Happy Hour, Recommended Menu, Specialty Cocktails

Just off SE 82nd Avenue, with its used car lots and “adult entertainment” venues, the Observatory sits like a hidden jewel in the center of Montavilla. Thanks to a growing Stark Street renaissance that began with the Academy Theater’s 2006 face-lift, followed by the opening of the now-hallowed Southern eatery Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar, this neighborhood lounge is beginning to lure the type of urbanite you’d expect to find at any N Mississippi Avenue hot spot. With its baroque interior—gilded mirrors, church pew seating, ornate chandeliers—the celestial-themed bar offers an oasis for a sophisticated afternoon happy hour or a late-night indulgence.

Read more about The Observatory in our July 2010 Eat & Drink section.