Red Lion Lounge

Red Lion Lounge occupies the basement of the Colonial building at 38th and Farnam in Blackstone, and its roots go back to 1955. In its first life it was a jazz room: local press records that Duke Ellington and Toots Thielemans played there in 1957, and live sessions were carried on the radio. By the mid-1960s it had shifted to rock and roll, and it closed a few years after that.

The current lounge dates to a 2018 renovation by the owners of nearby Stirnella. The kitchen was taken out and the space grew to about 4,000 square feet across two rooms divided by a big wooden bar. Original floors, bookcases, doorways and window frames were kept, and new touches include red velvet booths, black-and-white photographs and an old phone booth, all aimed at a classic 1960s lounge feel.

Drinks lean toward classic cocktails, and our listing notes light bar snacks and an afternoon happy hour. Live jazz has returned on occasion in recent years. It suits a quiet pre-dinner drink, a date, or a late stop after an evening on Farnam, and its basement setting makes it feel tucked away from the busier street-level bars nearby.

What to drink & do

• Classic cocktails
• Bar snacks
• 3-6pm happy hour

Good to know

• Located in the lower level of the building at 3802 Farnam St, so expect a few stairs
• No kitchen on site, so plan dinner elsewhere in Blackstone
• Check the venue's social pages for live jazz nights