Tons of new bars opening downtown

Since April 2008, six bars have opened on South 17th Street, launching McAllen's Downtown Entertainment District.

These night spots --- Flesh, Speakeasy Piano Bar and The Dive, to name a few --- are about to get more company. At least a dozen places are going to open in the next six months. These new businesses range from fine dining restaurants to rooftop bars to pizza joints.

• CLICK HERE TO VIEW A SLIDESHOW OF THE NEW BARS & RESTAURANTS

>> BAR 201
201 S. 17th St.
www.bar201.com
Opening: Any day now
Style: Live music venue
Owner says: "It's going to take [17th Street] to another level." -Albert Gonzalez.

Bar 201 is being built in three phases. The first phase is the downstairs bar and the live music stage. The next step is the dance floor and couches on the second level, which opens in late summer. Finally, Bar 201 will have a 3,500 square foot rooftop patio, debuting in time for the New Year's Eve Ball Drop.

>> ROOFTOP LOUNGE
324 S. 17th St.
Opening: End of May
Style: Rooftop patio

The Rooftop Lounge owners won't tell revela anything about their bar. They say they want people to be surprised when it opens. As the name implies, this place is a lounge and it's on a rooftop. Duh. Also, it used to be a herberia. The rest will be revealed soon.

>> LUMEN LOUNGE
108 S. 17th St.
Opening: End of June
Style: Modern lounge
Look for it: Between The Patio on Guerra and the Shine Martini Lounge

Lumen Lounge will be the only bar on 17th Street that's built brand new. It used to be an empty lot between The Patio on Guerra and the Shine Martini Lounge. Owners broke ground in the spring, and they say building it from scratch gave them total design freedom. They've used that liberty to incorporate natural lighting, bamoo and organic colors.

>> DIRTY BOTTLE
210 S. 17th St.
Opening: Within two months

Ever notice the party balcony on 17th Street? It's a rare site, but during Another Music Festival last month you probably saw people making merry on a balcony between Flesh and Rhythm and Brews. That place is becoming Dirty Bottle, the early front runner for best downtown bar name. The buzz is building. During the music festival, Mark Liscano had a photo shoot that got a little too sexy. The police even came to see what was up with all the hot women and sleek cars. Is there a cooler way to introduce yourself to the neighborhood?

>> CHICAGO EAST
115 S. 17th St.
Opening: End of July
Features: Chicago-style pizza, an outdoor patio, and beer.

>> HACIENDA 17
117 S. 17th Street
Opening: Within six months
Style: Bar and grill
Features: Massive, three-location size and a patio

>> CRAZY GUIDO'S
1613 Chicago Ave.
Opening: End of July
Features: Chicago-style pizza
Other location: 2002 N. Conway Ave., Mission

>> VENETIAN FINE DINING
209 S. 17th St.
Opening: End of September
Musicians: Piano players Jim Kane and Grace Valdez, who have played with Rene Sandoval at Embassy Suites

The owners of McAllen's Venetian Fine Dining, a restaurant on Pecan Boulevard, are opening a second location downtown. The place will have the same menu, prices and cuts of Kobe beef as the first location. It will also have a piano bar, an outdoor patio and a rooftop lounge. The owners want a romantic date night place where couples can dine, dance and get cozy in a more private setting than a crowded bar or club.

>> GALLERY BAR
209 S. 17th St.
Opening: Within three months

This spot will be located right next door to Venetian Fine Dining. It's a quaint place that will blend a lounge-style bar with an art gallery.

>> YET-TO-BE-NAMED CAJUN BAR & GRIL
301 S. 17th Street
Opening: TBD

>> VOLTA 17
221 S. 17th St.
Opening: TBD
Style: Bar and Mediterranean restaurant

>> VICE
221 S. 17th Street

>> ALHAMBRA
525 S. 17th Street
We don't know a whole lot about this intriguing new club, but by the looks of this artist's rendering, it just might be the envy of 17th.

>> Whatever happened to Vicio and Tejano Rodeo?

These bars said they would be open in the spring, but no go. Tejano Rodeo was scheduled to open in March at the corner of Eerie Avenue and South 17th Street. Vicio planned to debut in April next to Flesh.

Vicio won't ever open. After construction problems, the owners sold the bar to Albert Gonzalez, the guy behind Bar 201. He's knocked out the ceiling, and he said he plans to open a lounge with a patio hopefully before New Year's Eve.

Tejano Rodeo meanwhile, has seen construction progress, but it has hit a few snags. Officials didn't know when it might open.