Cheeky New Drinking Destination Trash Panda Arrives in Lindale Park

Trash Panda Drinking Club, Lindale Park’s newest cheekily-named drinking destination, will open July 30 on 4203 Edison Street.

Trash Panda is the second project from newly formed hospitality group Night Moves, founded by longtime chef Lyle Bento and Greg Perez, formerly a partner at Monkey’s Tail, also in Lindale Park. Night Moves opened its first bar in April, tropical-inspired spot Space Cowboy, inside the newly-renovated Heights House Hotel at 100 West Cavalcade Street. Whereas Space Cowboy serves fruity drinks and Asian eats inspired by Bento’s Hawaiian upbringing, Trash Panda will serve Southern eats and cocktails with a firmly irreverent vibe.

Trash Panda takes over the space formerly occupied by Edison & Patton. The covered patio, which is roughly the same size as the revamped interior, is overlooked by a large mural depicting the bar’s mascot, a booze-loving raccoon named General Rigby. The bar’s slogan, “Death is coming. Eat trash, be free,” typifies its tongue-in-cheek ethos.

Diners can expect an array of elevated bar snacks reminiscent of Bento’s previous restaurant, Southern Goods. Dishes including jalapeno bacon pimento cheese, French onion dip with chicken liver pate, elote, and fried chicken. The bar’s signature cocktail is a baby-pink bubblegum martini, made with gin, “bubblegum broth,” hibiscus, lime and green chartreuse. There are also a selection of old-school cocktails, with variations on the Pimm’s Cup, the grasshopper, and the Midori sour.

Night Moves has at least two other projects in the works, which are set to open before the end of the year. The group has not yet revealed details on those projects.

Trash Panda Drinking Club will be open Wednesday through Monday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m, with the kitchen open until midnight.

• Space Cowboy Opens in the Heights With Staycation-Worthy Cocktails [EHOU]