got a call Nov. 1 from co-owner Nick Hall stating the bar was closing, effective immediately, she was shocked, stunned and sad. "Nick texted me on Nov. 1 and said to call him. When I called, he said, 'Come pick up your stuff, we're closing, we're done'," Kougl said in a phone interview.  "It was …

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The Pub Crawler

The Pub Crawler: Hot Ticket Pub and Venue

Not only can you watch a game at this US 19 establishment, but they’ll send you to one, too.

Sports bars usually follow a simple formula: provide food and drink, add a bunch of TVs, throw in video games and some music and you might pack ‘em in for the big games. But at Hot Ticket Pub and Venue on US 19 near McCormick Drive, they are turning the standard sports bar recipe on its ear. Let's start with the menu. In addition to the usual bar fare – burgers, salads and sandwiches – Hot Ticket offers a number of tasty alternatives. “One of our themes is to offer meals and drinks that are found in various parts of the country,” manager Steve Barker said. “We serve traditional American classics." Hence Philly cheesesteaks served on authentic Amoroso rolls, pork tenderloin sandwiches that taste straight out of the Midwest, and the gold …

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