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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19 , 2024

New Grove bar offers upscale experience

The bar counter at Switch Bar, which sits next to New York Roma Pizza in Coconut Grove, is expected to serve customers some time in the next month. Brittney Bomnin // Photo Editor
The bar counter at Switch Bar, which sits next to New York Roma Pizza in Coconut Grove, is expected to host customers some time in the next week. Brittney Bomnin // Photo Editor

Move over Tavern, Boardwalk and Barracuda’s. There’s a new bar in town, and nights in Coconut Grove just got a lot more interesting with the addition of Switch Bar and Lounge, located on 3008 Grand Avenue.

Pedro Quiros, the general manager of Switch Bar and a former manager of Tavern, said he doesn’t expect any problems in cracking the Grove bar scene.

“I’ve been in Coconut Grove for four years. A lot of the students here know me from my time at Tavern,” Quiros said. “The whole concept at Switch is different; it’s something other bars don’t have.”

Part of what makes the bar unique lies in the meaning behind the name. Every few months, the bar will be changing themes and the accompanying drink specials. Unlike many of the bars in the Grove, the interior of Switch has a distinctly classy feel to it.

“I know the place is going to be successful,” senior David Broadstone said. “Pedro is a guy we all know from the Grove, and he’s been around bars a long time. He knows what works and what doesn’t.”

Tomas Euvin, the owner of New York Roma Pizza in the Grove, began formulating plans to open the bar in June 2009.  Euvin chose the vacant space adjacent to the pizzeria as his location and picked Quiros and Angel Hassan, the former manager of Club Flavour, as his managers.

Some highlights of Switch include 10 plasma televisions, a wooden DJ booth, dance floor and a 30-foot-long bar. Beers on tap will include Presidente, Sam Adams, and Yuengling, and all pitchers will be 60 ounces rather than the typical 48 ounces.

Quiros, a University of Florida graduate, said that customer service is another quality that will set Switch apart from most bars.

“The inside is very upscale and unique, without having to deal with a dress code,” Quiros said. “We know what it’s like to be the only guy who can’t go in because he has shorts on. The only thing that we stress is that you’re 21.”

Quiros does not anticipate underage drinking becoming a problem at Switch. The Miami native said there will be cops positioned outside the bar, and his security team will run a tight shift.

“I’m looking forward to finally going to a place in the Grove where the majority of the people aren’t underage,” 21-year-old junior Petter Bauer said.

Quiros hopes to use the bar for a variety of events, including wine tasting, art and fashion shows and even radio station broadcasts. After a four-month-long process that he described as “tiring and exhausting,” the bar is set for its soft opening tonight and its grand opening next Wednesday.

“We know we’re going to be successful; there’s no doubt about that. I just want to get it open,” he said.

Camron Ghorbi
Camron Ghorbi
Staff EDGE Writer

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