Barbarella (3131 South Grand Boulevard; 314-664-2020), which you may still know as the Jade Room, is now closed on a semi-temporary basis. We're not exactly sure what semi-temporary means, but the owners of sister restaurant Mekong (3131 South Grand Boulevard; 314-773-3100) aren't either. We spoke to a manager on the condition of anonymity to see what's going on at Barbarella, the late-night lounge and music venue.
See also: South Grand: An Updated Guide to Restaurants on South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis
Right now, Barbarella looks like it's being cleaned out or repaired. The manager confirms that staff has been doing some basic remodeling since last week, including adding a few beer taps. The plan is to open back up in another week or two, but under what guise, he wasn't sure.
The owners have to sit down and decide what exactly they want to do with the space -- whether it's another revamp or to close it for good. The Jade Room was given a facelift in 2009 and became Barbarella, complete with Jane Fonda on the wall.
The manager at Mekong says he's in no rush to get the renovations done; he'd rather do it right. The family is apparently sitting down early next week to make a decision about Barbarella's fate. We'll update when we hear anything.
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