New craft cocktail lounge to open in EDGE District

The owner of Intermezzo, a St. Petersburg specialty coffee shop and craft cocktail bar, is expanding his footprint in the EDGE District with a new sister concept called Bar Mezzo.

Bar Mezzo will be opening in the old Independent Bar space at 1049 Central Ave., one block east of Intermezzo. Jarrett Sabatini said he originally leased the space at 1049 Central when plans to demolish the building where Intermezzo sits (1111 Central) were announced in late 2022. When development plans were paused, Sabatini had an empty building, and a blank canvas for his new concept, on his hands.

“I’ve been wanting to do a second concept, and the nightlife component here [at Intermezzo] has really grown a lot,” Sabatini said. “I’ve decided to give the bar program its own life and its own space, and really elevate it.”

At 1,600 square feet indoors and an additional 1,600 square feet of outdoor space, the new venue will be slightly larger than the Intermezzo location, with ample opportunity to expand the outdoor area. Sabatini said renovations have been slowly going on for a few months and recently ramped up, with plans to open Bar Mezzo by the end of September. 

The expansion comes as Intermezzo approaches its eighth anniversary in the EDGE District. While Bar Mezzo will have an expanded menu and later hours, Intermezzo will shift the focus of its cocktail offerings and close its doors slightly earlier than its current hours.

“Intermezzo will remain true to its roots, being an Italian cafe, and focus on aperitivo-style cocktails,” Sabatini said. “This will be more of a chill, neighborhood type of vibe and then we’ll channel our weekend, late-night energy over to Bar Mezzo.”

The expanded drink menu at Bar Mezzo will include classic cocktails made to order with fresh ingredients and more inventive, science-driven creations. 

“We want to apply modern techniques to the cocktails, such as milk clarifying cocktails, forced carbonating cocktails, using a centrifuge to clarify juices to have clear cocktails and using foams to really show people what a cocktail can be,” Sabatini said. “I built out a little prep kitchen that has a lot of tools and is a bartender’s dream to be able to play around, do sous vide infusions and be able to to experiment.”

Bar Mezzo has sidewalk seating and a paved lot adjacent to the building, providing significantly more outdoor space than the current setup at Intermezzo.

The design of Bar Mezzo includes an approximately 20-foot marble bar (compared to the 12-foot bar at Intermezzo), dark fluted wood accents and low lighting. The interior can fit approximately 50 people at a mix of low and bar-height tables, with space for a DJ and a small dancing area in the center.

“We kept some of the same bones that the Independent had, but you won’t recognize it. This is a complete renovation,” Sabatini said. He added that his goal is to bring a relaxed yet upscale experience to St. Pete’s bar scene, giving customers a chance to explore unique drinks and move away from some of the busier areas downtown.

“A lot of the bars in Tampa Bay as a whole right now are heavily themed, so I just want to have a really nice lounge environment with good drinks and avoid gimmicks,” Sabatini explained. “I think a lot of people are avoiding that 200 block [of Central Ave.] because it’s so instantly busy, so I want to provide an alternative outside of downtown where people can go have a cocktail and not be elbow-to-elbow with a bunch of 21-year-olds trying to fight for a drink.”

Bar Mezzo will also become the new home for the popular “Miracle at Mezzo” Christmas-themed annual pop-up, which Sabatini said has outgrown the Intermezzo space. In addition to his brick-and-mortar business, Sabatini also started Mezzo Market in 2021, a street market that takes over Baum Avenue with 100+ local vendors. He said he plans to continue investing in the neighborhood’s growth and nightlife scene.

“When I first got here, this was a dirt lot, and where all these buildings are now were pretty much just grass lots,” said Sabatini. “It’s really nice seeing how this neighborhood has gone from literally the edge of town to an area where we have 2,000-plus people living within three or four blocks. I love the EDGE and want to see it keep growing and be part of that.”

When Bar Mezzo is ready to open to the public, an official grand opening will be announced at instagram.com/barmezzostpete.

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