Jan NorrisThe bar and grill on Park Avenue is gay-friendly.
The Purple Lizard, a new bar and grill, is open for drinks in Lake Park, taking over the spot left by Pho and Hot Pot.
After months of preparation, the grand opening is set for 5 pm Wednesday, Oct. 8, with a full bar and food.
It’s aimed at the LGBTQ crowd, “But we want this to be a place where anybody can come and feel safe,” said owner Joe Saccal.
Saccal brings years of business experience to the small spot in a strip mall at 826 Park Ave., one block west of the Kelsey Theater. Saccal has decades of strip club and bar experience, most recently as a manager at the Thirsty Turtle in Juno Beach. His dad was the owner of Joe’s on Singer Island for years.
He opened it, he says, “Because we’ve had bad things happen to some of our gay friends. We want a nice place. It’s not a rowdy club. It’s a place where you can come and stop in for a drink and not have any issues.”
His builder is Rafael Vasallo, who helped remake the interior. “I couldn’t have done it without him,” Saccal said.
Vasallo also has a restaurant background, and brings skills from his former positions as manager of the Ale House corporation as well as several others.
Vasallo said a close friend did all the hand-drawn murals and artwork in the space. It’s painted black with deep violet lighting and accents. A wrap-around bar lines two walls while tables fill out the room.
Eventually there will be karaoke, and comedy open-mic nights, they said.
“We have a grand piano, and stage, so live music, too,” Saccal said.
Coming soon: Bar food and dessert
“We’ll have a limited menu in the beginning. Some apps — good wings— and flatbreads, a few desserts. Bar food. Eventually, we’ll have a full menu.”
It began years ago, Saccal said. “I’ve had the gay bar idea for 20 years. After COVID, the rental prices went crazy. But I’ve been actively looking for a place for it for two years.”
He said he knew nothing about Lake Park before discovering the plaza on the town’s main street.
“One day, I was driving up from the Northwood area and just happened to drive by this place and saw a For Rent sign. I pulled in and looked through the windows, saw the cooler, and thought, ‘This was a bar or a restaurant.’ It could be it.”
He contacted Julie Thach, the landlord who owns Saigon Oriental Food Market next door. She let him see it that day. “Julie has been not just great, but awesome,” he said.
They’re slowly getting the word out while they work to complete the kitchen staff and other cosmetic things, Vasallo said. They have a Facebook page, but no website yet.
“I think it’s going to do well,” Saccal said. “It’s not as seasonal here as other places. It’s more of a destination. Palm Beach County only has one or two gay bars. We want this to be a place people can call their own.”
The Purple Lizard is open 5 pm to 2 am Wednesday-Saturday.
Jan’s a journalist covering the South Florida dining scene for 30-plus years. (She knows where the bones and onion peels are buried.) She’s a Florida native, remembers the state pre-Disney, and travels frequently to visit family and friends from the Keys to the Panhandle.
