Portside Lounge, Caribbean outpost in Central City, is set to close

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Portside Lounge, the Central City tiki bar that’s been serving up tropical cocktails since 2017, is closing, an announcement on Facebook said Wednesday.

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that I make the announcement that I will be closing down The Portside Lounge,” the post reads. “It’s been a wild ride with a ton of amazing people, artists, and musicians, but nothing lasts forever and all good things must come to an end.”

The bar will host its grand finale this weekend with music every night, including The Unnaturals on the Fourth of July, its last day. The bar is coming full circle, according to the Facebook post. The Unnaturals, a local surf rock band with attitude, played the bar’s first show.

Portside Lounge is a dive bar with an island feel; dim lighting and tiki mugs decorate the bar. Since its inception, the bar has been a host to myriad celebrations, Saints game watch parties and band performances.