Death is coming. Eat trash. Be free.
No, that's not the message of some crackpot spreading doom on Substack. Rather, it's an utterly Instagrammable neon sign at Trash Panda Drinking Club, a new bar in Lindale Park that began its soft opening last week and will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, July 30.
Located in the former Edison & Patton space (4203 Edison St.), Trash Panda is the latest concept from Night Moves Hospitality, the minds behind this year's well-received Space Cowboy at the Heights House Hotel. Night Moves partner Greg Perez worked with local artists to transform the 3,000-square-foot space with black paint, velvet bar stools, and midcentury modern fixtures.
In addition to the neon, look for floral paintings on the ceiling and a large mural of "General Rigby," the bar's unofficial raccoon mascot.
“Edison [& Patton] was my first bar managing job and it’s in the neighborhood I grew up in, so it feels like coming home,” Perez said in a statement. “The staff and I built something special at the last bar we opened in the neighborhood a couple years ago, and we hope to bring that same feeling to Trash.”
Bar managers Mathew McEwan and Logan Pollak, both of whom worked with Perez at Monkey's Tail, have created a light-hearted cocktail menu of refreshing sips. The bright pink bubblegum martini is made with gin, hibiscus, lime, and Green Chartreuse, while the Purple Kush features two kinds of rum, ginger wort, and lime.
The cocktail menu also displays a cheeky sense of humor. Buy beer for the kitchen for $10, or enlist Pollak as your "wingman" for $200. The truly bold can allow the staff to choose their own tip.
Night Moves chef-partner Lyle Bento's menu channels some of the same inspirations he displayed at Southern Goods, his restaurant in The Heights that closed in 2017. For example, Trash Panda's pork cracklings utilize the same recipe as they did at Southern Goods, and the wedge salad comes topped with remoulade and crawfish. Bento has also incorporate some Mexican influences with dishes like a Milanese served with mole and corn tortillas, elotes, and chips and queso.
Trash Panda is open Wednesday-Monday from 4 pm-2 am (closed Tuesday). Reservations available via the Resy app.
Bar managers Logan Pollak and Matthew McEwan.
